Do you wanna cry? Call Sandra Network!

There is a new form of Ransomware out there, once again, Called WannaCry.

WannaCry

WannaCry Man

It encrypts the files on your machine, THEN demands an average of $300 in bitcoin. If payment is not received within three days, the demand doubles. Should, no action be taken after seven days, the affected files will be deleted.

What if I do not want to run my Windows updates, because some software will no longer run properly?

What can you do to prevent the WannaCry ransomware? There are steps that may be taken, should you not want to update Windows presently. The entry of the virus to your device, which is dependent on a gap in the Windows system and the gap is present in all types of Windows is that the feature is open. If you did not update your windows, turn off SMP . following are the steps.

  • Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features.
    • Select the Turn Windows features on or off option on the left
      Control Panel WannaCry

 

 

 

  • Remove check box SMB1.0/CIF File Sharing Support
    • File Sharing Support WannaCry

 

 

 

 

 

  • You must restart your computer to complete this change.
    • Once this is completed,  you are safe from this specific ransomware.

Keeping updates in order is usually the best option to prevent the introduction of WannaCry ransomware, but it is always good to STILL follow these guidelines:

  • If you receive a message from your friend with a link, ask him before opening the link to confirm, (infected machines send random messages with links).
  • Keep your files backed up regularly and periodically.
  • Be aware of fraudulent e-mail messages that use names similar to popular services such as ‘PayePal’ instead of ‘PayPal’ or use popular service names without commas or excessive characters.
  • Use anti virus and Always make have the last update.

If you still run into any issues, or it is too late, please contact our Support at Sandra Network

Verizon email Moving to AOL – Be Prepared!

Outlook Email SetupSo, you have probably heard through that pesky grapevine… Verizon is no longer going to be supporting or hosting email, the company will be having it hosted by AOL within the next couple of weeks. When logging into the webmail.verizon.net there will be an “Email service notice“. Click on “Keep verizon.net email address” or “Use any other email provider” to complete the setup. There will be no action to take until you receive an email service notice from them. Through all of the shuffling, it may  have been missed, AOL is a Verizon company. Verizon is looking to put their focus on their FIOS and phone markets.

Does this mean my Email is going away?

No, once you have received this notice.. you will probably say… AOL? WHAT??!! Do I need to find one of those diskettes they sent me through the mail in 1990… so what do I do next?
There are a few options, hold on..

  • Follow the directions and forward your email to AOL and continue from there. In this scenario, you will keep your Verizon.net email, while navigating the AOL Mail website.
  • Do nothing and let that email account fade to digital dust
  • Set up an Office 365 account and have all of your emails forward through one account, making it MUCH easier for you! (We can actually do this for you at Sandra Network!)

Not sure WHAT to do? 

There are still a lot of options; these are but a few. If you are still unsure what your next steps should be you should give us a call at 978-535-0202 or email us at [email protected] and we will walk you through or set you up with the correct options just for you!

It’s A Trap, A Scam!

Recently, a great many people have asked what to do if they receive calls where someone asks to connect to their computer to resolve some issue. the quick answer is: It is a Scam!

  • Did you already sign a contract with this company?
  • How do they know you signed onto your computer?
  • Have you recently seen any suspicious activity on your computer?

If these questions create a long list of additional questions, please DO NOT allow them access to your computer, it is a scam. Please contact us first!

This is how it tends to happen:

You are sitting around, your computer is on, but not being used and the phone rings.

“Hello this is Peggy from Microsoft, I noticed that your computer has been sending error messages. There are problems with the internet connection or phone line and this has affected your computer’s recent performance. On top of that, the broadband connection has been hacked. May I have remote access to the computer to find out what the problem is?”

Your first thoughts should be… I don’t know anyone named Peggy. WHY are they monitoring my system, I didn’t hire them and if I didn’t, who did?

These are all valid and you are correct in being suspicious of this call. This is not a technical support service,  already hired (such as Sandra Network) then the scamming call should be ended immediately.

What is the best way to protect yourself?

  • Never give an unsolicited caller remote access to your computer. This is ALWAYS a scam!
  • Never give your personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless you made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source; otherwise, this is a scam!
  • Receiving a phone call out of the blue about your computer and remote access is requested – hang up – even if they mention a well-known company such as Microsoft.

If you have questions or think you may have been hacked, or have given out pertinent and private information:

  • Please call your financial institutions and have your accounts monitored or closed.
  • Change your passwords for your email, login.
  • Call us at Sandra Network and with your permission, clean out the machine of any suspicious activity.

When is it a Scam?

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There are all sorts of scams that come through email, but which ones are scams and which ones are legitimate? In most cases the first sign is its being from an anonymous sender, it is unsolicited and it is generally a mass mailing. All of those signals aside, the subject line tends to give away the suspicious email.

Mark Zuckerberg Is Giving Away Money!

Mark Zuckerberg Is Giving Away Money!

YOU are the Lucky Winner! Free iPads from Mark Zuckerberg, Miraculous drug for weight loss or male enhancement, or sometimes both. The Nigerian prince that is a long lost relative has died and you are the last known family member and will be receiving his millions stored in an off shore account.

As much as we would like to believe these stories are truly meant for us and there is a shred of validity to the email, chances are it is a phishing scam, or it is laced with a virus that is just awaiting your double clicking the attachment describing these awaiting riches or physical enhancements.

In some cases, the emails are far more malicious than promising wealth and other unrealistic notions. Imagine being a company working on a project, in the finance department and trying to get the month closed out. You receive an email from the supposed client letting them know the bank account and routing numbers for transfers had changed, and could $30,000 be transferred for payment as soon as possible. The email has the “correct” logo, mailing address and other pertinent information, yet… it was not. Upon further research, after the $30,000 had already been wired, the domain name was spelled incorrectly and originated in Russia, other than that, it seemed credible. The money is lost and a hard lesson is learned. This is an extreme and a very frustrating and hard lesson to learn, yet there are ways to prevent this. Always check with the sender, even if it means picking up the phone and speaking to someone in their accounting department.

Some things to watch out for

  • If it is a bank or credit card company, they will NEVER ask you to email your credentials.
  • If you are asked to logon to a site and verify your information, do NOT follow the link. Open a new browser window in a different browser and loon to the company site to verify. Be SURE you actually have an account in said business.
  • If you do not know the sender, do not open the attachments or send any personal information.
  • If there is a phone number to confirm, call it and verify the urgency. Also, find the phone number on another source and verify it.
  • If the email is garble, delete it.

    Garbled phishing email.

    Garbled phishing email. Click to view example larger

  • If it is a friend who seems to have lost their wallet in another country and are stuck there without a Visa. Advise them to go to the American Embassy, OR call their cell.
  • If a window pops up stating what type of damage it will do (steal credit card information, personal information, delete data etc.), it is a scam. Legitimate antivirus programs do not list the destruction they will cause. If that information comes up suggesting you have a virus, then the popup IS a virus.

detectedActivity

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I won’t click on random or suspicious links

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Fake | Spoofing | Virus-filled | Identity-stealing | Hacking | Phishing Emails. So how do you know?Online Thief

Fake emails and websites will try to look like a real company’s email: all for the purpose of stealing your personal information. Passwords and account numbers are the favorite to grab, but sometimes to simply track your browsing habits and send information to the criminal’s web site. Hence it is important to check shortened links that come in emails to ensure more safety.

EBay, PayPal, Amazon are some of the favorites to spoof, because they are such common web sites. If you are getting emails from a web site like those mentioned, and you are not sure, then close the email. Open a browser, and login to the web site directly. Any email that came to you should be mentioned somewhere in the notifications area. The good news is a lot of the emails come from out of country, and the wording of the emails are sometimes a giveaway. Check for proper use of grammar and spelling. Really look at the logo in the email – is it pixelated? Or, does it look as clean as the ones on the web site.

Online Thief

How to tell if the link in the email is safe without clicking on it

Use a link scanner

Link scanners are web sites and plug-ins that allow you to enter in the URL of suspicious link and check it for safety. URLVoid is a really good one, because it uses multiple services to research.

In order to copy the link safely, without clicking on it, you can right click on the link and choose copy shortcut (IE), Copy Link (Firefox) or Copy Link Address (Chrome). You can paste this into the Link Scanner utility.

Check Shortened Links

URLVoid can’t handle shortened URLS from services like tinyURL or Bitly, Ow.ly. To check shortened links that you usually find on services like Twitter, you can use Sucuri. It will expand the shortened links and check it against a variety of services to ensure no threats are pending. In order to copy the link safely, without clicking on it, you can right click on the link and choose copy shortcut (IE), Copy Link (Firefox) or Copy Link Address (Chrome). You can paste this into the Link Scanner utility.

Hover over the link

If you hover over a link without clicking on it, you will see the full URL pop up with the links destination in the lower corner of your browser.

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