Blog | Securence - Part 3

What’s the big deal?

Over the weekend of May 13-14 2017 news broke of a new Ransomware called WannaCry.  This Ransomware affected some large institutions.

WannaCry uses a vulnerability in Window’s file sharing to spread from one infected computer to another.  This vulnerability was discovered by the NSA and kept secret until someone hacked the NSA and eventually leaked the information publicly.  The vulnerability was patched in Microsoft’s March 14, 2017 software update.  This was a month before the vulnerability was publicly exposed on April 14,2017.

This exploit may be known as other names or be associated with some of the following terms:

• MS17-010
• EternalBlue
• DoublePulsar
• WannaCrypt
• WanaCrypt0r 2.0
• Wanna Decryptor

How do you protect your computers?

Patch your systems

The most important thing to do to protect your systems from this infection is to update your Windows systems.  There is a patch available for all supported Windows operating systems as well as these no-longer-supported Windows systems:

• Windows XP SP3 x86
• Windows XP SP2 x64
• Windows XP Embedded SP3 x86
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 x86
• Windows Server 2003 SP2 x64
• Windows 8 x86
• Windows 8 x64

Run versioning backup software

Versioning backups are critical, if you only have the most recent version of a file, you will have a backup of the already encrypted file, this is not helpful.  You must have the option to choose a backup from before the Ransomware started encrypting files.

Are Securence Signatures up to date to block WannaCry?

Some Intrusion Detection Systems have signatures for WannaCry, but, there are no specific signatures for emails.  So far, WannaCry spreads exclusively through SMB protocol attacks, not email.  Future variants may use different vectors as noted above.

How does Securence protect against WannaCry?

Securence uses multiple virus engines to identify malicious content in emails and they are all automatically updated as quickly as the A/V vendor publishes new signatures.  Unfortunately, recently A/V engines have been ineffective identifying the newest phishing and ransomware messages.  Securence has developed significant identification techniques to block these messages.  Thousands of malware emails are blocked every day by these techniques.

If current or future WannaCry attacks are spread via  emails they will likely use the same tactics as previous ransomeware and viruses:

• Attached executables
• Zipped executables
• Password protected zipped executables
• Word macro viruses
• Javascript attachments
• Links in email bodies
• Links in attachments
• Many other methods

When they do, Securence is ready.

School is a very different place from what it was just 10 or 15 years ago. From kindergarten and grade school, all the way through university, students, teachers and school administrators rely on web-based tools and email to get much of their work done.

However, for all the benefits of web-based learning, there are always security risks. In the past few years, there have been a number of alarming data breaches at colleges and universities. For example, the recent phishing scam that uses Google Docs to breach digital security and harvest sensitive information is a huge issue for schools and post-secondary institutions right now.

Even at the K-12 level, web security is a concern as students often store or share sensitive information—such as grades and teacher correspondence—online. When web use isn’t secure, not only can it result in serious risks; it also distracts administrators and teachers from their primary calling: teaching.

Fortunately, valuing security doesn’t have to mean taking your school’s operations offline. Securence provides security solutions to protect your data and keep things running smoothly. Here are just a few features that have K-12 schools, colleges and universities turning to Securence email filtering – a system that even prevents the latest threat from Google Docs’ phishing scam.

Security for Students

Securence’s robust virus and malware control keep external threats at bay. This is important because young students don’t always identify malicious emails or phishing schemes, putting them at risk of inadvertently compromising their email and the school’s computers. Having a tough and sophisticated filters make it difficult for security breaches to occur at a student level.

Additionally, Securence’s 30-day shadow feature allows students to retain anything that goes through their inbox or outbox, helping them to avoid losing instructions, teacher correspondence and assignments.

Security for Teachers and Administrators

From a teaching and administrative perspective, email security is important, but so is operational ease. Securence’s administrator controls provide instant help desk access to resolve email issues, so teachers and administrators can return to their work quickly. The email re-delivery feature ensures no sent or received emails will be lost when issues arise. Additionally, email continuity allows email to keep functioning during an outage, ensuring that teachers and administrators won’t lose their ability to continue vital communications with school boards, parents or students.

Record keeping is another aspect of school administration that has been moving online. Reliable record keeping is important, especially when a student’s academic history is at stake. Securence’s email archiving (www.securence.com/email-archiving-solution) feature allows you to store emails for an indefinite period of time, ensuring you never lose any important communications.

Of course, as with student email, Securence provides advanced malware security for both in and outbound email, protecting mailboxes on the domain as well as recipients of email from the school.

Securence is compatible with Office 365, Google apps and on-premise email systems, so administrators can operate any of those systems while enjoying the benefits of Securence.

Securence Fits the Budget

All schools want strong email security features, but some feel they have to go without because of budget restrictions. Fortunately, Securence offers some of the industry’s best educational pricing, making it a valuable choice.

Are you ready to improve your school’s email security and efficiency? Contact Securence today to see what we have to offer.

Small businesses today are increasingly relying on email as their primary mode of communication. In fact, many new startups are using smartphones as their primary mode of doing business. With such an emphasis on email, it’s important that small businesses use a low cost email archiving service to store all their emails.

Low cost email archiving services create a copy of every email on your account, or on your business’s account, and store them in an offsite server. No matter what the email is, it will be recorded in the archive, even if it is deleted on someone’s account. The extreme level of transparency has numerous benefits for small businesses. These are just a few of the ways that small businesses benefit from a low cost email archiving service.

1. Compliance

Transparency is of the highest importance to today’s small business. Many small businesses rely on outside funding to help them succeed, and these outside institutions require absolute transparency for their financial support. Without doing your due diligence and archiving your company’s emails, you could end up compromising your business’s future. With low cost email archiving, every email will be stored and easily accessible, keeping you compliant with your most important business relationships.

2. Legal Protection

Operating in today’s modern business world means you will probably end up in court at some point in time. The disputes may just involve sorting out simple business matters, but you should always be as prepared as possible. Email archiving helps you keep detailed, specific records of your email correspondences, some of which could help you in the event of a lawsuit or legal action. Without proper, low cost email archiving, you could end up losing a crucial piece of evidence that could protect your business from legal action.

3. Disaster Recovery

Losing your emails can be disastrous. Besides the interruption of service, which can mean you’ll miss out on incoming mail, you will also lose all of your email conversations and threads. Without those conversations, you stand to lose an exceptional amount of information and will need to rely on people emailing you back to continue with the conversation.  Low cost email archiving can protect you.

4. Fast Searching Capabilities

Finding specific emails can be a challenge for literally any person or business, no matter their size. Sometimes, you need to find old emails, even deleted emails, and email archiving makes the searching of your entire email server fast and simple. If you lost an attachment that you need or want to re-familiarize yourself with a project, low cost email archiving lets you quickly find the emails you need.

Providing the most affordable services on the market today, Securence is the most cost-effective choice for your email archiving needs. With our services, you can quickly, easily, and effectively maintain your company’s emails for your own records. This service will not only help you maintain better transparency, but it will also help your company run smoothly in the event of a server crash. If you are a small business looking for a low-cost email archiving service provider, be sure to contact Securence today.

Email archiving is an important aspect of running a modern business. We rely increasingly on email for our business-to-business communication, but we often don’t take the precaution to store those emails securely. Luckily, there is a low cost solution for email storage. It’s called “email archiving,” and Securence has the lowest cost 10-year email archiving program available.

Email archiving takes all of your company’s emails and stores them on an offsite server. These emails can be easily searched and organized and will include everything, up to and including deleted conversations. The lowest cost 10-year email archiving service offers many advantages to businesses of all sizes, adding extra security and convenience to your email system.

1. Store Every Email

When you use the lowest cost 10-year email archiving service, you get a complete record of every email on that account, no matter if the email has been deleted or not. This is an extremely important feature, not simply for its transparency, but also for your ability to maintain your own records. Complete archiving lets you go through any and all emails relevant to important happenings in your company.

2. Stay Compliant

Businesses today must maintain certain data responsibilities. Some of these stipulations come from the government, but many others come from investors, banking institutions, and more. All businesses should maintain meticulous email archives in order to stay compliant with all the regulations and agreements used by their company. The lowest cost 10-year email archiving will not only help you maintain excellent professional relationships, but it will also keep you protected from a legal standpoint.

3. Defend Yourself

No matter what kind of business you run, you may have to take legal action at some point in your future. Whether it’s being owed money or a breach of contract, many companies today will often lose key emails that could have helped them in court. With the lowest cost 10-year email archiving, your company can keep every single communication, so when you have to go to court, you have the evidence you need.

4. Keep Searching

Probably one of the best uses of the lowest cost 10-year email archiving services is to simply look for the information you need. Emailing has become one of the most frequent ways in which we communicate, especially in business, so finding the relevant material for your task can be difficult. Email archiving allows for the simple search of your entire email domain. So, if you need everything on a specific project to re-familiarize yourself or need an attachment from a specific email, you can find it quickly and easily with email archiving services.

Securence is proud to offer the lowest cost 10-year email archiving service available in the entire world. With our professional and highly-advanced services, we offer top quality services while saving our clients’ money. If you are in need of email archiving for your business, be sure to contact us today to see how we can help you succeed.

The world of malware protection is constantly developing. Older methods that protected businesses from certain malware attacks are no longer working, and keeping up to date is a constant requirement. That is why many technologies exist to protect other businesses from malware, viruses, and information losses that cost businesses money. Today, that includes attacks that come in the form of Ransomware, also called CryptoLocker malware, which is a unique and dangerous malware strategy that’s affecting businesses around the world. But what is CryptoLocker malware and how can you protect your company against it? Here are some answers to common concerns about Ransomware and CryptoLocker malware.

Why are today’s malware attacks such a threat?

Today, malware attacks don’t always simply steal information, they hold it hostage. Instead of just stealing your information, CryptoLocker malware moves it to a different location and starts to shut down the functionality of your website and business-related software. Then, the attackers make a ransom demand to remove the malware. After you’ve paid, they return your files, and your system’s functionality, back to you. It’s a simple process, but one that can stop your business in its tracks, cost you substantial amounts of money, and compromise your entire enterprise.

How can you defend yourself against it?

Protecting against the CryptoLocker virus requires constant vigilance, and malware protection that is best handled by professional solution providers like Securence. To protect yourself against this new kind of malware, Securence uses cutting edge analytics to monitor email traffic patterns across its customer base. These analytics let us respond to new threats in real-time, using sophisticated heuristics that take many facets of email-borne malware into consideration. Everything from IP addresses, envelope senders, and message headers are scrutinized, as well as behavioral patterns and source code indicators associated with CryptoLocker and other Ransomware. Securence also performs a deep analysis on attached archive files (such as .zip, .7z, and .rar), as these are common ways that attackers deliver this sort of ransomware.

Why it’s so important?

Cybersecurity is one of the most advanced and constantly-changing fields in the world because new malware and exploits are being developed, spread, and used almost every day. Unlike other forms of attacks, like phone scams, malware attacks are costing businesses millions of dollars every year in lost productivity, clients leaving due to security issues, and other forms of money-losing consequences. If your company uses specialized systems to conduct its business, whether it’s a dedicated server, a business email service, or even a private server, you need protection from the latest forms of malware, including the CryptoLocker malware family of viruses.

Since CryptoLocker malware can be deployed in many different ways, and is constantly changing, you’ll need a comprehensive security system in place, including best practice protocols, comprehensive email filtering, and more. Securence has the experience, dedication, and expertise to help keep your business, and all of its information, securely. Using the latest strategies in addition to constant updating and maintenance, we help businesses stay safe from everything from common viruses to elaborate CryptoLocker malware schemes that cost businesses millions of dollars every year.

The world is changing, and so is the world of cyber security. With every leap in technology, every innovation, there are also highly advanced threats that come with it to harm others. It can come in many forms, from simple viruses to programs that steal identities, but none has been as prevalent and as damaging as the CryptoLocker Virus. Businesses around the world have suffered immensely from CryptoLocker Virus attacks since its invention in 2013. There is good news though, the virus can be stopped. Here is some information on what the CryptoLocker Virus is and how you can protect your company from this particularly insidious malware attack.

Before we get into effective ways of protecting against the CryptoLocker Virus, it’s important to understand the virus itself.

CryptoLocker is a unique kind of ransomware that’s traditionally used to target businesses. It exclusively targets computers and servers running Windows, which is still the primary operating system of businesses. When successfully deployed, it encrypts data on the computer and related servers, making it inaccessible to the computer and anyone who would generally have access to that information. In its stead, a message is left with instructions on how to have the information encrypted, which usually includes a ransom price. Once the conditions are met, the data is decrypted, and you can continue on with your business.

How can You protect your business?

To protect your business against the CryptoLocker Virus, you need a comprehensive cybersecurity system that starts with effective email filtering and surveillance. Even to this day, the primary way that the CryptoLocker Virus deploys into systems is through emails, so you’ll need a way to scan and filter out all emails that could include these viruses, as well as the best practices in place to control your employees’ email habits. Without this, you could leave yourself susceptible.

Cyber attacks have only grown more complicated and more insidious as our technology improves and more information is stored online. The CryptoLocker Virus is just one such type of cyber attack that can shut down your business, extort money from you, and lead to other consequences that can cost your company. To stay safe, it’s important to have a comprehensive and effective cybersecurity plan in place. This includes automatic programs that can safely analyze attached archive files (such as .zip, .7z, and .rar files) to see if they’ve been infected with any kind of malware, including ransomware like the CryptoLocker Virus. Without this, your company, all its information, and your clients’ trust could be lost thanks to a single email attachment.

At Securence, we are up-to-date on the latest malware protective practices, including the effective means to protect your business against the CryptoLocker Virus. If your business has confidential information, proprietary software, email services, or even a private server, be sure to call us. We can set up the variety of services that your business needs to stay safe, protected, and successful in the changing world of cyber security.

With the number of viruses threatening computer systems seemingly increasing on a continual basis, it is difficult juggle these threats, while also running a successful business. In order to ensure that your company is protected at all times, it is our job to take a dynamic approach to filtering both inbound and outbound data, counterattacking the latest in spamming techniques and computer viruses as they evolve and appear. One particularly deadly breed of virus that is currently plaguing computer systems worldwide is the ransomware malware known as CryptoLocker, and its prevention is the best solution.

What is CryptoLocker?

CryptoLocker is a type of ransomware malware that infiltrates computer systems as a Trojan virus. Once affected, the virus will spread each time that the computer is booted up, leaving encrypted and inaccessible files in its wake. CryptoLocker prevention is key, because once these files are encrypted, it is impossible to access them without the decryption code held by the attackers. As the term “ransomware” suggests, once CryptoLocker has encrypted your files, the attackers will demand a ransom to be paid in exchange for the decryption key needed to unlock the affected files.

Paying the Ransom

If you haven’t successfully set up any form of CryptoLocker prevention and the malware infects your computer’s operating system, there are very few options left for you to reverse the damage. Most attackers will demand a ransom, usually to be paid in Bitcoin digital currency, in exchange for a decryption key. Seen as the first “decentralized” digital currency, Bitcoin is now the largest and most widely used form of digital money. Unlike other forms of currency, digital currencies are unregulated and cannot be shut down by governments at any time. As a result, there is no guarantee that you will ever receive a decryption key by paying the ransom.

The Importance of CryptoLocker Prevention

When dealing with ransomware malware threats, only CryptoLocker prevention will truly protect your business from potential harm. Securence produces the most effective and efficient email filtering possible as a result of our Signature-Based email filtering and management solution. Computer viruses are dynamic, constantly changing and adapting to overcome the systems in place to counteract them. In order to effectively combat these threats, your anti-virus software cannot solely rely on a single filtering method.

Securence is the anti-spam solution of choice; we have earned a reputation for overall effectiveness and accuracy while still offering low costs and maintenance. In order to ensure that your business is protected from any potential threats, it is important to be informed as to what those particular threats are; however, CryptoLocker prevention does not need to be a daily worry for you or your employees. Securence provides real-time protection from the latest threats—with 24-hour monitoring—so you remain informed, without detracting from your own business responsibilities.

If you would like to implement an anti-virus program that gives you the peace of mind in knowing that your files are safe and secured at all times, Securence Encryption & Security has your company’s best interests in mind. Contact Securence to discuss your CryptoLocker prevention options and protect your company’s sensitive data from online threats today.

Do you feel as though you are up against a constant stream of new viruses that threaten to destroy your business? Malicious software is all around us, on a daily basis. If your antivirus software and anti-spam filters are not equipped to take on these ever-evolving threats, you may be at the hands of harmful ransomware Trojans, such as CryptoLocker Malware.

What is CryptoLocker?

CryptoLocker Malware is a powerful Trojan horse virus, which often affects the Windows-based operating systems used by many businesses worldwide. This ransomware will infiltrate your computer systems via infected email attachments, ultimately encrypting many valuable files on your hard drive. As CryptoLocker is a type of ransomware malware, the only way to recover the affected files that have not been previously backed up is to pay a “ransom”, all in an effort to decrypt the data in question. However, not even paying these ransoms will guarantee the recovery of your affected files, as without being offered the decryption key necessary to recover your data, you may remain locked out.

CryptoLocker and its Variants

CryptoLocker Malware and its related variants are often delivered in email attachments with macros. As macro viruses are often embedded within software applications, such as Microsoft Office and its related programs, opening affected documents will cause the macros to run automatically, thus spreading encrypting ransomware throughout your computer’s operating system. Although many antivirus programs claim to protect against macro viruses, this malware is extremely difficult to detect.

CryptoLocker’s variants include, but are not limited to: CryptoDefense, CryptoWall and TorrentLocker. These encrypting ransomware Trojans use the Bitcoin digital currency platform to collect ransom money from affected parties. As payment of the requested Bitcoin ransom does not constitute the decryption of the files affected by CryptoLocker Malware and its variants, in order to truly protect your business from this threat, you must employ a proven, premium email encryption service, such as Securence.

Securence Encryption & Security

The only effective way of combating ransomware such as CryptoLocker Malware is to prevent these Trojans from infiltrating your company’s computer systems in the first place. At Securence, we are ahead of the industry in stopping threats from encrypting ransomware Trojans, such as CryptoLocker Malware and its variants. We offer powerful encryption technology, ensuring the highest level of email security, with no special software or steps required on your part. We ensure that your communications are easily accessible through any email platform. Our encryption service is designed to meet your individual needs, as well as your budget. Securence is able to contain Trojans and other macro viruses that thrive on Microsoft Office applications, protecting your Windows-based operating systems from these external threats.

If your company is concerned with stopping the CryptoLocker virus and its related variants, Securence can provide you with the peace of mind in knowing that your files are safe in our hands. Our email encryption and security service is easy to use and effectively mitigates the risk of email security violations. Securence has a warning system, immediately alerting users when they have received an attachment containing a macro. This allows our users to make cautiously informed decisions when either opening or avoiding these potentially hazardous attachments.

Protect your company’s data from CryptoLocker Malware by contacting Securence to discuss your options.

Our world is constantly connected, or at least it seems to be. But there are many different things that can happen to disconnect us from the world, our clients, and those important to our business. Since your business needs to stay connected in order to properly function, you need a backup plan that can keep your email communications running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. You can’t afford to lose a single communication, no matter what’s happening, so it’s important to have a service that won’t break down. That service is called “email continuity,” a simple, affordable, and effective way to keep your lines of communication open constantly.

Email continuity is a simple yet powerful idea

Email communication should be constant and not entirely dependent on a continually-running server. As many business owners know, servers can be unreliable; subject to power outages, maintenance problems, or simply unavailable because of an unforeseen problem. When these sorts of problems strike, those without email continuity come to a full stop by simply being disconnected, unable to send or receive emails and communicate when they need to. And with servers down, emails can get lost in the data interruption, meaning important communications could go unreceived and, therefore, unanswered.

The good news is that email outages can be a temporary thing of the past for your business

Thanks to email continuity services, any and all server outages can be temporary problems that leave your own email accounts unaffected and fully operational—and without losing a single byte of data. It works by automatically uploading your entire email to a cloud server, one that can remain operational in the event of a server outage. With everything on the cloud, your email will run on a backup that looks, feels, operates, and functions like your usual email, including receiving and sending emails. And once the server is back up and running, the cloud downloads the newest version of your email data for a seamless email experience.

We live in a world that is constantly connected

Between text messages, social media, and emails, our world moves at the speed of information, and information is constantly in motion. With so much riding on being able to communicate whenever you need, email continuity is becoming more and more important. Not only does proper email continuity protect your business from server outages and the potential loss of valuable communications, but it also ensures that you can stay in contact with the people that matter.

At Securence, we believe that email continuity is a necessity. Our email continuity service package is an affordable way to keep you connected and running, no matter what’s happening with your server. We offer a variety of email continuity plans that can easily grow with your business. That way, you won’t ever have to worry about losing emails because of your success or growth. Contact us today for an estimate on our email continuity service packages. It could be the difference between staying connected and getting disconnected at the worst possible moment.

In today’s business world, things travel at the speed of light. Communication is not only necessary, it’s critical, and it’s constant. There are people whose very lives depend on emails, and every business needs to have constant and reliable access to their email network. Yet, server outages happen, and when they do, many companies and their employees are brought to a sudden halt. Without access to any of their previous emails, and a vital communication pathway stopped, these outages can cost you time and money. But with email continuity solutions, you can always have access to your emails, even when a server goes down. All you need is an internet connection and Securence’s specialized cloud based email continuity service will do the rest. Here’s just a few ways that email continuity services can help your business succeed.

1. You and Your Employees Have Email Access All the Time

The main benefit that email continuity brings to any business is the ability to access emails in almost any circumstance. With our email continuity service, all you or your employees will need is an internet connection and with that they will always have access to their inboxes. This means that they can find important emails and attachments, review conversations and more, whenever they need.

2. Still Send and Receive, Even During Server Outages

One of the critical problems that occur during email server outages is that you are no longer able to send and receive messages. This can be a terrible experience for you, your business, and your employees, which inturn can have an impact on your client relations, see you working without the right information, and more. An email continuity service will ensure that inbound and outbound emails are still sent and received while the server is out, which means your company can seamlessly keep running no matter what.

3. Automatic Service, Constant Communication

Securence Email Continuity is directly linked to your email server, providing a constant update of licenses, information, and services that can easily be transported to a cloud system. When a server outage occurs, our service kicks in automatically, functioning just like the original service without any interruption. This means you’ll never have to worry about lost communications or lack of access to email accounts. With our cloud-based email continuity service, seamless email service makes server outage problems a thing of the past.

Starting at less than $1 per user/per month, Securence Email Continuity is a cost-effective yet crucial aspect of the modern business. Server outages are all too common, especially in the business world, and they can bring your company to a grinding halt. But with the right email continuity service, you’ll never have to worry about your business’ email again. With Securence Email Continuity, you will still be able to send and receive emails and gain access to important messages, all through our seamless cloud-based technology. All you need is an internet connection.