SynerTel Horizontal Logo 2011

CLOUD COMPUTING * MANAGED IT
CONVERGED COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS

The SynerTel Sentinel Online Edition

Nov 2013 Issue 185

In This Issue

Upgrade - Free Phones

CryptoLocker - avoid this bad boy

RECEIVE FREE INDUSTRY NEWS AND HELPFUL TIPS

News you can use!

Ever heard of ransomware? There's a nasty and virulent strain on the loose. See below before it hijacks your network.

We've teamed with Toshiba to offer 3 awesome trade-up programs - including FREE IP phones thru December 24th. Now you can afford to migrate to reliable hosted VOIP telephony, or upgrade your in-office system to take advantage of mobility, twinning with smart phones, & much more.

Every month we meet new businesses relying networks that are held together with (sometimes literally) duct tape and a prayer. The Gartner Group published research shows that 43 percent of companies were immediately put out of business by a "major loss" of computer records, and another 51 percent permanently closed their doors within two years - leaving a mere six percent "survival" rate. Talk to us about how to ensure your business is never in this position.

Sneak Preview: DROPBOX and similar services represent significant security risks (malware in, unintended file transfers out) to your business. Next month we'll be unveiling a better way that you can conveniently share or transfer large files without losing control - or having DROPBOX eat your internet bandwidth for lunch. Stay tuned!

Planning a move or re-sizing? Get us involved early - best results and cost savings occur when we're part of the planning process with your team.

On a personal note: my thanks for all the good wishes I received during my recovery from spine surgery. I won't be tossing things around in the warehouse for awhile, but I'm out and about and regaining my strength!

On behalf of the entire SynerTel team, let me express our gratitude for the opportunity to serve your business.

Ben Stiegler, CEO

415 746 1811

ben@synertel.com

UPGRADE TO VOIP WITH FREE TOSHIBA PHONES TODAY

If your business has an existing Toshiba phone system of ANY age or vintage, you'll want to check out these 3 amazing (but time limited) offers, which will put you in the driver's seat with all today's must-have features such as

- twinning (ring my desk and cell at the same time),
- presence (see if co-workers are reachable, and whether they are open for chat or phone calls)
- receiving and sending faxes without paper, toner, or ink - right in the phone system
- voicemail arriving in email
- mobile device control of call forwarding
- originating calls from mobile devices out thru your normal land lines
- leveraging WiFi to save cell minutes
and much more.

1. Interested in the most reliable hosted cloud phone system available today? Trade up to our VIPedge™ Cloud-Based Telephone Solution! We'll provide FREE new IP telephones for each Toshiba EKT, DKT, or IPT1000/2000 set you trade in from now til December 24th.

2. Prefer an on-premise state of the art VOIP system? Trade Up to IPedge® On-Premise, Pure-IP Telephone System, & get up to 50% off IPedge user licenses with Toshiba's award-winning Call Manager!

3. Prefer a hybrid on-premise system capable of VOIP, digital, and analog modes? Trade Up To Strata® CIX670™ & receive $50 Trade-In credit for each Toshiba EKT, DKT or IPT1000/2000 series phone you turn in.

Not sure what's best for your business, but don't want to miss out on these amazing promotions? Call 415 746-1801 or email and we'll explain the differences and help you choose what's best for your business.

CryptoLocker => Ransomware you don't want to meet

Suppose you sat down at your computer and were confronted with a demand to pay $300 within 72 hours, or never be able to access your files again. Sound like science fiction? Unfortunately, this is a real virus inflicting real harm today. Aggressive, anonymous, and so far unaffected by international law enforcement, CryptoLocker demands payment in Bitcoin or MoneyPak, making it impossible to trace.

This nefarious virus appears as an apparent delivery notification from UPS or Fedex - tho it may mutate and appear different by the time you read this. The email contains a .zip file, and in the .zip file is a double-extension-named file like something.pdf.exe. The full extent of the name will probably not display (thanks, Windows) so you can't see that its a dangerous executable. Its not accidental that this surfaced during the holiday shopping season - when package delivery notifications are most frequent.

What to do?

1. Ensure your UTM firewall and workstation/server anti-virus and anti-malware software is up to date, and active. This is not a guarantee, but good 1st and 2nd lines of defense.

2. Ensure you have OFFLINE backups of your important files. Note that CryptoLocker appears to target files on servers or shared drives for ransom encryption first - then it goes to work on your local files.

What if you see the infection or a ransom note? Shut down your systems IMMEDIATELY to prevent further damage - even if the ransom note warns against doing so. (Hey, crooks lie). Then call a qualified recovery expert (like SynerTel) to assess the damage and plan the best course of recovery. Or - you could pay the $300 and hope they don't come back and try for $600 next week.

Don't know if you have a UTM firewall properly configured? current AV/AM software in action? Give us a call and we'll check it out with you.

Laugh or Cry? You decide ...

What's that little cottage on this Utah hilltop? The latest super-secret NSA data center. Don't get lost in there among the 1.2 million square feet of interior space (more than 5 times the size of the US Capitol), set on the 247 acre site. Built and equipped with your tax dollars, its part of the government's continuing efforts to tap and track internet, cellphone, emails, parking receipts, travel itineraries, etc. The center uses a staggering 65 megawatts of electricity (only partially for the coffeemaker). Energy costs for computing and cooling run about $40 million annually. More than just a wiretap center, its a huge decryption resource, designed to crack the encryption schemes which protect financial information, diplomatic secrets, stock transactions ... and anything you might want to keep private.

This is noteworthy in that its the first facility the NSA has built which is specifically aimed at spying on US citizens. What did it cost the US public to build? About $2 billion, according to Wired.

How's it working so far? Not so hot. Mysterious repeated massive electrical surges have melted hundreds of thousands of dollars of new equipment - over and over again. Its not clear if the contractors or the public will pay for the repairs and replacement of fried equipment - but it is clear whose privacy is being compromised by the construction and operation of such a massive information spy center.

Got an opinion on this? Wonder if perhaps your neighborhood school could use a new computer or 2 instead? Its never too late to speak up!

Click here to write our elected officials.

Click here to read the entire Wired article.