Up Links Systems

24/11/2014

Regin' malware described as 'groundbreaking and almost peerless.

Experts don't know where it came from, and aren't quite sure what it does.
But they do know this: a newly-uncovered cybersecurity threat appears to have been designed by a government, and is "groundbreaking and almost peerless."

Regin, as they've dubbed it, is malware that has been lurking in computers for as long as six years, according to Symantec (SYMC, Tech30), the cybersecurity firm that produces Norton Antivirus.
"Its capabilities and the level of resources behind Regin indicate that it is one of the main cyberespionage tools used by a nation state," Symantec said Sunday, explaining that "development took months, if not years, to complete."
The researchers said little to answer several key questions: Who designed it? How widely has it spread? What has it scooped up? What are the risks?
Related: Russian website streams thousands of private webcams
They said Regin has been discovered in at least 10 countries and was most heavily concentrated in Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The United States was not among the countries listed by Symantec.
Regin appears to have been aimed against particular individuals and small businesses. Some telecommunication companies were also targeted, apparently to spy on calls going through the phone networks. The software was also deployed in the hospitality and energy industries.
Symantec said the malware conceals itself well and has several levels of protection. It uses multiple types of encryption, for example, and can communicate with the hacker that deployed it in several different ways.
It also uses a "modular" structure that conceals deeper layers of the malware and makes it "very difficult to ascertain what it is doing," researchers said.
In that respect, it is similar to the Stuxnet worm, which is widely believed to be a U.S.-designed weapon against the Iranian nuclear program. Iran is one of the 10 countries where Symantec says it found the Regin bug.
"Its low key nature means it can potentially be used in espionage campaigns lasting several years," it wrote, and additional components likely "remain undiscovered."

14/01/2014

Oh Intel. Oh Intel. You crazy, beautiful bastards. Meet the Edison. It’s a dual-core computer that literally fits inside an SD Card-sized footprint....

09/12/2013

91% of companies attacked

A recent Kaspersky Lab and B2B International survey has revealed that 91% of organisations polled suffered a cyber-attack at least once in the past year. 9% were the victims of targeted attacks - carefully planned activity aimed at infecting the network infrastructure of a specific organisation.

And these are just self-estimated calculations. The extensive use of digital devices in business has created ideal conditions for cyber-espionage and the deployment of malware capable of stealing corporate data. The potential is so great that malicious programmes may soon completely replace company insiders as the way of gathering information.



The main corporate findings of the year:

· spyware-led attacks related to various governments were revealed

· most cybercriminal incidents were aimed at stealing information

· attacks on contractors were identified, instead of reaching big organisations

· new actor on the APT stage appeared: cyber-mercenaries conducting cyber-espionage on demand



The parties concerned and the attackers’ goals:

2013 saw some major disclosures about spyware-led attacks that were related, directly or indirectly, to the activities of various governments’ agencies. Other significant actors on the corporate cyber threat scene were businesses that turned to cybercriminals to pe*****te their competitors’ networks.



Outsourced cybercriminal forces performed operations that were usually aimed at stealing information. Other attacks were based on sabotage – using malicious programmes to wipe data or block infrastructure operations. Some special Trojan programmes were capable of stealing money via online banking systems. Cybercriminals could also compromise corporate sites and redirect visitors to malicious resources, damaging a company’s reputation.



Financial losses were caused by a DDoS attack, which can close down a company’s public-facing web resources for several days. Clients start looking for a more reliable company, which results in long-term financial losses.



“Mass distribution of malicious programmes can affect any company, even a small commercial organisation, resulting in the loss of money and intellectual property. Cybercriminals are continuously improving their malware, using unconventional approaches and solutions, from so-called encryptors and shredders that spread like the plague in a corporate environment, to an army of zombies that devours every available resource on web servers and data transfer networks. In 2013 we also fixed the first case of targeting supply chains - not being able to reach big organisations, cybercriminals get their ‘weak point’, compromising contractors, as in the Icefog attacks”, Vitaly Kamluk, Principal Security Researcher of Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research and Analysis Team, commented.



The rise of the cyber-mercenaries:

Over the past few years, Kaspersky Lab’s experts have observed big and noisy APT gangs all over the world targeting large numbers of organisations from almost all sectors. They stayed in compromised networks for weeks and even months at a time, stealing every shred of information they could get. However, that approach stands less and less chance of going unnoticed for long, damaging their prospects of success. That’s why a new emerging trend is witnessed: small hit-and-run gangs that attack with surgical precision. They appear to know very well what they need from the victims.



Basically, these kind of attackers come, steal what they want and leave. Kaspersky Lab’s experts have named them "cyber-mercenaries" – an organised group of people conducting cyber-espionage/cyber-sabotage activities on demand, following the orders of anyone who pays them.



Icefog, which was recently discovered, appears to be an example of this – an APT campaign in search of specifically required data. Manual analysis of the data stored in corporate networks was used with the help of remote-access technologies integrated into malware on infected workstations. Subsequently the cybercriminals selected and copied the documents that they wanted. Kaspersky Lab’s analysts expect this trend to grow in future, and more small groups of cyber-mercenaries will be available for hire to perform surgical hit-and-run operations.



Consequences of government-related disclosures:

The infamous disclosures of 2013 could potentially lead to a kind of de-globalisation and greater interest in creating national equivalents of global services. Those new national software products and services delivered by local manufacturers may not be of the same quality as those of the larger international companies. The investigation of cyber-attacks suggests that the smaller and less experienced the software developer is, the more vulnerabilities will be found in its code. As a result targeted attacks become easier and more effective.

01/12/2013

The Team

21/11/2013

We currently running specials on Office solutions. Online backing up Systems, SLA , WiFi setup. Off site backup server. Please contact Leroy 0826777897 or 0137532310 for any ICT solutions and more information.

14/05/2013

If you’re already a fan of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), we’ve got some exciting news designed to make it easier for you to connect with your entire mobile social network. BlackBerry plans to make BBM, our wildly popular mobile messaging service, available for the first time to iOS® and Android™ users this summer, (subject to approval by Google Play and the Apple App Store, as applicable). This means that, once available, you can welcome your friends and family using these other mobile platforms to connect over BBM and share in the Team BlackBerry love.

As we’ve chronicled on our Inside BlackBerry blog for some time now, BBM set the standard for mobile instant messaging with fast and reliable service and an added layer of engagement with delivered and read statuses. You’ve shared with us your stories about how BBM has kept you connected when it mattered most to you. Upon release of the multi-platform BBM service, you can broaden that real-time connection to friends and colleagues on other supported mobile platforms.

In the first version of multi-platform BBM, iOS and Android users are expected to be able to experience the following BBM features:

The immediacy of BBM chats
Multi-person chats
Voice note sharing
BlackBerry Groups, where BBM users are able to set up groups of up to 30 people and share calendar, photos, files and more
The team here at BlackBerry has definitely been working hard to bring the much-adored BBM experience to a wider group of mobile users. In a recent press release at BlackBerry Live 2013, Andrew Bocking, Executive Vice President, Software Product Management and Ecosystem, at BlackBerry had this to say:

“For BlackBerry, messaging and collaboration are inseparable from the mobile experience, and the time is definitely right for BBM to become a multi-platform mobile service. BBM has always been one of the most engaging services for BlackBerry customers, enabling them to easily connect while maintaining a valued level of personal privacy. We’re excited to offer iOS and Android users the possibility to join the BBM community.”

BBM Quick Facts:
More than 60 million monthly active users
More than 51 million daily active users who are connecting with friends or colleagues an average of one and a half hours every day.
BBM users send and receive more than 10 billion messages each day, nearly twice as many messages per user per day as compared to other mobile messaging apps
Almost half of BBM messages are read within 20 seconds of being received; indicating how truly engaged BBM customers are
Today, BlackBerry also announced BBM Channels, a new social engagement platform within BBM that will allow customers to connect with the businesses, brands, celebrities and groups they are passionate about. BlackBerry plans to add support for BBM Channels as well as voice and video chatting for iOS and Android later this year, subject to approval by the Apple App Store and Google Play. If approved by Apple and Google, the BBM app will be available as a free download in the Apple® App StoreSM and Google Play store. Additional details about system requirements and availability will be announced closer to the launch.

That’s some pretty big news, indeed. Be sure to share your thoughts with us in the comments below, who will be the first person from your extended network that you introduce to BBM?

09/05/2013

BLACKBERRY Q10 ARRIVES IN STORES

25/04/2013

Dear Valued Customer,

We've just received stock of the Samsung GALAXY S4 @ R9888.98

08/04/2013

At the recent Africa Forum in Cape Town, Samsung unveiled its new DuraCool Smart Refrigerator Range, which includes digital inverter technology, which is said to improve energy efficiency.

With the new DuraCool Smart Bottom Mounted Freezer, Samsung brings powerful technology innovations into the home, empowering families to get more out of their appliances and enabling households to run more efficiently and harmoniously. Advanced technology in Samsung’s new refrigerator delivers an overall unique design complemented by special features that work together to maximum space efficiency.



“In many ways, the refrigerator is the heart of the kitchen, experiencing many physical demands and activity throughout the day,” said Rajan Gungiah, Business Leader for Digital Appliances at Samsung Electronics South Africa. “In addition to delivering quality refrigeration technologies that consumers crave, we also designed a model that keeps families better organised with convenient features that are truly thoughtful. At Samsung, we pride ourselves on always thinking ahead to what our consumers will need, and our new DuraCool Smart Refrigerator attentively delivers on providing real solutions with unprecedented technology and smart design.”



Maximum Organisation and Storage

An Easy Slide shelf effortlessly slides out to enable more efficient organisation and easy storing and removal of groceries, allowing consumers to maximise the space of the refrigerator. In a conventional refrigerator, it is inconvenient to put large items in the drawer due to its small entrance. But a Full Open Box in the new Bottom Mounted Freezer can be pulled out fully so users can store and take out large food items easily. The Full Open Box can be pulled out fully to store items corner to corner and easily remove large and bulky food items. A wider and deeper Big Guard door shelf accommodates big and tall bottles – perfect for entertaining occasions that require many and varied size beverages.



Delivering Optimal Freshness and Unmatched Convenience

Samsung’s new DuraCool SMART Refrigerator offers several other category-first features that highlight convenience, a 4.5-liter water tank connected to the door dispenser that can be filled with pure water for healthier consumption and a top LED that illuminates the refrigerator’s interior more brightly than conventional models. No other refrigerator ensures optimal freshness, which allows consumers to enjoy healthy eating lifestyle, like the new DuraCool Smart Bottom Mounted Freezer range.



The refrigerator’s Easy Slide shelf also makes it easy to keep large amounts and various kinds of healthy fruits and vegetables accessible. Plus a digital inverter compressor maintains perfect freshness by automatically adjusting its speed to internal and external condition.



In addition, No Frost Technology prevents ice build-up on the inside of the freezer wall and prevents water drop formation in the refrigerator that can leave stains.



Superior Digital Inverter Technology Improves Energy Efficiency

The new Bottom Mounted Freezer features Samsung’s superior digital inverter compressor that improves energy efficiency and cooling performance by automatically adjusting across five speeds of RPM in response to cooling demands. Whether due to frequent door openings, a hot plate of food or outside temperature changes, the compressor reacts to rapidly provide cold air or slow down to reduce unnecessary energy consumption. And, unlike other models, Samsung’s compressor operates smoothly at night with a lower noise level than that in a library.



In addition to the innovative inverter technology that works to strengthen the durability and extend the life of the refrigerator, Samsung backs it up with a 10-year warranty – a first in this segment. Available from R5 999 – R7 999.

08/04/2013

Fridges get Smart

04/04/2013

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is set to arrive in just a few weeks after an announcement last month in New York City. As many consumers have surely found out, there are quite a few features on board the Samsung Galaxy S4,

04/04/2013