Black Box Business

Free Security Assessment Tool

blackboxblog — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:28:19 +0000

Hi Everyone,
Trend Micro have supplied this assessment tool to help you get insights on your security and know how to protect your business critical data. It’s only a few quick questions, but will help you get visibility of any problems. Please click the following link: http://trso.co/CAE53A .

We can help.

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn . Speak soon Jon.

Warning: Fake Facebook Photo Notifications Contain Malware

blackboxblog — Thu, 19 Jul 2012 15:43:14 +0000

Be careful about opening emails that claim you have been tagged in a Facebook photo, because they may actually be malware, according to a security expert.

Anti-virus supplier Sophos outlined the threat on Wednesday in their blog. SophosLabs intercepted a “spammed-out email campaign” which was designed to spread malware which looks like the screen shot below.

The link in the email takes the user to a malicious script, which exposes the user’s computer to malware. However, within a few seconds, the user’s browser is directed to a presumably innocent Facebook page like the one below to act as a smokescreen.

SophosLabs recommends checking the “Facebook” email addresses closely in emails and hover your mouse over the link, at which point you should see it doesn’t go to a Facebook page.

We can help

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn . Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Kodak Gallery closing at the end of the month!!

blackboxblog — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:57:24 +0000

Are you a Kodak Digital Camera or Kodak Gallery User?

Then this email is for you. It has been brought to our attention by one of our customers that Kodak Eastman have stopped their online gallery service. This has been as a result of a restructuring of Kodak’s internal operations and their issues at the beginning of the year.
An email has been sent out by Kodak advising online gallery users to act quickly or lose some or all of your photographs. If you are a gallery user, it is important that you do act to avoid this.

So what can you do to sort this?

First of all, the deadline for acting is the 23rd of July so there is no cause for immediate panic but Kodak have made it clear that past this date, you will not be able to access the service.

Kodak’s original email

Dear valued Kodak Gallery member,
As you may be aware, earlier this year, Eastman Kodak filed for U.S. bankruptcy court protection in order to restructure the company for future growth. As part of that restructuring, we recently announced that we would cease operations of our Kodak Gallery US and Kodak Gallery Canada businesses on July 2, 2012, as a result of a sale of those assets. Sadly, today, we must also announce that in order to best enable future Kodak success, we will be ceasing all other remaining Kodak Gallery business worldwide as well, also effective July 2, 2012, 9pm CET/ 7pm GMT.
Due to Kodak Gallery’s closing on July 2, 2012 it is urgent that you take the following actions to protect your photos and projects. Please take a moment to:
Download your Kodakgallery.co.uk photos or they will be lost Complete any unfinished projects and purchase them Purchase any extra copies of projects you’ve made previously, including photo books and calendars Please note: If you use Kodak Easyshare software you will be able to download your photos until July 23, 2012, 9pm CET/ 7pm GMT. Click here to download Easyshare software.
After July 2, 2012, 9pm CET/ 7pm GMT, your current account on Kodakgallery.co.uk will be closed and any items in your shopping cart or projects in your account will be permanently deleted. You may continue to download your photos until July 23, 2012, 9pm CET/ 7pm GMT, but after that time, all remaining photos in your account will be deleted.
Kodak, the brand you love and trust, will remain open for business. Please visit Kodak.co.uk for a range of photo solutions and options to meet your ongoing needs.
We want to thank you for being a loyal Gallery customer. Please visit Kodakgallery.co.uk until July 2, 2012, 9pm CET/ 7pm GMT, to see special pricing for any final products you may want to order. For any additional questions, please visit our Help Center.
Sincerely,
Kodak Gallery Customer Service

We can help

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn page . Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Security Firm Finds Massive Apple Mac Infection

blackboxblog — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:50:29 +0000

Security firm Kaspersky Labs has confirmed at least 600,000 Apple Macs have been infected with malware. The malware, known as Flashback, is targeted Safari and Firefox web browsers, and is designed to steal passwords to online banking and other websites visited by users of an infected Mac.

Security experts have warned for some time that Macs are not any more secure than Windows PCs. Many Mac users believe they are safe against malware, but the reality is that cyber-criminals have chosen in the past to go after the much larger number of Windows PCs.

A Mac without the latest Java update can be compromised while visiting a malicious Web site or one that contains a poison link secretly installed by a criminal. Clicking on a malicious link can run code through Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox browsers without the user knowing. The solution to protect yourself is to update Java with the latest update from Sun MicroSystems.

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn page . Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Twitter is harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol

blackboxblog — Thu, 31 May 2012 13:29:07 +0000

A new study has found that people are more likely to give in to the urge to tweet or check email instead of other cravings. The researchers found that as the day wore on, willpower became lower, and so their desire to work was likewise prone to fail!

The report also says that desires for media may be comparatively harder to resist because of the high availability. It also because it feels like it does not “cost much” to engage in these activities, even though one wants to resist.

If you want to find ways to ’help’ your employees, then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn page .

Speak soon Jon

5000 New Malicious Android Apps Identified

blackboxblog — Tue, 29 May 2012 10:03:52 +0000

This quarter 5000 new malicious Android apps have been identified by global security company Trend Micro.

A Google/Ipsos poll found that users are increasingly using their smartphones to surf the web. Germany, in particular, recorded the biggest jump from 39% to 49%. With the increased use of smartphones for Internet access and the huge Android user base, the increase in attacks targeting the Android platform is not surprising.

The Google poll found that todays social networking generation is more likely to reveal personal data to other parties in venues like social networking sites. This means that malicious mobile apps put users, and the companies they work for, in grave danger.

Social networking accounts are even more useful for cybercriminals because besides plundering your friends’ email addresses, the bad guys can also send bad links around and try to steal the social networking credentials of your friends. Stolen social networking accounts can even be sold for a price!

In several “Police Trojan” ransomware attacks, affected users were presented with what appears to be a police force splash screen demanding a £100 fine for accessing Internet porn or violent materials.

To cover these new emerging threats Black Box Business IT Solutions recommend the use of Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security Services with Mobile Security. This gives you an Enterprise Solution covering all points of access to protect your laptops, pc’s and mobile phones. Trend Micro have released this quarterly report to help SME’s.

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on my Facebook, or LinkedIn page . Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Ransomware Alert–25th May 2012

blackboxblog — Fri, 25 May 2012 15:55:21 +0000

Over the last few days we have had a lot of clients ringing us and asking for advice about a demand for payment from either the Metropolitan Police, or PRS For Music.

What you see is a warning, examples shown below, that states your computer has illegally downloaded pornography or music, and now you are under investigation by the police!

This window cannot be closed or bypassed and “advises” that making payment to the police or PRS will unlock your computer and remove the problem. It costs you £100 to do this and prompts you to make a payment using an internet payment service. DO NOT MAKE ANY PAYMENT! DO NOT ENTER ANY DETAILS!

The advice is a scam designed to use scare tactics to get you to hand over your cash.

Call the Black Box Business Team for help to remove this virus.

If you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on My Facebook Page. Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Parental Control Apps To Help Safeguard Your Kids

blackboxblog — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:50:05 +0000

I know we all want to protect our kids, but what’s the best way of doing that while also giving them the freedom to grow into adults? I’ve got kids who are pushing the boundaries and want access to all sorts of websites and information on laptops and mobile phones. And it’s starting to become an issue because my eldest expects to be able to listen to music, watch videos and text their friends at any time. I’ve tried the easy way of “You’re only allowed to use your phone after doing your homework!”, but that never works. So now I use Norton Online Family where I can:-

- Control specific users on all the pc’s they log into.

- Filter the websites by type and content.

- Set the time of use.

- Set the maximum time of use each day.

- Monitor Chat and Social Networking use.

But even better than all of this you can now put the same application onto their mobile phones, both iPhone and Android, monitor web sites viewed, texting and what apps are installed.

Other applications which give you some, or alternative, functionality are also mentioned in this blog.

But if you want to chat then give me a call, or even find me on My Facebook Page. Speak soon Jon Mullen.

Panic! I’ve Just Deleted The Wrong File!

blackboxblog — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:50:19 +0000

When was the last time you said these words? And then how long did it take for you to redo the work which you had just lost?

Many solutions can cost very little. Some are even free! But if you don’t know what solutions are out there, then they never get put into place. And if they don’t happen automatically every day at the same time without human intervention, then when you really need it the file hasn’t been backed up!

So what can you do? Here are some of the solutions to protect you:-

- Storing old versions of files. Even if the file has been deleted!

- Automatically copying business critical files to another device in your office.

- Storing a copy of of your business critical files away from your office in case of fire or theft.

- Or in the worst case, deleted files can occasionally be recovered if you don’t continue to use the computer they were last stored on.

So if you want to talk to someone who can help call me now! But most of all don’t panic! Jon Mullen

Six Scareware Scams To Watch Out For

blackboxblog — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:52:59 +0000

One of the most cunning ploys to get people to download malware is rogue antispyware. Also known as scareware, the applications are installed through poisoned links embedded in search results. The fake antispyware is designed to trick people into believing that their computers are infected and they need to pay to have the infection removed. The blackmail doesn’t end there — it continues every few weeks – Find Out More Here