Blog - Page 19 of 39

By OptfinITy -- 2020-03-19 in Blog

The Coronavirus panic has spread nation-wide and it did not take cyber criminals long to attempt to cash in on it. A report released on Thursday has stated that certain websites claiming to introduce news of the virus, are malicious websites and are sending out mass scams and emails attempting to monetize from this pandemic.

Director of operation of Recorded Future, Lindsay Kaye, has specifically called out these domains publicly as possibly dangerous:

Coronavirusstatus[.]space
Coronavirus-map[.]com
canalcero[.]digital
Coronavirus-realtime[.]com
Coronavirus[.]app
coronavirusware[.]xyz
Coronavirusaware[.]xyz
COVID19 Tracker [app]

Since the panic of the pandemic has left people frantically searching for information regarding the state of the outbreak, also watch out for another app called “COVID19 Tracker” which has been masking itself as an outbreak map tracker, when in reality it is ransomware that locks down your phone completely and demands you pay $100 in bitcoin in 48 hours or lose all your digital data.

If you are confused on which websites to trust and how to avoid hacking or ransomware, OptfinITy can help keep your data safe. Give us a call at 703-790-0400 or email us at sales@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-03-13 in Blog

With the recent declaration by WHO (World Health Organization) we are now dealing with a pandemic, and it is important to consider the following items when preparing for teleworking:

• Making sure the employee has the proper direct communication tools (cell phone, work phone or app to access the phone system)
• Making sure the employees can access their information securely (using VPN, remote desktop applications)
• Making sure the employee has a computer or remote computer access
• Making sure that the employee has the ability to collaborate and communication with their staff (Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Slack)
• Making sure that the employee stays on task and on-track (Rescue time, Focus Time, etc.)

While many organizations have access to tools already if they use Google’s G-Suite or Office-365, there are other applications out there who are making their products available if needed. For more information on those types of apps, see the following link: https://optfinity.com/web-video-conferencing-applications-benefiting-coronavirus-outbreak/

Should your organization need assistance with teleworking or other remote access policies, please give OptfinITy a call and we will be glad to work with you.

By OptfinITy -- 2020-03-9 in Blog

Security researchers are now warning Android phone users about a malware strain that can withdraw and obtain one-time passcodes by extracting it from the Google Authenticator app. The Google Authenticator app is a two-factor authentication security layer that creates a 6 to 8 digits long code to enter on various online accounts. The Android malware, Cerberus, has an OTP-stealing capability that steals 2FA codes from Google Authenticator.

When the app is running, the Trojan collects the content of the interface and sends it to the command-and-control server. A feature called RATs on the trojan allows the trojan to bypass the Authenticator, giving access to all types of private accounts including email inboxes, social media accounts, and coding repositories.

If you or your business have any concerns about keeping your systems secure, feel free to call OptfinITy at 703-790-0400 or email us at sales@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-03-5 in Blog

Twitter just requested that all 5,000 of their employees work from home because of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. However, Twitter does not stand alone in this decision. Companies all over the world are now asking their employees to work from home – a request that was once considered a privilege is now a necessity. Fortunately, web-conferencing and video-conferencing applications are using this epidemic to their advantage and offering their services for free for a limited time during this pandemic.

Cisco’s WebEx, for example, has reported that that traffic from china has increased 22 times more since the outbreak, and four to five times as many users in Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. Free signup rates for countries with infections increased by 700% and climbing.

Video and web conference applications currently offering services and special deals in response to the Coronavirus are Cisco WebEx, Google Hangouts Meet, LogMeIn GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, and zoom. Luckily, OptfinITy provides IT services to many of our remote clients. If you or your organization have any questions regarding the services we provide, don’t hesitate to reach us a call at 703-790-0400 or email us at sales@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-03-3 in Blog

The Coronavirus outbreak has been spreading national fear, and cyber-criminals have found a way to exploit that. Cyber attacks through emails have been circulating by attackers falsely impersonating a trusted establishment – the World Health Organization. Hackers have created their own email campaign that is feed on public fear. The campaign uses conspiracy and indicates that the email contains information filled with unknown cures for the virus. When the victim presses on the attachment in the email, they are accepting a malware. One campaign even provides a DocuSign page where users enter their personal information in hopes of receiving further information regarding the secret cure. Another method uses a Microsoft Word attachment to redirect users to a fake Microsoft Office website where the World Health Organization name appears to give a sense of credibility.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that the risk for the American Public regarding the Corona virus is quite low. If are afraid your staff is not prepared to handle cyber-security threats, OptfinITy can help keep your data safe. Give us a call at 703-790-0400 or email us at sales@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-02-27 in Uncategorized

Google was forced to remove 500 malicious Chrome extensions from its web store after it was discovered that many extensions carried malicious ads which siphoned off browsing data to servers being controlled by attackers.
It’s been reported that the extensions were part of an Ad-fraud campaign that’s been operating since January 2019. However, some evidence shows that the actor may have been operating from as early as 2017.

The extensions posed as promotions and advertising services. Unfortunately, this was not the first time Chrome extensions on chrome were caught stealing data from browsers. For now, individuals are cautioned to continue reviewing extension permission, uninstalling extensions not often used or don’t require access to your browser activity.

If you or your business are unsure on how to handle ad-fraud, OptfinITy can help. Call us at (703)790-0400 or contact us at info@optfinity.com for more information.

By OptfinITy -- 2020-02-24 in Blog, Uncategorized

Last year businesses worldwide lost billions of dollars due to ransomware. This year, however, some ransomware criminals are looking to collect something other than money.

Researchers at Emisoft have discovered a ransomware that demands payment of a different kind – nude photographs. The creator of the ransomware distorts the typical sextortion scam which is to usually ask for payments in order not to post explicit photographs of the victim. Now, the criminal offers up a decryption tool to the victim but only if they send explicit photos of themselves first.

Although the scam is worrisome, the new strain of Ransomware has proven not to be very sophisticated in its execution yet. It is important before turning over sensitive images of yourself to consult a professional before. Thankfully, OptfinITy is equipped to deal with threats of cybercriminals. If you or your organization fear that you are not prepared to deal with these types of security issues attacks and can use some guidance, feel free to contact us at OptfinITy at (703)790-0400 or contact us at info@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-02-11 in Blog

In case you missed it, Microsoft released an important security patch as a result of a massive security breach found in Windows 10 Microsoft has admitted that between December 5^th – 31^st 2019, a security vulnerability inside of internal customer support database was left entirely exposed for anyone to access without requiring a password.
According to researcher Bob Diatchenko, who was the one to discover the vulnerable database, 250 million Costumer Service and Support records which contained endless conversations between Microsoft’s support team and costumers were accessible to just about anyone. Microsoft is still investigating the security breach but it appears none of the information that was potentially available has been used in a malicious way so far. They did, however, begin to inform customers whose data was involved in the breach.

If your organization is not trained to handle misconfigurations in your database, OptfinITy is always ready to help. Contact us at OptfinITy at (703)790-0400 or contact us at info@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-02-5 in Blog

Are you still on Windows 7? Microsoft released its final public security updates for Windows 7 earlier this month after more than 10 years. While the final updates seemed routine, Microsoft has now revealed that one is causing wallpaper issues for some Windows 7 users. The bug is yet another embarrassment for Microsoft as the company has recently decided to stop supporting Microsoft 7 but Microsoft is now in the position of informing customers how to get it fixed.

While Microsoft initially said it was working on a Windows 7 fix that would only be available “for organizations who have purchased Windows 7 Extended Security Updates (ESU),” they have changed its mind overnight and now says the fix will be available to everyone running Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. Ironically, this now means Microsoft must extend its Windows 7 support to fix the bug it has newly introduced.

If you or your company are experiencing issues with your Windows 7 or 10 updates, OptfinITy can help. Give us a call at 703-790-0400 or email us at sales@optfinity.com

By OptfinITy -- 2020-01-16 in Blog

On Tuesday January 14, 2020, Microsoft released a very important security patch regarding a massive security vulnerability on Windows 10. Prior to its release, a leading investigative reporter stated there seems to be “an extraordinarily serious security vulnerability” inside of a cryptographic component that is present in Windows 10; originally discovered by the National Security Agency (NSA). This patch is to fix the cryptographic component present in every version of Windows including Windows 7, which is no longer supported. This patch is considered extremely important that the U.S military and high-value internet infrastructure targets were provided access to this patch ahead of time.

So, what does this mean for companies using Windows? If not protected properly, this vulnerability is an exploit that could allow a hacker into your company’s data by tricking your computer into thinking software downloads and programs are trusted programs when they are not. This could allow the attacker to decrypt confidential information on connections affected by the software and have complete access. As advised by Microsoft, all Windows 10 users are asked to apply the Patch as soon as it becomes available to them. (Note: For OptfinITy users, we are taking care of this for our clients)

If you or your company are not prepared to handle this type of sophisticated vulnerability, feel free to contact OptfinITy for a FREE consultation at (703)790-0400 or contact us at info@optfinity.com

Things to Consider when Teleworking

This Advanced Android Malware is Stealing Google Authenticator Codes

500 Google Chrome Extensions Caught Stealing Private Data From Millions of Users

Recent Posts

Join Our Mailing List