Driver In Some WiFi Devices Could Allow Hackers Access

You almost certainly do not know the name Hugues Anguelkov.  He's an intern working for Quarkslab, where he spends his time researching potential security issues. He's also a bit of an unsung hero because he recently uncovered a string of five devastating vulnerabilities in the Broadcom wl driver and the open-source brcmfmac driver for Broadcom WiFi chipsets. If you own or manage a business, always get managed IT services to stay away from these problems.

That's significant because it turns out that these drivers are used in a staggering array of equipment around the world.

Anguelkov writes:

"You can find these chips almost everywhere from smartphones to laptops, smart-TVs and IoT devices.  You probably use one without knowing it, for example if you have a Dell laptop, you may be using a bcm43224 or a bcm4352 card.  It is also likely you use a Broadcom WiFi chip if you have an iPhone, a Mac book, a Samsung phone or a Huawei phone, etc.  Since these chips are so widespread they constitute a high value target to attackers and any vulnerability found in them should be considered to pose high risk."

He goes on to say that two of vulnerabilities he found are present in both the Linux kernel and the firmware of certain Broadcom chips. He added that the most common application, from a hacker's perspective, would be to utilize them to launch a remote denial of service attack. Shield your business from such attacks by having managed IT services Myrtle Beach.

In all, this vulnerability impacts equipment made by a staggering 166 different technology vendors worldwide, which means that it's incredibly likely that you're using a vulnerable piece of equipment right now.

The good news is that Broadcom is currently working on the issue and although no firm timeframe has been given for when we might expect a fix, given the scope and scale of this issue, the company is certainly motivated to make it happen quickly.  For the time being, there's not much for you to do here, other than be mindful that the issue exists and be on the lookout for a fix from Broadcom. Updates will patch up the vulnerabilities and improve computer security for all affected users.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. if you are looking for a reliable and reputable IT consultant to help make sure that your computers are safe and secure.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

Several Popular Restaurants Had Credit Cards Stolen

If you frequent any of the following restaurants and paid them a visit between May 23, 2018 through March 18, 2019, your credit card data may have been compromised. These instances highlight the need for managed IT services among businesses regardless of size. 

The parent company of these chains, Earl Enterprise, recently announced that an unspecified number of store locations were found to have been infected by PoS malware.

When taken together, they managed to harvest more than two million credit card numbers nationwide.  These were later found for sale on the Dark Web.

The list of restaurants includes:

• Chicken Guy!
• Mixology
• Tequila Taqueria
• Earl of Sandwich
• Planet Hollywood
• Buca di Beppo

If you've been to any of the restaurants named above in that range of time, you may have already received a notification from the company.  If you want to confirm whether the location near you was one that was compromised, Earl Enterprise has a lookup tool on their website allowing you to drill down and find out definitively. The tool will prove useful if you want to ensure your information security. 

The company was made aware of the issue in late February when they were contacted by private security researcher Brian Krebs. He discovered a large cache of credit card numbers on the Dark Web that belonged to the company's customers. Again, cases such as these call for managed IT services Myrtle Beach in every business.

Once they were informed, they launched their own internal investigation, duly notified law enforcement, and brought in a third-party firm to assist them with the investigation.  Upon confirming Krebs' findings, they made a public announcement to their customers.

Exercising an abundance of caution, Earl Enterprise is encouraging all its customers to keep a watchful eye on their credit and debit card statements and to stay alert for any suspicious activity. If you notice any, report it to the company that issued your credit card immediately.  If you see something and don't report it right away, you may wind up having to pay for charges you didn't make.

Want your company and customer data safe from prying eyes? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today to protect your business.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

Social Security Scam Cases See Major Increase

Over the last few years, the number of social security related scams rose significantly. The figures have grown at an alarming rate, prompting government agencies to take action. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission made an announcement about the scams, warning the public about such schemes. The rise of scam cases and the nature of how they are deployed highlights the need for managed IT services in companies.

Rising scam cases pose a threat to information security

In 2017, only 3,200 cases were reported to the Social Security Administration regarding voice phishing, which cost victims a total of $210,000. However, in 2018, the numbers skyrocketed, reaching 63,00 cases with more than $16.6 million in total losses. What’s even more disturbing is the fact that the reported figures are not accurate. There are those people who do not report the incidents which could amount to a higher total loss.

These social security scams come in a wide variety but usually follow a pattern. The scammers phone in potential victims posing as SSA officers. They then tell the potential victim that their account has some issues and that it could lead to even bigger problems in the future. With the person on the other line fearful of being locked out of their account, they then give out important details that the scammers could use.

Although it may sound too simple to even work, it does – and most of the time the scammers succeed. Needless to say, the victims are in for a world of problems after they’ve been tricked into providing their precious information.

The hackers could then do whatever they want with the information they have. This could often lead to identity theft, with the hackers draining the money off of their victims’ bank accounts. On the other hand, all of this can be averted with vigilance and being updated with the latest schemes and how they work. With managed IT services Myrtle Beach, businesses alike could protect themselves and their data from prying eyes and from hackers around the world.

Is your business in need of a well-rounded technology solutions provider? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today and get the protection your company deserves.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

Larger Companies In The Crosshairs of Ransomeware Attackers

If you’re not familiar with what a ransomware is, you should – especially if you have a business that you look after. In early 2018, a particular ransomware strain called GrandCrab was detected. It’s one ransomware that highlights the importance of managed IT services in a company. For lack of a better word, the findings about GrandCrab were disturbing.

A ransomware basically locks down a computer system until a payment is made. It’s like a digital hostage crisis. The only difference is that it’s harder to track down who’s behind the attacks. The hackers behind such malicious attacks used to target both small and large companies. However, lately there has been more emphasis on bigger companies for a bigger payout.

In February 2019, GrandCrab 5.2 was released. The creators of the ransomware are running their software under an affiliate scheme were they partner up with other hackers. The developers of the software are also pushing ads across the Dark Web that are designed to gain the interest of other hackers. With this alarming data in hand, companies need to have managed IT services Myrtle Beach in order to protect their business. Although GrandCrab creators are starting to ignore smaller targets for more lucrative hits, smaller businesses shouldn’t let their guard down.

Once the hackers gain access to a particular corporate network they then try to infect as many computers in one fell swoop. They don’t attack immediately upon breaching the networks defenses. First they try to make the most of the breach by hooking up the ransomware into as many machines, plaguing file encryptions across the network. The attacks, if successful, ultimately cripples the network rendering the company unable to operate at all. This is why computer security is highly important from smaller to major companies. It always pays off to have overall protection from such attacks.

Want top-notch protection against hackers? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today to get protected.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

2018 saw a lot of hacking incidents. So much that it broke the previous year’s records. The same could be said in 2017 where data breaches soared, surpassing recorded cases in 2016. Unfortunately, the number of data breaches isn’t slowing down and 2019 is no exception. With this in mind, it is of great importance that companies have managed IT services to ensure data security.

Figures in 2018 didn’t look so good. Overall last year, cases reached 12,449 which is a 424% increase from the previous year and there’s no sign of things slowing down yet. It looks like 2019 is going to be another record-breaking year for data breaches. The rate at which data breaches are taking place is both staggering and alarming. Problems with hackers continue to increase each year.

The total number of recorded cases in the United States was fairly modest, however, it goes ahead of other countries in terms of how much data was compromised. With the alarming number of exposed data in the U.S., it is only fitting that companies get the best managed IT services Myrte Beach to protect company data.

As the number of data breaches rise, the number of credentials being sold over the Dark Web is also growing rapidly. These information is then bought by other hackers who use the data to hack into other networks. This supply and demand data breaches continues this unfortunate cycle where companies and end users receive the wrong end of the stick.

What’s more worrisome is the state of password security in general. Most users still have poor password habits which makes them more vulnerable against hackers. This is also the reason why most companies tend to hire IT services to boost their information security. With the greatly increasing number of hacking incidents, it would only be a matter of time when a particular companies gets hit with a major hacking incident.

Does your company need a complete technology solution provider? Call SpartanTec, Inc. today.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

Since the introduction of open source office applications a few years ago, people have been making the switch from Microsoft Office. There are a number of reasons why people would go the open source route and one is the cost. Open source office applications lie OppenOffice and LibreOffice are free to download and use unlike MS Office where you need to obtain a license to use the software. Since it is free to use, some businesses have made the switch over to these applications. However, turning over to open source can have its drawbacks, which is why businesses must have reliable managed IT services to secure themselves against vulnerabilities.

Recently, Austrian researcher Alex Infuhr found a loophole that’s present in both the said applications. Attackers could infiltrate the code of both OpenOffice and LibreOffice through a method called path transversal, which moves code from one directory to another. This leaves users of the said open source application vulnerable to attacks. What’s even more alarming is that the only interaction with the user hackers need to accomplish was a single hover over an invisible link, which is easily triggered by an unsuspecting user.

LibreOffice has been quick to address the issue and has already been patched. OppenOffice on the other hand, has still yet to release an update to prevent users from possible vulnerabilities. This gives more reason to businesses who use open source software to hire credible managed IT services Myrtle Beach from reputable providers.

The bottom line here is that no software is perfect. Computer code can be broken into and it’s just a matter of time before some random hacker makes a malicious attempt to reverse engineer code and inflict damage to users and businesses alike. That is why if you’re running a business, it is good practice to hire reputable IT services as a first line of defense.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. today to protect your business from hackers and attacks over the internet.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

Messaging Apps Entryway For New Malware

Your IT staff will likely be in for another rough week as news of a new malware will make detection more troublesome. Antivirus company Avast found a new malware that is lurking around through messaging apps like Skype, Facebook Messenger, and the likes. This new discovery will likely be stressful for IT management in companies which handle their business through such messaging apps.

According to Avast, the malware called Rietspoof isn’t entirely new. It was first discovered late last year but didn’t gain enough attention as it was rarely seen in use. However, the multi-stage malware has been seen quite a number of times recently and the number of instances is gradually increasing.

As with any other malware, Rietspoof is used to infiltrate as many targets as possible. Once within the system, the malware can basically take control of the entire system if hackers behind the malware would like to do so. This highlights the needs for superb IT management Myrtle Beach among companies to prevent damage and data loss.

What Rietspoof does is it placing an LNK file, or a shortcut as most of us know it, into the Windows Startup folder. Now, what this does is gain access to the computer system if it is successful. The Startup folder in itself is a critical area for the Windows platform. That’s why most antivirus software tend to do constant monitoring in this particular area. However, Rietspoof has somehow managed to bypass security through the use of legitimate certificates.

The research team that had spotted Rietspoof said that the malware had gone through a series of changes, which led them to believe that it is constantly being developed. With this is mind, it is essential for companies to make sure that their information security measures are up to date with all the latest virus and malware definitions.

Need superior information security for your business? Call SpartanTec, Inc. Today.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC  29577
843-418-4792
https://www.spartantec.com/

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