Tethered Computer Services

11/01/2021

https://smartermsp.com/tech-time-warp-ghostball-virus-haunts-pc-users-in-1989/?mkt_tok=MzI2LUJLQy00MzIAAAGAeqFSNOaHUuln97-er6o74yf-gzejfn5clTf51A6ITkTx1f4ESYM83zMUAXm9AXWLubanz2utqMKgasEwhj495Ssb1RV05cjJz241NjC0hW-y

Article from SmarterMSP.com showing that virues have been around since the earlier days of the PC

As some PC users found out in October 1989, thanks to the Ghostball virus, malware can be difficult to exorcise from your system.

03/03/2021

Just receive this memo from one of my security partners.

Microsoft has announced that it has identified new nation-state cyberattacks using previously unknown exploits that target the company’s on-premises Exchange Server software.

To minimize or avoid impact, Microsoft highly recommends that you take immediate action to apply the patches for any on-premises Exchange deployments you have or are managing for a customer or advise your customer of the steps they need to take. The vulnerabilities exist in on-premises Exchange Servers 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019. Exchange Online is not affected.

04/08/2020

04/03/2020

Users of Zoom. Beware, of course, of criminal activity.

An article from ThreatLocker mentioned that some Zoom participants can get a UNC link in a message. when the user clicks on the following will happen

"In these attacks, criminals are sending UNC links in a message. When a user receives the message and clicks the link, the windows credentials are then passed onto the attacker. Cybercriminals can essentially send users an executable script file to run in the same manner, infecting the user with malware."

08/15/2019

I've been reading about this for the past few days and want to share this out to my clients. Aside from being a pain in the ass like all ransomware, this one deletes the data, yet the culprits still ask for payment.

If you do not have a disaster recovery plan in place, let alone backup or security plan in action, contact us.

GermanWiper Ransomware Targets SMBs

German SMBs are the target of a new ransomware that’s wreaking havoc on company data.
The ransomware is delivered by a phishing campaign purporting to be from a potential job applicant, and the email contains an attachment that poses as a PDF resume from the sender.

When users click on the attachment, it unleashes a ransomware attack that demands payment in Bitcoin to decrypt the files.

Unfortunately, even if businesses pay the ransom, their files are unrecoverable. This particular ransomware, dubbed GermanWiper, erases the encrypted data, making it permanently inaccessible to users.

GermanWiper is a reminder of the precarious nature of ransomware attacks that are increasingly targeting businesses and government organizations to extract large payments. If companies are unprepared for a ransomware attack, there is no guarantee that they will ever recover their information by paying a ransom, and other restorative processes can be even more costly than the ransomware demands.

Therefore, defensive initiatives are business's best bet for avoiding a ransomware attack, and, with security specialists (Like us!) ready to help out, now is the right time to ensure that your company is ready to defend against today’s always-shifting threat landscape.

08/02/2019

Good afternoon everyone. I volunteer with Langley Pos-Abilities Society and we are having an online auction that will be starting on August 7th, 2019 and running until August 14th, 2019.

You can view a sample of items here and also sign-up to be able to bid on items when the site unlocks.

Online Auction Fundraiser

03/15/2019

Article for andriod smartphone users to be wary of malware laden apps. Check this list and remove.

Digital security researchers have discovered a previously unknown type of ad-serving malware in more than 200 Android apps, some of which have been downloaded by millions of users. The AdWare, which security firm Check Point calls “SimBad,” creates a backdoor and allows its creator to install ad...

08/16/2018

One of my clients is selling a wall mount rack. They outgrew this unit after a couple of years and went to a larger unit. This cabinet is in perfect shape.

$200 OBO

Reach out to me if you're interested. The cabinet locks for extra security.

05/29/2018

There are quite a few articles in the news in the last few days about malware going around that's affecting routers. If you happen to have one of these routers in your business or at home, do a reset of the router to get rid of payload for the Malware.

Linksys E1200

Linksys E2500

Linksys WRVS4400N

Mikrotik RouterOS for Cloud Core Routers: Versions 1016, 1036, and 1072

Netgear DGN2200

Netgear R6400

Netgear R7000

Netgear R8000

Netgear WNR1000

Netgear WNR2000

QNAP TS251

QNAP TS439 Pro

Other QNAP NAS devices running QTS software

TP-Link R600VPN

04/30/2018

Got word of a new computer social engineering scam going on.

What will happen is that an 'older sounding lady' will call you and say something like "We installed some software on your computer last week and there is a problem. We need to get back on..."

Some of the words above may be changed by the telephone solicitor. With the calling being an older sounding female, it gives some 'comfort' to the person receiving the call.

If you get such a call, hang up. Only you should know whether or not you installed software on your computer at any point, or if your computer is managed by an IT company (like us), your IT company would be the one calling you.

Unfortunately, there's no blocking the social engineering phone calls, this relies on company employee education on what to watch out for.

04/11/2018

Good day everyone. It seems that time of year again, not just tax season, but time for social engineering tax calls from people threatening to arrest you; if you do not pay the CRA your outstanding tax bill.

Well, this reminds me that not only are people falling for this tactic that goes back several years, but people are also falling for phishing emails - still

Here's a good article from MXToolBox that people can follow. Bottom line as I believe I mentioned before, go with your gut feeling. If you don't trust it, delete it. Especially if you know you've never dealt the the company or service in question.

https://mxtoolbox.com/c/landing/identifyingphishing?utm_source=IDPhishingEmail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=inlinelink&utm_campaign=IDPhishingEmail