Network Archives - Page 4 of 7

6 Tips for Browsing Online Safely and Securely

Internet, Network, Uncategorizedbrowser, internet, network, securityOphtek, LLC

Oct 2016

Almost every business has a daily need to go online and interact with the internet, but to do this safely you need a little bit of browsing know-how.

Whilst most websites are relatively secure, it’s difficult to guarantee just how secure they are. And seeing as even government websites can be hacked, how do you know that, for example, that customer maintenance portal you have to log on to daily hasn’t been hacked for dubious means?

Avoiding this sort of scenario is crucial for your business to run smoothly, so I’ve prepared 6 tips to help you browse online safely and securely.

1. Use HTTPS Security

If a website is truly secure then its web URL should start “HTTPS:” and the “S” at the end stands for secure – provided by secure sockets layer (SSL) security. Conversely, if the web URL only starts “HTTP:” then the security behind it will be much less and can’t be taken for granted.

2. Avoid Public WiFi

Public WiFi may provide a fantastic service and serve many happy consumers, but unfortunately these networks have a less than amazing level of security protecting them. And hackers are able to easily infiltrate these networks with basic software to hijack the personal data of those accessing the public network.

3. Don’t Click on Phishing Websites

Phishing is a contemporary threat to your data and appears to be showing no signs of going away soon. This is why you need to be on your guard about phishing websites as they can be deceptive beasts at the best of times.

Links to these websites are usually emailed, but whilst the link may appear to seem innocent, it’s possible to engineer a link which reads www.amazon.com but redirects you to a different (and more dangerous) website.

This puts you at risk of infection and having your networks breached, so double check any suspicious links by hovering your mouse cursor over them to get a preview of the true web address.

4. Update Your Browser

Keeping your software up to date is vital to ensure that you’re well protected against hackers who have discovered vulnerabilities in that piece of software. And web browsers are no different, in fact, once support for out-dated web browsers is discontinued, hackers will discover vulnerabilities very quickly.

Therefore, it’s essential that you install all patches and updates as soon as possible to keep your browsing activity protected.

5. Disable Stored Passwords

Although activating the ‘store your passwords’ option may feel as though it’s going to make forgotten passwords a thing of the past, it can actually cause more trouble than it’s worth. You see, if your system becomes compromised by hackers, they can then access all your store passwords.

And the best way to avoid this is to work on a little bit of memory training to remember your passwords!

6. Have a Strong Arsenal

Perhaps the best way to browse online safely and securely is to arm yourself with the best defenses possible. And the more defenses the better.

So, instead of just securing your network with a state of the art firewall, why not try adding in state of the art email filtering? And, you know what, if you also install web filtering software on top of that, you’re going to find your data becomes safer than ever before.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Old Operating Systems Cause Security Risk for Hospitals

Networkoperating systemOphtek, LLC

Aug 2016

The smooth running of a hospital is paramount to its patients’ health, but what happens when malware is used to breach the hospital’s systems?

Well, a new report by TrapX reveals that we now know the answer and that it’s turning into a serious threat. The main cause appears to manifest itself in the lax security provided by outdated operating systems such as Windows Vista and Windows XP.

Now, not only is this a threat to hospitals, but, as we’ve covered before, also to any business which switches on a PC during their working day. Seeing as that includes pretty much every business on the planet, it’s crucial that you understand this security threat.

Security Attacks on Hospitals

By using malware which has the external appearance of being an outdated piece of malware, hackers have been able to smuggle in extremely new pieces of code which older systems aren’t capable of defending themselves against.

An old piece of malware is employed as the carrier for this malicious code because newer PCs would be patched and not consider it a threat. However, once the hackers deliver their payload, they’re able to exploit older PCs on the network.

For example, hackers were able to run malware which, whilst not affecting PCs running Windows 10, was able to take control of a radiation oncology machine powered by Windows XP. Obviously, this could cause huge healthcare issues, but, this time at least, the attackers were not interested in damaging the equipment.

Instead, the hackers used this vulnerability to create entry points into the hospital system which would provide access to highly sensitive data. And this wasn’t just an isolated case; the study by TrapX monitored three attacks on different medical institutes and has advised that these types of attacks are escalating.

Protecting Your Business from Legacy Attacks

Legacy attacks, which are attacks exploiting older operating systems, are well known for attacking the healthcare industry, but virtually any business which runs an outdated piece of software needs to remain vigilant.

And, unfortunately, it’s commonplace for businesses to fall behind on software upgrades due to costs, downtime or just old fashioned mistakes. The most pressing ramification from this scenario is that developers of operating systems eventually stop creating security patches for these older systems.

For a hacker, of course, this presents them with one of the easiest attacks they’re ever going to carry out. Remember, hackers will not cut you any slack. If they can get in, they will get in through the easiest route possible.

This is why it’s vital that you ensure your computer systems are as up to date as they can possibly be. Install ALL updates as soon as you’re prompted as this will give you the best possible chance to block opportunistic hackers.

What’s most important, though, is to keep an eye on the operating systems behind all your hardware. Make it a point to carry out an audit every couple of months to evaluate the operating systems behind the hardware you’re running.

And, if a piece of hardware is no longer supported by newer operating systems, then it’s time to consider replacing it. Sure, for a while, the older operating system it runs on will continue to receive updated patches, but at some point they will stop and your protection will become rapidly out of date.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

What’s a DDoS Attack and How Do You Combat One?

Networkddos, hosting, security, websiteOphtek, LLC

May 2016

Websites are vital for business, so any disruption to them can spell disaster. A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack spells it in capitals!

A DDoS attack sounds like a mouthful and very technical, but it’s something that could strike your business’ website at any time. Therefore, it’s the kind of cyber-attack that you need to acquaint yourself with before it’s too late.

Let’s take a look at the ins and outs of a DDoS attack and, more importantly, how to combat one.

What’s a DDoS Attack

The main aim of a DDoS attack is to take down a website. Without a website, many businesses can find their operations severely crippled e.g. if you rely on e-commerce then no website equals no business.

But how does a DDoS attack disable a website?

Well, first of all, it doesn’t work off just one computer and this is where the distributed part of DDoS comes from. It usually takes hundreds of computers all working together to disable web servers.

The denial of service aspect of a DDoS attack literally means that users of the website are denied that service e.g. making an office or medical appointment through the wesbite.

A DDoS attack uses huge amounts of false traffic (which has no intention of using a website’s services) to overload web servers. This prevents customers from accessing the website and, eventually, takes it down.

DDoS attacks are becoming more and more popular with hackers with nearly 180% more DDoS attacks in 2015 than the previous year. And big names are being targeted; the BBC and Microsoft’s Xbox Live network have suffered at the hands of DDoS hackers recently.

How Do You Combat a DDoS Attack?

There are several ways you can combat a DDoS attack, so let’s take a look:

Invest in more bandwidth – the reason that a DDoS attack will eventually take down your website is because your bandwidth will be maxed out. Therefore, if you can invest in more bandwidth then you think you could ever possibly use, you’ll increase the chance of keeping your website up.
Watch your network – You need to maintain a watchful eye on your traffic. Any sharp increases in traffic need to not just be handled, but also visible to the network. This allows you to get to work on preventing any further damage and preparing any necessary protection.
Know who to call – In the case of a DDoS attack you’re going to need to get in touch with your ISP. They will have the capabilities to reroute data and nullify any huge packets of traffic. This is why it’s a good idea to make sure you have all the relevant contact details at your disposal. Remember, time is of the essence here.

Final Thoughts

A DDoS attack can be a tricky piece of cybercrime to combat, so it’s important that your business is aware of the impact they can have. It’s a good idea to formulate a set of guidelines of what to do in the case of a DDoS attack and putting this into place now could save your website in the future.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Microsoft Downloading Windows 10 To Your Machine Anyway

Networkbandwidth, updates, windows 10Ophtek, LLC

Nov 2015

By now you will have seen the ‘Get Windows 10’ popup on your PC, but did you know that it’s being downloaded to your system even if you haven’t opted in?

Microsoft has decided to start installing Window 10 on systems and this, of course, is eating into people’s broadband usage, so it’s riled many consumers. It’s not the first time that Microsoft has ‘borrowed’ peoples broadband, so let’s take a look at this latest scandal in a little more detail.

Pushing Windows 10

Many users of previous Windows are more than happy with their current operating systems; after the criticism of Windows 8 it’s no surprise that consumers are a little reticent to trust Microsoft’s software.

Even though Microsoft is working hard to shout “IT’S FREE!” from every available rooftop, some people are still refusing the upgrade. However, it’s been discovered that Windows is prepping your system to accept the upgrade.

Microsoft is so confident that users will want Windows 10 eventually that they’re downloading it to a hidden folder on people’s systems. The folder – labelled ‘$Windows.~BT’ – is around 3.5GB to 6GB, so counts for a significant section of your hard drive.

It’s an intrusive move on Microsoft’s part and, given the recent spate of Windows 10 security concerns, highlights the software giant as being somewhat arrogant and out of touch.

Microsoft Responds

When questioned about this latest accusation, Microsoft has been keen to point out this being for the customer’s benefit:

“For individuals who have chosen to receive automatic updates through Windows Update, we help upgradable devices get ready for Windows 10 by downloading the files they’ll need if they decide to upgrade.”

Now, of course, almost all of us sign up to the automatic updates as we’re advised it’s the best way to protect the security of our systems. However, it feels as though Microsoft is exploiting this need for security to push their own products at the expense of their users’ choice.

How Do You Remove Windows 10?

Understandably, many users are unhappy with Microsoft’s underhanded tactics, so are intent on removing Windows 10 for good and taking back control of their system.

It’s not as simple as just deleting the ‘$Windows.~BT’ folder as it will just keep re-populating and using up more of your broadband allowance. However, it is possible by going through the following steps:

Go to Windows Updates and click on Installed Updates
Locate update KB3035583 as this is the update which downloaded Windows 10
Windows 7 users need to delete and hide this update along with KB2952664, whilst Windows 8 users should delete KB3035583 and KB2976978
Head to the root directory where your current Windows OS is installed and delete $Windows.~BT
Run ‘Disk Cleanup’ on your system and delete all ‘Temporary Windows installation Files’

Final Thoughts

Is it right to sneak a product onto everyone’s system through the patch management interface?

Despite most Windows updates installing new files on our systems the size has never been an issue. In this instance, however, Microsoft may have forced some users into unknowingly exceeding their broadband limits.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Windows 10 Blows Data Caps and Gives Some Consumers Huge Bills

Networkbandwidth, windows 10Ophtek, LLC

Sep 2015

Microsoft’s Windows 10 claims to improve the PC experience, but the forced update is causing data caps to blow and creating financial chaos for its users.

No one likes to receive a huge bill for their wireless costs, so many consumers are furious that this is happening due to Windows 10’s automated update service. It’s not the first complaint that consumers have raised about Windows 10, but it’s certainly one of the most serious.

We decided to take a look at the situation to keep you informed about this latest headache to hit Windows 10.

What’s Blowing the Data Caps?

Many internet providers put in place a data cap on people’s subscriptions in order to provide a fairer use of the available bandwidth e.g. someone who downloads files 24/7 is going to use a lot of bandwidth and, therefore, slow down the connection for other users, so a data cap discourages users from hogging the bandwidth.

This is all well and good in normal circumstances, but Windows 10 has changed the playing field. The automated update service for Windows 10 is very busy at the moment and runs quietly in the background, so users aren’t even aware of its activity.

Due to the number of people rushing to sign up to Windows 10 coupled with the flurry of updates, users’ bandwidth usage is, unknowingly, skyrocketing and running up huge bills for consumers.

The Impact of Windows 10 Updates

The fees associated with exceeding bandwidth usage vary between ISPs and even countries, but some of the hardest hit customers are those in remote locations where internet access is already expensive.

Users in areas such as New Zealand have already received bills totaling $400 for just one month’s usage, so it’s no surprise to learn that this type of financial hardship is actually forcing users off the internet.

To add insult to injury, even the intial ‘free’ download of Windows 10 is also stretching many consumers’ bandwidth usage due to its 3GB size.

How to Counter the Data Usage

There are, however, ways to tame Windows 10’s hungry appetite for bandwidth, so let’s take a look at some of them:

The simplest solution is to roll Windows 10 back to the previous version of Windows you were using. This will immediately stop the automated updates.
By accessing the ‘Change Wi-Fi Settings’ in the start menu, users can enable a ‘metered connection’ in the ‘Advanced Options’. This makes sure that your system knows you’re running on a data cap and will ask permission before downloading any updates.
There are also certain manual changes you can make to driver updates through a special troubleshooting app released by Microsoft. However, this solution is recommended to advanced experts only.

Will Microsoft Weather the Storm?

This latest crisis to hit Microsoft’s newest installment of their flagship Windows product is certainly embarrassing, but teething problems are always going to be present in new software. With around 70 million downloads and counting, Microsoft certainly needs to ensure updates to counter this issue is resolved soon and with their users’ permission.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

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Category Archives: Network

1. Use HTTPS Security

2. Avoid Public WiFi

3. Don’t Click on Phishing Websites

4. Update Your Browser

5. Disable Stored Passwords

6. Have a Strong Arsenal

Security Attacks on Hospitals

Protecting Your Business from Legacy Attacks

What’s a DDoS Attack

How Do You Combat a DDoS Attack?

Final Thoughts

Pushing Windows 10

Microsoft Responds

How Do You Remove Windows 10?

Final Thoughts

What’s Blowing the Data Caps?

The Impact of Windows 10 Updates

How to Counter the Data Usage

Will Microsoft Weather the Storm?