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

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

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

Phishing Emails Are Becoming Even Harder To Identify

According to data collected by Microsoft, phishing emails accounted for 0.62 percent of all inbox receipts in September 2019.

That's up from 0.31 percent just one year prior to that. The increase is alarming of course, but at first glance, these look like fairly harmless numbers.

Unfortunately, last year, phishing emails targeting business owners (BEC, or Business Email Compromise) cost companies around the world more than a billion dollars last year.  That fact makes the year over year increase terrifying.

The reason BEC campaigns are so successful and so expensive for businesses is that the scammers tend to impersonate CEOs and other high-ranking corporate officials.  When you get an email that by all outward appearances comes from your boss, and it's marked urgent, you tend to respond right away.  That's exactly what the scammers are counting on.

Even worse, scammers have gotten increasingly good at crafting their emails.  It has reached the point that even IT professionals have been taken in by them in some cases. They've been unable to spot the subtle differences between a scammer's email impersonating a CEO and an email from the CEO himself.  If an IT professional gets taken in, what hope is there for a busy HR employee or someone from the accounting office who doesn't face those types of threats on a daily basis?

Given the rapid increase in the number of well-crafted phishing emails, this is a serious, legitimate concern. Unfortunately, bolstered by their own success, you can bet the scammers will be even more prolific.

If there's a silver lining here it is this:  Microsoft reports that taking the simple step of enabling two-factor authentication across the board is an effective countermeasure.  Phishing attacks tend to be automated, and 2FA blocks 99.9 percent of automated attacks. If you're not currently using it everywhere, you're putting yourself at unnecessary risk.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville for expert assistance in making sure that your network is protected against phishing emails. 

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

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

Benefits Of Outsourcing Cybersecurity

Among the most important services that firms benefit from is the protection as well as the monitoring of servers and networks by cybersecurity firms. If a company chooses to outsource any work, they will have the chance to get the best work quality from other industry professionals. If it comes to outsourcing cybersecurity, there must be no hesitation.

Reasons To Outsource Cybersecurity

Cost Efficiency

You may believe that outsourcing work would cost you more than looking for a way to doing it in house, when it involves protecting crucial information within your network of devices, the way to go is to outsource it to a cybersecurity firm. In case you are thinking of building your very own SOC in house, you must know that it could be very costly. Rather than hiring a team of security analysts, training them, having to go through the turnover, and even with the installation of different security solutions, you could turn to a dependable cybersecurity company for a few thousand dollars every month.

The Work Of Professionals

Not only is depending on the service of a cybersecurity firm cost efficient it is also much more effective once it comes to reading as well as creating IT security solutions. A few companies depend on software to safeguard their information, however, that is not enough because you should have a group of human analysists who work alongside the software. Cyberthreats are always evolving and security analysts are equipped with deep knowledge to fight off such attacks. .They are always reading complex reports, looking for problems and finding the right solutions. In case that doesn’t sound all that difficult, just consider the fact that individuals can now earn their college degrees in cybersecurity.

Instant Analysis and Real Time Monitoring

With the work of real security analysts and top rated software that you receive from a cybersecurity company, you will have the chance to detect possible network breaches as soon as they take place rather than days, weeks, or even months later on.

Advanced Monitoring

You also have to know what the different software can do of you and your company when managed correctly. There are software that let you customize your security defence to search for specific threats that are very common in the line of work that you are in. With regular updates in the services, devices, computers, as well as other electronics, you could have a team of professionals manage your SOC and prepare you network for newer threats. They will also be able to determine possible issues and threats once they become dangerous.

Time Efficiency

Just like with other service that you outsource, if you get rid of one task or line of work, you just free up time so you can be able to focus on more crucial matters. The company that you work with is most probably not a cybersecurity company and most likely have other things the need to worry about.

Outsourcing your cybersecurity will make sure that you adhere to the compliance guidelines and receive the protection you require. These five benefits will make a huge difference for your company.

In case you are looking for a dependable cybersecurity company, look to us at SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville. We can offer you all the benefits that are listed on this post.

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 T-Mobile Data Breach Compromised Customer Info

Recently the US branch of the global telecom company T-Mobile disclosed a security breach that impacted a small percentage of its customer base.

Specifically, the security breach revealed certain information belonging to a small number of the company's prepaid cellphone users.

The exposed data included customer names, billing addresses, account numbers, rate plans, plan features and user phone numbers. The company stressed that no payment card information or passwords were compromised.

T-Mobile has contacted and has begun working with law enforcement agencies to further investigate the matter. If you were among the impacted users, you should have already received an SMS today from the company.  If you haven't received a notification and you're concerned that you may have been impacted, you can get a definitive answer from T-Mobile by contacting them at privacy@t-mobile.com.

This has been a fairly good year for Telecoms in general.  Other than Sprint's data breach earlier in the year, this is only the second data breach in 2019 involving a major Telecom company.

As breaches go, this one is quite minor, and odds are quite small that you have been impacted by it.  Again though, if it's something you're worried about, the company has made it easy to get peace of mind.  Overall, T-Mobile's handling of the incident has been better than average. In the weeks ahead as the investigation draws to a close, if there are new details to be learned, the company will no doubt disclose them when and as they are able.

With 2019 rapidly drawing to a close, it seems unlikely that we'll see a spate of Telecomm data breaches. 2019 is likely to be remembered as a year where the Telecomm companies dodged a bullet. Overall, the total number of data breaches continues to surge higher, a trend which is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

Protect your company from data breaches by setting up safety and protective measures with the help of professional IT experts. Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville now. 

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

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

Hackers Are Imitating Government Agencies To Spread Malware

Researchers at Proofpoint have found evidence of a new threat actor who has been sending out convincing looking emails.

They are claiming to come from several government agencies.

These include the Italian Revenue Agency, the German Federal Ministry of Finance, and the United States Postal Service.

This is all part of a malicious campaign designed to infect targeted recipients with a variety of malware.

The bulletin Proofpoint released on matter reads, in part, as follows:

"Between October 16 and November 12, 2019, Proofpoint researchers observed the actor sending malicious email messages to organizations in Germany, Italy, and the United States, targeting no particular vertical but with recipients that were heavily weighted towards business and IT services, manufacturing, and healthcare.

These spoofs are notable for using convincing stolen branding and lookalike domains of European taxation agencies and other public-facing entities such as Internet service providers.  Most recently, the actor has attacked US organizations spoofing the United States Postal Service.  The increasing sophistication of these lures mirrors improved social engineering and a focus on effectiveness over quantity appearing in many campaigns globally across the email threat landscape."

In the US, emails claiming to be from the post office come with an attached Word Document called "USPS_Delivery.doc."  If a recipient clicks on the document to open it, they'll receive a message that the file has been encrypted for additional security and in order to view it, they'll be required to "enable content."

Naturally, clicking on the "enable content" button does nothing of the sort.  Instead, it installs whatever malware the senders have associated with the email in question.
The identity of the threat actor is not known at this time, but this is a serious issue that you should immediately alert all employees about in order to minimize the risk to your company.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville and let our team set up the most suitable internet security protocols for your company to make sure that your network is protected from 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

Cybercriminals Are Taking Aim At Your Business… Is Your Network Protected?

Cybercriminals love to test your defenses. They love to see how far they can get into the networks of businesses all over the globe. Cybercriminals really love going after small businesses because they can all too often sneak onto a network, copy data and move on. Through the use of ransomware, they can hold your data hostage and refuse to cooperate until you pay them some amount of dollars – and if you don’t pay up, they threaten to delete all your data.

But protecting yourself is not as hard as you might think. While cybercriminals and hackers are an everyday threat to businesses, you can take steps to significantly reduce that threat and take that target off your back.

The first thing you need to do is understand why cybercriminals target small businesses and what makes your particular business vulnerable. There are many things small businesses do and don’t do that open them to attack and data theft. These may include not having enough (or any) security in place or not training employees on security protocols.
Realistically speaking, the biggest threat to your business does, in fact, come from your own employees. This doesn’t mean they are intentionally harming your business or leaving your network exposed to outside threats. It means they don’t have the proper training and knowledge to protect your business from a cyberthreat.

For instance, your team needs to be trained to use strong passwords, and those passwords must be changed periodically (every three months is a good rule of thumb). A lot of people push back on strong, complicated passwords or use the same password for everything, but this is just asking for trouble and should not be allowed at your company.
Once strong passwords are in place, enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on everything you possibly can, from network access to every account you and your employees use. This is an additional layer of security on top of standard password protection. This feature is generally tied to a mobile number or secondary e-mail, or it may be in the form of a PIN. For example, when 2FA is enabled, after you’ve put in your password, you will be prompted for your PIN for the associated account.

Another thing you must do to get that target off your back is to get anti-malware software installed. Every workstation or device should have some form of this protection. Not sure what to use? This is when working with a dedicated IT company can come in handy. They can help you get the right software that will meet your specific needs without slowing you down. They will install software that is compatible with your PCs and other networked equipment. Plus, they will make sure anti-malware software is working and is regularly updated.

On top of this, you want to have an active firewall in place. Every business should have its network protected by a firewall; like antimalware software, firewall security comes with a number of different settings, and you can customize it to fit the needs of your network. Firewalls help keep attackers and malicious software off your network. When paired with a good anti-malware software, your layers of security are multiplied. The more layers, the better protected you are.

Finally, with all of this in place, your employees need to know what it all means. Keep your team up-to-date on your business’s security protocols. This includes items like your password policy, malware protection policy and proper e-mail and web-surfing etiquette.

The bad guys are never going to stop attacking, but you have the power to protect your business from those attacks. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team help you with your cybersecurity needs.

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

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

Employees Targeted By Hackers Posing As HR Department

Just when you think scammers couldn't get any lower, they find new ways to prove you wrong.  Recently, a new phishing scam has been spotted in the wild, this one baiting potential victims with the possibility of pay raises.

The scammers structured their email so that they appeared to come from the Human Resources department of their victims' companies.

They asked the recipient of their phishing email to open an Excel spreadsheet bearing the name "salary-increase-sheet-November-2019.xls."  A shortcut to the remotely hosted spreadsheet was naturally provided.

The body of the email explained that "The Years Wage increase will start in November 2019 and will be paid out for the first time in December, with recalculation as of November."  Needless to say, this tends to catch most people's attention.  After all, who doesn't want a raise, right?

If a recipient clicked on the link, he or she would then be asked to provide Office 365 login credentials in order to see the file.  Of course, the file contains dummy data and has nothing to do with getting a raise; it's simply a useful hook to get an unwitting user to hand over their credentials.

The scammers not only constructed a convincing looking email, but the Office 365 login screen looks exactly like a legitimate login screen. This goes far in explaining the campaign's unusually high success rate.

The researchers who have been following the issue urge Office 365 users to enable multi-factor authentication via Office 365 or a third-party solution. They also encourage business owners to enroll their staff in phishing awareness training programs designed to help employees spot and report phishing attempts more easily.

Be on high alert for this one.  So far it has proved to be a highly effective campaign. Always stay alert.

Let SpartanTec, Inc. in Greenville help you by setting up the appropriate cyber security measures to protect your computers and network. 

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

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

Understanding VoIP And How It Works

A lot of small businesses still don’t make use of VoIP or Voice over IP, which is somewhat a drawback in terms of productivity. Business owners should take a look into it and understand the benefits that come with the use of this technology. Once companies understand the fundamentals of VoIP, it will definitely be a key asset eases communication issues within the company.

Understanding how VoIP works:

Instead of the regular analog calls that you make using your phone, VoIP changes it entirely. Analog voice call are changed into a data packets. These are then transferred over the internet or to a public or private IP network. Once it has been changed into data packets, it can be sent the same way as e-mails and data types.

With VoIP service setup by IT Support Greenville, users may be able to call both landline and mobile phones. Computer to computer calls will also be possible with the use of microphones and speakers. You may also receive or make calls with the use of your regular landline. However, you do need to have a telephone adapter that is hooked up to your network. It is advised to use this type of communication system on a private network for better security.

How will VoIP benefit my business?

Not only will VoIP provide better quality communication, it also has a host of other benefits for your business. Here are a few of those advantages:

· You’ll cut costs down as you’ll be managing one network instead of two or more. Changing phone extensions, locations, or adding and removing new phones will be a lot easier which gives the company more flexibility.
· Wireless IP phones let users use the communications system from anywhere access to data network is available. Having VoIP setup by your trusted IT Services will eliminate the communication issues while in remote locations.
· VoIP lets businesses unify communication. Chats, conferences, and more are made easier with the use of voice over IP. Communication will be a lot smoother.

Want to have VoIP set up for your business? Give SpartanTec, Inc. a call today!

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

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