Time Magazine reported that the FBI uncovered a ring of Russian hackers who targeted weak networks of small businesses, organizations and churches. These businesses don’t have the know how or resources to protect their networks and far too many don’t invest in the right technology and expertise to harden their networks from attack. Read the article by smallbiztechnology.com here: http://smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2010/10/if-your-network-is-weak-hacker.html
Our super duper tech guy Will Stanley researched this for us, and here are his thoughts:
Weak networks mean large bank accounts for hackers.
Earlier this month the FBI apprehended a ring of Russian hackers preying on IT networks belonging to small businesses, organizations and churches. Many small businesses don’t have the resources or the know-how to monitor and shield their networks correctly. For too many small businesses, having a IT staff is just not a option. This is what a Hacker wants.
The intrusion method the Russian hackers in question were using was a variation of the Zeus virus. The Zeus virus was first detected in 2007, when it was quickly classified and whipped clean from most any computer with anti-virus/malware, yet had become a wide spread problem by 2009 from lack of computer security. Microsoft and other software manufactures have since patched computers from the primary iteration of this attack but cannot always catch variations. This is where anti-virus software shines.
The victims included several small business, churches and at least one hospital. The one thing all these different organizations had in common was that they had made little to no investment in the right technology or personnel to protect them from these attacks. This group of hackers had stolen close to 70 million dollars before getting caught, and according to the FBI, if any of the organizations had marginal anti-virus or IT support, this tragedy would have been averted.
I spoke with the ESET Smart Security team, makers of NOD32 anti-virus software, and we have come up with some helpful hints to protect your network:
- Educate staff not to open suspicious emails or websites
- Change passwords every 90 days or sooner, and disable accounts that are no longer being used
- Make sure you have a good anti-virus software in place, and that the updates are installed regularly
- Have your IT personnel or vendor inspect any software before it is installed on a company computer
- Ensure regular backups of company servers and important files
- Keep your computers up-to-date with the latest patches.
- Have your network audited at least once every few months for a security assessment, either by your IT personnel or IT vendor
Total Tech specializes in helping San Diego small businesses with their Computer Services and Network Security needs, and is an authorized partner of ESET.
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