Cyber Security in Lafayette and Kokomo IN

Ransomware Security Protection in Lafayette, Kokomo, and North-Central IN

You may have seen on the news over the past few days that a new strain of ransomware (malicious software that locks down your files and then demands a ransom to restore access) called WannaCry was ripping through the Internet and infecting computers in high-profile organizations, including Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, several branches of the U.K.'s National Health Service, and Spanish phone company Telefonica, just to name a few.

The WannaCry ransomware exploits a vulnerability in Windows that Microsoft discovered and issued a software patch (sometimes called an update) to correct back in March. However, many organizations apparently had not applied it to all their computers, leaving them vulnerable to being compromised.

NONE of our clients were hit with WannaCrypt. We have not had any ransomware or viruses on over 1200 endpoints in the past 18 months. Why? We take proactive steps to ensure their systems are up to date; that old and outdated software is upgraded or replaced; and that best practice security recommendations are implemented.

For BSS Clients: If you're a BSS client on a Total Managed IT monthly plan, you can rest easy because as one part of our proprietary Protection Plus-layer protection system, we continuously monitor your company's computers and quickly install any new software patches, including the one to prevent the WannaCry ransomware.  This work is done after-hours during a maintenance windows of 6PM and 6AM, in order to not negatively impact the performance of your company network or computers. However, sometimes computers are inadvertently powered off during the maintenance window, or taken home in the case of a laptop, and as a result they miss this important maintenance window.  Please reboot daily and leave powered on in the evening to assure these updates are done!

To ensure this doesn't happen going forward, going forward we are requesting all clients to keep their computers powered up at night as often as possible, including on weekends, so that new patches can be deployed in a timely manner.... It's easy - just make it a habit to restart your computer at the end of each workday.

Note: Laptops will need to be plugged into wall power and connected to either Wi-Fi or a wired network (or "docked" if applicable) to ensure our system can connect to them. And this also applies to any "spare" desktops or laptops which aren't regularly used or which are left powered off, as our management system cannot install patches unless the computer is powered on.

 

Important Tips to Stay Safe:

The world of computing is changing and the threats on the Internet are accelerating. And while we do absolutely everything possible to protect our clients' computers and networks, with an excellent track record to show for it, unfortunately no protection is 100% guaranteed. The cyber-criminals are always working to defeat any defenses we put in place, and it's has become a constant battleground fought in the shadows where you don't often see it.

This is why it's always a good idea to practice safe Internet use with these tips:

  1. DO NOT open attachments on emails from someone you don't know, or messages you weren't expecting. If in doubt, call or email the person and ask them if they actually sent the email, and what the attachment is related to.
  1. DO NOT just click links in emails, but instead hover your cursor over the link to see where it actually point to, and if it doesn't match it's likely a scam. Scam links are one of the most common tactics used to "trick" people into infecting their own computer with ransomware, malware or other viruses.
  1. DO NOT access social media websites from your work computer - e.g. facebook, twitter, etc. Social media accounts are frequently hacked, and are full of "click bait" ads that redirect to websites that can infect your computer without you knowing.
  1. DO be alert and contact your IT support (us) if you see anything suspicious, as it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to cyber-crime.

If you are not currently on one of our managed service plans and would like a FREE, no obligation Security Audit* to see if your systems are protected, call us NOW at (765) 742-3440 or send us an email. At no cost or obligation, we’ll send one of our security consultants to your office to conduct a free Security And Backup Audit of your company’s overall network health to review and validate as many as 27 different data-loss and security loopholes, including small-print weasel clauses used by all 3rd-party cloud vendors, giving them zero responsibility or liability for backing up and securing your data. We’ll also look for common places where security and backup get overlooked, such as mobile devices, laptops, tablets and home PCs.

You can also participate in our referral program if you know of a business owner who would like a FREE Security Audit. Contact us for details.

*To receive a FREE Security Audit your business must have 5 or more PCs and a Server.