Virus and Malware Information – Vigilance Required

By on June 19, 2014 in Blog, General

Email is both an excellent communication tool and also a way that companies can inform you about their latest products and services. However, email is frequently used to deliver unwanted material which is at best, annoying and at worst, malicious – causing considerable harm to your computer and yourself.

Warnings

There are still warnings being provided by internet security experts about the risks of malware being installed on computers. The two current threats are called gameover zeus and cryptolocker malware.

Cryptolocker is particularly nasty and can cause major disruption to the system. If a computer is infected it will trawl through the machine and any network file shares and it will encrypt every single file it can gain has access to. The encryption will make files unreadable.

You will then have 2 options; pay for the files to be decrypted (not recommended) or restore the file from the previous day’s backup!

How to protect yourself

Even with anti-virus software installed these malware programs can find ways around the protection by enticing the reader to follow unsafe links or to install a software updates.

We are asking everybody to be extra vigilant at the moment and try and protect yourself from being attacked by these programs.

  • • Do not open emails which you suspect as being spam
  • • Do not forward emails which you suspect as being spam
  • • Do not open attachments from unknown sources
  • • Do not readily click on links in emails from unknown sources. Instead, roll your mouse pointer over the link to reveal its true destination. Beware if this is different from what is displayed in the text of the link from the email
  • • Do not respond to emails from unknown sources
  • • Do not make purchases or charity donations in response to spam email
  • • Don’t click on ‘remove’ or reply to unwanted email
  • • Check junk mail folders regularly in case a legitimate email gets through by mistake

For a detailed list follow the link to get safe online
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NCA National Crime Agency

The national crime agency recently released a news story about the threats. To read the article follow the link below.
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Peter, Tim and Jake join the M2 Team

By on May 20, 2014 in Blog, Company news

This year, spring brought the sound of new lambs frolicking in the farmer’s field next to our office in rural West Sussex. But M2 also had some new arrivals of its own, as we expand our technical support team and welcome three new starters on board.

Firstly, Peter Jeffs joins us as Senior Technical Support Analyst. Peter has enjoyed a successful career working in various IT roles at IBM and American Express, and he is looking forward to using his experience in a smaller and more diverse environment. At home, Peter is kept busy with his four children but when he does get a moment to himself, he enjoys a round of golf, playing squash and is a football fan supporting Brighton & Hove Albion and Liverpool FC.

Tim Oeklers and Jake Monckton join us as part of the UK National Apprenticeship scheme as First Line Technical Support Analysts. At 21 years old, Tim has already successfully managed Jamie’s Italian Restaurant located at Gatwick for two years, but his passion for IT influenced a change in career direction. In his spare time, he often works as a Sound Engineer for the Christian church supporting music festivals and conferences. He is engaged to be married and has two dogs, Amos and Tammy who take him for long walks in the West Sussex countryside.

At 17 years old, Jake has recently finished college and has taken up his apprenticeship to pursue his love of computers. As a hobby, he enjoys a bit of technical tinkering, editing software and syncing files to music. To stay active, he plays football for a local team and is a big fan of Crystal Palace.

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Relocation, relocation, relocation

By on May 16, 2014 in Blog, General, Tips & tricks

They say a house move is one of the most stressful things you can endure and an office move can’t be far behind. But it needn’t be – with a little forward planning.

If you’re planning to move office, you’d be wise to allocate plenty of time to making careful preparations way in advance.

Relocating premises can be a complicated mission, demanding months of careful planning. There are some key deadlines to look out for to ensure phone lines and Internet services arrive in the new location before you do and you’ll be keen to strike the right balance between your current needs and how these might expand into the future.

Naturally, you cannot take your eye off of the day job during this period, but you need to ensure you are fully operational by the time you set foot in your new offices.

[themecolor]We can help take the strain[/themecolor]

For small businesses with limited staff resources, dedicating the necessary man hours to ensure everything runs to plan is not an easy task. That’s why many firms entrust this project management to their IT support companies.

Your main priority will be to avoid any downtime, ensuring IT systems and telephone lines are ready for staff to work efficiently from day one. There is usually more to consider than you might think, so we’ve prepared a checklist below.

1. Telephones and internet

If you require new phone lines to be installed, bear in mind that BT can sometimes offer lengthy lead times, so you’ll need to start thinking about this at least two months before the move.

We’ll need to check out broadband availability in your new area. Will the available services satisfy your requirements? In extreme cases, the lack of adequate broadband services may even sway your choice of location. Speeds can vary dramatically between areas, so if heavy internet usage is vital to your operations or you have staff who work remotely or use VoIP, a leased line may be needed to guarantee bandwidth. It can take up to 65 days for BT to provide a leased line internet connection so, once again, this option needs to be explored as early as possible.

2. Network cabling

Establish what network cabling is already in place and plan whether this needs to be topped up. Will your needs be the same in a year’s time? Further down the line you may have additional staff, or decide to change your office layout, so don’t forget to make provision for this now.

3. Test in advance

Moving day will be stressful enough without walking in to find something isn’t working correctly. Don’t leave it until the day you arrive to test phone, fax and internet lines – plan some time to do this in advance so you can iron out any issues at your leisure.

4. Transporting your hardware

Give ample thought to how you will move your hardware to your new location. Ensure you use appropriate packaging in order to transport all equipment without the risk of damage. Provide labels to your staff for their hardware so you’ll be able to easily identify what equipment belongs on which desk as the unpacking begins at the other end.

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Security concerns remain over Internet of Things

By on May 16, 2014 in Blog, New technology, Topical

The day that your fridge speaks directly to your local supermarket is fast approaching. But what will it say?

As the Internet of Things (IoT) quickly becomes a reality, pundits say that the future looks bright; however there are still many concerns surrounding privacy.

Machine to machine (M2M) technology has been around for some time now, especially in areas like fleet management. But the concept of devices talking to each other is now becoming much more prolific. Fridges talking to supermarkets, street lights talking to local councils, cars talking to roads – the ideas and possibilities are endless.

[themecolor]Does less human intervention mean greater productivity?[/themecolor]

William Webb, a contributor to Computer Weekly, feels that the vast majority of these applications will inevitably be a force for good.

“The world will be a better, less frustrating place to live in. Productivity will improve through less human intervention leading to growth,” he explains.

However, not everyone shares the same level of optimism as Webb. There are many who worry that the flow of personal data through the Internet of Things will be susceptible to interception.

[themecolor]Encryption concerns still remain[/themecolor]

What’s more, with low power devices such as sensors often being the endpoint of this interconnected world, encryption will not always be possible.

It is not only the issue of encryption that needs to be addressed but the legal safety nets. Current European data protections frameworks were not made for the new IoT paradigm and as such, regulations will need to be updated in order to ensure that personal information is protected by statute.

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3 billion browsers by end of 2014

By on May 16, 2014 in Blog, General

New research says that 4 in 10 of the world’s population will be browsing the web by the end of 2014 – another astounding landmark in the socio-economic development of the planet.

The internet will count almost 3 billion browsers by the end of this year, which is around 40 per cent of the world’s total population, according to new research.

The United Nations International Telecommunications Union said that two thirds of this number would hail from the developing world.

Europe revealed the highest rate of internet penetration at 75 per cent, while the Asia-Pacific region, maybe unsurprisingly as it includes China, has the largest population of internet users.

By the end of 2014, approximately one in five of the African population will have access to the internet as compared with nearly two-thirds of the Americas.

[themecolor]2.3 billion mobile broadband connections[/themecolor]

At the same time, mobile data connections are forecast to reach 2.3 billion worldwide subscriptions. Africa has led the expansion, growing from 2 per cent penetration in 2010 to nearly 20 percent this year.

However, fixed-broadband penetration growth is predicted to slow to about 10 per cent by the end of 2014. As with internet subscriptions, the Asia-Pacific region also counts the most fixed-broadband users, whilst Africa has fewest – just 0.5 per cent of its population.

Approximately 7 billion people globally will have a mobile phone by the end of 2014, with 75 per cent of these living in developing countries.

As reported by the Telegraph, Brahima Sanou, the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, referred to these figures as a “watershed moment” in the world’s relationship with ICT.

“Behind these numbers and statistics are real human stories. The stories of people whose lives have improved thanks to ICTs,” he commented. “Our mission is to bring ICTs into the hands of ordinary people, wherever they live. By measuring the information society, we can track progress, or identify gaps, towards achieving socio-economic development for all.”

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Box and Dropbox come under fire for file sharing leaks

By on May 16, 2014 in Blog, Cloud computing, Miscellaneous

Two of the largest cloud storage providers have come under scrutiny after it was revealed that users may be inadvertently leaking data.

Both Dropbox and Box have been criticised for their link sharing services, which may be resulting in users leaking data without their knowledge.

[themecolor]Not a security flaw – just a lack of user knowledge[/themecolor]

The two providers allow users to share files via links but competitor, Intralinks, has said that it found trails to these links in websites’ referral data.

Enterprise cloud provider, Box, said that the revelation was not a security flaw as such, but rather a case of users not having the appropriate level of knowledge about sharing permissions.

Dropbox has disabled access to links that have already been shared and implemented a patch to prevent such exposures going forwards.

[themecolor]Need to reconsider your cloud storage policies?[/themecolor]

Regardless of the reasons why, businesses will be rightly concerned that staff using cloud-based file sharing services may be putting confidential data at risk. If you wish to review your cloud storage services, please do not hesitate to contact us today.

In a blog post on dropbox.com, the service provider said, “We realise that many of your workflows depend on shared links, and we apologise for the inconvenience. We’ll continue working hard to make sure your stuff is safe and keep you updated on any new developments.”

However, this was not the only flaw that Intralinks highlighted. Chief technology officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa Richard Anstey said that if users accidentally pasted a link into Google’s search bar rather than the address bar, the link might be exposed to those paying for Google AdWords that matched any of the terms in the URL.

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Heartbleed: what to do next

By on May 16, 2014 in Blog, Security, Web privacy

When the news of Heartbleed broke a few weeks ago, business owners understandably started to panic. The OpenSSL vulnerability was seen by many as a significant blow for both web security and the concept of open source development.

While the scare has since died down a little, some businesses still have some work to do to ensure safety. So what is it all about and what needs to be done to mitigate the risks?

You cannot ‘catch’ Heartbleed as such. Despite reports of this threat being a ‘virus’ or a ‘hack’, it was basically a security cock-up at internet level which left lots of private internet data vulnerable.

Digital Spy described it as follows: “Imagine the internet is a castle and SSL/TLS encryption is a part of the wall and moat around it used to keep out invaders. A mistake by a German software programmer basically left a small door open in the wall for invaders to get in.”

When the vulnerability was first highlighted, very few people knew it existed, meaning the risks were relatively low. Now it’s been spread across the world’s news outlets, however, more hackers will be looking to capitalise.

Companies first need to check whether their OpenSSL versions have been affected. Firms using OpenSSL 0.9.8 and 1.0.0 won’t have been impacted by the discovery and are safe to continue without taking any action. Those utilising all versions between OpenSSL 1.0.1 and 1.0.1f can’t afford to sit around.

Upon finding out that they’ve been affected, companies must update to the most recent version of OpenSSL, before revoking any compromised cryptographic keys and reissuing X.509 certificates with new ones.

By now, most IT firms will have released bug fixes for their products, so CIOs should make sure their software, operating systems and devices are patched accordingly. Once all of this has been done, companies need to advise all users – internal and external – to create new passwords; only then can safety be assumed.

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Launch of Office apps for iPad

By on April 15, 2014 in Blog, Microsoft, New technology, Product releases

Microsoft and Apple have been peddling rival technologies for many a long year but, on some things, common sense and public demand dictate that there needs to be some element of cooperation.

So it was music to the ears of businesses everywhere this month when Microsoft announced the long-awaited release of the iPad version of its popular Office productivity suite.

[themecolor]First full touchscreen optimisation[/themecolor]

While web-based alternatives have been offered in the past, this is the first time the suite has been properly optimised for the touchscreen controls of Apple’s flagship tablet device.

Satya Nadella made the announcement at his first official launch event since taking over from Steve Ballmer as Microsoft’s CEO.

The release has been separated into three applications – PowerPoint, Word and Excel – and has already proved popular among iPad users.

Shortly after the release was confirmed, Word took the top spot in Apple’s App Store ‘most downloaded’ chart. Excel and PowerPoint reached third and fourth place respectively.

Speaking at the event in San Francisco, Mr Nadella said the decision was about ensuring people can be productive using Microsoft’s software across all platforms. He added: “We are taking great focus and great care to make sure Office on any device shines through.”

[themecolor]Apps are free but they will cost you[/themecolor]

While the new applications are available to download for free, they require the user to have a subscription with Microsoft’s cloud-based Office 365 before full access is given. Some customers, including small business users, will be offered discounted subscriptions, however.

Office Mobile, which was designed for smaller smartphone screens, used the same policy when it was released in June last year.

The release signals Microsoft’s growing willingness to embrace the devices of other manufacturers. In the past, the company has been known to release programs exclusively for its own hardware.

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Sony blazes a paperless trail with new Digital Paper

By on April 15, 2014 in Blog, Mobile devices, New technology, Product releases, Remote working

Business users overwhelmed with paper will soon have a new way to read, annotate, and share documents electronically using Sony’s Digital Paper.

Designed to increase productivity and streamline collaboration in paper-intensive environments, Digital Paper will appeal to a range of sectors including legal, higher education, local government as well as board rooms everywhere.

The tablet is expected to hit shelves in May with a price tag of around £660.

[themecolor]A4-sized touch screen[/themecolor]

Sony has worked with e-book display specialist E-Ink to develop its latest super-thin tablet. The Digital Paper device is approximately 7mm thick and offers readers an A4-sized touchscreen. Most of its rival products, including the Amazon Kindle and Kobo’s Touch, come with smaller, 6-inch displays.

According to Sony, the reader has been designed with office use in mind and consumes minimal power. The company also says that a single charge should last for around three weeks – considerably longer than most other tablet computers.

[themecolor]Plastic screen half the weight of glass[/themecolor]

While E-Ink displays have been used on a number of devices in the past, this will be the first to utilise the latest version of the manufacturer’s technology, which is called Mobius.

In the past, the screens have been built using glass, which adds to both weight and thickness. With plastic now used, however, the weight can be cut by as much as 50 per cent.

Sony’s head of Digital Paper Solutions, Bob Nell, thinks the release will be particularly beneficial for office workers. He was quoted by gizmag.com as saying: “This is a true replacement for the vast amounts of paper that continue to clutter many offices and institutions

“It is very easy to use and optimized for reading and annotating contracts, white papers, scholarly articles and legislation. The ‘notepad’ feature will have universal appeal, and notes can be shared with clients, colleagues, and co-workers.”

While the display responds to touch, it has been designed to behave in a similar way to paper. For example, the user can rest their hand on it while writing without the screen changing.

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How to use a library

By on April 15, 2014 in Blog, General, Tips & tricks

You may have noticed ‘Libraries’ nestling in the left-hand pane of Windows Explorer and wondered what exactly they were for. Well, quiet please. We’re about to explain more.

In older versions of Windows, organising files on your PC meant creating lots of folders and subfolders. Well, it still does really, but the introduction of ‘Libraries’ in Windows 7 added a simpler means of referencing and accessing your work regardless of where it is stored.

A library gathers documents from different locations – both on your hard drive and external to your computer – and displays them neatly as a single collection. It does not move them from where they are stored but groups them together for easy reference.

There are four default libraries – Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos – but you can create new ones, grouping folders in various locations that contain information you may wish to organise as a new collection.

[themecolor]Things you can do with a library[/themecolor]

1. Create a new library.

First you need to locate the libraries on your PC. Click the Start button, then your user name, which will open up your personal folder. Then, in the left pane, click Libraries. Click New Library in the toolbar (or do a right-click and select New-Library). Type a name and press Enter.

Before copying, moving, or saving files to a library, you must create a folder in the library so that the library knows where to store the files. This folder automatically becomes the ‘default save location’ for the library.

2. Arrange items within your library

You can use the Arrange By menu in the library pane to arrange files in a variety of ways – by folder, date and other properties depending on the type of library you are working with.

For example, you can arrange your Music library by Artist to quickly locate all songs by that artist across a range of locations. Your Music library might include various folders you have setup to contain music over the years as well as an external hard drive you back you music up to.

3. Include or remove a folder.

Folders can be added to libraries in two ways. The first is to navigate to the folder you wish to include using Windows Explorer then click the ‘Include in library’ drop down in the toolbar above and make your selection.

You may also browse to the libraries on your PC using the instructions in the ‘Create a new library’ section above and include or remove folders from this area. Double click a library name and look for the locations hyperlink which will open up a list of included folders. Adding or removing new folders from this window is a straight-forward task.

4. Change the default save location

A library’s default save location determines where an item will be stored when it’s copied, moved, or saved to the library.

  1. Open the library you’d like to change.
  2. In the library pane (above the file list), next to Includes, click Locations.
  3. In the Library Locations dialog box, right-click a library location that’s not currently the default save location, click Set as default save location, and then click OK.
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