Monday, 20 April 2015 / Published in News
your data is being held for ransom graphic

Your data is being held for ransom

Cryptolocker: Files Held for Ransom

Cryptolocker is what is known as a ransomware trojan virus that targets Windows machines. It is a highly sophisticated computer virus that encrypts files and then holds the files for ransom by requesting payments through Bitcoin or pre-paid cash payments.

Although the original virus has been identified and contained, there are new variants that claim to be the Cryptolocker virus and thus perform the same actions. Regardless, the best way to secure your files from any computer virus is to use a reputable anti-virus program and make sure it is updated daily. In addition, you should have multiple backups of your data either daily or weekly.

This will insure that if you are infected, you can safely restore the data from a previous backup.

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Thursday, 20 February 2014 / Published in News
XP grave

xp-grave

The world is going to end on April 8, 2014! The XP world, that is. It’s now time to update to the latest version of Windows. Sure, you can still use Windows XP, but do you want to risk it? Microsoft support will end for XP, the security updates will end for XP and then your PC will be exposed to risks such as: security and compliance, resulting in control failure and suspension of certifications. The risk of keeping XP will not allow you to add new software – as many program manufacturers will not support Windows XP. Do you have Antivirus software? Will it be able to continue the secure protection you have been afforded in the past? No, and your PC will still be exposed even if you run an up to date malware solution.

Perhaps you should determine how old that PC is and whether now is the time to buy a new one with a modern operating system. (just saying)

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Friday, 24 January 2014 / Published in News
no more Windows XP

No More XP

End of Life

Windows XP is No Longer Supported!

On April 8, 2014, after 12 years of support, Windows XP will no longer be supported by Microsoft.
You can look here for more information.

What This Means for You

If you run a Windows XP machine, you need to update now. While your computer will still run, your antivirus will be completely ineffective. Give CNC a call so that we can set up an appointment at your office to upgrade your system.

LogMeIn Free is Coming to an End

If you use LogMeIn Free on your machine, the service has been discontinued.
You can read more about it here.

What This Means for You

If you use LogMeIn Free on your machine, you will need to move to a paid plan. Please call us to schedule the upgrade.

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Thursday, 05 December 2013 / Published in News
CNC encryption lock

lock encryption

Let encryption transform information on your computer as unreadable to everyone except those with the code or key. Think of it as a secret spy code. Using algorithms, the information is transformed into an unreadable scramble of letters and then decoded to those who have the key into readable words and information.

Encryption is mandatory for keeping information secure and more sensitive data is being stored in computers, sent over the internet in emails or on the internet while using account numbers. What allows us to bank securely over the internet is encryption.

More businesses are also moving towards bring your own device (BYOD) or are using mobile devices in general and this means those devices are storing corporate information.  Since people often use their computers or devices to perform a number of secure tasks, they risk security breaches with those items. If that device is lost or stolen it adds an even higher risk. Should encryption be part of your company’s security?

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Tuesday, 03 September 2013 / Published in News
Organic Seo Screen Shoot

Organic Seo Screen Shoot

Did you know that as of December 2012, the average American had 1 – 2 internet devices and by 2015 the average person will have 5?

The internet is growing and if you run a business, it’s not something you can ignore anymore; especially if you want to compete with others in your industry.

Every time I hear about Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO), I think about free range chickens, pesticide free crops and health. Organic SEO is, in a way, the same. Without gimmicks or tricks, good Organic SEO shows transparency and authenticity, while adding value to your business. The search engines reward websites full of great content with a spot at the prestigious top of the search page.

Organic SEO is basically free compared to online advertising. Organic SEO lasts longer and is more permanent compared to the ever changing keywords and advertising rank. If the paid ad budget runs out, the search engine won’t show the ad. Organic SEO, however, sends free traffic to your website 24/7/365, allowing never ending clicks. Some people even prefer to click on the organic top listed websites over the paid ads (on the right side of the page).

It also encourages constant website improvement, like continued content development, and your website will likely end up better than when you started. Basically, this healthier process is going to give you an edge on the competition, increase presence and reputation, and in turn promote sales.

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Friday, 07 June 2013 / Published in News
Clio certified consultant

Clio certified consultant

CNC is now Clio certified! Through CNC, law firms can now access many great features that Clio has to offer. Because Clio is a cloud and web based service, there is no hardware that needs to be installed and it can be accessed from anywhere at any time on both computers and phones on any operating system. Clio is exceptionally secure, offering bank-level security with 265-bit SSL encryption. It presents a simple billing system with effortless time tracking to ensure accuracy. It also has easy and secure document management for all your client files and task scheduling to make sure you meet all of those important deadlines.

Click Here to Go Clio!

Give CNC a call today to get started with Clio for Law Firms: 504-224-9475

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Thursday, 18 October 2012 / Published in News
Cloud Servers

Cloud Servers

Cloud vendors to the left, cloud servers to the right, cloud services everywhere.

Have you felt lately that the current state of technology is moving so fast that you feel like a jet plane in the clouds? Well, you are both literally and figuratively in the clouds and here is why: The advancements in technology are moving rapidly and it is forever altering the landscape of our world; in the same way birds are no longer the only tweeters. With the advent of cloud virtualization and off-site hosting, cloud vendors are able to do more with less hardware. I would like to simplify cloud services so that we can truly look at it from a 10,000 ft. cloud-based view.

As an old-timer once said, “Back in the old days”, there were server farms. This was usually a large warehouse with thousands of servers stacked up in neat rows, just like growing corn or vegetables but with electronics instead. This type of environment and layout was used for larger companies to house their servers and data all around the world. Smaller companies had their own server and mainframes located within the walls of their building, in a data center. Each time they needed to add capacity they would have to call a vendor, order another server, an operating system and ultimately start configuring it from scratch. 40 hours later, presto, you had a server ready to go, with all the programs and security necessary to accommodate the needs of your business.

Fast forward to today and the technological recipe of cloud IT service companies can do more, with less. You start with one effective piece of equipment that can cost half or less than half of the price of the 5 or 6 servers you once had to purchase, maintain and warranty. Then you add a dash of virtualization-Hypervisor, which is a fancy name for server management software loaded before operating systems. This allows you make your equipment look, behave and operate as if it were 5 or 6 servers through virtualization. You can now bake virtual cloud servers with any combination of ingredients – even something as small as a Linux configuration with 1 GB RAM and 500GB hard drive space that can be monitored from a central collector. Once you have the layout of your virtual servers, you then add the Operating system, programs you would normally use, and presto you now have multiple cloud servers located virtually inside of a single physical server. This type of environment allows you to add, copy, remove and create a new virtual server on the fly, which would have taken hours or days in the past.

How does this affect our work force?

Since there are fewer servers physically and because they are located in one common cloud means fewer locations, less traveling, less maintenance. That all equates to fewer people needed to handle the same number of virtual servers located in the cloud. Your work force is now reduced from 5 network administrators down to one admin to handle the same hardware and software. All of this equates to a better ROI and lower costs to perform the same IT functions.

Where are the Clouds?

In a nutshell, a cloud company will take this technology and implement it by converting your physical server to a virtual server and host it remotely with a cloud provider. Cloud technology also enables swift and efficient data retrieval through the deployment of advanced compression protocols. These protocols allow high-availability access to your virtual applications and data from any PC, mobile phone, iPad, Droid, or tablet without having to be physically at your office. You can be anywhere in the world with an internet connection and gain control of your company documents, email and other applications necessary to run your business at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods, or more cumbersome ways of accomplishing the same thing.

Louie Schwall
CEO, Computer Network Consultants, LLC.

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Thursday, 05 July 2012 / Published in News
You Are Infected image

You are infected full image

There’s well known malware around (called DNSChanger) that could boot you from the internet on July 9th. It’s really not even malware anymore, and I’ll explain that more shortly. It won’t do much else than that. The hard part will be that once you’re disconnected; how will you figure out how to get it corrected? This malware, if infected, has changed the way your computer surfs the internet, by using a different set of DNS IP Addresses. You can find out more about this from PCWorld; DNSChanger Malware Set to Knock Thousands Off Internet on Monday

If you check your IP settings, and determine that you’re using only a DHCP generated IP address, with no DNS preferences, you’re safe. Most of the major antivirus vendors will detect it. There’s a hand-dandy website you visit that will give you a green light if you’re clean. There’s also Google – just going to google search may warn you that you’re infected. If you’re using corporate antivirus, your IT admin can force scan all systems, saving you the headache of having to check every computer.

Why this isn’t really malware, but why you still need to get it fixed

The DNSChanger was originally malware that did change your DNS settings, and could have potentially caused a lot more damage than it has. However, after it was detected last year, the FBI shut those DNS servers down – and replaced them with temporary, but working DNS Servers. The problem is that the FBI will stop using those temporary servers on the 9th, causing your internet to go down – if infected.

How to scan for it

If you’re a client of CNC, and you’re using our pre-approved Antivirus solutions on all of your systems, you’re probably safe. However, we can and have forced out additional scans to verify clean systems. If you’re not using any antivirus, there’s still help for you;

Simply using google may help identify if you’re infected. Google search tries to find the address you used to reach them, and if they detect the temporary DNS servers due to go down, you may get a warning about the problem.

 

There’s another website that will attempt to verify the infection. Go here for a check. It will give you a green light if you’re probably not infected.

How to double-check, and clean it

Visit this article from ESET, for more information on how to remove the troublesome DNS addresses from your system.

If you have any questions or concerns, just give us a shout out.