Businesses Should Block Facebook Access

ebiianov — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:54:44 +0000

From InfoWorld 5/17/2012

There’s no doubt about it — Facebook has people’s attention this week. With an IPO going live and public stock trading due by Friday, it’s no wonder everyone is getting ready for one of the most exciting public offerings to date. A hot IPO doesn’t ultimately matter to IT, but the implications of Facebook’s business model do.

How’s that? The Facebook revenue model is based on self-serve advertising, engagement ads, and games — all ways that will let employees waste even more time at work while consuming your network resources. Consider the time-wasting nightmare you might be allowing into your company if you unlock those firewalls and let Facebook in. On top of employees updating their timeline and jabbering about life when they should be working, they are also being marketed to and playing Mafia Wars on company time.

Facebook isn’t the only time-stealer in your organization. YouTube, Vimeo, and other sites are black holes as well. Even Twitter, which I use for business purposes only, has been a distraction when I needed to fully focus. I decided to try an experiment and place Twitter on a PC other than the one I typically sit at. As a result, I get more work done with less distraction. When I get a cup of coffee, I might check my Twitter feeds, but my mind stays in the game while I’m at my desk.

Click here for the rest of the article on why businesses should block social networking websites at work.

To find out how ingenuIT can improve your business’s productivity, click here.

We offer technical support and consulting to businesses throughout NYC – Manhattan, Queens, Long Island City, Brooklyn, Union Square, Gramercy, Chelsea, Midtown, Downtown, Financial District, Murray Hill, Upper East Side, Tribeca, NoHo, East Village, Little Italy, Battery Park City, Hell’s Kitchen, Upper West Side, Long Island City, and others. We serve the following zip codes: 10004, 10038, 10013, 10002, 10012, 10014, 10003, 10009, 10011, 10016, 10001, 10018, 10017, 10022, 10065, 10021, 10028, 10128, 10029, 10019, 10023, and 10024.

Infected Users Get Warning About July 9 “Internet Doomsday”

ebiianov — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:36:11 +0000

ingenuIT previously reported on the DNSChanger malware that could knock over 350,000 users off the internet come July 9th, 2012. Now two companies, OpenDNS and CloudFlare, are taking steps to warn unaware users that their computers may be infected before it’s too late.

From MSNBC Technolog – 5/15/2012

We recently told you about the “Internet doomsday” that could happen July 9 for PC and Mac users who haven’t taken steps to make sure their systems aren’t infected with DNSChanger malware.

The malware is so vicious — it can interfere with users’ Web browsing, steer them to fraudulent websites and make their computers vulnerable to other malicious software — that the FBI has put a safety net of sorts in place, using government computers to prevent any Internet disruptions for users whose computers may be infected. But the government’s safety net goes away July 9, and starting on that day, you may not be able to get an Internet connection if your computer is infected with DNSChanger.

Two companies, OpenDNS and CloudFlare, have put together the message alert system to help more than a half-million U.S. users who are believed to have the DNSChanger malware on their computers and don’t know it, and who may not have read about it in recent weeks.

Click here to read the rest of the article about how OpenDNS and CloudFlare are attempting to warn users infected by the DNSChanger malware.

To find out how ingenuIT can keep your small business safe and secure, click here.

Malware for Macs Lucrative

ebiianov — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:46:38 +0000

From The New York Times 5/11/2012

Last month, cybercriminals embarked on what quickly became one of the largest-scale malware attacks on Apple computers to date. Their motive was financial: security researchers now estimate that the infected computers made the malware’s creators $10,000 a day.

The malware, called Flashback, targeted Mac users and infected their machines through a security hole in Java software that Oracle patched last February, but that Apple did not patch until early April. In those six weeks, Flashback spread to over half a million computers.

Click here to read the rest of the article about the spread of malware for Macs.

ingenuIT previously reported on Flashback malware infection. Click here to read our original article.

As Mac computers become more prevalent in the business environment it is crucial to ensure that they’re properly protected from all types of malware. Click here to find out how ingenuIT can help keep the Macs in your business secure.

Virus to Knock 350,000 Users Off Internet In July

ebiianov — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 20:56:06 +0000

From ZDNet – 4/27/2012

Summary: The DNSChanger botnet is long dead, fixes for the malware have been around for months, but over 350,000 users still haven’t fixed their computers or routers, so in July they’ll be knocked off the Internet.

DNSChanger is a Windows and Mac Trojan that’s been around since 2007. What it did was to cause Windows PCs and Macs to use rogue Domain Name System (DNS) servers. First, it changed your computer’s DNS server settings to replace your ISP’s good DNS servers with rogue DNS servers (PDF Link) operated by the criminal. Then, it tried to compromise your routers and home gateways. It did this by using the most default user names and passwords for small office/home office (SOHO) dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) servers. If successful, DNSChanger switched your router or gateway’s default DNS servers to the rogue DNS servers. This in turn would make all the PCs on your LAN go to the corrupt DNS servers. This way a single infected system could compromise every PC on a network even if they didn’t have an infection.

What happened then was that when you tried to go to a popular Website, like Amazon or iTunes, instead of seeing the content you’d expected, you’d see large advertisements or were rerouted to spam or malware sites. Adding insult to injury, DNSChanger also blocked access to anti-virus sites to prevent the removal of the malware.

Back in November, in Operation Ghost Click, the FBI shut down the botnet behind DNSChanger. In the meantime every major anti-virus company have updated their programs to find and smash DNSChanger. So, why in April, is it still a problem?

Click here for the full article on the DNSChanger botnet from ZDNet.

Click here for the Official FBI notification.

Click here to check whether or not you could be affected.

Click here for instructions on how to remove the infection.

To fin out how ingenuIT can protect your small business for all forms of malware, please click here.

Should Small Businesses Upgrade to Windows 8?

ebiianov — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:01:33 +0000

From TechRepublic 4/16/2012

I’ve been using Microsoft-based desktop PCs for a long time. I remember buying a light brown desktop PC in a huge metal case and having also to buy DOS 4.0 separately so it could run software. DOS 5.0 was not far behind, and I’ve been faced with operating system upgrade decisions in small businesses ever since.

The release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview in February reminded me that yet another OS upgrade decision will soon be upon us. And although I, and many other cogs in the SMB machine, tend to wait out the initial stage (aka Service Pack 0), the fact that the world is moving on requires that we give some thought to whether we should join the bandwagon.

I look at every small business OS-upgrade choice as a cost/benefit ratio. Calculate the cost, calculate the benefit, and divide. It’s a subjective and metaphorical number, to be sure, but the process of trying to calculate it is a useful one. It forces you to evaluate the decision on the basis of facts and not just emotion. If the costs outweigh the benefits, upgrading should wait. The benefits must outweigh the costs for an OS upgrade to make sense.

Let’s take a look at the variables you should consider.

Click here to read the rest of the article discussing if and when a small business should upgrade to Windows 8.

To find out how ingenuIT can help you decided if upgrading to Windows 8 is right for your small business, click here.

Trojan Uses Java Vulnerability to Infect Macs

ebiianov — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 19:06:20 +0000

From ZDNet 4/06/2012

Two months ago, a new variant of the Flashback Trojan started exploiting a security hole in Java to silently infect Mac OS X machines. Apple has since patched Java, but this was only yesterday. As of today, more than 600,000 Macs are currently infected with the Flashback Trojan, which steals your user names and passwords to popular websites by monitoring your network traffic.

Click here for the rest of the article on the distribution of this virus.

If you believe that your Mac may be infected, click here for the removal procedure.

Many people believe that Macs do not get viruses. This is a false and dangerous belief. As Macs become more prevalent in the business environment it is crucial to ensure that they’re properly protected from all types of malware. Click here to find out how ingenuIT can help keep the Macs in your business secure.

Mac Malware Exploits Microsoft Office

ebiianov — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 22:15:45 +0000

From InfoWorld 3/30/2012

Security researchers have encountered new email-based targeted attacks that exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Office to install a remote access Trojan horse program on Mac OS systems.

The rogue emails appear to target Tibetan activist organizations and distribute booby-trapped Microsoft Word documents that exploit a known remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Office for Mac, according to malware experts from security firm AlienVault.

“This is one of the few times that we have seen a malicious Office file used to deliver Malware on Mac OS X,” said AlienVault security researcher Jaime Blasco in a blog post on Tuesday.

Security researchers from Mac antivirus vendor Intego believe that the attacks might become more widespread. “This malware is fairly sophisticated, and it is worth pointing out that the code in these Word documents is not encrypted, so any malware writer who gets copies of them may be able to alter the code and distribute their own versions of these documents,” they said in a blog post on Thursday.

Click here to read the rest of the article on the Mac security threat.

To find out how ingenuIT can keep your network secure click here.

The Master List of Windows 7 Shortcuts

ebiianov — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:02:41 +0000

From Lifehacker 3/26/2012

Windows 7 adds loads of great shortcuts for switching between apps, moving windows around your screen, moving them to another monitor altogether, and much more. Here’s a quick-reference master list of the best new Windows 7 shortcuts.

We’re nuts for keyboard shortcuts here at Lifehacker, and Windows 7 brings a handful of great new ones to add to your muscle memory. It’s also got a few handy mouse-based shortcuts you’d do well to add to your repertoire. So let’s get shortcuttin’.

Please click here for the rest of the article from Lifehacker highlighting the most useful Windows 7 shortcuts.

Please click here Microsoft’s webpage listing all of the Windows shortcuts.

ingenuIT is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. To find out how ingenuIT can help your business get the most out of Microsoft’s products, please click here.

Most IT Departments Aren’t Keeping Up

ebiianov — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:22:27 +0000

From The Huffington Post 3/21/12

In the tech world, it’s no secret that turnover is quick: Devices that were new just a year ago can become old news faster than you can say “Apple.” And as cutting-edge tech races off conveyor belts, professionals expected to have expert knowledge about these products are apparently falling behind the times.

According to a study released on March 12 by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) , a whopping 93 percent of employers indicated there is an overall skills gap (a difference between existing and desired skills levels) among their information technology (IT) staff. Furthermore, 80 percent of organizations said their business has been affected by it.

Click here for the rest of the article on the IT Skills gap found by the CompTIA survey.

At ingenuIT, we understand the importance of industry certifications that demonstrate expertise with a given product. Most hardware and software vendors offer certification programs that provide companies like ours the expertise to implement and support their products effectively. These certification programs give our clients peace-of-mind by validating our expertise. ingenuIT clients also benefit from our advance access to new products, partner-only training and priority technical support.

ingenuIT consultants are college-educated, Microsoft certified, and undergo continuous certification testing. Each quarter our consultants are required to complete at least one technical certification exam relevant to their position. This ensures that we are not only keeping up with technologies relevant to your business, but that we also continuously update our skills to properly implement and support them.

Click here to find out more about our commitment to keeping up with new technologies and certifications.

Click here to find out more about some of our partner programs with industry leading hardware and software vendors.

What To Expect From Windows 8

ebiianov — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:33:12 +0000

From Forbes 3/20/2012

Microsoft announced its release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview at Mobile World Congress.

Speaking to a crowd in Barcelona, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky called the new operating system a “bold re-imagining of Windows” and said that it was a “generational change” marking the first major overhaul of Windows since Windows 95.

It’s certainly not like any other version of Windows, though it will remind many people of old versions of Windows Media Center and the new Xbox Live.

In a blog post at the Windows blog, Kent Walter touted the new operating system, saying “With Windows 8, the whole experience of Windows has been reimagined. It’s designed to work on a wide range of devices , from touch-enabled tablets, to laptops, to desktops and all-in-ones. We’ve designed Windows 8 to give you instant access to your apps, your files, and the information you care about most so you can spend less time navigating and more time doing what you actually want to do. You can move between Windows 8 PCs easily and access your files and settings from virtually anywhere.”

In other words, with Windows 8 Microsoft is finally catching up with the world of mobile devices and tablets.

Please click here for the rest of the article about the new features you can expect from Windows 8.

To find out how ingenuIT can help you evaluate how and when to use Windows 8 for your business, click here.