Massive Data Leak Affects More Than 100M Android Users

If you own an Android smart device, be advised there has been a data leak. Security researchers at Check Point have recently discovered a massive data leak that left an assortment of personal data for more than 100 million Android users exposed.

The data was found in unprotected databases used by a total of 23 different popular apps, some of which boast download counts of more than ten million.

Unfortunately, the recent discovery underscores the fact that many app developers aren't following even the most basic security practices designed to restrict access to the app's databases.

According to the research team responsible for the discovery, the exposed data includes physical location, gender, stored passwords, stored payment details and photos associated with the apps in question, phone numbers, user names and real names, email addresses, dates of birth, chat messages, and more.

 

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Two of the most egregious examples the researchers found were the app called iFax, and another called Screen Recorder. In the case of iFax, the Android apps stored the user's cloud storage keys and their database contained copies of all fax transmissions from its more than half a million users. In the case of Screen Recorder, which boasts more than ten million installations, the researchers found the cloud storage keys that give access to all of each user's' screenshots, which could contain a whole host of sensitive and personal information.

Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon and that's why you need to pay attention to data protection. What's disheartening about the recent discovery though, is how many examples Check Point found during the course of their research. It seems that a dismaying number of app developers are sacrificing security basics in the name of speed and convenience, and the end users of the apps they create wind up paying the price.

All that to say, be careful what you download. An app's popularity is no guarantee that it's actually safe to use. Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT experts help keep your company data safe.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

How to Protect Your Computer from Ransomware and Other Malware

What if you didn’t have to worry about ransomware or any other viruses? Unfortunately, cybercrime has become a major problem for the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) who is tasked with protecting the company’s computer systems, as well as the CEO who has to deal with the consequences of an attack. Large corporations such as Merck, Mondelez, Sony and DLA Piper have been infected by malware. Hospitals and organizations around the world have not been spared. It has become a global problem.

There are a number of virus protection programs that attempt to block malware from entering the system, but none of the solutions work all the time.  A good solution is to be more careful with email, but it is hard to control everyone in the organization. An extreme solution is to take the computer off the Internet, but this prevents access to people who need the data.

 

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What if we could prevent any virus from changing the data in our hard drives? Well, now there is a new solution that provides the malware protection we all need. HDWrite1X technology was initially developed for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to ensure the integrity of digital evidence. An early application was to protect video evidence recorded from IP camera systems.

To understand the new technology, let’s go back to the early 1980s when Sony introduced the Write Once Read Many (WORM) discs.  The WORM disc was the precursor to CD-discs. This optical technology provided archival media but also had the characteristic of only writing once. It meant that any data you placed on the discs could not be changed.  Now there is a new way to do the same thing using a standard hard drive.

The virus protected storage solution uses modified hard drives instead of WORM optical discs. The secret is to add special hardware controls that emulate write-once capability. Unlike optical discs, this emulation technology allows you to turn the write-once function on as required.  The write-once technology prevents data from being changed, yet the storage system looks exactly like a standard hard drive system to all your application programs and operating system.

HDWrite1X Protection

There are two versions of HDWrite1X. The first type, called HDWrite1X-OS protects the operating system by preventing any changes to the master boot records and partition tables.  The second version, called HDWrite1X-HD protects all your static data files. In general, the system can protect data temporally, provide incremental permanent protection, or lockdown a complete disk. It can even provide instant lock-down of data when a cyber-attack is detected.

This type of system provides a much more secure barrier to malware attack than anti-virus tools. The HDWrite1X solution has been tested by Defense Information System Agency (DISA), Department of Justice (DOJ), disk manufacturers, NIST, Raytheon, and others.  Nobody has been able to penetrate it.

How to Protect Your Computer

There are various types of malware. Malware includes viruses, worms, Trojans, bots, and ransomware. Here is how to protect your computer from these threats.

Ransomware Protection

This is a crypto virology type threat that prevents user access to files. Used to extort money.  By using HDWrite1X-OS to protect the operating system and HDWrite1X-HD to protect the data, files such as .doc,  .pdf, .xls, etc. cannot be modified.

Worms and Virus

The worm malware replicates itself so that it can spread to other computers. Virus malware tends to be more complex than the worm. In both situations, the code is replicated and can infect both the operating system as well as other applications. It usually hides within other programs.

By using HDWrite1X-OS to protect the operating system and HDWrite1X-HD to prevent changes to data files, the attack is blocked.

Trojans and Backdoors

A Trojan uses a misleading method to gain access and load malicious software. Even if malware infects your computer system, all the HDWrite1X protected files and disks cannot be modified. Any program that tries to modify data is aborted by the protection system. The backdoor malware bypasses normal authentication and can get into your computer system, but HDWrite1X protection is at the hardware level. This means that you can even remove the hard disk and try to modify data using special equipment. The protections built within the HDWrite1X drive protects the data.

Strategy for Malware Protection

Total protection of the computer system is more than just write-once protected disks. Normal computer operation requires the rewriting of data, so we cannot prevent changes all the time. Database programs constantly change their information as new data is added or old data is modified.  Even the email data that is resident on your server changes data just like the database programs.  How do you handle this?

Backup to HDWrite1X protected drives

By consistently backing up your data to a drive that can’t be modified by malware, you always have a way to recover if you are hacked.  What if you did not do anything else? What if you did not segment your data or prevent people from clicking on contaminated emails? The backups protect your data. You can go back in time to previous generations of backups and find uncontaminated versions that allow you to recover quickly from a malware attack.

Controlled Protection

You can protect your data at various security levels, either temporarily or permanently. You can select protection of a complete disk, or incrementally protect files as they are changing, or you can protect a disk or files temporally.

Complete disk protection is the simplest operating mode. In this mode, you write your data to the HDWrite1X protected disk. When operations are complete, the disk is finalized (write-protected). This is very similar to the way a DVD-R works.

Incremental disk protection protects your data as you process information. In this case, you write data, have it protected (Enforce), then at a later time write more data, have that protected, and continue until you are done. Once the data is enforced it can’t be modified. At some point, the disk either fills up, or you choose to protect the entire disk by finalizing the disk. The disk is now permanently protected from modification or deletion..

Temporary disk protection allows an area of the disk to be temporarily protected against data changes. This is a lock function that sets the files to read-only. It can be unlocked and data can then be changed.

HDWrite1X-OS is configured so that the sensitive operating system boot and partition information is permanently protected. This allows the OS to operate normally but prevents a hacker from damaging these sensitive areas of the disk.  Your systems will remain bootable even after a cyber-attack.

Summary of Malware Protection

Malware is one of the challenges that keep the CTO and CEO from sleeping at night. Many organizations think their data is secure, only to discover a major breach that allows their valuable information to be stolen or lost. The latest write-once technology protects the operating system and the data from being modified thus protecting the computer system from malware attacks. You can also seek out companies that offer managed IT services.

 

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and learn how our managed IT services can help protect your business against ransomware, malware, and other types of online threats.

 

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Why Is Data Recovery Planning Important During Hurricane Season?

Companies need to start their data recovery planning. The National Hurricane Center revealed that hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. Although experts say that 2021 will be a calmer year, businesses are still at risk of facility damages, data loss, downtime, and other disruptions that are caused by natural disasters like hurricanes.

Whether you’re a large company or a small business, having data recovery services is important. Here are three reasons why companies need a data recovery plan not only during hurricane season but throughout the year.

What is a data recovery plan?

It may appear like it’s unnecessary to set a plan in place for unexpected situations. Always remember that all businesses may come across any kind of natural disaster. Fortunately, you can be prepared by taking proactive steps in mitigating the effects of a natural disaster on your business operations.

A data recovery plan involves a set of procedures and tools that are set in place to help your business recover from unexpected disasters. The plan must include having a list of updated contact information so that employees know what they need to do in the wake of a disaster.

 

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What is a data recovery plan important?

Stay One Step Ahead

In terms of data protection, it’s important to remain one step ahead. As a company owner or executive, you don’t want to lose your data because of a disaster. The appropriate data recovery and backup methods are essential aspects of a disaster recovery plan. You can rest easy knowing that your company data can be retrieved in case something unexpected happens.

Reduce Downtime

The best possible scenario is not having to use your data recovery plan, but when it comes to natural disasters such as the Atlantic hurricane season, there’s a big possibility that your company may experience downtime. It’s crucial to find ways to reduce your downtime. Having a detailed data recovery plan in place lets you reduce your downtime and hasten the resumption of your business operations.

Prevent Damage To Your Reputation

Clients these days expect to have all-around access to data and online services. Companies set a level of expectations in terms of their offered services. Downtime could affect your business negatively by discouraging your clients from doing business with you once again. You don’t want your clients to be dissatisfied with your service and express it through social media or worse, never do business with you again.

Test Your Data Recovery Plan

During hurricane season, you will have little to no time to determine if your data recovery plan has a flaw or not. You must test and update your strategy regularly and look for potential problems, failures, as well as recovery times. Are you sure that you can restore your company information from your backup? You have to locate your problem points and fix them before disaster strikes.

Do you need help with a data recovery plan for your business? Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of experts come up with the best solutions for your IT needs.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Fake Gift Card Balance Checking Sites May Steal Your Money

 Scammers have a new way of ripping people off this year. If you're not mindful of it, it could literally cost you. Gift cards have always been fairly popular, but this year, they seem to be more popular than ever. According to the online fraud prevention company, Bolster, thieves have been hard at work setting up bogus 'gift card balance' checking websites designed to siphon money away from unsuspecting consumers.

Here's' how it works:

You get a gift card for Christmas and put it in a drawer for a few weeks or even months. Eventually, you find it, but by now, you can't remember if you spent some of the money that was on the card. So you're not at all sure how much money is left. You go online and do some searching, which brings up a link to a site promising to give you your gift card balance in just a few clicks.

You surf to the page, enter in your card number and instead of giving you your balance information. (usually you'll get a timeout message, but some are more sophisticated than that), it will send the gift card number to a command and control server so the hackers can steal it. They use it to order goodies for themselves, either to keep or resell.

It's low, but it's an easy scam to pull off, and even relatively unsophisticated criminals can manage it, so expect to see lots of bogus balance checking sites this year.

While Target seems to be the retailer that the scammers are most focused on this year, Bolster has spotted a number of other fake balance checking sites targeting companies like:

• Bath and Body Works
• Forever 21
• Amazon
• The Google Play Store
• And HBO

Just be aware that the scam exists, and be mindful of where you go on the web when you check your gift card balances.

Does your company offer gift cards? Could your company be suspect to this kind of fraud? Visit https://www.spartantec.com/darkweb for a dark web scan of your companies credentials.

Digital credentials such as usernames and passwords connect you and your employees to critical business applications, as well as online services. Unfortunately, criminals know this — and that’s why digital credentials are among the most valuable assets found on the Dark Web.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
843-418-4792
manageditservicesmyrtlebeach.com

Used with permission from Article Aggregator

Data Breach Of Department Of Veterans Affairs

Hackers aren't picky when it comes to target selection, and no one is safe.

Unfortunately, that includes the Department of Veterans Affairs, which recently disclosed that a hacker successfully breached their system and made off with personal information belonging to more than 46,000 veterans served by the department.

According to the official data breach Myrtle Beach SC notification, the hackers utilized social engineering techniques and exploited the authentication protocol to gain access to the VA's Financial Services Center App (FSC). From there, they began to divert VA payments intended to go to healthcare providers for medical treatment. In addition to that, a spokesman for the VA says that there is evidence that the personal information contained in the veterans' patient records was compromised.

 

 

A press release on the subject reads in part, as follows:

"To protect these Veterans, the FSC is alerting the affected individuals, including the next-of-kin of those who are deceased, of the potential risk to their personal information. The department is also offering access to credit monitoring services, at no cost, to those whose social security numbers may have been compromised."

Unfortunately, this is not the first time the VA has been breached. The first incident actually occurred in 2006 when an unknown party stole a laptop and an external hard drive which contained personal information belonging to more than 26 million veterans. By comparison, this is a very small-scale attack, although that's small consolation to those who have had their personal information compromised.

In any case, if you haven't been contacted by the Department of Veterans Affairs, it's safe to assume you're not among the affected. Even so, out of an abundance of caution, it's a good idea to keep a watchful eye out for phishing type attacks aimed at getting more information from you. Monitor your credit report for accounts opened in your name.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and protect your business from potential data breach.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Serving: Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Florence

Used with permission from Article Aggregator

If 123456 Is Your Password, Change It Immediately

You probably aren't familiar with the name Ata Hakcil. He's a computer engineering student who recently conducted one of the largest password security surveys currently available.

To conduct his research, he collected a number of username and password "data dumps" from the Dark Web and analyzed the passwords he found there. Hakcil was able to analyze a massive collection of more than a billion passwords, looking for trends and commonalities.

IT Security Myrtle Beach SC Professionals have long known that password security is an area of persistent weakness that leaves companies of all shapes and sizes exposed. Hakcil was able to measure and assess just how bad that problem is. What he found was depressing.

The most commonly used password in the collection he analyzed was simply '123456,' which appeared in his dataset more than seven million times. It is the most widely used password in the world. Put another way, a staggering 1 person in 142 was found to have used that simple password. As you might suspect, that is laughably easy for a hacker to guess using the simplest of techniques.

In addition to that, Hakcil discovered that the average password length is 9.48 characters, which isn't great. Given the password referenced above, is better than you might have guessed.

Other relevant and intriguing statistics culled from this study include things like:

• Only 12 percent of passwords include a special character
• 29 percent of the passwords reviewed used alphabet characters only
• 13 percent used numbers only
• Given the above, fully 42 percent of all the passwords in the dataset were vulnerable to quick "dictionary style" attacks that would allow a hacker to gain access with minimal effort.
• The most common 1000 passwords unearthed by this research accounted for 6.607 percent of the total, which gives hackers a long list of low hanging fruit to work with.
• With the most common 1 million passwords, the hit rate is 36.28 percent. With the most common 10 million passwords, the hit rate is 54 percent. This makes most networks incredibly easy to breach.

If you're wondering why we keep reading about so many high profile data breaches month after month, the results of this research go a long way toward explaining it, and that's unfortunate.

Call SpartanTec, Inc. now and let our team of IT professionals make sure that your computer and network are secured and protected against possible online threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/

Sophos Launches Managed Threat Response Service

Managed Threat Response

On July 14, learn about how MTR backs your organization with an elite team of threat hunters and response experts who take targeted actions on your behalf to neutralize even the most sophisticated threats.

July 14th  2:00 EST
Register Here

 

New Threat Hunting, Detection and Response Offering Powered by Machine Learning and Expert Analysis to Neutralize the Most Advanced Cybersecurity Threats

Sophos (LSE: SOPH), a global leader in network and endpoint security, today announced the availability of Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR), a fully managed threat hunting, detection and response service. The re-sellable service provides organizations with a dedicated 24/7 security team to neutralize the most sophisticated and complex threats.

These types of threats include active attackers leveraging fileless attacks and administrator tools such as PowerShell to escalate privileges, exfiltrate data and spread laterally, as explained in the SophosLabs Uncut article on Lemon_Duck PowerShell malware. Attacks like these are difficult to detect since they involve an active adversary using legitimate tools for nefarious purposes, and Sophos MTR helps eliminate this threat.

“Cybercriminals are adapting their methods and increasingly launching hybrid attacks that combine automation with interactive human ingenuity to more effectively evade detection. Once they gain a foothold, they’ll employ ‘living off the land’ techniques and other deceptive methods requiring human interaction to discover and disrupt their attacks,” said Joe Levy, chief technology officer at Sophos. “For the most part, other MDR services simply notify customers of potential threats and then leave it up to them to manage things from there. Sophos MTR not only augments internal teams with additional threat intelligence, unparalleled product expertise, and around-the-clock coverage, but also gives customers the option of having a highly trained team of response experts take targeted actions on their behalf to neutralize even the most sophisticated threats.”

Built on Intercept X Advanced with endpoint detection and response (EDR), Sophos MTR fuses machine learning with expert analysis for improved threat hunting and detection, deeper investigation of alerts, and targeted actions to eliminate threats. These innovative capabilities are based on Sophos’ acquisitions of Rook Security and DarkBytes technology, and include:

• Expert-led threat hunting: Sophos MTR anticipates attacker behavior and identifies new indicators of attack and compromise. Sophos threat hunters proactively hunt for and validate potential threats and incidents, and investigate casual and adjacent events to discover new threats that previously couldn’t be detected
• Advanced adversarial detection: Sophos MTR uses proven investigation techniques to differentiate legitimate behavior from the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) used by attackers. Coupled with enhanced telemetry from Sophos Central, which provides a detailed, full picture of adversary activities as part of the service, the scope and severity of threats can be determined for rapid response
• Machine-accelerated human response: A highly trained team of world-class experts generates and applies threat intelligence to confirm threats, and takes action to remotely disrupt, contain and neutralize threats with speed and precision
• Asset discovery and prescriptive security health guidance: Sophos MTR provides valuable insights into managed and unmanaged assets, vulnerabilities for better informed impact assessments and threat hunts. Prescriptive and actionable guidance for addressing configuration and architecture weaknesses enables organizations to proactively improve their security posture with hardened defenses

Sophos MTR is customizable with different service tiers and response modes to meet the unique and evolving needs of organizations of all sizes and maturity levels. Unlike many MDR services that focus on monitoring and threat notification, Sophos MTR rapidly escalates and takes action against threats based on an organization’s preferences.

Sophos MTR is now available from registered Sophos Partners worldwide. Read more on Sophos News, and visit Sophos.com for additional information.

What our partners and industry analysts say:
“Enterprises are facing sophisticated attacks from every direction, and it’s absolutely critical that they can not only detect threats, but also respond to them quickly,” said Aaron Sherrill, information security senior analyst at 451 Research. “Many vendors claim to offer response capabilities, but in reality, few take the actions needed to eliminate threats as part of their core managed detection and response (MDR) offerings. Sophos MTR combines Sophos’ consistently top-rated endpoint protection with human expertise and troves of threat intelligence collected from SophosLabs to create an entirely new offering that meets a mounting market need.”

“The only way to protect against today’s advanced threats is to combine the best tools with the brightest human minds,” said Jeremy Weiss, cybersecurity practice lead at CDW. “Sophos Managed Threat Response is a game changer, combining machine learning with human analysis for an evolved approach to proactive security protection. The customizable offering strengthens our existing threat hunting capabilities and helps us better protect our customers.”

“Cybercrime doesn’t sleep – it’s always ‘on’ – and organizations need around-the-clock protection,” said Ken Hamilton, president and CEO at Total Tech International Inc. “With Sophos Managed Threat Response, Total Tech customers can rest assured that they’re covered even during the second and third shifts that are notoriously difficult to staff. Security health recommendations deliver additional tremendous value, empowering us to take immediate action on improving security defenses.”

Call SpartanTec, Inc. and let our team of computer security experts help set up the most effective measures to protect you against common and advanced cybersecurity threats.

SpartanTec, Inc.
Myrtle Beach, SC 29577
(843) 420-9760
https://www.spartantec.com/