Staying Safe on the Social Networks

Posted on August 27, 2011 by admin

Staying safe while on the social networks is important to protect your business, home and to guard against viruses and spyware that could help other steal your identify.

There are a number of dangers in using social networks.  your children or your family could comment about going on vacations that will telegraph to others who may have access to your social network when exactly you are out of town.   Viruses are easily spread by malicous facebook applications developers if unchecked.  Currently any person whether in Asia or Australia or anywhere can apply and delvier a Facebook application that if played, accesses your personal information.

Here are some tips to stay safe out there on the social networks!

Tips for Staying Safe on Social Networks:

1.            Don’t assume that a link from a friend is safe.  Don’t click.  Try to verify the link is legit with them through another channel.

2.            Don’t assume that Twitter links are safe now that they are scanning for malware.   There are ways of shortening these links and still direct you to dangerous links.

3.            Use an up-to-date browser.  Internet Explorer is the most attacked so upgrade to IE8.   Both Firefox and Microsoft Chrome are safer than most because of their self updates.   Opera and Safari should be kept up to date as well.

4.            Keep Adobe Reader and Flash up-to-date:  these are the most targeted programs.  Always go to the Adobe site to get your updates.

5.            Don’t think that just because you have a Mac you are safe.  There are a couple of thousand trojan malware programs that target Macs.   It is best if an anti-malware program is run.   Most Mac users prefer not to run this protection assuming they are safe due to a lower frequency of attacks.

6.            Be wary of email messages from social networks.  Because email addresses are easily spoofed by hackers, you cannot assume that the email is really from the indicated source.  As always, don’t open attachments you were not expecting.  If directed to another site and a request for you to login happens, DO NOT DO IT.  You will be handing over your password to a hacker.

Companies should make sure to employ a computer/network support company to conduct security assessments and to provide ongoing care to ensure that hackers do not cause a company to have to shut down due to hackers.

By Paul Garrison, CEO, Crescent IT Systems, 281-358-3589

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Hackers Focus on Smaller Firms

Posted on August 22, 2011 by admin

Attacks on Sony and Lockheed grabbed the headlines but a attack on City Newsstand last year did not. But smaller companies are starting to see the damage that hackers can really do. Joe Angelastri, owner of City Newsstand found out the hard way about how thieves can cause damage by planting keylogging software to capture and send credit card numbers without his knowledge.

Joe is out $22,000 because cyber hackers were able to attack his payment system. Hackers are expanding their horizons to smaller businesses because the mentality of “Who would attack us?” is prevalent. The breach caused City Newsstand to lose half their profits for the year. With limited budget and no technical experts on staff, all small businesses in this position are vulnerable.

In 2010, the U.S. Secret Service and Verizon forensic analysis unit, which investigates attacks responded to 761 breaches of which, 482 or 63% were companies with 100 or less employees. 95% of those are credit card attacks.

City Newsstand’s computers were hacked because of a weak password on a remote access software. Two sites were attacked. Software was planted and 14 months later, Mastercard forced City Newsstand to conduct a $22,000 forensic study after suspecting a hack.  For 14 months, credit card numbers were sent to a Russian server and then onto a Yahoo email account.

For small companies, hacks like these can be devastating. Another company, Burger Me’s was forced to shut down its credit card transactions due to a hacker. By 2008, fees and lost business for not being able to take credit cards put him into so much debt, $12,000 he had to close down.

Small businesses must secure their computer infrastructure. Computer firms perform technical assessments almost daily that provides insight on vulnerable security issues that could allow hackers in. IT companies perform other valuable services that small companies need like data backups both local backups and offsite backups as well as server and desktop support. Other services include virus/SPAM control, mobile devices configuration, network design, troubleshooting , workstations and servers. 24/7 computer monitoring, data protection, and server configuration. mis-configured servers or lack of Microsoft updates to servers or desktops can be vulnerable access points for hackers.

Companies should make sure to employ a computer/network support company to conduct security assessments and to provide ongoing care to ensure that hackers do not cause a company to have to shut down due to hackers. By Paul Garrison, CEO, Crescent IT Systems, 281-358-3589

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Man Used Neighbor’s WiFi to Threaten Vice President Biden

Posted on March 5, 2011 by admin

A Blaine, Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to charges that he hacked into his neighbor’s WI-FI connection to email death threats and child pornography. Barry Ardoff, 45 pleaded guilty to causing trouble for his unsuspecting neighbor. He used Aircrack Wi-Fi cracking software to gain access to the WEP encrypted network. He used the Yahoo email account to send emails as this neighbor. Ardoff also posted child pornography on the MySpace page and send threats to Biden.

These days, wireless networks are everywhere. They can be accessed from the street and with the new wireless network cracking software readily available on the internet, any business or home owner could find unauthorized users on their network. Currently32% of the businesses using wireless networks are using the less secure WEP encryption. This is the most crackable network protection today. The WPA and WPA2 encryption are hackable but with more effort.

Business owners should consider the vulnerability of their wireless networks and really stick to wired networks if at all possible. If they provide a wireless network then to isolate it to a portion that only address the internet and not their internal network for company guests. Crescent IT Systems of Houston helps its clients with protecting their networks with the most robust wireless network solutions.

The Minnesota incident is not a rare one but is played out daily in all cities. Wireless driveby hacking called “War Driving” is common. The typical scenario is a hacker will drive up to a business complex with a laptop equipped with the Aircrack or similar software to guess your network password. Times vary from 20 minutes to 3 hours of passive listening to enable the software to guess the password.

Businesses should have their networks assessed for these types of vulnerabilities to prevent unauthorized user access that could be there to steal your client information or to damage the company’s assets or credibility. Crescent IT Systems provides Houston based computer and network support in Houston for over 15 years. Our Houston IT support provides a free technical assessment with a simple call. Call today and let us provide your free assessment today at 281-358-3589.

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How to Secure Your Wireless Network

Posted on November 9, 2010 by admin

The reason we secure a wireless network is to stop people from using the services of our network who don’t have permission to utilize them. It is harder to secure a wireless network from hackers as compared to a classic wired network. This is due to the fact that a wireless network can be accessed anywhere inside the range of its antenna.

In order to secure a wireless network from hackers, we should take proper steps to save ourselves against security issues. If you don’t secure a wireless network from hackers, you might end up without its service. The consequence might also include the utilization of our network to attack further networks. To secure a wireless network from hackers, you should follow these simple wireless networking tips:

1. Strategic antenna placement:
The first thing you have to do is to position the access point’s antenna in a place which restricts the range of its signal to go further than the required area. You should not put the antenna close to a window because glass can’t obstruct its signals. Place it in a central location of the building.

2. Use WEP:
WEP stands for Wireless encryption protocol. It’s a customary technique for encrypting traffic on a wireless network. You should never skip it as that will allow hackers to get instant access to the traffic over a wireless network.

3. Change the SSID, disable the broadcast of SSID:
SSID stands for service set identifier. It is the recognition thread utilized by the wireless access point due to which the customers are capable of starting connections. For every wireless access point arranged, select an exclusive as well as unique SSID. Also, if it’s attainable, hold back the broadcast of the SSID out over the antenna. It won\t appear in the listing of offered networks, while being able to provide services as usual.

4. Disable DHCP:
By doing this, the hackers will have to decode the TCP/IP parameters, subnet mask as well as the IP address in order to hack your wireless network.

5. Disable or modify SNMP settings:
Change the private as well as public community settings of SNMP. You can also just disable it. Otherwise the hackers will be able to utilize SNMP to get significant info regarding your wireless network.

6. Utilize access lists:
For additional security of your wireless network, and if your access point support this feature, employ an access list. An access list lets us determine precisely which machinery is permitted to attach to an access point. The access points which include the access list can employ trivial file transfer protocol (TFTP) now and then in order to download modernized lists to steer clear of hackers.

These are some good steps to secure your wireless network. Crescent IT is here to help you with your needs. Let us know what we can do for you! http://www.crescent-systems.com 281-358-3589.

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Configuring Android 2.0 Phones to Synchronize with Exchange

Posted on October 5, 2010 by admin

Everyone seems to have a smartphone these days.  The Android phones are great but there can be some issues getting them to synchronize with your Email Exchange server.  We will be covering many of the types of smartphones in the upcoming blogs.  Crescent IT Systems specializes in administering your computers and networks and as you can see, smartphones.  Read on if you have a Android phone.

Configuring Android 2.0 Phones to Synchronize with Exchange

1. Select Email

2. Enter in the following information.

  • Email Address
  • Password

Select Manual Setup button.

3. Select Exchange Account option.

4. Enter in the following information

  • Domain\Username
  • Password
  • Exchange Server (e.g., mail.serveraddress.com)
  • Use secure connection (SSL) :  YES
  • Allow all SSL connections:  YES

Select Next.

5. Optional Selections..

  • Email Checking frequency: Automatic (Push) (Default)
    With Automatic Push, email will be delivered to the phone as it comes into the Exchange account. This option will use more battery power as its constantly monitoring the Exchange account. Choosing a timed check like “Every 15 minutes” will help preserve battery.
  • Amount to synchronize: One Day (Default) Choose how many days of email to synchronize.
  • Send email from this account by default: Optional
  • Notify me when email arrives: Optional
  • Sync contacts from this account: Optional
    This will synchronize all the contacts from your Exchange account down to your device.

Select Next.

6. Enter in the following information.

  • Give this account a name: Company Email (Optional)
  • Your Name: Enter full name

Select Done.

7. The mailbox will now launch. Setup of Exchange synchronization is complete.

To view the Exchange calendar on the phone after setting up your email

Select the Home button and select Corporate Calendar. After launching your Exchange calendar will not populate.

To view your Exchange contacts on the phone after setting up your email

Select the Home button and select Contacts.

Again, if you have a question, don’t hesitate to call.  We would be glad to answer your questions about your computers and networks.  Crescent IT never sleeps.  Call today for your free technical assessment that can expose issues and reveal any optimizations that can add to your bottom line. 281-358-3589.

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How to Add or Remove the Desktop Toolbar Menu to the Taskbar in XP

Posted on August 9, 2010 by admin

Windows XP Operating System is one of the most popular operating systems in the last decade. It is popular because it has great performance but also because it can be highly configurable.  There are quite a number of ways you can personalize your computing experience.

When you are working on a number of applications, you need to minimize all the open applications in order to access a desktop shortcut.  It is disruptive and is a waste of time.   You can avoid this issue by creating a desktop toolbar on your Windows XP taskbar?   You can add a desktop toolbar menu to the XP Taskbar with just a few clicks.

Look at the following to learn how to do it…

*   First, right-click on an open area of the taskbar.

*   Go to “Toolbars” and click on “New Toolbar” in the sub-menu.

*   “New Toolbar” window will open.

*   Select “Desktop” and then click “OK” in the “New Toolbar” window.

*   You will find the new “Desktop” toolbar on your taskbar.

*    Start enjoying desktop shortcuts from here.

At this time, you want to remove the Desktop toolbar from the Windows XP Taskbar. The process is as follows:

*   Right-click on an open area of the taskbar

*   Go to “Toolbars” and click on “Desktop” to remove the tick.

*    The Desktop toolbar is not showing on the Taskbar.

To get Windows XP Support, you can talk to an expert.

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