November 2015
In this issue:

Ransomware: When Cybercriminals Hold Your Computer Hostage

Getting the biggest bang for your buck as a small business owner

The state of the cloud: Adoption is rising

How To Safely and Securely Use USB Memory Sticks

Monthly Trivia

Quote and Cartoon


Cyber Crime/
Hack News:
Students Hacked School

How To Safely and Securely Use USB Memory Sticks
used with permission from Norton by Symantec
by Nadia Kovacs

You may have noticed growing reports in the media about the dangers of using USB memory sticks. It is true, they are susceptible to being exploited like everything else, however, and these exploits aren't terribly easy to carry out by hackers. Mostly because an attacker needs physical access to your computer in order to infect it.

What Can a "Bad" USB Stick Do?

A malicious device can install malware such as backdoor Trojans, information stealers and much more. They can install browser hijackers that will redirect you to the hacker's website of choice, which could host more malware, or inject adware, spyware or greyware onto your computer. While the ramifications of these threats can range from annoying to devastating, you can stay protected from these threats.

Read more

 


Ransomware: When Cybercriminals Hold Your Computer Hostage
used with permission from Norton by Symantec
by Nadia Kovacs


Ransomware is a form of malware that will lock files on a computer using encryption. Encryption converts files into another format, like a secret code and can only be decoded by a specific decryption key.

Types of Ransomware

Ransomware can present itself in two forms.
  • Locker ransomware will encrypt the whole hard drive of the computer, essentially locking the user out of the entire system.
  • Crypto ransomware will only encrypt specific, seemingly important files on the computer, such as word documents, PDFs and image files.
Read more

Getting the biggest bang for your buck as a small business owner
used with permission from Microsoft for Work

Companies are always looking for places to save money without really cutting corners, but in a lot of cases, it's smarter to make investments up front that will pay dividends for a longer period of time. At other times, the best way to save money is to control expenses by buying only what you actually use. The seven tips below concentrate on different technologies and how they can save you money in the short and long term.

1. Use the cloud

The cloud is fantastic. It allows businesses to inexpensively get the resources and storage they need and adjust that usage on the fly. The cloud allows you to avoid the expense of some hardware and gives you cloud-based solutions to software that you might otherwise need to purchase and maintain yourself. For companies that need to do development or testing, the cloud can also host virtual machines.

Read more

The state of the cloud: Adoption is rising
used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com
by Laurence Cruz


Survey: Cloud adoption climbs but strategy lags—even as forward-thinking companies recognize both will help them capitalize on upcoming market transitions.

Cloud adoption is on the rise and bringing significant benefits, and IT architects are becoming more sophisticated in how they think about cloud, but as of early 2015 relatively few companies have mature cloud strategies and many have no cloud strategy at all, according to a worldwide survey by tech research firm IDC.

Read more

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Monthly Trivia

First person to submit the correct answers by email to anorton@osgusa.com will receive a $20 Starbucks gift card!

Entries are judged by date/time received and correctness. Include your name and phone number, the question number and the answer.

1) True or False: One of America’s Founding Fathers thought the turkey should be the national bird of the United States.

2) True or False: In 1863, Abraham Lincoln became the first American president to proclaim a national day of thanksgiving.

3) True or False: Macy’s was the first American department store to sponsor a parade in celebration of Thanksgiving.

4) True or False: The tradition of playing or watching football on Thanksgiving started with the first National Football League game on the holiday in 1934.

Cartoon of the Month


Quote of the Month


"If you judge people, you have no time to love them.'"

 - Mother Teresa

Outsource IT Solutions Group    www.osgusa.com