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Rik Ferguson speaking with George Lee on the Business Show on Saturday 27 April 2013. Earlier this week, the Twitter account of the Associated Press news agency in America was hacked by saboteurs who sent out a bogus tweet claiming there had been two explosions at the White House and that President Obama had been injured. Immediately $200 million dollars was wiped off values in US financial markets. A group calling itself the Syrian Electronic Army subsequently claimed responsibility. Most hackers however, have profit, rather than politics, in mind. Rik Ferguson is the Vice President of Security Research at Trend Micro and he's an expert on cyber crime. Rik then joined George Lee on the line from Poland to chat more about cyber crime.

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We are providing a world class managed security service to the Irish & UK markets. The Trend Micro Worry-Free™ Business Security solutions provide fast, effective, and simple-to-manage virus protection, allowing you to use your computers without fear of interruption or data loss. For a free consultancy please call us! ShareThis

Smarttech and IBM have teamed up offering SMEs state of the art Servers for less than 30 euro per user per month. This cuts out the need for bank loan's and allows you to concentrate on growing your business. Contact 0818 27 27 27 now for more details.
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Ronan Murphy CEO of Smarttech.ie discussing the Royal Bank of Scotland / Ulster Bank Network crash with Mary Wilson on RTE 1 Drive time show.
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About 20 per cent of businesses that were supplied with Eircom wireless routers which had a security flaw have not taken steps to secure them, according to IT services firm BITS.

Gavin Dixon, managing director of BITS, said his firm noticed that a large number of its new customers were still using the Netopia-manufactured routers. Since they began actively monitoring the situation, BITS has found that 20 per cent of small and medium enterprises with which they deal had not secured the routers.

“It’s amazing really,” said Mr Dixon. “You don’t have to go to far to find an app or website that will enable you to access those networks.”

The flaw affected about 250,000 Netopia routers shipped to homes and businesses between 2005 and 2007. They used a security protocol called wired equivalent privacy (WEP), which requires a 16-digit password to access the network. The default security code is generated from the serial number of the router which is also used to drive the eight-digit network name of the network.

Using simple hacking tools, which are freely available for smartphones or laptops, the eight-digit network name can be input and the secure password generated.

Mr Dixon said it was largely inertia that was causing people not to make changes to their networks. “A lot of times we go into a customer and there’s a new router sitting there,” he said, “but they haven’t set it up because as far as they are concerned the old one is working fine.”

He added that Eircom needed to “take more ownership of the problem”. The telecommunications company’s advice that only people “with an advanced working knowledge of encryption and coding techniques” could take advantage of the flaw had given people a false sense of security. ShareThis

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Smarttech are now an authorised Authorised Education Reseller (AER), which allows the sale of Microsoft Software at discounted rates to Education establishments.

We have specialists who have been certified as Microsoft Licensing Specialists and can advise companies on how they can get their software legal and the different array of options that Microsoft are now offering when licensing their software.

For more information on the Smarttech (AER) please call one of our Sales Team today on 0818 27 27 27

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Smarttech has proudly sponsored the development of the new website www.speakupformarymount.ie

After 141 years of providing care to the sick and elderly, Mary-mount/St Patrick's Hospital has left its historical city home at Wellington Road, St Luke's Cross, Cork. The facility, which provides respite services for older people and full palliative/hospice care, moved from Cork's northside to a new hospice and hospital at Curraheen.

The new 75-bed hospital and 44-bed hospice overlooks Curraheen interchange on the Ballincollig bypass, with the main entrance situated at Ballinaspig More, Waterfall Road, Cork. On the 25th November there will be a 24hour speakathon with 150 speakers over 24 hours.

This will be opened by the lord mayor and concluded with the county mayor. If you would like to speak or sponsor a speaker please visit www.speakupformarymount.ie

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Smarttech has just taken over the maintenance of ITW Graphics formerly Chris Kay. The companies is one of the largest employers in West Cork and the Kinsale Facility is one of 20 global sites. ShareThis

Increasing technology and business challenges such as virtualisation, server and data centre consolidation require a robust, yet adaptive server management plan for the enterprise. With expensive and mission-critical applications running on server infrastructure, a break-fix management methodology is simply taboo. Be it an over utilised resource causing an application failure or a malicious virus threatening data security, the IT manager requires a server management solution that is proactive, up-to-date with technologies, and business intelligent. The Smarttech MSP platform provides this service to the IT managers. - Ronan Murphy Director

All helpdesk technicians are all highly trained Microsoft certified professionals who can advise, fix or just alert IT managers to potential issues.

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Smarttech has just completed the development of the Kearys.ie website. The state of the art website is promotes all of the Kearys dealerships including Renault, BMW, Toyota, Lexus, Mini and Mottorad. The Content Management system was custom built for Kearys to provide them with an easy and efficient user interface which was directly linked into the carzone database. Features of the new site include a fully integrated Social media, twitter, facebook and blog element. ShareThis

Ballyseedy Home and Garden is an award-winning family run business has announced the opening of a new state of the art garden centre facility in fota island business park. The state of the art facility will create 60 new jobs. One of the largest lifestyle and garden centres in Ireland, it has everything for all your home and garden needs. Smarttech have just completed the deployment of a state of the art network within the facility and integrated the IT infrastructure with their current CRM systems. ShareThis

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It's all become a little familiar. We know that email attachments we receive from unknown sources could mess up our computers, and that giving personal information in response to an email pretending to be from our bank can only lead to trouble. And then there are the big hacking stories. Last week, just as Sony restarted their Playstation store following cyber hacks some weeks ago, they were hacked again.

A group called Lulzsec claimed responsibility for the new attack. This time the target was Sony Pictures Entertainment, and they claim to have retrieved the personal information of one million users. Lulzsec claim they did it to show how vulnerable the company's security is but the attack doesn't appear to have been for commercial gain. This week Nintendo announced the same group had hacked their server weeks ago but could not get through their security to any data. But not all hackers are so benign. Last week specific Gmail accounts were hacked, including those of US government officials. And remember your data is not just held on your PC. It's on your smartphone too. And that makes the device vulnerable to security threats.

Errol Finkelstein, General Manager of smartphone defence experts, Blackbelt Defence, says: "People think their phones are okay but a substantial amount, up to 20% are not. In fact smartphones have a higher infection rate than PCs." What? I have a smartphone and I'm sure it's fine. But Finkelstein insists that a lot of the time we don't even know. He maintains that breakdowns could be due to infection, or a shorter battery life could be a sign of a virus plaguing your phone. He cites as an example an incident that happened over a year ago where half a million handsets in Southern Europe and the Middle East started sending text messages to France every few seconds. According to Finkelstein the telecoms companies, realising what was happening, dropped the charges, so customers won't have known had happened. But how could all of this affect you, the user?

Ronan Murphy of IT service provider Smarttech claims that the biggest threat comes from the fact that we store so much information on our handsets. "A mobile device has become a corporate workplace", he says. This means that information contained in emails, numbers and addresses and your account details stored for use when buying apps or tunes or for social network sites, and even when using Skype, could all be a potential goldmine for a fraudster. Or malwear could prompt your phone to text a premium rate number. Threats can come from apps so be careful that you're confident of the source of the app you download. By the way, Apple say their system is secure, and it is telling that they will not cover you for problems if you have downloaded an app from outside their own store.

There is growth in the production of malwear, says Peter Harrison of Blackbelt Defence, mainly in Russia and China, and he says it's not some "spotty teen" but criminals intent on making money. So be careful when downloading apps, use multiple passwords and change them regularly, and back up all your information. You can consider buying software protection, and the only one available in Ireland through an Irish distributor is by Blackbelt Defence, sold by Smarttech (priced at €19.95). Features include locating stolen handsets, wiping data remotely if the phone is missing, and providing layered walls of protection against viruses by scanning incoming files and blocking them if malwear is found, just like the software you would use on your computer.

- Tina Leonard
Irish Independent

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This is an important message from Smarttech Customer Care. Over the last few weeks, a number of Irish consumers have been cold called regarding a Bogus Microsoft scam. Here at Smarttech, a few of our clients have received these SCAM calls claiming to be from Microsoft, and informing the client that they have a red alert virus on their computer which will corrupt the harddrive or motherboard within days . These calls are generally aimed at the Residential market as opposed the Business market, but in any case it is very important to aware of this BOGUS SCAM. ShareThis

A virus infecting mobile phones using Googles Android operating system has emerged in China that can allow a hacker to gain access to personal data, US security expertssaid. A report this week from Lookout Mobile Security said the new Trojan affecting Android devices has been dubbed Geinimi and can compromise a significant amount of personal data on a users phone and send it to remote servers.

The firm called the virus the most sophisticated Android malware weve seen to date. Once the malware is installed on a users phone, it has the potential to receive commands from a remote server that allow the owner of that server to control the phone, Lookout said. Geinimis author(s) have raised the sophistication bar significantly over and above previously observed Android malware by employing techniques to obfuscate its activities. The motive for the virus was not clear, accoring the Lookout, which added that this could be used for anything from a malicious ad-network to an attempt to create an Android botnet. But the company said the only users likely to be affected are those downloading Android apps from China.

The infected apps included repackaged versions sold in China of Monkey Jump 2, Sex Positions, President vs. Aliens, City Defense and Baseball Superstars 2010. It is important to remember that even though there are instances of the games repackaged with the Trojan, the original versions available in the official Google Android Market have not been affected, the security firm said. ShareThis

Does the cloud really make businesses more energy efficient? A recently released study done by Accenture and WSP Environmental Consultants boldly declares that it does. The study states, “businesses that choose to run applications in the cloud can reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions by 30 percent or more versus running those same applications on their own IT infrastructure.” The benefits are stretched even further when talking about businesses with less than 100 employees.

The study sites four principle factors accounting for this reduction in energy:
- Dynamic Provisioning: Reducing wasted computing resources through better matching of server capacity with actual demand.
- Multi-Tenancy: This means that all users access the same software and hardware infrastructure minimising wasted resources.
- Server Utilisation: Operating servers at higher utilisation rates.
- Data Center Efficiency: Utilising advanced data center infrastructure designs that reduce power loss through improved cooling, power conditioning, etc.

Comparasion of Carbon Emissions of Cloud-Based vs On-Premise Delivery of Three Microsoft Applications:








The Study
The researchers conducted the study comparing the energy consumption of the cloud versions of Microsoft Sharepoint, Exchange and Dynamics CRM vs. the on-premise versions of the same software. Measuring total energy consumption of cloud applications was difficult as the researchers had to take into account the data center’s energy consumption but the team took a comprehensive approach and its findings appear to be very accurate.

What this means
Moving to cloud by no means eliminates your technology carbon footprint, but it will drastically reduce it. Furthermore, efforts are being taken by the major data center operators to build more sustainable and efficient data centers that will contribute to sustainable cloud computing growth.

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If you've written your wish list for Santa, chances are a smartphone is on it. Whether it's an iPhone, Blackberry or Android's version, each is a desirable piece of kit. Emailing, web browsing, updating your Facebook page, downloading apps and a lot more; a smartphone is a computer and social networking tool in your pocket. And like your computer it holds a lot of your personal data, so how do you keep it safe?

Dermot Williams, MD of IT-security specialists Threatscape, explains your smartphone could contain confidential data and your credit-card details, so you have to worry about people getting their hands on it. Plus if you keep your social networking page open, anyone could update your status with something malicious. "You wouldn't leave your wallet unattended on a bar counter," says Williams, "so why would you leave your smartphone there when it's just as valuable?" Whatever about someone accessing your data, could your phone be open to a virus in the same way your computer is?

"Yes, the threat is real," says CEO of IT service providers Smarttech, Ronan Murphy."Hackers are well-funded and smart and they will go where the masses go. Right now that's mobile phones, which is the fastest growing platform where people keep sensitive data." The first virus appeared in 2004 and was delivered to PDA devices over Bluetooth, says Murphy. "The virus drained the battery and it was done for fun more than anything, but now hackers are more sinister."

According to Murphy, the first Trojan virus for android phones appeared in August. A buyer registered for a media player but unknown to them, there was a Trojan virus installed that started sending premium rate texts. Their account paid up and the hackers collected the money. The same thing can happen when registering for a game or app so it is crucial to know who you are doing business with. 'Apple say you cannot get a virus on their phone," says Murphy, "but the problem is that many people who use iPhones 'jailbreak' so that they can access apps outside of the tightly controlled Apple store. "Once you 'jailbreak' you are opening your iPhone up to potential viruses, and if you 'jailbreak' Apple will not recognise your phone any more. In September there were seven billion app downloads, so the scale for potential risk is huge."

According to a report in last week's Shanghai Daily a 'zombie' virus disguised as an anti-virus app infected more than one million smartphone users. Spamming the phones with money-making links has netted the hackers up to $300,000 a day in added text-message charges for the users affected. The bad news is that if the worst happens, your smartphone's operating system will need to be wiped and re-loaded. Williams says that the "security software for phones is not as sophisticated yet as that for computers as they don't need to be", but he adds "when it is needed the software will be there". The good news is that if you operate a decent level of common sense, all should be fine.

By Tina Leonard / Irish Independent
Thursday November 18 2010
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Smarttech VM Virtual Server Co-Location allows organisations to run multiple servers hosted in a secure controlled environment without a large capital expenditure outlay and expensive hardware maintenance contracts. Using best in breed virtual technology solutions from VMware, you can increase business continuity and disaster recovery, reduce server sprawl and improve IT manageability.

Benefits

• Outsourced management of hardware.
• Short time to implement. Server is live within a few days.
•  Base server OS configuration can be replicated as many times as required for even faster deployment after the first server is live.
•  Scalability. Using a Chinese menu, you can upgrade individual specifications on the server such as RAM, Storage, and Processing.
•  Reduce costs from hosting your own equipment in your own offices or data centre.
•  Managed security services available with your individual rule set per cluster, or per server if required.
•  Virtual servers can be dropped into your Smart Cloud Connect network to be accessible over Private ADSL, Private 3G, Fibre, Wireless, and many more.

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Smarttech are have taken over the management of the telecoms for Good Fish in Ireland. The deal with Smarttech will represent a saving of 40% on the telecom costs to Good Fish and their 6 sites nationwide. The Good Fish Company has grown to become one of the largest fish processors in Ireland, providing a wide variety of seafood products. Good Fish processing facility is in Carrigaline, Co. Cork which is ideally located near all the major fishing ports in the South of Ireland, such as Castletownbere, Union Hall and Kinsale, which are renowned for sourcing some of the highest quality fish in the world. Good Fish Processing strive to deliver “The Freshest Fish Everyday” ShareThis