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Sure, you have seen it before, free PC repair software, totally free pc fix downloads, that seems to attract many like metal to a magnet without thought.  Something about free PC repair software and claims that you are safe when you see free pc fix downloads.  Many Anti-virus/Malware Software scanners will freak out when they see these words or hopefully when the bad actor  IP is detected so they can warn you.

I know many of you like to download free things but don’t do it unless you know the site you are downloading from and the software vendor on that page well.  Too many people will see offers for something free, install it, and then a few days or weeks later, there is a backdoor that was installed to give the bad actors access to your computer and yes, your data.  This has caused many companies to require IT support for their small business to remove these freeware programs and malicious utilities.

Having a team of professionals to keep your network up and running is not the only task but to also identify, isolate and remove bad actor playbooks before they take your network and your business down.  Thus, the next time someone tells you to download a free program, remember the malware companies are not the only ones who are keeping up to date, so are The Actors and The Bad Actor’s Play House.  Often programs you have in-house may just be slightly behind the latest threat that was released just in time to steal and damage your small business info-structure. 

Another area that small and large business corporations suffer from is connecting to a network that has weak or no security.  We all remember (WEP) Wireless Equivalent Privacy protection which was a joke and most teenagers could hack it in under thirty minutes.  Many of us even got a free year of a credit monitoring service in a letter from a major retailer indicating their network had been compromised.  All because the company’s in short were too cheap to pay the money when the IT Consultants told them there was a security risk.  Many didn’t do anything till they were practically in a lawsuit and begging to get to the other end of the pool to breathe.

Since (WEP) came out around 1997 it is not probable that you would run into this however if you come across an old router this may become an issue.  First came (WPA1) which was a minor improvement over (WEP).  In 2004 it was fully ratified to (WPA2)  Wireless Protected Access and now in 2004, it was upgraded to a new version called (WPA3).  WPA3 was then adopted which patched several wireless vulnerabilities in the hopes to make it much more secure.  In 2018 the WiFi Alliance and announced the (WPA2) would still be in use but will now be phased out since (WPA3) is much more secure.  Thus if you want to have the most secure connection when using a WiFi-enabled device it should connect via (WPA3) but it is still advised that when you are in a public place that you use a (VPN) to safeguard your data and ensure it is encrypted before leaving your (WLAN) Wireless Local Area Network Adapter/Card on your PC/Laptop.

 

Whether you are using (FB) Facebook, Banking Websites, PayPal, eBay, or another control portal it is best to enable two-factor authentication.  Two-factor authentication is when the site you are logging into requires a code to be sent that will expire in about thirty seconds and must be entered after your password is validated.  To do this you have to enable two-factor authentication in the website/software, then download the app you want to use such as Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator and there are several others.  Once you have installed the program, you will then click on the add account button and scan the QR code on the screen.  Next, you will be prompted by the website/software to enter in code it shows to validate you have enabled it on your phone’s authenticater app.  Many companies will require a second 2FA-account to be set up if you lose your account information.

Threats are constantly growing faster each day and thus it is imperative to replace technology such as firewall, access points, access control readers, encryption systems.  The bad actors are writing new plays to find faster ways to get into your network and an end-of-life software or hardware system will make it easy for he/she to get into your network to do what they want. The JMOR Connection, Inc with now over 30 years of experience believes that educating our clients on the lifecycles is imperative to insure the most securest IT Business Network and info-structure.