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Microsoft adds robust encryption support to Outlook.com and OneDrive

Microsoft is making big changes in security by encrypting inbound and outbound emails as well as your data transfers with OneDrive.

In regards to emails, Microsoft is now using Transport Layer Security for inbound and outbound emails which means that when your email is traveling from server to server, it is now encrypted. This is not limited to internal Microsoft servers – any email provider that supports this feature will now be able to send and receive encrypted emails from Outlook.com.

With OneDrive, Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) encryption is supported so that means that when you are transferring data between OneDrive and your local client, it is now more secure and makes it much harder for attackers to decrypt connections between your client and Microsoft.

 

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What is a Software Firewall and Hardware Firewall?

A firewall is a program or device that acts as a barrier to keep destructive elements out of a network or specific computer.  Firewalls can be configured in hardware or software with specific criteria to block or prevent unauthorized access to a network.

 

Software Firewalls

A software firewall is a program, which runs in the background on a computer.  Enterprise edition software firewalls allow IT professionals to manage firewall rules and configurations therefore taking the configuration and management responsibility away from the user.

The software firewall operates by inspecting the network data that is incoming to the computer, as well as outgoing from the computer. If the firewall detects the data has been altered or if appears malicious, the software blocks it, effectively preventing any form of an attack.

Firewalls operate from a set of rules. The administrator can make a specific rule in the firewall to block a specific website or even a specific application.  In some cases when connecting to a printer with advanced features, the IT professional may need to alter the firewall rules to allow certain data through to access features.

 

 

Hardware Firewalls

As data comes through the Internet, the firewall scans each transmission, looking for malicious items and to see if the data has been maliciously altered or forged.  The larger the amount of Internet activity to an organization, the harder it is for a firewall to scan through each transmission.

For a larger company with 100 users, a traditional router with a built-in firewall would not be enough and could cause a potential bottleneck.  Enterprise firewalls are customizable and allow your IT support services team to block computers, websites, and specific Internet traffic.

Hardware firewalls also allow VPN connectivity which allow remote users to access work data from a remote location.  VPN’s are very popular amongst remote workers and are sometimes used for security purposes.

There are many firewall manufacturers including Cisco, Juniper, SonicWall, Fortinet, Watchguard and Barracuda.

 

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Statistics Canada provides Security Practices, Incidents and Effects

According to Statistics Canada, many companies use multiple tools to protect their data from unwanted access or attack.  Just over 76% of enterprises used anti-virus or anti-spyware software, 62% used a firewall, and 53% used a spam filter to block unwanted email.

 

Just under 49% of small businesses did regular backup of data critical to their business operations compared with 89% of large enterprises.  Only 6% of enterprises experienced an Internet security breach. The most commonly cited effects of a breach were service downtime (51%) and loss of productivity (43%).  Among large enterprises, 14% reported an Internet security breach

 

Website Functionality Increases

 

Approximately 46% of enterprises had a website however they were virtually unchanged from 2012.  Only 91% of larger enterprises had a website.  Almost 19% enterprises with a website had it optimized for mobile users.  A mobile-optimized website may take advantage of features such as touch interaction that may not be available on a traditional desktop and is formatted to be viewed on a smart device.

 

38% of enterprises with a website had social media integration and the use of social media to direct traffic to an enterprise’s website was the most commonly cited strategy.  Enterprises also used print advertising and paid search to direct people to their websites.

 

Internet Use and Connection Type

 

Over 89% of enterprises reported that they had used the Internet.  Small enterprises were the least likely to use the Internet. The most commonly cited reason for not using the Internet was that there was no need to do so for their business.

 

Mobile wireless technology was used by 38% of enterprises in 2013, compared with 35% in 2012. The use of a cable modem to connect to the Internet remained the most commonly cited method at 42%. Dial-up Internet was still employed by 3% of enterprises, although this may be used as a secondary connection.

 

All information on this article available based on 2013 Statistics Canada website.

 

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Google Officially Launch Nonprofit and Charity Program

Since Microsoft has been offering Microsoft 365 as part of their Nonprofit and Charity Program, Google has launched Nonprofit and Charity Program also. Google offers qualified organizations access to free versions of paid Google products and special features designed for nonprofits.

 So what does Google Nonprofit and Charity Program offer?

These tools can help nonprofits find new donors and volunteers, work more efficiently, and get supporters to take action.  Google is offering a wide range of cloud services including Gmail, Google Documents, Spreadsheets, Calendar, Presentations, Forms/Surveys, Calendar, Chat, Drive (a cloud file storage system) and Sites.

 

Qualified nonprofits and charities will also have access to Google Ad Grants and the ability to receive up to $10,000 of AdWords advertising a month to promote your website on Google.ca through keyword targeting.  They are also offering access to YouTube with increased uploading capacity, the ability to select custom thumbnail images, and call-to-action overlay on your videos.

 

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Microsoft Word Vulnerability Hacked through Taiwanese Government

A major hacking operation has been carried out against the Taiwanese government and educational institutes known as “Taidoor”.  They have successfully managed to exploit the Microsoft Word vulnerability.

So how did Microsoft Word Vulnerability Hacked through Taiwanese Government?

Microsoft has recently issued a security advisory regarding a serious vulnerability in its Word software and had released a “fix-it” patch immediately to protect the users from being susceptible to any attack using the exploit. The users and institutions who failed to update their software and systems risked to become victims of attacks from hackers.

The hackers have used malicious email attachments with relevant titles such as national polls and free trade issues to dupe the employees into opening the content.  The files downloaded to the computers are believed to be capable of stealing sensitive data and carrying out surveillance.

“Taidoor” campaigners have used zero-day flaws in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser for similar attacks.  The operation has been active since 2009, and has a similar pattern consisting of vulnerabilities, social engineering and targets which include government agencies.

The attack has once again shed light on the importance of installing updates and running the latest available versions of system software in situations where continuous unattended network interaction takes place.

 

 

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How can I tell if i have a computer virus?

On a daily basis, there are new viruses and threats launched to attack systems worldwide.  Here are a couple of items to consider.  If you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, your computer might have a virus.

So here are some clear signs if you have a computer virus?

  • Is your computer running slow? Viruses tend to slow computer performance.  There can be other reasons for slow performance including a hard disk requiring defragmentation, lack of memory or spyware/ad ware.
  • Unexpected messages or programs starting automatically? Viruses can cause damage to Windows and/or some of your programs. The results of this damage might include messages appearing unexpectedly, programs starting or closing automatically, or Windows shutting down suddenly.
  • Is computer working overtime? An email virus works by sending many copies of itself by e‑mail. One indicator of this is your workstation working overtime even when you are not using it. These are not always symptoms of a computer virus, but when combined with other problems, can indicate a virus infection.

To check for your workstation for viruses, scan your computer with an antivirus program. New viruses appear every day, so keeping your antivirus program updated is important.

 

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How do I protect my computer from viruses?

With all the recent threats including the Heartbleed virus, protecting your computer from viruses and other threats is not difficult however you have to be diligent.  Below are four simple steps to protect your computer from unwanted viruses or threats.

So how do I protect my computer from viruses?

Antivirus. Install an antivirus program and keep it up to date.  Antivirus programs scan for viruses trying to get into your e‑mail, operating system, or files.  Viruses appear daily, so ensure you are running the latest antivirus as most antivirus programs are sold with annual subscriptions, which can be renewed as needed.

Attachments. Do not open e‑mail attachments from unknown senders or suspicious attachments.  Many viruses are attached to e‑mail messages and will spread as soon as you open the e‑mail attachment.  Rule of thumb is not to open any attachment unless it is something you are expecting.  

Updates. As you may all know, Windows XP is no longer supported by Microsoft.  It is extremely important that you keep Windows updated.  Microsoft releases updates to protect your computer.  These updates can help prevent viruses and other computer attacks by closing possible security holes. Make sure that Windows receives these updates by turning on Windows automatic updating.

Firewall. Firewalls are your protection from the outside world.  It does not matter if it is a hardware or software firewall, they can all help alert you of suspicious activity if a virus or worm attempts to connect to your computer. It can also block viruses, worms, and hackers from attempting to download potentially harmful programs to your computer.

 

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Windows 8.1 Updates Suspended by Microsoft

As everyone is still accepting the end of Windows XP, Microsoft announced that Windows 8.1 Updates for Business will no longer receive security updates after 13 May. Let the 4 week countdown begin.

Microsoft has temporarily suspended the rollout of Windows 8.1 Updates for Business.

Computers after discovering a Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) problem that prevents scanning for future updates.  The problem only shows up if a client PC has Windows 8.1 Update KB 2919355 installed and then attempts to scan against Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) 3.2 while running on Windows Server 2003 SP2, 2003 R2 SP2, 2008 SP2, or 2008 R2 SP1.

It also only affects systems where HTTPS and SSL are enabled, while TLS 1.2 is not enabled on the server.

Some workarounds for those who have already deployed the update include disabling HTTPS on WSUS or enabling TLS 1.2.  These can be changed back when Microsoft releases a fix.

 

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