Batchnet

We have installed ad blockers for our clients since day one. For the same reasons the FBI mentions below.

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) | Cyber Criminals Impersonating Brands Using Search Engine Advertisement Services to Defraud Users The FBI is warning the public that cyber criminals are using search engine advertisement services to impersonate brands and direct users to malicious sites that host ransomware and steal login credentials and other financial information.

SIM Swapping is a very real issue, and the only way (at this moment) to get around it is to use authenticator apps instead of txt messages for 2 factor authentication. When ever possible use either Google authenticator, or Microsoft authenticator which has additional security options.
Protect yourself!

FBI Sees Huge Increase in SIM-Swapping Attacks In 2021, the FBI received 1,611 SIM-swapping complaints, up from 320 complaints in the three years prior.

https://www.wired.com/story/update-ios-windows-chrome-zero-day-patch/

It’s a Good Day to Update All Your Devices. Trust Us iOS, Windows, and Chrome all have zero-day vulnerabilities that hackers are going after. Now that the fixes are here, you need to install them ASAP.

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2018/04/dont-give-away-historic-details-about-yourself/

Don’t Give Away Historic Details About Yourself — Krebs on Security Social media sites are littered with seemingly innocuous little quizzes, games and surveys urging people to reminisce about specific topics, such as “What was your first job,” or “What was your first car?” The problem with participating in these informal surveys is that in doing so you may b...

New ransomware wants $5000 to decrypt your files.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/7ev3n-ransomware-trashes-your-pc-and-then-demands-13-bitcoins/

7ev3n Ransomware trashes your PC and then demands 13 Bitcoins A new ransomware has been spotted called 7ev3n that encrypts your data and demands 13 bitcoins to decrypt your files. A 13 bitcoin ransom demand is the largest we have seen to date for this type of infection, but this ransomware also has another surprise as it does a good job trashing your system.

https://www.fbi.gov/news/news_blog/cyber-tip-protect-yourself-with-two-factor-authentication

Cyber Tip: Protect Yourself with Two-Factor Authentication As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the FBI will be providing weekly cyber tips. First up: How to protect yourself with two-factor authentication, a technology that increases security by incorporating requirements beyond something you know (your password).

Take the following article into consideration if you are thinking about putting everything on the cloud.

http://www.csoonline.com/article/734563/verizon-others-have-no-choice-but-to-hand-over-customer-data

Malware Dragnet Snags Millions of Infected PCs (Author: BrianKrebs)
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/09/malware-dragnet-snags-millions-of-infected-pcs/

Last week, Microsoft Corp. made headlines when it scored an unconventional if
not unprecedented legal victory: Convincing a U.S. court to let it seize control
of a Chinese Internet service provider’s network as part of a crackdown on
piracy.

I caught up with Microsoft’s chief legal strategist shortly after that order
was executed, in a bid to better understand what they were seeing after seizing
control over more than 70,000 domains that were closely associated with
distributing hundreds of strains of malware. Microsoft said that within hours of
the takeover order being granted, it saw more than 35 million unique Internet
addresses phoning home those 70,000 malicious domains.

Malware Dragnet Snags Millions of Infected PCs — Krebs on Security Last week, Microsoft Corp. made headlines when it scored an unconventional if not unprecedented legal victory: Convincing a U.S. court to let it seize control of a Chinese Internet service provider’s network as part of a crackdown on piracy.

Internet Explorer Users: Please Read This (Author: BrianKrebs)
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/09/internet-explorer-users-please-read-this/

Microsoft is urging Windows users who browse the Web with Internet Explorer to
use a free tool called EMET to block attacks against a newly-discovered and
unpatched critical security hole in IE versions 7, 8 and 9. But some experts say
that advice falls short, and that users can better protect themselves by using
an alternative browser until Microsoft can issue a proper patch.

Internet Explorer Users: Please Read This — Krebs on Security Microsoft is urging Windows users who browse the Web with Internet Explorer to use a free tool called EMET to block attacks against a newly-discovered and unpatched critical security hole in IE versions 7, 8 and 9. But some experts say that advice falls short, and that users can better protect thems...

http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/blog/2012/09/03/tax-tips-reasons-to-get-irs-form-w-9/

Marketing Vacant Units | American Apartment Owners Association Two simple questions were added to the income tax returns last year. These were: “Did you make any payments in 2011 that would require you to file Form(s) 1099?”

http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/09/a-handy-way-to-foil-atm-skimmer-scams/

A Handy Way to Foil ATM Skimmer Scams — Krebs on Security I spent several hours this past week watching video footage from hidden cameras that skimmer thieves placed at ATMs to surreptitiously record customers entering their PINs. I was surprised to see that out of the dozens of customers that used the compromised cash machines, only one bothered to take t...