Scammers Are Using Direct Deposit Requests To Steal Money

The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a warning last year about BEC or Business Email Compromise scams.  Regrettably, security experts report that those kinds of scams are rising in frequency, and worse of all, the latest ones come with a disturbing new twist. The recent manifestation of the scam focuses on employees, looking to move their direct deposited paychecks into hacker controlled accounts controlled.

Its execution is not at all complicated.  All that a hacker requires is the exactly the same details as what they obtain when they steal the identity of a person.  Armed with a target's email address and banking information, all a hacker has to do (in most cases) is send a formal request to HR, explaining that the target has a new bank account and asking that the paycheck be sent to the details provided.

It all seems legit to the HR personnel receiving the request, because all of the information is accurate. In a growing number of cases, nobody even thinks to check or confirm that the switch has been authorized by the employee in question.

One of the researchers who has been following the growth in popularity of this approach had this to say about guarding against it:

"If a two-factor online authentication system isn’t utilized, we suggest ensuring an element of human contact is set up before the completion of the request, apart from verifying that the email address is from a legitimate source."

How big a problem is this type of thing?

According to the latest FBI statistics, between October 2013 and May 2018, businesses suffered total losses estimated at more than $12 billion, worldwide.  If that doesn't get your attention, few things will.  This is a large and growing problem, but thankfully, it's one that can be easily fixed by putting a few additional common sense safeguards in place.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you are seeking out efficient measures to keep your business information and network safe and secure from online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.

Myrtle Beach, SC  29577

843-418-4792

https://www.spartantec.com/

New Love Letter Email Could Load Malware On Your PC

There are some alarming news that you need to know as Valentine’s Day draws near. Hackers across the world are trying to find ways to exploit this special day. The latest research conducted by the Emerging Treats team of ProofPoint, which is a security company, discovered the trend. The team also detected an extensive mal-spam campaign, which they have dubbed as “The Love Letter Campaign.”

This campaign relies on common social techniques and attention grabbing subject lines on emails like:

• I love you
• My letter just for you
• Wrote this letter for you
• Just for you!
• This is my love letter to you
• My love letter for you
• Wrote a fantasy about us
• Fell in love with you
• Always thinking about you!

To be honest, everyone likes to receive love letters and hackers know this very well. That is the reason why an alarming percentage of individuals who receive “love letters” such as this end up clicking on the attraction, commonly in the form of a PDF, to download and open the file.

The problem is that when they do, it triggers a malicious JavaScript file that downloads "krablin.exe" and then the file is executed. The results are unfavorable. The device used to open the file will be infected with different malware types including a cryptojacking miner known as Monero XMRig Miner, a GrandCrab Ransomware, and a Phorpiex spambot copy. The victim’s files will then be locked by the ransomware and can only be accessed once he or she pays in Bitcoin.

This is a thorny problem. Many people anticipate only one kind of malware is going to be installed on every attack. So, there is a huge possibility that when the victim agrees to pay the ransom to regain access to his or her files, all of the attention will be on removing all malware traces. This means the other two malware that were also installed in the device will continue to run without being noticed, which will benefit the hackers more.

Even though the “love letter” campaign does not appear to be all that dangerous, it is actually a dark as well as serious matter. All be careful and don’t forget to inform your employees about it.

Get in touch with SpartanTec, Inc. for more information.

SpartanTec, Inc.

Myrtle Beach, SC  29577

843-418-4792

https://www.spartantec.com/

Malware Drains Your Computer’s Resources Without Your Knowledge

Cyrptominers are one of the most prevalent malware types today, according to the recent study conducted by Check Point, a digital security firm. Although hackers deploy several variations, the cryptojacker “Coinhive” are extremely common this year. When installed on the computer, it operates in the background by siphoning off your computer power whenever it is turned on to mine Monero and then the gains are sent to the hackers.

Jsecoin is second on the list of top malware. It is miner that is based on JavaScript and it can be embedded into different websites and operates in the browser of their victims. Another popular malware is Cryptoloot, which works much like its competitor Coinhive.

The top ten list is dominated by cryptojacking software, they are not the only kinds of malware on it, and there are two venerable contenders in the list features this year. Ramnit and Emote are banking Trojans that have been around for a long period of time.

Although all these are bad, there is one relative newcomer called Smoke Loader that is attracting the attention of several security professionals. On its own, Smoke Loader is not that dangerous. However, that is not its primary goal. Smoke loader is a gateway malware with an express purpose of infiltrating a system and then downloading another malware.

The specifics are open-ended. In case a hacker that uses Smoke Loader to get into a system would like follow that infiltration with a cryptojacker, it can do that. In case it wants to start a ransomeware attack, that can be done as well. The option

The specifics are open-ended.  If a hacker who is using Smoke Loader to access a system wants to launch another attack using a cryptojacker, that can be done as well.  If he'd prefer to start a ransomware attack, that can be done too. The sky is basically the limit. Regardless, it is important to know the Check Point top ten list especially if you want to make sure that your IT staff is updated on the latest threats.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. for more information about malware.

SpartanTec, Inc.

Myrtle Beach, SC  29577

843-418-4792

https://www.spartantec.com/

The Basics of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is an on demand delivery of computing services, which includes storage, services, databases, software, networking, and intelligence,  over what they refer to as “the cloud” or more commonly known as the internet to offer flexible resources, faster innovation, as well as economies of scale. Generally, you will only pay for the cost of the cloud service that you use, which means lower operational costs. It also allows you to operate your infrastructure effectively, and scale while your business requires change.

Types of Cloud Computing

There are different types of clouds and there is no one specific type of cloud that works well for everyone. Various types, models, and services have developed to be able to provide the most suitable solution for whatever it is that you need.

Private, public, and hybrid are the three primary kinds of cloud deployment. First of all, you have to find out the kind of cloud deployment or perhaps the cloud computing architecture, where your cloud services will be executed on. There are three unique methods that can be used for the deployment of your cloud service. These could be done on a private cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud.

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SpartanTec, Inc.

Myrtle Beach, SC  29577

843-418-4792

https://www.spartantec.com/