Posts Tagged ‘Security’
Friday, November 4th, 2011
Early mornings at our Clifton Park IT office, usually is a good time to get a lot of work done as it is quiet. A recent morning I took a phone call from a woman who had some security questions about locking down the family computer to protect her children when using the Internet.
It was a great call because this woman was more knowledgeable than most on methods to help keep her children safe. Her question was about password protecting the BIOS on her computer. This is a very good method to locking down a computer to limit access. I explained the additional steps she would need to take and that the safest place for a family computer was in the kitchen or family room as it can be easily observed by everyone.
Child predators are lurking everywhere on the Internet and children do not understand the realities of what can and often does happen to unsuspecting children. Law enforcement does a good job of helping to keep the predators at bay, but the ultimate responsibility resides with parents. It was wonderful to be able to offer advice to someone in the community who understood the implications of unfettered access to the Internet.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: child predators, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, HITman Services, Internet pornography, Internet security, Security
Posted in Security | Comments Off
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011
Almost everyone knows about the attorney client privilege and what transpires between a lawyer and client is confidential. But when technology comes into play, all that is said may go beyond the ears of the lawyer and client.
Very recently I had a person visit the office of our IT company in Clifton Park. The salesperson was trying to sell marketing services to me and was from one of the major phone book providers.
During the conversation, this person mentioned that for companies who used their designated phone numbers for tracking, they (the phone book company) has the ability to dial in and listen to calls, and then went on to mention how this person has done just that.
While I kept a poker face, I was outraged by this. While many companies have phone systems which allow the conversation to be taped, I have yet to run across one in an attorney’s office. And the companies always make an announcement that the conversation will may be recorded. But to have an outside person listen in on a conversation which one of the parties (or maybe both) believe the information will be kept confidential, yet is not, is simply unbelievable.
Moral of the story; if you’re making a call to a doctor or lawyer and you want your information to be kept private, you may not want to use the number published in any of the phone books. And if you do, you might want to ask the person if the conversation is being recorded.
If you’re serious about keeping your data safe, visit www.HITmanSafe.com.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Incoming search terms:
- clifton park computer repair
- attorney client privilege and technology
- technology and attorney client privilege
Tags: attorney, Clifton Park, Clifton Park computer repair, confidential information, law firm, laywer, Privacy, Security
Posted in Privacy, Security | Comments Off
Thursday, October 20th, 2011
Data is a critical and key component to business and data disasters can strike without a moments notice. The statistics are very grim for business which don’t prepare for the inevitable, as many never survive.
Many people I talk with regarding business security and continuity are poorly prepared in the event they lose their data. Computers get hacked, hard drives and other components fail; folders and files get deleted; and computers get stolen.
Several months ago we received a call from a client with a critical issue. The controller was working on her financial spreadsheets. She decided to clean up the folder on the server and inadvertently deleted all of the spreadsheets.
As our client had been running our HITman Safe System, we were able to retrieve every spreadsheet very quickly. We verified the versions were correct and there was no data lost.
While the controller is very good with computers, stuff just happens and mistakes get made. As long as the proper plans and procedures are in place to mitigate damages, we can usually come through ok.
For more information on our HITman Safe System, go to www.HITmanSafe.com.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: BDR, Clifton Park, Cloud backup, Data, data backup, Data breach, Data loss, data restoration, Deleted files, deleted folders, HITman Safe, professional backup system, Security
Posted in Business, Security | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
It always amazes me how willing people are to give out confidential information. And I’m not talking about the younger generation who have grown up with computers. Your data is yours; and the businesses and organizations you entrust with it may not really care for it as much as you do.
While some states have very strict guidelines, such as Massachusetts; imposing additional regulations only serves to increase the cost of doing business which typically gets passed on to consumers. While regulations have their place, they are not a panacea.
Case in point: yesterday I visited a business establishment which falls under several federal laws regarding data security. Their security measures consisted of one paper sign taped on a wall and a plastic sign on a door, they both read “Secure Room Authorized Personnel Only”. If this works as well as the no gun signs on bank doors and drug free zone signs, the data must be secure! The door was next to a sliding glass window and the lock on the door was cheap and had a twist button to unlock it. A person reaching an arm through the window could unlock the door, but that would be unnecessary as the door was wide open and only one person in the building.
Earlier this month one of our lead application developers and I had a meeting with a fairly large business organization. The organization kept very confidential records regarding its membership, which if it fell into the wrong hands could cost the business member thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, or perhaps even worse. We drew up a proposal for the organization based upon the criteria we received from their staff. During a phone call with the director of the organization, I was told that security really wasn’t that important to them; driving home my point.
Before giving control of your information to another person, company, or organization, you just might want to have them show you how they protect your information. As with almost everything, it is our responsibility to take the proper precautions with our information, as we will be the ones cleaning up the mess.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: Anti-Virus, AntiVirus, Business, Clifton Park, Malicious Software, malware, Security, Virus
Posted in Business, Privacy, Security | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 13th, 2011
Almost every business these days, especially the retail establishments have security cameras. Many times walking into a store all one needs to do is look up and see themselves on the video screen.
Yet in our part of the country most public places we go, we are free to wander about without big brother or some other entity watching our every move. Granted there may be satellites in the sky, but for this discussion I am referring to public security cameras which are mounted on poles or buildings.
Earlier this week while chairing a committee on government technology, I had a surprise after I left the meeting. As I was about to put papers in my trunk, I noticed glass at my feet. Apparently someone had backed into my car and made the decision to just leave rather than manning up and taking responsibility for their actions. While this facility has internal security cameras monitoring critical areas, there are no cameras in the parking area.
I wonder what this person would be thinking if law enforcement showed up at their door with a warrant regarding their hit and run action? Mistakes and accidents happen and as tough as it may be, we need to take responsibility for our actions and accept the medicine which comes along with it.
Perhaps I will make a recommendation that this facility should have cameras monitoring parking lot activities. The unfortunate part (other that the aggravation, costs, and inconvenience to me), is that because of the lawlessness and inconsiderate actions of one person, others may now be subject to the eye in the sky!
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: Apartment, Arts, Camera, Closed-circuit television, IP camera, parking lot cameras, Photography, Public cameras, Security, Shopping
Posted in Security | No Comments »
Thursday, April 14th, 2011
Ok, so you play by the rules. You don’t surf porn sites, you don’t gamble online, you even make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date. So how is it you’ve been targeted for identity theft? You can thank Epsilon for that.
In last week’s Wise Guy Wednesday column, we wrote about the security breach at Epsilon. To bring those of you who have yet to read last week’s article “Privacy on the Internet? Fuhgeddaboutdit!”, here is a brief review. Epsilon is a marketing company focusing on Internet technologies such as social media and captures information such as email addresses. Large corporations such as Disney, American Express, Target, Citibank, Chase, TD Ameritrade and hundreds of others are all clients of Epsilon.
In the old days (before last week), most email based attacks were very generic, the email tried to get you to enter specific information or go to an embedded link. But because the contents could apply to anyone, like a good boy, you ignored it.
Now because of the Epsilon breach, hundreds of thousands of people are susceptible to very targeted email attacks. As Epsilon knows that you shop at Target or maybe you vacation at one of the Disney properties. You receive an email from Target describing a great new barbecue grill and the special low pricing. By clicking the link you are assured to reserve on in your name. Or perhaps you get an invitation from Disney and they would like to offer you two nights free if you stay for three nights at one of their resorts at Walt Disney World. All you need to do is click the link and login. In both of these scenarios, you click the link, enter your information, and game’s on!
If your like many people, at this point you just want to hire a HITman to take care of the genius who let the breach happen in the first place.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
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Tags: American Express, Anti-Virus, Best Buy, Citibank, Clifton Park computer repair, Disney, Hyperlink, Identity theft, Security, Target, Target Corporation, TD Ameritrade, The Walt Disney Company, Walt Disney World
Posted in Privacy, Security | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Privacy on the Internet? Are you kidding me? We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you go. In fact, we know everything about you; and there’s not much you can do abodit!
Most everyone has their shorts in a bunch over the latest security breach by Epsilon. Epsilon is a marketing company focusing on Internet technologies such as social media and captures information such as email addresses. Large corporations such as Disney, American Express, Target, Citibank, Chase, TD Ameritrade and hundreds of others are all clients of Epsilon.
Epsilon’s email system was breached and as a result, possibly millions of email addresses have been stolen. While Epsilon states that no personally identifiable information has been given out, this opens up the very strong possibility of computers being compromised; and massive identity theft as unsuspecting people click embedded links in fraudulent emails they receive.
As hard as one might try to retain some form of anonymity or privacy, if you use Google or make any online purchases, you can fuhgeddaboutdit. Google keeps from months to years of everything you search for and as has been shown by the latest security breach, companies such as Epsilon store millions of pieces of information from thousands of its corporate clients on what you buy.
Other than taking a baseball bat to your computer or moving to a secure family compound with no connection to the outside world, this is one of the unintended consequences of today’s technology.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company, based in Clifton Park and serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: American Express, BestBuy, Business, Citibank, Clifton Park computer repair, Data breach, Email address, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Marketing and Advertising, Personally identifiable information, Privacy, Security, TD Ameritrade, TiVo
Posted in Privacy, Web | No Comments »
Monday, December 27th, 2010
Many businesses are starting to look into utilizing the cloud and many companies are getting into the business. This past week, there was a data breach for people using Microsoft Business Productivity Online.
The security flaw opens up a users offline address book to others, allowing it to be download by people other than the owner. As I have a lot of confidential information stored in my address book, had I been using this system, it would have posed a serious issue. Fortunately I don’t use the Microsoft Business Productivity Online service.
Many smart business people don’t put a high enough value on security until something bad happens. There is a reason why some cloud service providers charge more than others. While many are looking to keep a tight handle on expenses, skimping on IT services could lead to much higher costs and severe penalties if the business is found to be neglectful in their security proceedures.
This article was written by The Boss of HITman Services, a computer and IT company serving the Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Counties of New York.
Tags: BPOS, Business, Cloud computing, cloud computing security, Cloud service, Data breach, Microsoft, Microsoft BPOS, Microsoft Online Services, Microsoft SharePoint, New York, Security
Posted in Privacy, Security | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010
Last week a client brought their PC into our computer repair office in Clifton Park, NY. The problem was the computer was crashing as it had the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD).
When one of our techs took a look at it they discovered that the client had decided to remove the anti-virus system we installed and put on one they thought would be better. As this computer had a virus issue originally, I thought this was kind of odd.
On my way home I was thinking about the situation and it reminded me of my brother-in-law and a young man. My brother-in-law is a big man and has a great sense of humor. Several years ago he was talking with a teenager who had a wiffle ball bat. My brother-in-law asked the young man if he could see the bat. After the bat was given to him, he gently tapped the boy on the head with the bat and handed it back to him. He again asked for and was given the bat. Again he tapped the teen on the head, then handed the bat back. This happened for a third time.
How many times do we have to do something which causes a negative impact before we learn not to do it any more? In the case of our client above, he has still has another shot left.
This article was authored by The Boss at HITman Services. A computer repair and IT services company located in Saratoga County of New York.
Tags: AntiVirus, Bat, Blue Screen of Death, Brother-in-law, Malicious Software, Personal computer, Security, spyware
Posted in Technology | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010
As an IT provider we work with many different types of people and a in variety of situations. Some can be awkward at times. Case in point is from an issue we dealt with earlier in the week.
It is very rare that we have a computer come back regarding a virus removal. Usually we remove the virus and/or malware, secure the computer and the computer is good-to-go. When we setup the computer for this client, he stated he wanted a less stringent security policy than one we normally use.
We received an urgent call from Mr. X’s office, his administrative assistant said he had a virus and it was very important we got over there to take care of it as quickly as possible. While working on the system it became obvious the owner was using his computer to surf porn sites. As the owner, he certainly has the right to do with his time whatever he chooses, and he doesn’t complain about us charging him for the almost periodic virus removals.
This does put our technicians in a very peculiar situation when they come upon an issue such as this. In all my years of working on computers, I only came upon a scenario such as this once, and while it wasn’t the owner, the man held a very high position in the company.
If someone wants to browse for porn, that is their own business. But for the sake of their company’s security, they should not do it on a computer used for the business.
Tags: Anti-Virus, Malicious Software, malware, Personal computer, Security, spyware, Spyware and Adware, Trojan horse (computing), Virus, Viruses
Posted in Business, Security | 1 Comment »
