New IRS Tax Scammers Use Personal Data For Big Returns

Recently, the Department of Justice brought charges against Babatunde Olusegun Taiwo for using personal information acquired on the Dark Web. He used the information from data breaches to file fraudulent tax returns with the IRS.

He was able to gain enough information to file more than two thousand income tax returns that attempted to claim more than $12 million. The IRS paid out nearly $900,000 before the authorities caught wind of the scam and shut it down, arresting the St. Louis man and sentencing him to four years in prison.

The Special Agent in charge of the investigation, Thomas Holloman, had this to say about the matter:

"We will continue to pursue criminals who prey on innocent victims and we will continue to enforce our nation's tax laws. Today's sentencing should send a clear message to would-be criminals - you will be caught and you will be punished."

Taiwo isn't the only criminal to have recently been caught by the Department of Justice's drag net. In a separate announcement, the DOJ released details of the case against Hitesh Madhubhai Patel, an Indian national. Between 2013 and 2016, he leveraged call centers to scam victims out of millions of dollars by impersonating the IRS and USCIS. He was threatening victims with deportation, arrest, and jail time unless they paid bogus fines over the phone to his employees.

Patel is due to be sentenced on April 3rd of this year and could face up to twenty years of prison time, in addition to fines of up to a quarter million dollars.

Kudos to the Department of Justice for bringing these crooks to justice. One has to wonder though, for every criminal caught and jailed for activities like these, how many more remain uncaught? Too many, but progress is progress!

Call SpartTec, Inc. in Fayetteville if you need the help of IT experts in setting up the most effective methods to secure your devices, network, and sensitive business information.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

CoronaVirus Scare Is Being Used By Scammers To Trick People

There is no low that hackers and scammers won't stoop to.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a warning about a worldwide scam in progress relating to fears surrounding the CoronaVirus. The FTC's announcement speaks for itself.

Their announcement reads, in part:

"Scammers are taking advantage of fears surrounding the Coronavirus. They're setting up websites to sell bogus products, and using fake emails, texts and social media posts as a ruse to take your money and get your personal information.

The emails and posts may be promoting awareness and prevention tips, and fake information about cases in your neighborhood. They also may be asking you to donate to victims, offering advice on unproven treatments, or contain malicious email attachments."

Even worse, it appears that there are multiple campaigns like this, running in tandem.
Francis Gaffney is the Director of Threat Intelligence for Minecast, which is one of several companies tracking the issue.

Francis added this:

"The sole intention of these threat actors is to play on the public's genuine fear to increase the likelihood of users clicking on an attachment or link delivered in a malicious communication to cause infection, or for monetary gain."

In short, this is about as despicable as it gets. Then again, hackers and scammers have been known to send emails targeting children, so it shouldn't come as a great surprise.

Even so, the standard precautions apply here. Unless you know and trust the sender of a communication, even if it's about something scary and important like the CoronaVirus, don't click on links or open attachments. You never know where it might take you or what type of malware might end up on your system. Better safe than sorry, and you can always get CoronaVirus information from official sources.

Protect your business from scammers and hackers. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville now and let our team help you with your cybersecurity needs. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Kids Can Bypass Communication Limit Feature On iOS 13.3

If you have children that own Apple devices, be aware that the latest update for iOS 13.3 included a feature called Communications Limits.

It is designed to allow parents to set up parental controls to keep their kids from speaking to, texting with, or Facetiming with anyone who's not already in their contacts list.
It's a small but important feature addition. Hackers, scammers, bullies, or strangers can easily get phone numbers belonging to children. Even worse, they can then harass or threaten them in a variety of ways.

Unfortunately, there were problems with the implementation of the feature. For one thing, a bug in the code allowed kids to add a new number to the address book contacts list and use that as a springboard for bypassing the restrictions imposed by the software.

The bug was discovered by staffers at CNBC who were able to show that the feature worked fine on devices backed by iCloud, but not other services like Google's Gmail.
Todd Haselton of CNBC had this to say about the discovery:

"A child should not be able to add the contact to the iPhone's address book without their parent entering their PIN first if the feature is working properly."

That's a succinct description of both the problem and its solution. Right now, Apple is scrambling to generate a fix. Although the company hasn't said as much, there's a very good chance that by the next patching cycle, the company will have a fix in hand.

If you were counting on the feature, one thing you can do until the fix is ready is to make use of the Downtime feature. That allows users to restrict access to apps according to a predefined schedule. It's not perfect, but it will get the job done in the short term.

If you wish to maximize the productivity of your employees by restricting their access to unnecessary apps and programs on your network or if you wish to protect vital business information from prying eyes of unauthorized personnel, call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville now.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

FBI Sheds New Light On Ransomware Tactics

According to a recent FBI alert marked "TLP: AMBER," businesses should be on high alert for ransomware attacks.

The alert reads, in part, as follows:

"Since January 2019, LockerGoga ransomware has targeted large corporations and organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Norway, and the Netherlands. The MegaCortex ransomware, first identified in May 2019, exhibits Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), command and control (C2) infrastructure, and targeting similar to LockerGoga.

The actors behind LockerGoga and MegaCortex will gain a foothold on a corporate network using exploits, phishing attacks, SQL injections and stolen login credentials."

The alert also states that the attackers behind these two ransomware strains often wield Cobalt Strike tools, including Cobalt beacons to gain remote access.

Once the attackers gain a toehold inside a target network, they'll carefully explore and map the target network, seeking out the most sensitive information including proprietary company data, payment card information and other customer details and the like.

The goal here is to identify the highest value information that can be exfiltrated to the command and control server for sale on the black market. Finally, when all of the most valuable information has been siphoned from the network, the hackers will trigger the ransomware itself, which they'll use to gain an additional payment, extorting the affected organization.

The FBI also reports that hacking operations carried out by nation-states often deploy ransomware to make it appear that the attack is the work of traditional cybercriminals, throwing forensic investigators off of their trail.

The process of network mapping and exfiltrating valuable data can take weeks or even months, depending on the size of the network. So, organizations may be infected long before the visible signs of the attack become evident. Given that, it's more important than ever to have robust security system in place. You should have remote backups taken at regular intervals and a rapid response plan in place in the event of a breach.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville and let our team help you find the best IT strategy to protect your company and network from ransomware attacks.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Types of IT Services We Offer

Many small businesses find it challenging to deploy, maintain, and protect their technology. Whether you’re looking to keep IT costs predictable, avoid unexpected problems, communicate more effectively, or make a plan for business continuity, SpartanTec, Inc. has a solution for you.

IT Services To Choose From

Managed IT Services

Several IT service providers that deal with small businesses are referred to as managed service providers. This could cover a range of specifics but lets the business to serve the network of the company on an ongoing basis at a regular fee. It is less costly for firms as time goes by because it could prevent costly issues from transpiring in the first place.

On Demand IT

Another way to categorize an IT service firm is by providing services on demand. You could still provide the same variety of particular functions. However, instead of firms paying a regular fee every month, they just pay for every individual service if they need it.

Network Setup

We also offer a preliminary setup service for firms that are just seeking to get their networks working and fully functional. It is possible to provide this as a standalone service, but can be even more valuable as a part of a specific managed IT package.

Network Security

Cybersecurity is a primary concern for all firms. So checking and responding to possible threats is a famous service for several IT business. This is often included as part of the managed IT services. But it may also be provided as a separate service.

Database Management

A database management is a specific system that a firm uses to check and access data throughout the lifecycle. It will include certain things like employee and customer information, sales, as well as finances. It also includes the organization of data to guarantee security, compliance, as well as the performance that are applications that are driven by data.

Cloud Computing

This specific category includes all kinds of IT service that’s delivered through the internet or a specific cloud network. Therefore, a cloud platform or SaaS service falls in this category. So, we can create a kind of software that’s provided to users over the cloud and they can access it if they pay a membership fee.

Software Support

We like to deal with software products such as those that run databases, multimedia, or spreadsheets, we provide a service where we offer support for users who are in need of technical fixes. We can concentrate on a specific type of software or perhaps a list of programs or provide a service that is more generalized.

Data Storage

We offer a platform or a service for individuals or firms to store their data. We can offer on-premises storage option or cloud platform for system backups or more storage so that users do not need to keep everything on their main devices. We can also add this with a security offering when you are dealing with proprietary or sensitive data.

VoIP Service

VoIP is also referred to as Voice Over Internet Protocol. We provide an online service that lets clients communicate with other people using voice calling, either as needed or on an ongoing basis. This service could be an option for a managed IT service in Fayetteville.

Computer Repair

Computer repair services deal with computers, graphics cards, and motherboards, to name a few. This service could be provided to individuals or companies. This kind of work needs meeting with clients in person at a certain point in time.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville if you wish to know more about these services or if you are interested in getting one for your business.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

New Ransomware Targets Removable And Attached Drives

There's a new and unusual ransomware strain making the rounds that you should be aware of. Called 'AnteFrigus,' it is primarily distributed via 'malvertising' that redirects users to the RIG exploit kit. One of the most unusual features of this strain is the fact that it specifically doesn't target the C: drive of the target computer. Instead, it focuses exclusively on drives that are commonly associated with mapped network drives and removable hardware. BleepingComputer was one of several organizations to discover the ransomware. They all contacted independent security researcher Vitali Kremez to reverse engineer the malware to get a peek under the hood at how it works. Kremez discovered that this strain only targets the D:, E:, F:, G:, H:, and I: drives.  It does not even attempt to encrypt any files located on the C: drive, nor does it try to do anything whatsoever with unmapped network shares.

In addition to that, the AntiFrigus ransomware is designed to skip any file with the following extensions:

• Adv
• Ani
• Big
• Bat
• Bin
• Cab
• Cmd
• Com
• Cpl
• Cur
• Deskthemepack
• Diagcap
• Diagcfg
• Diagpkg
• Dll
• Drv
• Exe
• Hlp
• Icl
• Icns
• Ico
• Ics
• Idx
• Ldf
• Lnk
• Mod
• Mpa
• Msc
• Msp
• Msstyles
• Msu
• Nls
• Nomedia
• Ocx
• Prf
• Rom
• Rtp
• Scr
• Shs
• Spl
• Sys
• Theme
• Themepack
• Wpx
• Lock
• Key
• Hta
• Msi
• Pck

The facts that the ransomware studiously ignores the C: drive and the list of extensions the malware won't encrypt are curious. This all had many people scratching their heads trying to discern why the developers would build their code in this way. Upon review, Kremez concluded that the developers are not terribly sophisticated and are, at this point, still in the experimental stages.  The code is still very much a work in progress.  Work in progress or not, it can be dangerous. Be sure your staff is aware of this latest threat.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville and let our team set up the proper security measures to protect your network and all your drives.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto

Fake Voicemail Messages Tricking People Into Opening Malicious Content

Office 365 has been the target of an increasing number of ongoing phishing scams.
The latest scam involves using fake voicemail messages to convince targets that they need to log in to hear the full recording.

Researchers at McAfee Labs had this to say about the matter:

"Over the past few weeks McAfee Labs has been observing a new phishing campaign using a fake voicemail message to lure victims into entering their Office 365 email credentials.  At first, we believed that only one phishing kit was being used to harvest the user's credentials.  However, during our investigation, we found three different malicious kits and evidence of several high-profile companies being targeted."

Recipients will receive an email message informing them that they missed a call.  A partial recording is available and embedded in the email, but the recipient gets little more than hello, so there's no real indication of what the message might be about.

Then, if the recipient clicks the link provided to "log in and hear the message" they will, of course, be sent to a page that looks like an Office 365 login screen.  All they're really doing at that point is handing their credentials over to whomever sent the message.
As we said at the start, Office 365 has become an increasingly popular target.  There's another scam making the rounds that tries to get a user's login credentials by making it seem as though the message wa
s sent by the recipient's employer's HR department and talks about an upcoming raise.

Both are powerful approaches that have been yielding better results than usual for the scammers.

Be sure your IT staff and all of your employees are aware of and on their guard against these scams. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Fayetteville now for more information.

SpartanTec, Inc.
517 Owen Dr
Fayetteville, NC 28304
(910) 745-7776
http://manageditservicesfayetteville.com

Cities Served:
Fayetteville, Spring Lake, Hope Mills, Dunn, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Pinehurst, Sanford, Clinto