Posts Tagged ‘Virus’
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
More and more doctors and medical facilities are using electronic medical records. The soon (hopefully not) to be implemented health care law will require electronic medical records for everyone. But just how secure will the electronic medical records be?
If you lived in Lawrenceville Georgia, you would seriously be questioning the security of the Gwinnett Medical Center’s IT systems today. The Gwinnett Medical Center which is located near Atlanta, had to shut down the majority of their network yesterday.
The medical center’s network was infected with a virus. This could have been caused by a variety of reasons, such as system which had not been updated or a user doing something that they shouldn’t be doing. Regardless of the reason, this was a major incident, affected a lot of people and in a facility which focuses on saving lives.
One would think that the fault lies with the people running the IT department. While this is a possibility, most people outside of the medical IT field are unaware that many medical devices use standard operating systems such as Windows. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the makers of these medical devices prohibit keeping the systems updated with the latest patches; this is a horrible practice and one which temps disaster.
Why would any company, especially one which designs and builds medical equipment forbid updating their equipment? Their concern is the devices may no longer work. This is so contrary to common sense it is hard to believe.
Unfortunately caveat emptor, is meaningless here as once the government gets involved and forces organizations to use certain systems, the situation is out of our control!
We are currently offering a free Data Disaster Audit and Review to businesses in the Clifton Park, Albany and Saratoga area who would like some options to help Eliminate HI-Tech Frustrations. If you’d like some free tips, give us a call or fill out our online form at www.HITmanSafe.com.
Incoming search terms:
- gwinette medical center what shut it down in december
- gwinnett hospital breach
- gwinnett medical center security breach
- hospital security breach
- hospital security breaches
Tags: Computer virus, electronic medial records, Gwinnett Medical Center, hospital security breach, Virus
Posted in Business, Security | Comments Off
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 »
Monday, December 13th, 2010
You’ve probably head it before, my computer has a virus again. Running a computer and IT services company in New York’s Capital District, we hear that pretty often.
Recently a woman brought her computer in stating her computer has viruses again. Overhearing the conversation, I instructed one of the techs to perform a forensics investigation on the hard drive because it is not normal for a computer to come back unless something else is going on behind the scenes.
The tech found many traces of pornography website visits on the computer. I placed a call to the woman to review the situation with her. It was a very interesting conversation. She was very polite and insistent that it couldn’t be her teen son or her husband visiting the porn sites and it must be her kindergarten aged child as the child knows how to use Google and can read. Hey, whatever.
We received a call from our client who said over the weekend, a confession was made. It wasn’t the kindergartner. Who’da thought!
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: Anti-Virus, AntiVirus, Capital District, Child pornography, Google, Hard disk drive, Internet pornography, Pornography, Virus, virus removal
Posted in Security, Web | No Comments »
Monday, November 15th, 2010
Last year a construction company located in Maine experienced a cyber crime costing the company $545,000.00. The loss took place over six evenings. While Patco, the construction company had insurance, it didn’t begin to even come close to covering the amount of money they lost.
It appears Patco’s computer was compromised with Zeus. The Zeus trojan steals banking information by logging keystrokes. Once the information is obtained, it is sent to the perpetrators.
While the following suggestion may be a pain in the neck, stop for a few moments and weigh it against losing a substantial amount of money.
If you do any type of banking or security transactions via the Internet, do not use the same computer for browsing. For businesses, setup a dedicated financial transaction computer and have it locked down for only specific people to use.
Once we’re on the Internet, we become susceptible to becoming a victim. It is incumbent upon us to be diligent and put as many obstacles between us and the bad guys.
Tags: Business, Computer crime, Internet security, keystroke loggers, keystroke logging, Maine, Personal computer, trojan, United States, Virus, Zeus
Posted in Business, Security | 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 »
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010
The firewall and security tools provided in the Microsoft Operating System are all the maintenance and protection I need.
Again, this is a terrible misconception. Microsoft does NOT include ALL of the security features to protect your data from viruses, hackers, and data loss or prevent your PC from running slowly.
As a matter of fact, there is no one single vendor that provides ALL of the system security features you need to keep your computer and files safe from harm.
Security and protection from these malicious attacks takes a multi-faceted, layered approach.
Tags: Business, Consultants, Data, Data loss, Firewall, Microsoft, Personal computer, Security, Virus
Posted in Privacy, Security | 1 Comment »
Monday, April 5th, 2010
It is my computer’s fault that I continue to get attacked by spyware, malware, and viruses.
In all cases, malware, spyware, and viruses are a result of some action taken by the user (you or a family member that uses your computer). Remember, cyber criminals are incredibly clever and gain access to your computer via some of the most innocent and common activities you are performing; that is why it SEEMS as though it is your computer’s fault.
For example, many of the clients we see simply downloaded an emoticon software program. Emoticons are the smiley faces and action characters that you see at the bottom of many people’s e-mails. In doing so they also (unknowingly) downloaded a payload of spyware and malware and before they knew it, could no longer use their computer due to the instability and pop-ups.
Other deadly programs to avoid are free “enhanced” web browsers, screen savers, and just about any “cute” programs you come across that are free to download. Always read the terms and conditions before downloading ANY program to look for clauses that allow them (the software vendor) to install spyware programs on your computer.
Installing programs is not the only way a hacker or malware program can access your computer. If you do not have the most up-to-date security patches and virus definitions installed on your computer, hackers can access your PC through a banner ad on the web that you accidentally clicked on or through an e-mail attachment that you opened.
Just recently, hackers have even been able to figure out ways to install malicious programs on your computer via your Internet Explorer web browser EVEN IF YOU DIDN’T CLICK ON ANYTHING OR DOWNLOAD A PROGRAM. Microsoft is constantly providing patches to their operating system software and all it takes is one missed update to leave you completely vulnerable.
Finally, you should COMPLETELY AVOID any and all peer to peer file sharing networks such as KaZaa and filezilla. These sites are the absolute WORST online activities you can participate in for your computer’s health because they are pure breeding grounds for hackers, spyware, malware, and other malicious attacks.
Incoming search terms:
- emoticons no malware or spyware
Tags: AntiVirus, File sharing, Internet Explorer, Kazaa, Malicious Software, malware, Microsoft, Security, spyware, Virus
Posted in Privacy, Security, Software | No Comments »
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Since most malicious programs such as viruses, spyware and malware are designed to hide themselves, detecting their existence is not always easy.
Recently a person who came into our computer repair facility in Clifton Park asked how they could tell they were infected with a virus, so we put this list together.
Here are a few surefire signs that you have been infected:
1 – You start getting swamped with pop-up ads that seem to come from nowhere and constantly interrupt your use of the computer.
2 – Your computer is unstable, sluggish, locks up, or crashes frequently.
3 – Your web browser’s home page changes on its own and you cannot modify the settings. You may also see toolbars on your web browser that you did not set up.
4 – You get a second or third web browser popping up behind your main browser that you didn’t open or request.
5 – Mysterious files suddenly start appearing.
6 – Your CD drawer starts opening and closing by itself.
7 – You get constant runtime errors in Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.
8 – You find emails in your “Sent Items” folder that you didn’t send.
9 – Some of your files are moved or deleted or the icons on your desktop or toolbars are blank or missing.
10 – You suddenly see your self appear in a window from your webcam.
Tags: Clients, Clifton Park computer repair, computer crashes, Computer virus, malware, Microsoft, Microsoft Outlook, spyware, Toolbar, Virus, Web browser, Webcam, WWW
Posted in Security, Technology | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
The latest scam to hit is one which is especially devious as it instills fear in most Americans.
The email states in the subject line something to the effect of “Under Reported Income Notice”.
Once opened, it starts its insidious work by downloading software to seal sensitive data such as bank information.
In the event the link in the email was clicked, unplug the computer from the Internet and contact a professional to help resolve the issue.
Tags: Fraud, IRS email, IRS email fraud, IRS email scam, IRS email spam, Scam, Spam, Virus
Posted in Privacy, Security, Technology | No Comments »
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