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Microsoft Update - Windows 8

Steve Hirst - Monday, January 18, 2016
In a surprise move Microsoft have announced that the support for Windows 8 ended on the 12th of January, instructing users to upgrade to either Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.  The biggest issue with no support is the security risk.  Windows 8 vulnerabilities were addressed in the upgrade to Windows 8.1 and this operating system will get Microsoft’s 10 year support.

For those that are already running Windows 10:

If you are installing the latest patch for Windows 10 we would recommend that you leave this until after hours or are not requiring your device for the next couple of ours.  One of the team just updated his tablet and it took more than 90 minutes.

Give us a call to talk to one of our technical team if you would like some assistance with this or need more information.

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Outlook attack steals massive number of passwords

Steve Hirst - Monday, October 19, 2015
Large organisations could be at risk as researchers have uncovered advanced malware that can steal almost all of their email passwords by infecting their Outlook Web Application (OWA) mail server over an extended period of time.

Security firm Cybereason’s researchers discovered the malicious OWA module after receiving a call from an unnamed company that had more than 19,000 endpoints (an Internet-capable computer hardware device). Apparently the company had witnessed several behavioural abnormalities in its network and asked Cybereason to look for suspicious activity. Within hours, they found a suspicious file loaded into the company’s OWA server that was unsigned (not proven to be safe).

This file contained a backdoor. Because it ran on the company's server, it was able to circumvent the security protocols, and as a result, the attackers behind this threat were able to steal the passwords of anyone that accessed the server.

Cybereason also detailed the technical information behind how the hackers managed to gain a foothold into such a highly strategic asset;
"Almost by definition, OWA requires organizations to define a relatively lax set of restrictions; and in this case, OWA was configured in a way that allowed Internet-facing access to the server. This enabled the hackers to establish persistent control over the entire organization's environment without being detected for a period of several months."

This is a particularly valuable resource for attackers because it acts as an intermediary between the public Internet and a resource that’s inside a company’s firewall. Because they were using OWA to enable remote user access to Outlook, the attackers were able to access the company’s domain credentials. Although Cybereason didn’t say how widespread the attack is beyond it targeting the one company, the likelihood is that malware as detailed as this isn’t a one-off thing, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see it resurface again.

Are you worried about such an event happening to your company? Our Managed Services Solutions can help you defend against such an attack. Talk to our sales team for more info.

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Windows 10 launch

Colm McGrath - Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The release of Windows 10 on the 29th July is now getting very close. The upgrade will be available to people shortly after the 29th as Microsoft will first be rolling out the finished version to those who have been participating in the Windows Insider program and testing pre-release versions of the software (as some of our techs have been doing). Once that has rolled out the general public will then be able to upgrade to Windows 10 via Windows Update in the following days. No exact date is given, and Microsoft will be rolling it out in waves so not everyone will get it at the same time.

As a reminder all current devices running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 are eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 within the first year.

We want to point out however that our customer’s environments should be assessed before jumping into the Windows 10 upgrade. It’s important that all applications your business relies on are compatible with the new operating system. While most systems should work fine (as the compatibility with Windows 8.1 is very high), we have had some software suppliers advise that their applications have issues working with Windows 10. Please talk to us if you wish to upgrade so we can assist you and help ensure business interruption is minimised.

Microsoft has announced a number of different editions of Windows 10, but there will be three main versions that most of you will see. They are:

  •  Windows 10 Home - this is designed for use in PCs, tablets, and 2-in-1s. It includes all consumer-directed features and is the equivalent to basic Windows 8, 8.1, Windows 7 Home Basic and Home Premium.
  • Windows 10 Professional – This is the version most of our customers will be using. It is comparable with Windows 8 Pro, Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate and Windows Vista Business and Ultimate. It builds on the Home edition and adds features essential for businesses, and functionality-wise it is equal to Windows 8.1 Pro.
  • Windows 10 Mobile – designed for smart phones like Microsoft’s Lumia range. It will be a free upgrade for current Windows Phone devices. New hardware will also allow features such as continuum, which allows you to dock your phone and use it like a computer with a screen, keyboard and mouse.

There are also other editions for scenarios outside of our customer base such as large enterprise, education, and IoT Core (where a version of Windows 10 can run on low cost embedded computers like the Raspberry Pi).

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