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APRIL FOOLS 2009 - Source of Speculation about Conficker
Worm
Talk of Conficker and its potential
activity April 1st spread rapidly in the news this weekend. The
worm (also called DownAdUP) takes advantage of a Microsoft Windows
vulnerability which was addressed in October 2008 as reported in our
October
29, 2009 Security News. It infects machines from the
internet or from USB drives and self-replicates as part of a
botnet. CNET reports that the worm is programmed to modify itself
on Wednesday to become harder to stop. The worm is expected to
begin connecting with up to 50,000 websites daily to check for
instructions from the botmaster. Some speculate that April 1st
could be the target date of an attack. Microsoft updated their
information regarding the Conficker risks in this March
27, 2009 statement and is offering a $250,000 reward
for information leading to the arrest of the culprits.
The worm is known to block the ability to connect with websites of
security firms such as Trend Micro, McAfee or Symantec.
Additionally, it is known to prohibit an infected machine from
successfully running Windows Update. To help
prevent your computer from becoming infected, you should follow
basic security measures including using a firewall, keeping your
computer software up-to-date, and using antivirus and
antispyware. For more security:
1. Avoid using an administrator account to browse the
internet
2. Turn off Autoplay
3. Use strong file and network passwords
For more information about Conficker and how to protect your IT system,
contact CisCom Solutions at (502) 253-4525 x200. No action is
required of our Managed Services clients. We have installed
required updates.
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IT ADOPTS MANAGED SERVICES
Managed Services continue to grow in
popularity as the preferred solution to address network security
concerns. Increased and more complicated risks, inadequate
budgets and difficulty finding and maintaining competent IT staff has
left many businesses looking to outsource IT services. Small
businesses are particularly hit hard since staff often have multiple
roles and tend to be inadequately trained in IT
security. Symantec published results of their 2009
Managed Security in the Enterprise Report in a press
release dated Mar. 23, 2009 "The study found
that cyber risks and actual attacks have grown significantly in the
past two years and are expected to continue to grow in the next two
years. Nearly all organizations surveyed (98 percent) have experienced
tangible loss as a result. This growth in risks and attacks comes
at a time when IT reports it is difficult to address the problems due
to inadequate budgets, increased regulatory pressures and staffing
woes. As a result, most U.S. enterprises (61 percent) are moving to
adopt managed security services. The study is based on surveys of 1,000
IT managers in U.S. and European enterprises in January 2009."
For
information on CisCom Solutions Managed Services, click
here or contact us at (502) 253-4525 x200.
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Check out CisCom's Blog for the
Latest Dave's Raves
We have a new
blog. It's just one more attempt to keep you up to date with
what's happening and where we are headed. You'll find Dave's
latest Raves featuring comments about his new IPhone. Check
it out!
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We are proud to announce our new offsite
backup services. For the past couple of months, we have been
testing the software with a few select customers. After fine tuning
our configuration we are now ready to add everyone. For the month
of April, we will be offering the service at the low introductory price
of $10 per 10GB per month with an annual commitment. As of May 1st,
the price will be increased to $15 per 10GB. Take advantage of the
offer today by calling (502) 253-4525 and select option 2 for Sales.
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Free Security Audit
CisCom Solutions
is currently offering a free 2-hour security audit for new and existing
customers.
Call (502) 253-4525 x 200 today to schedule yours!
Limited Time
Offer
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David Ely
CisCom Solutions, LLC
502-253-4525 x200
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