2015 Top 25 passwords used – how to protect yourself on mobile and computer.

If you cannot remember a complex password or more than one password, ask Sterling IT how we can assist you with a password manager that is secure.

Internet users continue to put their security at risk by using generic passwords such as “123456” and “password”, despite widespread advice to create more unique and secure codes.

Both “123456” and “password” have held the top two spots on SplashData’s annual list of leaked passwords since the first list in 2011 and data released by SplashData yesterday shows 2015 was no different.

The top 10 passwords on the 2015 list are dominated by numerical passwords, with football, baseball and ‘qwerty’ also among the least secure passwords being used online.

 

Go to Smart Company to READ MORE

Sterling IT have the solution to protect your passwords securely on phone and computers.

Contact us for more info

 

Source: smartcompany.com.au  – Recommended by Sterling IT for all good businesses.

IPAM, DNS Sec, DHCP by Bluecat – IP Management from a central point

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With more and more devices being introduced into networks, such as IPCams, watches, mobile devices, fingerprint readers and much more, management of this will be a nightmare, if not already. How will you manage this in a couple of years, especially with the introduction of IPv6 ?

Flexible, open and adaptive solutions to manage your complex enterprise network

Many companies are managing their IP ranges and information in spreadsheets shared across offices, states and countries. With the possibility of conflicts and mismanagement of these, there has to be an easy way… well there is!

Introducing Bluecat Networks IPAM (IP Address Management).

Sterling IT and Bluecat working together, have solutions to assist. As a central control point, IPAM provides an authoritative source for information about the network, providing valuable insight to enable informed management and security decisions for the enterprise. This strategic insight and rich integration with core network services allows you to drive more reliable service delivery, enable greater agility, improve security and lower the manual effort involved in administration. With BlueCat IPAM, you will be better equipped to take advantage of emerging technologies, driving innovation and success for your organization’s business initiatives.

Contact Sterling IT to organise a free 30 day trial of the application

Comes in a physical or virtual appliance for HyperV or VMWare

How do you manage your IP addresses over multiple sites and/or thousands of connected devices?

Received an email? Do you click or not click? – Malware, Scams, Trojans, Viruses could be lurking

The internet has become an indispensable tool for everyday life, both personal and business. Its global use and familiarity has also opened the doors for cyber-criminals to take every opportunity to exploit vulnerable people through disturbing online attacks. Online scams and malware are also becoming increasingly sophisticated, and while IT professionals are aware of what to look for and how to fix problems when they arise, their colleagues may be confused by the latest scams discussed in the media.

Botnets

A botnet is the result of a criminal using malware (malicious software) to turn a computer into a bot, short for robot. In conjunction with a large number of other computers, these systems together form a botnet. Bots can often propagate themselves across the Internet by searching for vulnerable and unprotected computers. Exposed computers can be infected quickly and unknown to the user stay dormant until they are required to perform their detrimental attack. Once infected these bots can be controlled remotely to perform automated tasks over the internet such as sending out spam, malware and spyware; launching denial of service (DoS) attacks against other systems; or participating in other types of cyber-crime such as theft or fraud.

Hacking

Computer hacking has been around much longer then people have had PCs in their own homes, and is the term used to describe gaining unauthorised access into a computer. Hacking can be used to find weaknesses in your security settings which are then exploited to gain sensitive or personal information, to install malware, or to block or hijack your access to websites or email.

Malware

Extremely common, malware, or malicious software, is software you don’t want to infect your computer. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, ransomware and Trojan horses. Specifically designed to disrupt, damage or gain control of a computer system or data, therein each of these types of malware has its own purpose. Malware does a range of things, it may tell you that your computer has a security problem, re-formats your hard drive, alters, deletes or encrypts files; steals sensitive information, sends unauthorised emails, or takes control of your computer and all of the software on it.

Types of Malware

Viruses

A computer virus when executed will replicate by inserting copies of itself (possibly modified) into your computer programs, data files, the hard drive or connected network shares. By doing this the virus infects your system and interferes with the way a computer operates. Viruses are often spread via normal looking attachments in an email message or instant message; through downloads, or in pirated software.

Trojan Horse

Like the Greek tale, the Trojan horse or Trojan, employs social engineering so that it looks legitimate, useful or interesting to the potential victim who is then more susceptible to installing it on their computer. As a non-self-replicating type of malware program it is designed so when it is executed it carries out the actions determined in the program, often including joining the computer to a botnet.

Ransomware

As a relatively recent addition to the malware family, ransomware is a digital form of extortion. When you open a malicious email attachment or click a malicious link in an email message, instant message, on a social networking site, or other website; ransomware is downloaded onto your computer and is designed to block access to all your files and programs until a sum of money is paid. A computer becomes basically inoperable as you have no access to any of your files (unless you have done regular data backups). It is generally advised that you don’t pay the ransom as you cannot be guaranteed you will get the key or code to unlock your files.

Phishing

Phishing has also become a firm favourite of cyber-criminals. These sophisticated modern day forgers use deception and social engineering techniques to trick users. This is done by sending emails, text messages or website links purporting to be from authentic companies that the victim may have had previous communications with (also called spoofing). These fake messages or links are then used to persuade the recipient to reveal personal information including usernames, passwords and credit card details. Phishing scams have become increasingly prevalent because they are easy to execute, and with little effort.

Spam

Spam is another common method for sending information out and collecting it from unsuspecting people. Spam is usually the mass distribution of unsolicited messages, marketing, advertising or pornography. Spam tends to annoy people mostly by clogging their inboxes with junk, however it can also be a vehicle for malware, scams, fraud and threats to privacy.

TIPS FOR CYBER SECURITY

It is vital that anyone who sends and receives emails daily (at home or at work) is made aware and well educated on these common types of cyber threats.
There are a wide range of things you should remember or put into place within your organisation, to ensure your computer/computers are protected the best way possible.

• Avoid giving your email address out online. If you publish your email address on the web, make it unscannable so that it cannot be harvested by bots. There are alternative ways to display an email address which in turn makes it hard for spambots and cyber criminals to harvest it.

• Never open an attachment that is a .zip file or .exe file unless you are expecting it. Files from unknown senders often contain some kind of malware or virus.

• Check who is sending you email communication. Be aware that malware, phishing scams or spam may come from unrecognisable or odd email addresses, however legitimate email addresses can be forged easily.

• Never respond. If unsure, report the message as ‘spam’ to your service provider, and delete it! Also, you should delete the email from your trash to save you accidentally opening it in the future.

• Only click links from trusted senders. If an email has a link you don’t recognise, take a closer look by hovering your mouse over and checking the destination in your browser. If it doesn’t match, it is not legitimate.

• Check for spelling, grammar and syntax. Most malware, phishing scams or spam originate from foreign countries so may contain some very obvious errors.

• A reputable company or organisation will never use an email to request personal information. If you think there is a possibility it may be legitimate, type the real URL into your browser or contact the company directly.

• Reading an email in plain text rather than html can help to avoid phishing attempts, however this is not 100% foolproof.

• Report any suspicious or scam emails to the company that is being imitated, your email security provider, or to SCAMwatch.

• If a computer runs slowly, keeps crashing or stops responding often, this could be a sign that the computer is infected. Get an IT professional to take a look for you.

• It is extremely important to back up your data every single day.

• Utilise multilayered defences. This includes installing anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-spyware, and using cloud based email filtering and web filtering services. You should also not conduct day to day work with Administrator privileges on your workstation. Instead, you should use elevated privileges only when required, for example to install trusted software. Having one form of protection alone may not cover you for all the possible threats.

• Keep your software regularly updated. Software that updates automatically is incredibly beneficial to busy organisations.

• Use strong passwords and keep them secret. It is also a good idea to change them on a regular basis. Don’t use the same password for multiple accounts.

• Install a firewall on your computer and never turn it off.

• Increase security settings on your browser. You can limit user rights to certain online sites.

• Use external devices cautiously. This includes USBs and iPads/iPhones etc. as these can become infected with malware, corrupting your computer.

Cyber criminals are quite adept at tricking email users into falling for their scams. They are always coming up with new methods of deception. It is in the best interest of every company to ensure all their employees are educated on the most commonly known threats. Staying cyber-vigilant and applying solid security measures, is always the best defence against any future breaches.

Want to add another of level of protection on your email? Filter with Mailguard – the providers of the information above.

Need more information, quote on Mailguard or training for your staff?
Contact Us NOW! – Don’t Delay

Sterling IT finalises Data Centre Move to NextDC in Brisbane with DOSG.

Sterling IT and its partner (DOSG) has finalised moves successfully to Next DC without any data loss or interruption during business hours.

Want to see the Next DC premises?    Visit our HOME PAGE and watch the video.

If you would like a demonstration on how we are saving our clients thousands on infrastructure, contact us for an onsite meeting and review.

Storm Season, Power Surges and UPS protection.

 

Are you protected against storms? (Sterling IT)
Are you protected against storms?

Electronic and computer based equipment need high quality, uninterrupted power supplies.

In Australia, particularly during summer months, excess strain is placed on our aging electrical infrastructure.  Adding to this is the unpredictable weather patterns associated with summer storms which can cause electrical surges and power outages for extended periods of time.

The best form of PC protection is at all times to be plugged into a quality UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply). This is a surge protector and voltage regulator with a back up battery. The better ones actually talk to your PC via USB, so when power drops out, the UPS instructs the PC to close all programs safely and then shut down all under battery power. For Laptop users, this is not such great concern, however, plugging into a surge protector may just save your power adapter and in some severe cases your laptop.

With no UPS, if lucky enough to be home before a storm hits, you should power down your PC and unplug it from the wall. BUT, that isn’t all; the most vulnerable route for a voltage spike is through your telephone line. We have seen some pretty severe cases where a Lightening strike has merely passed a telephone pole, to completely render every device useless connected to the router by wire (Ethernet). EMF will surge down a phone line and through your equipment like an electrical Tsunami… It takes out everything in it’s path. The safest way of protecting your equipment during an electrical storm is to firstly disconnect your telephone line from the wall (this is your source of ADSL as well as telephone), and then shut down your computers and disconnect from the power. Unfortunately, even a moderate UPS is no protection against a huge EMF spike.

We also strongly recommend you have insurance to protect your for business interruption as well (Liaise with your broker or insurance company for this) as even with recovery of systems, the loss of income could be claimed.

Even with a UPS, we have found equipment to be affected. This can be due to massive spikes or phase drops as well as the surge coming from phone lines rather than electricity lines.

Some of the more sophisticated UPS’s on the market come with software which monitors the power usage and demand on a computer or server, if the power is off for any period of time, this software will log the users off, and close the programs, then shut down the server safely.

Size matters, having the correct UPS installed will ensure that the power requirements for the business are met and the key hardware protected.

It is also worth checking your UPS from time to time, to make sure that it is doing what it is supposed to. If you’re not sure what your needs are, please request that we check next time we are onsite or book in a health check.

If you do suffer a computer failure after a storm, contact us at  Sterling IT on (02) 9756 6866  and we’ll do our best to get you back on line.

“Sterling IT also provide insurance reports, quotation estimates and repairs or replacements.”