Tag: WeCanHelp

Firewalls

tinsleyNET Firewall Services
tinsleyNET Network Security

Protecting your private network

You might be a home user with a handful of devices connected via wifi or you might be a multi-office organisation running an in-house hosted commerce website, either way you need to protect your network at the point it connects to the internet to prevent unauthorised access, block access to untrustworthy sites, and watch for suspicious activity.

What it does

The firewall is often the outer-most line of defence around your precious data. At the perimeter it needs to be flexible enough to let you work uninterrupted, but robust enough to protect against the barrage of probes and attacks it’s likely to face. It should be configurable and dynamic to be able to adjust to your needs and to be able to identify the latest threats.

Hardware or Software

Both have their advantages and in a corporate situation, both can be used to offer multiple lines of defence against attack.

A hardware firewall will usually by faster at processing data and so reduce any potential bottleneck. They can be configured to use real-time virus checking on incoming data, monitor outgoing data for suspicious activity and provide advanced tools like reputation management, unified threat protection and bandwidth shaping.

Software firewalls have the advantage of being cheaper and easier to mange. They are installed on the device you are protecting so are portable with that device . They can offer more refined controls per device or per app, and can be configured to alert you to unexpected behaviour.

But I don’t need one at home

tinsleyNET Network Security Services

With more and more home devices becoming ‘smart’ the number of internet connected devices you have might be more than you think. You should be managing your internet connection because ultimately, you’re responsible for the content downloaded.

In a number of recent ‘botnet’ attacks on major sites, home internet connected devices that had been compromised were used in the attacks.

A number of home security devices, specifically those with cameras or microphones in them, have been compromised and their content streamed live to the internet.

tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can help you with with selecting, supplying, installing and managing a firewall that’s suitable for your needs. You might just need to protect your home WiFi connected devices, or you might need a corporate firewall that allows remote users to access the company network from anywhere in the world, but you do need a firewall.

Email

tinsleyNET Email Services
tinsleyNET Email Services

You’ve got mail…

In 1971, an engineer working on the ARPANET sent the first ever email from himself on the workstation he was sat at, to himself on the workstation sitting next to his. From this humble beginning email bloomed into the de-facto communication tool used world over.

How we use Email

The way in which email is used, and the technology used for sending and receiving emails, has changed only slightly since it’s conception. The internet boom of the early 1990’s saw email become the most popular form of communication between connected users. This was especially significant in business, where it quickly became a hindrance to business not to have an email account.

Free Email v Paid

Remember when the internet used to sound like this?

The growth of email was spurred by the boom in free web-based email accounts such as Freeserve, Hotmail, AOL and Gmail. Many users signed up with a free email account that they still use today. Hotmail (now Outlook) recently reported that 66% of email accounts created in the first three years of its service are still in daily use.

While having a @hotmail.com email address is fine for casual users, using a free email account for business is best avoided, not least because many free email accounts explicitly state that they are not to be used for business.

Having a registered domain name such as www.yourcompany.com gives you the opportunity to have a personalised email address such as sales@yourcomapny.com giving a much more professional look to your printed and published media.

Spam

It’s a matter of fact that spam exists and it’s practically impossible to have an email account that you use and not get spam of some kind or another. Some spam is going to be annoying unsolicited adverts, while more dangerous unwanted emails are linked to virus spreading or phishing attacks.

Being able to manage your inbound email gives you the ability to remove a lot of the junk before it gets to your inbox. You can also manage genuine emails better, filtering out and highlight potential new clients, service and sales emails from admin and other day-to-day communication.

tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can help you setup and manage your email every step of the way. We can help you if you decide to self host or use a hosted provider, with configuring your DNS records and setting up inbound and outbound email viruses scanning.

We can install a firewall to monitor incoming and outgoing emails for make sure confidential data is not being sent out without your knowledge, and to generate reports on your email so you can see which emails generate the best response from recipients.

Anti-Virus

tinsleyNET Data Security
tinsleyNET Data Security

Protecting you from the video nasties…

Back in the 1970’s a ‘neat little self-replicating automata’ was released on the ARPANET (the predecessor of today’s internet) that was called “the creeper“. Not a virus in the way we think of them today, it was more of a test of code and concept, the only ‘payload’ was a line of code reading “I’m the creeper: catch me if you can”. In the following years, code would be written that became the basis of several types of virus; Worms, Trojan, Boot Sector and Malware.

The early viruses were intended to test concepts or as jokes and went out of their way to protect users data. In the late 1980’s that changed, IBM wrote a program to detect the first encrypted virus and clean an infected system, but didn’t release that to the public until a second version of the virus began to spread on the BBS systems of the day. And so began the battle between the virus writers and the anti-virus writers.

Evolving The Virus Business

tinsleyNET Security Services protecting you against Ransomware

Jump to today and we have many different types of computer virus and many many different viruses in each type. Viruses have become big business for criminals, with nearly all viruses designed to generate income for the coder or their superiors. The latest ransomware viruses can generate large payouts by infecting many smaller users, this is a better business model than infecting a smaller number of large companies and helps keep the virus out of the media and so out of public attention.

It’s not just Windows

The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards - and even then I have my doubts.

Microsoft Windows was the most popular operating system in the 1990’s and as a result it became the biggest target for virus writers. This spawned the urban myth that only Windows based computers could get viruses, but that’s not the case.

The first ‘wild’ virus to spread was purely an Apple-based virus. Apple and Linux based computers have seen a recent rise in the number of viruses intended to infect them. The same goes for mobile phones and devices, Android, Apple’s iPhone and even the old Nokia phones and Windows Mobile are all susceptible to virus infection.

The rise of IoT devices, like smart TV’s, fridges, thermostats and so on have not gone unnoticed. Several recent ‘botnets’ have been shown to be comprised of a large number of infected smart home devices. Hackers have exploited the often poor security on smart devices, and the fact that many don’t get post-sales software updates to take control of them. Often the hackers are after the processing power for attacking other networks or running malware that won’t immediately be noticed by the device owner, though there have been instances of devices being specifically targeted to spy on users, making use of cameras and listening devices.

What should you do?

As an individual you may think that you’re too small to have to worry about antivirus, wrong. It’s a lot easier for virus writer to target a large number of small unprotected users than it is for them to target fewer, better protected companies.

Home users need to consider all the devices on their home network, from computers to smart devices like lights and speakers. These devices are all potential targets. It’s sensible to protect your home network at the point of entry (your broadband) and then further protect devices that can go outside your home network (smartphones, tablets etc) as well as devices that hold particularly valuable information, such as banking information, passwords for any internet accounts, and your photos.

As a company, you should be using a multi-layered security plan with a reputable antivirus application as a part of that plan. You should never use just a single product or technology, as no one product can guarantee 100% virus detection.

A company should look at perimeter and internal security, preventing hackers getting in from the internet and stopping any devices that become infected away from your network bypassing that security.

Data security is essential, both backing up and encrypting the information. Under data security laws you are required to protect any information that could identify an individual (a customer, employee or supplier for example)

tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can design and implement a security solution that suits you or your businesses needs. We can help protect all your IT assets regardless of where they are and how they are used. We can assess your existing data security and give you a report identifying good and bad practices.

Fraud Aware

tinsleyNET Fraud Awareness
Fraudsters see major incidents as an opportunity to take advantage of you

Fraudsters Don’t See Tragedy, They See Opportunity

After any major incident, many people turn to the internet to find out more information and to see if there is any way in which they can help. The majority of us will be shocked by tragic events as we see them unfold, more so when the incident is closer to home.

Unfortunately, the fraudsters know this, and don’t look at these events with sympathy, but look at them as an opportunity to scam people. Make it second nature to verify the sources of information you share, think before you click.

Scams

tinsleyNET Social Media Services

Scams that crop up after an incident can vary and take on many forms. They can be from people just out to harvest ‘likes’ by creating and sharing memes or making up stories about fictitious people ‘who were there’ when it happened, or they can be criminals out to pinch your bank details.

Often, the fraudsters will use social media to share a photo with a sentimental message or outraged caption, and will use any tactics then can to pull on your heart strings to get you to forward or re-share the post.

Expect them to exploit photos of affected people and paint sad stories to get you to hand over your money.

Who To Trust

Use some common sense when deciding if a link you’re about to click is genuine.

  • If the link came via email or instant messenger, check with the email sender that they intended to send it, they many not be aware if their account has been compromised.
    • This is doubly important if the email or message says something along the lines of “I’ve changed my bank details” – double check in person or over the phone. This is a common and well known scam.
  • Fake News is a massive problem at the moment and unlikely to go away, websites like Metafact, Full Fact and Redaction Watch are just a few that can help you identify fake news. (Read more about these sites here)
  • Check the validity of any links before you click them, it may say www.TrustWorthyWebsite.com in the text, but hover your mouse over it to find out where it’s really linked to first.
  • If a URL shortener has been used, (the link looks like sh.ort/Wg5SDS or something similar) check the full-length URL on the shortner website used, or use a trusted third-party website like www.checkshorturl.com
  • Check with someone in authority. If a Just Giving page has been setup by Bob claiming that he’s raising money for the recent incident, how can you be sure your donation is going where he says? Just because he mentions various valid aid organisations in the link does not mean they endorse him or have any connection to him.
  • Seen a photo of a young child with a caption “This person is missing, please share this link to help find her” – think…
    How is sharing this link going to help find someone?
    Is it at all likely that the missing person or someone they know is reading Social Media?
    Can you be sure that person is really missing? is there a police reference number?
    Check the facts first!
  • Look at the date when the first share was made, was it recently or several months ago?
  • Is the source of the information genuine and trustworthy? Just because someone says that ‘The Police have asked…’ doesn’t mean it’s true. If it is true then there should be a link back to an official page with verifiable details. Don’t take someone else’s word as fact without checking it first.
tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can help you sort the truth from the lies, and show you how to identify fraudulent emails and links. We can even configure and install hardware designed to filter out the fake news.

Protecting your precious data

tinsleyNET Backup Services
tinsleyNET Data Backup and Security

Data Backup

Backing up your precious data is essential, but it needn’t (shouldn’t) be complicated or time consuming.

We can design and implement a backup plan that fits your needs, from backing up your family digital photos from your smartphone, to securely encrypting highly confidential corporate information.

Having a robust backup procedure in place and regularly testing that it meets your needs and is secure is an essential part of your data security solution, let us manage that for you.

Personal Precious Data

Many people use an external USB connected Hard Disk Drive to backup their family photos, some are simply saved on your phone. How many times have you heard a plea for a lost or stolen phone to be returned because they contain all of someone’s precious memories?

Inexpensive external hard disk drives are not infallible, in fact they are more prone to failure than the hard disk drive inside your computer. If an external hard disk does fail, the chances of successfully recovering data from them vary greatly, but in our experience it’s often a long, slow and costly process with no guarantee of success.

You need a backup solution that just works silently in the background, but one that you can rely on if the worst happens.

Business Precious Data

With so much of what we need to run a business now being digital based, having a secure and reliable backup of your business data that is regularly maintained and tested is essential.

It’s no good thinking you have a backup of everything you need only to find out that, when your backup becomes your last hope, it’s missing some critical data or is significantly out of date.

Backups need to contain everything you need to get your business up and running the the shortest amount of time if something catastrophic happens.

It’s not just backing up…

Your backed up data is your final fallback if things go wrong. If you accidentally delete something and have no other way of getting it back, your backup needs to come to the rescue.

But what if you save over a file? imagine you have a spreadsheet with all your client data on, you’ve been keeping it up-to-date for five years, then something happens and you accidentally save over it with some other data. Most basic backup solutions will simply write that accidental data over your backuped data too, thinking it’s keeping your backup up-to-date.

We provide solutions that allow you to go back into any file’s history and see how it was at any point in the past since the backup plan started, so you can recover and earlier copy of the file and recover your otherwise lost data.

tinsleyNET IT Servces Consultants #WeCanHelp

#WeCanHelp

We can design and provide backup solutions that will help protect your data from accidental deletion, loss of hardware or ransomware attacks.

Many recent malware outbreaks that used encryption to hold the user to ransom, also encrypted connected online data such as backups.

Our solutions run 24/7 but are not accessible to any virus that gets onto your computer, meaning if ransomware does get hold, as a last resort you can simply scrub your existing setup and start again from scratch in minimal time.

WannaCry : Massive Global Malware Attack

tinsleyNET Admin
tinsleyNET Security Services

Malware attack infects PC’s globally

You have probably heard on the news that millions of computers around the world have been infected with a piece of ransomware, have you checked if your home and business PC’s are protected? Read more

Internet Routers are under attack!

tinsleyNET Admin
tinsleyNET Security Services

Is your home router living a secret double life as a botnet DDoS server?

The number of private home routers being duped into living a secret life as part of a botnet or in serving up malicious DNS results to its users has seen a surge in the latter half of 2016. It’s thought that the majority of traffic in the DDoS attack on various gaming servers in Christmas 2015 was generated from home routers that had been compromised.
Read more

Safer Internet Day : Using Twitter

tinsleyNET Admin
tinsleyNET Security Services

Safer Internet Day

We’re supporting the Safer Internet Day again this year, giving tips throughout the day on how to use help make the internet more safe.

Follow our posts on popular social media sites, by searching for the #SID2016 and #ShareAHeart hashtags, or find out more about the Safer Internet Day on their website http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

From the SID Checklists, here’s some tips on using Twitter:

What Is Twitter?

Twitter started life in 2006 primarily based around SMS text messaging as a way to post status updates to friends. It quickly got noticed and boomed into the Twitter that we see today, with most tweeters using mobile apps or the twitter website to access the service.

Twitter is limited to 140 characters per tweet, it’s a lot like going back to the early day’s of mobile phones when sms/text messaging was first used. The debate on the effect this has on the languages is ongoing, but it does mean that each and every tweet is short and to the point.

Tweets can include links to websites, images, links to video’s on YouTube and other such media additions, the modern Twitter app and website allow you to see these links as embedded parts of the message.

Twitter’s appeal is it’s speed and accessibility. From the world of twitter grew the now universal use of hashtags ‘#’ to categorise and group tweets, and the ‘@’ sign to signify a username.

Many celebrities and businesses use Twitter as a more personal tool for posting news and contacting their fans and followers. In many celebrity cases, it’s the celebrity who is posting the update rather than their PR company.

How Do I Use It?

When you sign up to Twitter, you choose a username, that’s the @ bit (you don’t need to include the @ sign at the start of your username) this can be changed later on if you want. You also set your ‘real’ name, that’s the bit that appears bold above the username, This can be changed as often as you want.

Once you have created and verified your account you can start posting updates known as tweets.

What Should I Follow?

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The Verified Person tick

Depending on how users have configured their twitter accounts, you can find people by searching the twitter site. Users can be found by their registered mobile phone numbers (although this information is never shared, you need to know the phone number first) by registered email address (again, this is never disclosed, and you need to know the full email address first) by username (search @tinsleyNET for example) or by full name (so maybe you’re searching for ‘Nigella Lawson’)

All Twitter accounts are public by default. You can choose to make your Twitter account private (this means you need to approve followers, and non-approved users can’t see your tweets) but the nature of Twitter has grown up around the openness of the platform, so not many (hardly any) users enable that privacy settings.

Genuine celebrity accounts can be identified by a blue tick next to their twitter name called a verified account mark. There are quite often parody accounts for celebrities, so this helps identify the real ones.

Once you have started following some accounts, Twitter will suggest other users who you may be interested in following.

How Do I Stop Following Someone?

If you want to stop following someone, go to their profile page (click on their account photo on a recent tweet or search for them in your ‘Following’ list) and click the blue FOLLOWING button, this will remove them from your FOLLOWING list

You can also choose to MUTE a user, say you are following a personal real-life friend but they are tweeting about a football match and you don’t want to see all their posts, selecting MUTE from the cog icon on their profile page will silence their tweets on your feed, but you will still be following them, you can go back and un-mute them at any time.

Also in the cog menu are options to BLOCK a user, a blocked user can no longer follow you or message you.

Who’s Following Me?

To see which users are following your tweets, click on your profile page and click the FOLLOWING link, this will show you a list of your followers, and give you the opportunity to follow them back.

Reporting A User

If a user is behaving badly on Twitter, and you believe the user is breaking Twitter’s rules, you can report them. Click the menu option (three dots near the heart-shaped like button)  and select REPORT then follow the on-screen prompts.

Closing Your Twitter Account

If you decide you no longer want your Twitter account, you can go into SETTINGS > ACCOUNTS and select DEACTIVATE ACCOUNT, you’ll need to enter your password to confirm, and you should know that Twitter will keep your account data for 30 days before deleting it from their servers, this gives you time to change your mind and re-activate the account.

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Cyber Crime 2015

tinsleyNET Admin
tinsleyNET Security Services

Cybercrime is becoming big business

The total number of individuals in the UK who have been the target of cybercrime jumped in 2015, with nearly 44% of consumers in the UK who have now reported cybercrime.

2015 was responsible for 22% of those, with the average cost to the user at £1300.

Of those who reported cybercrime, shockingly nearly half said they had not taken additional precautions while on the internet, such as changing passwords. Read more