Viruses for Everyone

There was a time when you could use your computer how ever you wanted and you never had to worry about  a virus.  Computer viruses in some form have been around since the 70′s.  The first computer viruses were written more as pranks than to be malicious.   The jokes were pretty much non destructive and non malicious.   The first Virus was written by Bob Thomas and was called Creeper.  It would run around ARPANET (what we know as the Internet now) and when some one was infected it would display  ”I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”  Later there was what is considered the first anti virus software that was called Reaper.  It’s purpose was to chase around Creeper and delete it from infected computers.  The first virus to appear in the wild was called “Elk Cloner”  It was written for the Apple II and was spread by Floppy Disks.

The rise of computer viruses progressed very methodically since then.  They have evolved and become more than just viruses.  In addition to Viruses there is Malware which in itself does not have the ability to replicate itself.  That does not make in any less dangerous or annoying to the end user.  However generically most people refer to all malicious programs as Viruses.  For the most part that is not a problem since both types of programs are designed to to bad things to either you or your computer.  They are unwanted and can cause you a lot of headaches.

There are Viruses and Malware out there for all computers.  When I say all computers I mean all of them.  It does not matter if you have a Windows, Apple, Linux machine or any of the other flavors of operating system out there.  If it is run by some code (which all computers are) then  there is or will be something out there you need to watch out for.  When people say that they use an operating system (e.g. Windows, OSX, Linux) that is immune to viruses what they really mean is that there are no specific main stream viruses out there for that Operating system.  When the operating system gains enough market share and it becomes economically viable there will be viruses written to infect  it.

This post all comes about because of the current viruses out there that are affecting Apple computers.  Specifically the Flashback Trojan and the Backdoor.OSX.SabPub.a which both target the Java install on Apple computers.  Both of these have been able to install with out any user interaction but simply by someone going to a web site that has been infected.  Both of these are taking viruses for the Apple products a set further than the viruses that were released for the MAC last year.  And many things point to this just being a stepping stone to more malicious MAC viruses in the future.  As Apple gains a larger market share there will be more and more malicious code written to infect the previously ‘safe’ MAC users.

The key here is to protect your self as much as you can.  No matter how strong your defenses are they cannot protect you from yourself.  Get a good Anti Virus.  Do not go to web sites that you are not sure of.   Keep your computer up to date with security patches.  No matter which operating system you are using.  Keep your programs up to date. If you need to have Java and Flash installed they should be kept at the most recent versions.

As we build this blog we are going to be including tips and links to sites and articles that can help you stay safe on the internet.  If you have a specific topic you would like to see covered please let us know.    You can contact us by clicking here

 

Should I Open that e-mail?

I get asked questions about opening e-mail attachments just about every day.  Someone asks if they should open the e-mail that they got from a friend that claims it is the funniest, cutest, most important e-mail ever.   It is a high risk low reward choice to open that e-mail.  If you open the e-mail chances are that it is probably not as funny, cute or important as it claims in the subject line.  The bigger problem is that it may also contain a virus or be a piece of malware.  At that point you have to ask yourself. “Is it worth the risk”!   If you don’t open it you may miss out on that funny, cute, important picture story or video but you will decrease your risk of getting a virus on your computer from that e-mail.

What it really comes down to is being aware of the difference in what you are getting in an email and what you are expecting.  If you get an unexpected e-mail from someone with an attachment you have to ask yourself is it normal for this person to send you an e-mail with an attachment and is it worth the risk of opening it.  If the e-mail is from someone you do not know then the answer is always NO!  Do not open it.  There is nothing in there that can be of any benefit to you.  At that point it is a risk only with no reward.  The unfortunate truth is that there are a lot of people out there that will play on human emotions in order to take advantage of as many people that they can.  Those people are betting that enough people will open the e-mail to make it worth their while to send it out.  Since sending out Spam and Malware e-mail is a relatively low cost business they do not need a high response rate to make it worth their while.  We are still getting tons of spam mail so clearly they are right.

The key is to not be part of the problem. This type of e-mail is not going to go away so it is up to each individual to protect themselves as much as possible. Don’t be upset with yourself if you have opened an e-mail and had something undesirable happen to your computer or your data. It happens to the best of us. The question is did you learn from your experience so that you can minimize your risk down the road.

Sending and receiving e-mail is a part of the way we all do business or keep in touch with family and friends. So not using e-mail is not an option for many people. So the best thing to do is to be aware of the danger to opening unexpected or unknown e-mails.

There are several things that you should think of before opening the e-mail attachment even if from a friend.

  • Were you expecting an e-mail with an attachment ?
  • What kind of attachment is it?
  • How important is the e-mail?
  • Is it worth the risk of opening this e-mail?

If any one of these questions is answered with a no or an unknown then delete it and save yourself the headache of dealing with something bad happening to your computer and your data.

 

Firewall Monitoring, is it for you?

Is your data at risk?

 Barely a day goes by that you don’t see, read or hear a news story declaring the latest big business or government entity that has fallen victim to hackers or data thieves. The scarier truth is, that its not only big companies that are targets, even small firms can become the unknowing focus of attention of a hacker or disgruntled employee.

It is likely that you have a firewall between your business network and the Internet, if you are a Finao-IT client, this firewall is constantly not only defending your data, but also logging all attempts to breach the network. As a general rule our engineers check these logs whenever they access your network for a support call, however; we can also monitor your firewall 24×7 in real time to catch malicious activity as it happens and if necessary take action.

This service also includes a monthly email of security logs and concerns as reported by your firewall. It is up to you to determine the level of data-loss risk you are comfortable with, and if you want to take the next step in securing your data, give us a call and we can begin monitoring services in less than an hour. At $9.99 a month it’s very affordable.

The Importance of Off-Site Backup

Is your data truly “Backed Up”?

If you are only using tape or hard disk backup, then the answer is no. Before the terrorist attacks of September Eleventh, 2001 most business’s were completely comfortable having a backup tape rotation and someone from the office taking a nightly backup home.

After 9-11 however, more managers and owners of small and medium sized firms realized the potential for a large scale disaster that could affect not only the business location but a more regional swath of destruction that could also render the tape taken home useless.

In addition we have found that for the average medical practice/small business, the person tasked with tape removal/change either forgets, calls in sick, or misses a tape at least once a month. What if that day is the day you suffer a fire? Can you afford to have a total loss of patient records or customer information? How about the lost cash flow? How would you meet your tax obligations?

If your firm has multiple locations that are seperated by at least ten to 20 miles, consider a backup server or storage device at the remote location. If not then Finao-IT can help you by installing our off-site backup software and providing safe, encrypted and easy to restore data storage in Atlanta GA, or Chicago IL.

Costs for this service are as low as $25/mo depending on the amount of data to be backed up, and inn the event of a total loss of your facility, the data is Fed-Ex shipped on a hard disk to your temporary location.

Call or email today for a quote!