Business Solutions & Software Group Blog

Though not everyone believes them, we all know about the horror stories of the spirits of the dead that linger in this world, haunting locations where no one dares to tread. Every culture, though their beliefs vary, contains them to some degree. Their purpose is unknown, and they are thought to be caused by unfulfilled desires or regrets. But regardless of whether or not you believe in them, you better believe that your business can very well be haunted by ghost servers.

As a business owner, you want to take every precaution against the latest threats that can affect your way of life. An updated threat called Cryptowall 2.0 (previously known as Cryptolocker) has been cut loose by malware developers, and it's capable of dealing irreparable damage to your business's network and data. This spear-phishing variant has the power to grind your network's files to dust, and in turn, your productivity.

How often do you deal with your company-owned IT equipment? Some businesses keep detailed records of their equipment and use security measures and policies to prevent theft; but if your business doesn't protect its equipment, you could be digging a hole into your budget without realizing it.

This past August, we reported on a new vulnerability with USB firmware called BadUSB. This vulnerability was discovered by Karsten Nohl of SR Labs. The BadUSB vulnerability was presented at the Black Hat security conference as a theoretical risk, but now, the code has leaked and this risk has become a reality. Oops.

For users of Unix-based operating systems, there's a new threat on the loose. The vulnerability, promptly called the Bash bug, or "shellshock," is targeting systems equipped with Linux and Mac OS X. The bug allows remote users to execute arbitrary code within the operating system.