Ransomware Uses Secret Email

Emails Pretending To Be Secret Admirers Could Be Ransomware

Nemty Ransomware isn't an especially well-known threat, but it's dangerous and should not be discounted. Recently, researchers have discovered an ongoing spam-email driven campaign that's attempting to spread the ransomware far and wide.

An unknown group of hackers are sending out what appear to be love letters from secret admirers in a broad pattern.

They are probably simply using email addresses purchased in bulk on the Dark Web. The emails use a variety of subject lines like "Letter for You," "Will be our secret," "Can't Forget you," and "I love you." They have no body text and feature nothing more than a wink emoji. That is clearly a bid to entice recipients into responding by clicking on the enclosed attachment to see what all the fuss is about and get to the bottom of the mystery.
Unfortunately, those that do so doom themselves. The attached file is a poisoned Java Script that installs the ransomware, which promptly locks the user's files and then displays a ransom payment demand.

The fact that Nemty isn't widely known works in its favor, as it gives the malware a very low VirusTotal detection rate. That will undoubtedly lead to a higher than usual percentage of infections until an increasing number of antivirus companies add the malware to their definitions. It's a short-term advantage, but one the hackers will surely make full use of until the AV companies catch up.

Nemty's developers have also threatened to create a blog, which will be used to release sensitive information of those who refuse to pay the ransom.

Finally, be aware that Nemty is known for deleting shadow copies as it encrypts files. So if you're not in the habit of making regular backups, if you get hit with this strain, you will have no way of recovering your data. Make sure your employees are aware!

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team of IT experts set in place cybersecurity measures that could protect you and your employees from fraudulent emails, ransomware, and other online threats. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/
Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Tax Information Theft Is On The Rise This Year

It's tax season, and if you're like many people, you make use of one of the numerous e-file platforms offered by TurboTax, TaxAct, and similar companies. Unfortunately, tax season also presents a tremendous opportunity for hackers. So much that the IRS has issued a formal warning to accountants and taxpayers alike, urging them to enable two-factor authentication to minimize the risk of identity theft.

The IRS warning grew out of the fact that over the last few weeks, they received dozens of reports from accountants around the country about data theft.

If you use a third-party, online tax service like the ones we mentioned above, it pays to heed the IRS' warning and enable 2FA on your account. That is, in order to provide better security and minimize the risk that your tax account could be hacked. If it is hacked, it will give hackers access to everything they need to steal your identity and make your life miserable for months, and possibly years to come.

If you have an accountant who handles your taxes for you, then it pays to at least have the conversation and find out what they're doing and how they're filing your taxes for you. You should find out if/when/where e-filing enters into the equation to be sure they're using 2FA as well to better protect your data. If they're not, it's a serious enough issue that it may be worth considering switching to someone who takes security more seriously.

Since 2015, the IRS has been working with Security Summit Partners, which is a cooperative agency that includes state tax agencies, tax preparation firms, software developers, payroll processors and banks. The purpose of the collaboration with the group is to ensure that multi-factor authentication features are widely available to everyone in the tax and tax preparation business.

Unfortunately, availability does not always translate into adoption. Either way, kudos to the IRS for being proactive and doing all they can to help protect taxpayers from opportunists. Long story short: If you're filing your taxes digitally, or someone's doing that for you, make sure 2FA is enabled.

Take the proactive approach when it comes to keeping your business and client information safe and secure from thieves, hackers, scammers, and other types of online threats. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts help you. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/
Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Malware And Viruses On Apple/Mac Systems Are On The Rise

For most of Apple's history, the company has been able to cast itself as a safer alternative to Windows-based computers. Hackers tended to focus the bulk of their efforts on Wintel boxes (Windows processors), rather than Apple machines. That has been changing in recent months. According to research conducted by Malwarebytes, over the past twelve months, there has been a significant upsurge in the number of attacks made against Macs.

To give you a sense of the scope and scale of the increase, in prior years, the average number of detections per Mac clocked in at 4.8, while the number of detections per Windows-based PC was 5.8. In 2019, the average number of detections per Windows-based PC remained unchanged, while the average number of detections per Mac spiked to 11, more than doubling in a single year.

The researchers note, however, that the types of threats Mac users face are very different from the threats presented against Windows-based PCs, and are generally not dangerous. For instance, the most common infections Mac users suffer from are adware programs that display unwanted ads to infected recipients.

Naturally, there are cases of ransomware, keyloggers and banking trojans that target Macs. However, they are relatively less common than similar infections on Windows-based PCs.
If you're a Mac user, don't breathe a sigh of relief just yet though. The Malwarebytes
research team concludes by warning us. They say although the attacks against Macs are currently less destructive than the attacks made against Windows-based PCs, that could change at any moment. There's nothing whatsoever keeping the hackers from swapping out adware in preference for a much more threatening piece of code.

All that to say, whatever type of computer you use day to day, it pays to keep your guard up. Nobody is truly safe.

Keep your devices, systems, and networks from malware, viruses, and other types of online threats. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and let our team of IT experts help you.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Shlayer Malware Continues To Attack Mac Systems

If you're a Mac user, you may have heard of the malware known as Shlayer. It first made headlines in the early part of 2018.

The malware is primarily used to install malicious adware on infected systems that spam an unreasonable number of popups. The popups generate ad revenue for the malware's controllers.

The malicious code recently celebrated its second birthday, and the hackers who developed it have been busy in that time. According to statistics gathered by Kaspersky Lab, Shlayer has found its way onto one in ten Mac systems, making it the most widely spread MacOS malware threat.

Shlayer finds its way onto target machines via a staggering variety of roads. Researchers have uncovered more than 700 poisoned domains that host the code. The code is linked to a wide range of legitimate websites including YouTube and in the footnotes of a variety of Wikipedia articles.

The main method of distribution, however, is via fake Flash Player updates that have infiltrated literally thousands of websites. The malicious code is also often found on websites that illegally stream sporting events and television shows. The illegal websites conveniently often feature ads that inform site visitors that they need to download a Flash update in order to watch the content they're interested in viewing.

One of the security researchers at Kaspersky Lab, Anton Ivanov, had this to say about the matter:

"The macOS platform is a good source of revenue for cybercriminals, who are constantly looking for new ways to deceive users, and actively use social engineering techniques to spread their malware. This case demonstrates that such threats can be found even on legitimate sites."

Indeed. Although the popular perception is that MacOS is much less prone to malware threats, as Shlayer demonstrates, it is by no means immune.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and let our team help you set in place effective cybersecrity measures to protect your systems and networks from malware and other online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Reasons Why Your Business Needs IT Support

Many people think that IT support is only for big companies. That is not true. There are several benefits to having an on-site IT support for your business regardless of what industry you are in and how big your company is. It can keep your business competitive, help you save money over time, and allow you to streamline your company goals.

Why Every Company Needs IT Support?

Increase ROI and Cut Costs

Hiring an IT support is a wise investment. It helps bring higher ROI and cut back on company costs. With managed IT services, you no longer have to worry about regular expensive repairs and shady software investments. You will never come across fees and unforeseen costs and you are going to pay a flat rate that’s suits your budget. Investing in IT support means going for financial security in an area that’s becoming an expensive component of businesses these days. Although IT spending usually relates to the size of the company, working with an IT company will help maximize your ROI for all the tech costs.

Improve Overall Security

No matter what kind of business you operate, your data is essential. It is crucial to support your company data with a reliable backups system and top rated cybersecurity.

A technology support team will make sure that these are met. With IT services, you will be able to keep sensitive employee, customer, and company data safe against cyberattacks. In case any data will be lost for some reason, your IT support team have set in place a recover system that will retrieve any lost file and make sure that your company’s technological integrity is maintained.

Give Clients The Service They Need

Your customers should receive top quality service. Nothing will compromise a client relationship more than technology that does not meet the standards. With an IT support team, you will make sure that your customers are getting the service that they need and expect seamless wirelessinternet connection, hassle free software use, and more. Having IT assistance also lets you streamline any client communication.

Advance Company Goals Using New Technologies

Your business may already be updated when it comes to tech that’s suited for your company. But, an IT support team can offer much newer, more advanced technologies to the fore that could maximize the potential of your company. You will be spending less of your valuable personal time studying new technologies to apply into your company and much more time working with the ones that’s already been selected for you by an expert, outsourced team.

Use these tech to advance your company goals and find other areas for growth and expansion. Furthermore, you will be able to maintain a competitive area in the market by depending on the technology that’s taking the most successful businesses to the next level.

 

More Time Managing and Less Time Worrying

Nobody wants to deal with the hassle of dealing with computerproblems. You can avoid all that by investing in a reliable IT support. Let the experts handle any IT problems that come up so you could concentrate on important internal work like employee management and strategy building.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you are looking for a company that provides top notch IT support services.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

The Basics Of IT Support

Information Technology or IT involves everything that has something to do with computer based information technology. IT support is sometimes referred to as technical support. It is also a service offered by an IT company to businesses or individuals that need it.

Generally speaking, IT support solves specific issues a company or a person may be encountering, instead of providing any training, courses, or qualifications. However, you could study this at college in case you are really interested.

There are a lot of ways for you to find IT support and to be more specific, various kinds of support. Listed below are more information to give you a better understanding of IT support, who it is for and how to get it.

It Support: Who Is It For?

Generally, when someone purchases a laptop or a computer, a guarantee is provided which provides the individual free IT support Greenville for a specific duration. But, even when there’s no guarantee is given, there are different firms that provide personal IT support for all those who requires it for a specific fee.

Firms also require IT support to make sure that their systems will continue to work efficiently and without any glitches. Firms that depend heavily on IT tend to have a certain IT support team that work constantly, ready with backup plans just in case something wrong happens.

How To Get IT Support?

There are three types of IT support – Managed IT services, Block Hours, as well as Time and Material.

Time and material is just like what its name suggests. Clients will pay for the materials needed and prearranged date for the duration it requires the technician to deal with it. This is exactly how the majority of IT support firms operate.

Block Hours are for businesses that are willing to pay discounted fees for a number of hours, which they could utilize at their discretion, over a specific duration like for a month or year.

Managed IT services are used by companies that negotiate a price for certain requirements like round the clock IT support for their clients or perhaps a visit from an IT expert in case a problem can’t be fixed remotely.

Conclusion:

The information provided above offers you a brief look into what IT support is. With so much professional assistance on offer, you will find it easy to find an IT professional who can fix your problem. This means you will no longer be stuck, having no clue what you need to do.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you need the help of professionals for IT support. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

Top Security Predictions For 2020

The WatchGuard Threat Lab has provided a list of cyberattacks that will be prevalent during the year of 2020. Tips are also given to help avoid these threats. Although the threats coming at you this year won’t be any less complicated, intense, or difficult to deal with, this year will be the time of simplified security.

Ransomware Eyes The Cloud

 Ransomware is an industry that’s worth billions. Although the overall volume is down, targeted ransomware against the vertical industries is increasing. This year, targeted ransomware will try to infect file stores, virtual environments, S3 buckets, and other consolidated cloud assets.

If you have cloud security whether virtual or cloud UTM, you should use advanced malware protection to identify any evasive malware. You should also think about new security models that will let you execute security controls such as advanced malware protection. You should also harden your workload.

GDPR Will Be In The United States

General Data Protection Regulation was implemented two years ago. GDPR protects the data and privacy rights of citizens on the European Union. As of today, only a few places outside the European Union have implemented a similar law. However, the United States may finally have law that could match the one that EU has this year.

There is no security tip for this particular prediction, but that does not mean there’s nothing you can do about it. Get in touch with your local congressperson. Tell them what you think about the regulations that could help protect your privacy.

Voter Registration Systems Will Be At Risk

There will be an external threat targeting state and local voter databases during the upcoming 2020 U.S. presidential elections. The goal of these threat actors is to trigger voting havoc and start voter fraud alerts at this time.

There’s also no specific tip for this particular prediction. However, there are some tips to make sure that voters are prepared in case this prediction comes true. Check the status of your voter registration before the election. You should also check for updates regarding hacking incidents about the voter registration database. Make sure that you get in touch your local state voter authority in case you are worried. Don’t forget to print the result that you’ve successfully registered as a voter and bring your ID once Election Day comes even if it is not needed.

25% Of Overall Breaches Take Place Outside The Perimeter

Working remotely can help improve productivity and lessen stress. However, it also comes with a lot of security risks. About 25% of all the network compromises as well as data breaches will have something to do with off-network assets.

Stay diligent in applying off network protection for your staff just like for perimeter protection. Any device that is brought out of the office should have a full suite of computer security services including a DNS filtering, advanced malware protection, local firewall, multifactor authentication, and more.

Cybersecurity Skills Gap Grows

This year, the cybersecurity skill gap widens by 15%. Schools and cybersecurity trade firms aren’t producing enough qualified candidates who could fill the demand for new IT personnel.

Although the required cybersecurity workforce will not appear right away, there options to help you make and manage a good cyber defence. A short term solution is to concentrate on solutions that offer layered security in a certain solution. You can also work with managed IT services provider or perhaps a managed security services provider where you could outsource your security requirements.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you need the help of IT professionals to strengthen your company's cybersecurity.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

New Hacking Method Looks Like A Locked Computer

Scammers have breathed new life into an old scam.

For years, the old 'Law Enforcement Lock' trick has been used to cheat unsuspecting victims of their hard-earned money. The new wrinkle works like this:

Scammers will redirect users using the Chrome web browser to sites that host a full-screen image of a Windows 10 desktop with a notice that appears to come from local law enforcement agencies. This pages informs the user that their computer has been locked for some unspecified illegal activity.

The groups running this sort of scam make sure to display a legitimate government URL in order to make it look more convincing. Victims of this scam are informed that they can unlock their computer again by paying the fine via credit card, right then and there.

Of course, the computer actually isn't locked at all. However, this scam has taken in a surprising percentage of users who aren't paying close attention.

A typical lock screen from the scammers will bear a message that closely follows this script:

"Your browser has been locked due to viewing and dissemination of materials forbidden by law of (country name), namely pornography with pedophilia, rape and zoophilia. In order to unlocking you should (amount and currency type) fine with Visa or MasterCard. Your browser will be unlocked automatically after the fine payment.

Attention! In case of non-payment of the fine, or your attempts to unlock the device independently, case materials will be transferred to (name of local law enforcement agency) for the institution of criminal proceedings against you due to commitment of a crime."

As you can see from the grammatical errors in the script, this is by no means an official announcement, but it looks real enough that it sends people into a panic, causing them to enter credit card information without thinking.

Naturally, this information is harvested and resold on the Dark Web, putting money in the scammers' pockets. Make sure your employees are aware of it, and stay vigilant.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville if you want to make sure that your computers and your networks are safe from hackers and scammers. 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer

A Guide To Managed IT Services

In order to boost your operations while cutting back on your expenses, several organizations these days would rather outsource the daily management and implementation of their technological resources. IT can drain your time and money. As we all know, time is an extremely precious commodity especially in today’s business environment, which is extremely competitive these days. It’s not surprising for most executives who handles IT in their respective companies to look for a qualified IT services partner to deal with their IT management needs.

Whether your business needs a complete managed IT support package or only a few services, SpartanTec, Inc. offers a range of options to take IT off your hands.

Managed ITServices include:

•       24/7 remote management
•       24/7 live help desk
•       Reporting
•       Asset management
•       Incident and alert prioritization
•       Cloud services
•       Hosting services
•       Nightly notification, management, backup monitoring
•       CTO services

Most people think about offshoring whenever outsourcing is mentioned. With SpartanTec,Inc. in Greenville, you can rest easy knowing that the support you’ll get comes locally. Using our systems of prioritizations, alerts, and various help desk options, you’ll feel like your IT is being managed in-house even though it’s actually being outsourced.

Our House or Your House

We maintain, manage, and support your whole IT infrastructure, whether the equipment is within your office or hosted by SpartanTec, Inc. Our team could also provide a hybrid approach, which means a few of your servers or equipment in our data centers while managing some of the equipment in your location.

One Service For All

We know that every business is unique. It has its own set of resources and needs. Our team will help you regardless of how many IT services you require. This may include database, backup and disaster recovery, collaboration and communication, network infrastructure, servers, compliance and security, storage, and servers.

Schedule a systems assessment for free with SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and our team will provide you the most suitable path to take to make your IT life more dependable, simpler, and secure.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Greenville, SC 29601
(864) 326-5914
https://spartantec-greenville.business.site/

Cities Served
Greenville, Spartansburg, Mauldin, East Park, Overbrook, West Greenville, Greer