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Cybersecurity company BitDefender discovered MosaicLoader, a malware that is capable of stealing passwords, mining cryptocurrency, and installing trojan malware on infected computers. This malware specifically targets the Windows operating system. MosaicLoader is somewhat of an oddity among malware, as it is distributed in a much different way from other types of malware. Most forms are distributed through phishing attacks or unpatched software vulnerabilities, while MosaicLoader spreads through advertisements. These advertisements appear when users search for cracked versions of software. When we talk about cracked software, what we mean are versions of software where a license is not needed. Typically whenever you purchase a copy of a software, you are also purchasing a license that gives you permission to use it. Without that license, the software may not operate, leading to operational issues. Sometimes employees might choose to download cracked software, particularly if they do not want to pay for the license or if the license has expired on their copy of the software. MosaicLoader works by infecting machines that download these cracked versions of software. The malware then starts to steal passwords, mine cryptocurrency, and install trojan backdoors on the devices to allow hackers to remotely access the machine. The ultimate goal of MosaicLoader seems to be to sell compromised Windows machines to the highest bidder. Since the goal seems to be to install on as many devices as possible, these hackers? plans should in theory be foiled if the malware fails to install on enough devices. Therefore, it?s your responsibility as a business owner to protect this fate from befalling your own organization?for both yourself and your employees, as well as others. Due to the unique way that this malware spreads, you can do two things to keep your company safe. The first is to make sure that all of your employees have access to the tools they need to be productive throughout the workday. Since this malware spreads through advertisements for cracked software, ensuring that your workers have properly licensed software will keep them from searching for new software. The second is through comprehensive security solutions and thorough network monitoring. By keeping your defenses shored up and a close watch on your network traffic, you can be sure to prevent the majority of threats and identify when anything suspicious has manifested on your infrastructure. White Mountain IT Services can most certainly help in this regard. To learn how we can help you keep your business safe, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

What is MSHTML? MSHTML is the browser engine that is found within the personal computer and server unit versions of Windows. The vulnerability itself can be found in just about any device that runs most versions of the Windows operating system. Industries most impacted by this vulnerability include telecommunications, medical technology, industry, energy, banking, and research and development. How Does the Exploit Work? The vulnerability itself is easy to exploit, as all it needs is for someone to send an infected Office file to a user. Once the file is downloaded, it runs code and executes the payload, infecting the target machine. Kaspersky claims that attackers can then use ActiveX to perform even more attacks, like downloading backdoors onto the infected system. This is particularly devastating if the hacker can gain administrative privileges by attacking, say, the network or system administrator for your systems. What Can Be Done About It? MSHTML has been patched by Microsoft, but if you have yet to download the patch, you can simply not download the infected Microsoft Office document. Plus, you should never download a suspicious or unknown file in the first place. Now, applying patches and not downloading suspicious files might sound like best practices?and they are?so make sure that you are following them and not putting your company at unnecessary risk. By working with White Mountain IT Services, you can ensure that patches get applied in a timely manner. Furthermore, you can get all of the security solutions and training needed to maximize network security. To learn more, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

If you are interested in matching your Chrome browser?s look to your new Windows 11 desktop, here is how to do it: First you will want to check to ensure that your Chrome browser is on version 96 or higher. You can do this by clicking on the three-dot menu in Chrome and go to Help > About Google Chrome. Once you?ve determined you have the Chrome version to continue you?ll want to type in chrome://flags in the address bar and hit Enter. Once the Experiments page opens, type ?Windows 11? in the search bar. You will then click the drop-down menu for Windows 11 Style Menus and set it to enabled. Relaunch the browser and it should update.  The current design is subtle, but you can notice a change in the style and menu configurations. Edge, Microsoft 11?s default browser?which is also a Chromium-based browser platform?has been updated by default with these design cues and menu configurations. Windows 11 is here, and it will soon be time for many businesses to make the switch. If you would like to talk to one of our IT professionals about updating to Windows 11 or simply to have a conversation to determine the best way forward for your business? software, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800.

To illustrate our point, let?s look at an example. You might receive emails claiming that you have won some wild prizes, but you don?t remember putting your name into the running for them. The message is delivered in a way that makes you think it?s from someone who doesn?t speak proper English, and it certainly doesn?t sound like a professional message. Plus, the email makes you want to pull the trigger immediately by claiming that the prizes are time-sensitive. These are all common tactics used in phishing messages. They often come in the form of fake invoices or from those higher up in the chain of command. You might receive a message that appears to come from your boss asking for a wire transfer, for example. It?s safe to say that this is troublesome at best. Essentially, the majority of phishing emails will showcase the following characteristics: Something that appears too good (or too wild) to be true (winning prizes, receiving awards) Spelling and grammar errors; many phishing campaigns originate outside of the United States A sense of urgency that pushes the user to act a certain way, such as paying an invoice or clicking on a link to enter contact/financial information Links to click on or attachments to download; these are often infected with malware or give hackers alternative methods of infiltrating your systems. The email comes from a strange email address that does not coincide with the sender?s supposed identity. It?s always important to check the sender. These are far from the only warning signs, but they are the ones that you should be particularly aware of. Phishing messages often look so convincing that the recipient might not even think twice before downloading an attachment or clicking on a link. It?s important that you treat all messages with the same level of scrutiny at the minimum. Be sure to try to identify the identities of the senders if possible through some type of external communication, like a phone number or, you know, walking to their office. White Mountain IT Services wants to help your business train employees to identify threats from phishing scams and emails. If you can train your staff to leverage a certain level of scrutiny against messages like these, then you naturally make them more resilient to falling for them. To learn more about how you can make this happen, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

One problem we?ve seen over the years is that companies are so enthusiastic about the prospects of moving data and business processes to the cloud that they don?t properly plan their implementations. This can present organizations with wild scenarios where data is all over the place and that their once-reliable in-house computing environment is now disjointed and not working in concert with cloud-based resources.  In order to keep this from happening, organizations need to do their due diligence and find the cloud platform that is right for their needs, while proactively considering the threats their business faces by performing a hasty migration.  What?s missing from the cloud? For many businesses, proper planning.  Migration Tips When moving to the cloud, you have to evaluate how you are going to get there with what you already have. Unfortunately, many businesses don?t consider their data, their applications, and their in-place integrations before committing, and pay for it afterwards.  Start small and work from there – You wouldn?t dump everything on your on-premise network infrastructure, so why would you do it in the cloud? After all, these are still physical machines somewhere. Businesses should start with a single application, or process (like storage), or a new Internet-based application that is not critical for business use. Once this is successful, and you show clear metrics of success, you can start amping up your cloud migratory projects.  Augment your existing infrastructure – A powerful benefit of the cloud is that it can extend what you are already into. You don?t need to move all of your data and infrastructure to the cloud. Most businesses will benefit most from the hybrid cloud platform. Moving non-essential infrastructure to the cloud can be a great way to utilize the power of hosted computing, without putting your business in jeopardy. Hosted solutions are hosted somewhere – You?d be amazed at how many people don?t consider how there is a physical data center hosting their ?cloud-based? data and computing infrastructure. By selecting a cloud provider that uses industry best practices in their management and security systems, you will know that your hosted data and infrastructure are kept on reliable and effective platforms. Cloud security has changed – Things have changed substantially in the past few years. Cloud computing has changed things in administration, but it has also changed things in security. With hosted computing that supported remote workers and anytime, anywhere access, network security couldn?t adopt the old ?castle and moat? strategy because there were always too many holes in the firewall. This created the new security model where administrators and solutions focus on protecting data and providing managed access. If you are able to see the cloud as an extension of your on-premise infrastructure and create a model to ensure that data is secure and accessible, you are doing more than the typical organization who jumps into the cloud with both feet, only to fall right through. By looking at how you share and access data on your current infrastructure you will begin to understand where the potential security gaps in your system are, and then focus on patching them.  Call the Experts If you are looking to move some or all of your computing resources to the cloud, you have to be more careful than you may think. The […]