Why Does Your Business Need a VPN?

Cyber Security, Online Security, Ophtek, PC Security, Security, VPN, , , , ,
10
May 2022

Security in business is paramount, and when it comes to IT networks it’s absolutely crucial. One of the best ways to protect your network is with a VPN.

With the number of cyberattacks in 2021 hitting new highs, protecting your IT network has never been more important. The sheer amount of secure data passing across a network in 2022 is remarkable. Accordingly, this data needs to be protected. Failure to do this will only lead to negative results: data leaks, compromised networks, and financial risk. While there are simple steps that your organization can implement, one of the strongest defense strategies is to put a virtual private network (VPN) in place.

What is a VPN?

VPNs have been around since the mid-1990s, but it wasn’t until the internet started to take off in the early-2000s that it became apparent they were necessary for businesses. Since then, they have grown in popularity with both organizations and domestic users. But what exactly is a VPN?

Well, imagine the private IT network you have at your organization. You will have full control over this network and be able to put the necessary security in place. However, what happens when one of your employees wants to connect to your network from a remote location? They won’t be able to connect directly to your network, they will need to use their own internet connection or a shared, public internet connection. As you will have no control over the security of this connection, there’s the potential for major problems.

Nonetheless, with a VPN in place, you can create a secure, encrypted connection between your remote employee and your network. Think of it as a tunnel between two points which is completely protected from any external forces. This allows data to be transferred from your network to a remote connection with peace of mind that it won’t be compromised.

The Business Benefits of a VPN

The benefits of connecting your private business network with external public networks is clear to see, but what are some of the other business benefits of a VPN? Let’s take a look:

  • Geo-locations: for a business with a global reach, the need for geo-independence with IT networks can be a necessity. Global locations, such as China, have much stronger internet access policies that you may be used to. And this can result in direct access to your organization’s network being blocked. However, a VPN will allow remote users in these locations to connect to your network as if they’re in the same state.

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

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British Snacks in Short Supply Due to Ransomware Attack

anti malware, Backup Strategies, Employee Training, Ophtek, PC Security, PC Training, Ransomware, , , , ,
22
Feb 2022

British shoppers have been warned to expect some of their favorite snacks to be in short supply following a ransomware attack on a major manufacturer.

KP Snacks has been producing snacks in Britain since the 1850s, but this production has recently run into a major obstacle: ransomware. Cyber criminals have successfully launched a ransomware attack on KP Snacks, and its effects are running deep. Due to the impact of the ransomware on their IT infrastructures, KP Snacks has had to advise stores that delays in production are expected. As a result, British shoppers are likely to be facing empty shelves when they head out to pick up their favorite snacks.

Snack food may not be crucial to society, but the impacts of this hack demonstrate why organizations need to remain vigilant.

The Story Behind the Snack Attack

Following an unexplained outage of their IT systems, KP Snacks investigated and discovered that they had fallen victim to a strain of ransomware. The exact details of the ransomware in question has not, as of yet, been disclosed. However, rumors are circulating that the attack was launched by the WizardSpider group, a gang of hackers who attacked the Irish health service in 2021. It’s alleged, according to leaked sources, that KP Snacks was given five days to pay a ransom fee, but clarification on this is lacking.

The response of KP Snacks has been to launch a defensive strike against the attack. Being a major organization, the snack makers had a cybersecurity response plan which was quickly put into action. Third-party security experts have also been drafted in to complete a forensic analysis of the firm’s IT infrastructure. Nonetheless, the disruption to productivity has hit KP Snacks hard. As well as their IT systems being compromised, their communications systems have been hit equally hard. In modern business, these two elements are essential for operating and, as a result, supply shortages are expected.

Protecting Yourself Against Ransomware

While a shortage of snacks may sound like a mild inconvenience, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Not only is there a financial risk for KP Snacks, but the company’s employees can also expect financial ramifications e.g. delayed payments due to compromised IT systems and even the threat of redundancy. Naturally, this is a situation that no organization wants to find itself in, so make sure you always follow this advice:

  • Always Backup: the main impact of ransomware is that it encrypts files before demanding a ransom fee to decrypt them. However, you can minimize the impact of this effect by ensuring you have a strong backup strategy in place. This will provide you with access to your data and provide you with business continuity.
  • User Training: ransomware can be activated in a number of different ways such as infected emails, malicious links and running outdated software. Thankfully, shutting these attack routes down is relatively easy with the correct training. Therefore, regular staff training is vital when it comes to securing your IT defenses.

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

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5 Quick Ways to Secure Your PC

Cyber Security, Data Security, email security, modem security, Online Security, Ophtek, PC Security, Security, , , , , , ,
09
Nov 2021

IT security can be a complex series of procedures and this can be intimidating to many people. Luckily, there are some easy ways to secure your PC.

Installing and configuring a firewall isn’t something that your average PC user will feel comfortable with. After all, how do you know exactly which services you should be allowing/denying access to? Security tasks such as this should be left to the professionals. But there are lots of quick and easy tips you can put in to place to protect your PC. All you need to do is know how to get started securing your PC. And today we’re going to share 5 quick ways to secure your PC.

How to Secure Your PC

If you want to secure your PC with the minimum amount of fuss, then make sure you:

  • Verify All Downloads: It’s very easy to fall victim to a malicious email or website. These threats appear to be genuine methods of communication in order to encourage you clicking on their malicious payload. These payloads can take the form of malicious downloads disguised as links or ‘helpful’ apps. A quick way to avoid falling victim in these scenarios is to verify the true destination of links by hovering your mouse cursor over them. You can also perform a Google search to verify the legitimacy of any website.
  • Do Not Write Your Passwords Down: The single biggest mistake that a PC user can make is to write their passwords down. Sure, it’s difficult to remember every single password, but there are options to overcome this such as using Google’s Password Checkup. These password managers are far superior to writing your password credentials on a Post-It note and keeping it on your desk. Revealing your login credentials publicly should be avoided at all costs.
  • Only Use USB Devices That You Own: It’s not worth the risk of damaging your PC, so avoid connecting USB devices you aren’t familiar with. In fact, in a workplace, it’s recommended to disable USB access to individual workstations. If USB access is required then this should only be granted to IT professionals.

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

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New Form of Malware is Sneakily Avoiding Detection

anti malware, Cyber Security, malware, OpenSUpdater, Ophtek, PC Security, Phishing, , , , , ,
28
Sep 2021

Anti-malware tools provide a firm level of defense against hackers, but what happens when the malware can bypass detection tools?

Around 300,000 new pieces of malware are created daily, so it’s important that we can protect ourselves against this constant threat. Anti-malware tools such as Kaspersky and even in-built Windows security systems are crucial for providing this protection. Accordingly, you should find that your systems remain protected for most of the time. However, hackers are industrious individuals and are constantly looking to evolve their techniques. As a result of this ongoing adaptation, it appears that hackers have found a way around current detection methods.

The threat comes in the form of the OpenSUpdater and is one that you need to take seriously.

What is OpenSUpdater?

Digital signatures are used online to demonstrate that code is legitimate and accepted by Windows security checks. They are an important part of online security, but this has made them a viable target for hackers. In the case of OpenSUpdater, their online code samples are carrying manipulated security certificates which, despite these manipulations, are passed as authentic by Windows. More importantly, security tools which use OpenSSL decoding are unable to detect these malicious changes.

OpenSUpdater is free to bypass security measures and avoid being labelled as malware which is quarantined and deleted. The malware’s main method of attack is through riskware campaigns. This involves injecting malicious ads into the browsers of those infected and downloading further malware. The majority of targets so far have been found in the US and the malware typically bundled in with illegal downloads such as cracked software.

How Can You Protect Against OpenSUpdater?

This latest malware threat was detected by Google’s security researchers and has since been reported to Microsoft. A specific fix has not been announced yet, but hopefully something will be implemented shortly. In the meantime, however, it’s vital that you take steps to protect yourself. In particular, make sure you focus on the following:

  • Educate on Phishing Techniques: Phishing is a dangerous hacking technique which uses email to push social engineering attacks. By instilling a threat of urgency to act upon an email’s call to action – such as ‘click here to download a vital security tool’ – hackers are able to deceive victims into downloading all kinds of malware. Thankfully, through continued training, your employees should be able to recognize phishing emails quickly and hit the delete button even quicker.

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

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What are Zero-Day Vulnerabilities?

Backup, Ophtek, PC Security, Updates, Windows vulnerability, zero-day, , , ,
05
Mar 2019

Zero-day vulnerabilities are frequently referenced in regards to PC security, but it’s also a term which most PC users will be completely unaware of.

Any vulnerability that is present in your organization’s IT network poses a significant danger to the security of your data and equipment. Educating yourself and your staff on the dangers posed by these vulnerabilities is an important security practice, so understanding what zero-day vulnerabilities are is a crucial step in securing your PCs.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a quick guide to provide you with a zero day introduction.

What Happens on Zero-Day?

The definition of a zero-day vulnerability is very simple; it’s any exploit or security bug that is present in software or hardware that isn’t patched as the software vendor isn’t aware of its existence. To be considered a true zero-day vulnerability it must also be known to hackers. And this is where it becomes a huge security concern.

With hackers aware of such an exploit (known as a zero-day exploit), they’re essentially granted free rein to continually exploit this vulnerability in the face of little opposition. Therefore, malware can be installed, data can be stolen and whole networks taken down without software vendors and customers being aware of how it’s happening.

Once the zero-day vulnerability has been confirmed and the software vendor made aware, Day Zero is established. Naturally, any period before Day Zero is highly problematic, but even the commencement of Day Zero provides little comfort. And this is because developing fixes and patches isn’t an instant process. Instead, time and effort needs to be invested in creating these patches and ensuring that customers install them as soon as possible.

What are Some Examples of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities?

Now that you understand a little more about the makeup of zero-day vulnerabilities, it’s time to consolidate that knowledge with some real life examples:

  • Microsoft Windows Vulnerability: Even the seasoned professionals at Microsoft are capable of falling foul to zero-day vulnerabilities with one recently being discovered in the system file Win32k.sys. The exploit can be launched by a specific malware installer and, without the relevant patch, can be considered very dangerous.
  • Adobe Flash Malware: Adobe have suffered numerous zero-day attacks and, in 2016, their users experienced a zero-day vulnerability packaged within an Office document. Activating this vulnerability allowed hackers to download malware to the affected PCs and begin exploiting data until Adobe hastily issued a patch.
  • Internet Explorer Loses Control: Microsoft was, again, victim of a zero-day vulnerability in December 2018 when their Internet Explorer app experienced a severe security risk. It’s believed that the vulnerability is exploited by directing victims to an infected website where the hackers can then assume control of the PC from a remote location.

Final Thoughts

Zero-day vulnerabilities are troubling security flaws as their very definition means that there is no immediate protection available. Accordingly, it’s important that your organization takes the following steps:

  • Always install all updates to ensure zero-day vulnerabilities are treated as soon as possible
  • Backup all data and store it correctly in the case of a zero-day vulnerability disrupting your network and productivity
  • Educate your staff on the dangers of zero-day vulnerabilities and ensure they’re aware of the telltale signs of infection

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

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