Record Setting Microsoft Updates
Monday, August 9, 2010For those clients who've had problems related to an unusually high number of Microsoft Updates; Computer World and Microsoft are reporting that a record-setting number of updates will be released this week.
We'll be on hand to manage and install updates on your behalf, but please be aware of what's going on and keep an eye open for any issues that may arise this week.
Robert
OBG Phishing Scam Update
Friday, May 28, 2010The Ohio Business Gateway, in response to the phony emails reported earlier, has added this alert to their website:
http://business.ohio.gov/alert/
They are aware of the threat and are looking into the source of the problem.
Ohio Business Gateway Phishing Scam
Thursday, May 27, 2010Dear Clients,
For those of you who use the Ohio Business Gateway to electronically file your sales tax or perform other functions, I wanted to let you know there is some spam going around that, at first glance, appears to come from the Ohio Business Gateway (see link below for a screenshot). The poorly written email asks users to take several steps to secure their OBG profiles as well as their computer systems, ending with a request that users download “OBG Secure Software” and it provides several download links for various operating systems.
Based on what I’ve seen so far, the email appears to be a hoax and the file to be downloaded (each link takes you to the same TinyURL redirection and asks you to download the same, generic Setup.exe file) is likely a virus or malware. The official Ohio Business Gateway website, does not have any notification for needing such software and does not mention that you will lose OBG access by June if you don’t install it, as the email states.
The download location for the “setup.exe” file is a server based in Amsterdam with an IP address different from that of other Ohio.gov servers, which are based in Columbus.
I’ve notified the Ohio Business Gateway IT Department as well so that they can be aware of it, if they’re not already. I’ll also do a little investigating to see what the file does in the event someone finds themselves infected. Should I hear back from the OBG or find evidence that this is not a malicious email, I’ll let you know. Better safe than sorry. For those of you who process sales tax on behalf of your clients or work in the advisory or financial services industries, you may want to pass this information along to your clients or other employees within your organizations that are in charge of handling this type of work.
Thanks!
Update: The email itself does not appear to cause any issues or alter your system. The "setup.exe" file, if run, will cause damage and as of 3:15PM is only detected by 7% of antivirus suites. It adds processes to your computer without visably affecting your system. If you've run the file, please contact us.
Email Restored
Saturday, April 17, 2010As of Saturday, April 17th 2010 our temporary outage of email is over. Please continue to send email to the "@avrem.com" domain.
Another round of hardware upgrades is scheduled for next weekend.
Email Outages
Friday, April 16, 2010Beginning after hours Friday, April 16th, 2010 we will be performing routine hardware upgrades in our office that will result in our internal email addresses being unavailable for an extended period of time.
Most mail servers will hold mail for about 72 hours so your communications are not lost, we should be back up and running with plenty of time for your servers to relay your messages.
If you do need to get in touch with us, feel free to send an email to our backup email address, "avremtech@zoominternet.net". We appreciate your cooperation.
Thank you!