Category Archives: Blog

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Pixel Phones Have The Update For Newest Android OS

The latest version of the Android OS is now available in beta form.  The catch is, you’ve got to own a Google Pixel phone to use it at this point. The rest of Google’s massive user base will get to see Android Q later this year. In an unusual move, the company limited access to their latest work in progress to Pixel owners, including those still using the Pixel 1 (which is technically no longer supported by the company).

The latest version of the OS introduces a variety of advancements.

Here are a few you’ll be impressed with:

  • Better split-screen support – Note that this also specifically improves enhanced support for foldable screens, which appear to figure heavily in Google’s long-term plans. That’s good news for some phone manufacturers.  If you own a Galaxy Fold, for example, when Q is released for your device, the change will have a big impact.
  • Improved Privacy and Permission Features – Any time you see a popup driven by an app seeking permission to access a portion of your data (location data, for example), you’ll see three options:
    • Allow All The Time
    • Allow Only While The App Is In Use
    • Deny
  • Improved Security – On the privacy front, Android Q does not allow apps to launch any activity while in the background, which means that malicious apps can’t do anything nefarious without user input.
  • Big Improvements To The Share Menu – One of the most persistent user complaints about previous versions of Android has been the OS’s sub-par share menu. It’s getting a major overhaul that makes it more intuitive and includes an option for developers to publish “Sharing Shortcuts” which should make the menu even more useful.

Do you own a Pixel?  If so, check out the new features and start playing around with them today!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Hundreds Of Apps Loaded Adware Onto Millions Of Android Phones

How many malicious apps would you need on the Google Play Store to infect more than one hundred and fifty million Android devices? Unfortunately, we have a good answer to that question, courtesy of SimBad adware, which can be found in 210 different Android apps.

Taken together, they’ve made their way onto nearly 150 million devices.

If that was the only strain of adware in existence it would be bad enough. Of course, SimBad is only one form of malware.  Granted, it’s a significant strain with a hefty footprint, but the statistics above only demonstrate the sheer scope and scale of the problem. The internet is awash in malware of all types, and the problem is only getting worse.

On top of that, hackers are getting increasingly sophisticated in the way they deploy their poisoned code. Even worse, they’re sharing secrets and adopting each other’s most effective strategies. They’re creating a kind of ‘Black Hat Best Practices’ that enable even hackers with only a moderate level of skill to cause real damage.

If all of the above wasn’t bad enough, even worse is the fact that the larger hacking groups have begun serving as hired guns.  On the Dark Web, it’s easy to find a massive botnet for hire, or to rent out someone else’s malware and leverage their resources to launch your own devastating campaign.

Arrayed against these forces are a motley collection of industry insiders, independent researchers, corporate IT staff members, and security company professionals. They are all trying gamely to keep up with the ever-shifting threat matrix.

Unfortunately, it’s a battle these forces are losing.  2018 was another record setting year in terms of the number of successful data breaches, and 2019 will almost certainly beat last year.  Stay vigilant.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Social Security Administration Seeing High Number Of Scams

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a public service announcement regarding the growing number of Social Security related scams they’ve been getting reports about.

In 2017, just 3,200 people called to report instances of SSA Voice Phishing (called ‘vishing’), with total 2017 losses amounting to some $210,000.

In 2018, that number swelled to more than 63,000 with losses in excess of $16.6 million.  Even worse, these statistics don’t tell the full extent of the story or the amount of growth. That’s because of course, not everyone who falls victim to such scams calls in to report them. So the overall number and the corresponding dollar amount lost is no doubt much higher.

As to the scam itself, there are obviously a number of variations, but broadly speaking, they all follow the same basic script.  A scammer calls, pretending to be someone from the Social Security Administration.  They inform the person they’re speaking to that they’re calling because suspicious activity was spotted as relates to the person’s account (credit applications and the like).

This, they inform the potential victim, has caused their social security to be blocked and suspended, and warn the victim that it’s possible that their bank accounts may be seized as a result of the suspicious activity.

It’s ham-fisted and transparent, but it works a shocking percentage of the time.  Fearful of being cut off and potentially locked out of their life savings, the victims proceed to gladly hand over any and all information the phony SSA official says they need to put the matter right.  That of course includes verification of the victim’s social security number and all their banking information.

Needless to say, it doesn’t end well for the person who hands over all this information. Be aware of it, and make sure any seniors you know are aware of it too.  Anything we can do, collectively, to help stem this tide is a very good thing.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Ransomware Attackers Targeting Larger Companies For More Money

If you haven’t heard of the GrandCrab ransomware strain, it’s something you should put on your company’s radar.  It first emerged as a viable threat in early 2018.

Since that time, its creators have been constantly tweaking and honing their approach, turning it into a devastatingly effective strain.

The latest version GrandCrab 5.2 was released in February 2019, and researchers at Crowdstrike have been digging into both the software and the operating tactics of the group responsible for it.  Their findings are disturbing to say the least.

The creators of GrandCrab are essentially operating their software under and affiliate scheme, where the owners of the software deploy it on behalf of hacker clients, offering it as a service for hire in exchange for 30-40 percent of the profits.  The company is even advertising on black hat forums and across the Dark Web, using ads designed specifically to pique the interest of other hackers in the community.

In addition to that, GrandCrab’s creators are ramping up their own efforts. They are increasingly ignoring smaller targets in preference for large companies with sprawling global networks, seeking a greater infection percentage (and a correspondingly higher payday).

The plan works like this:  Once they get a hold inside a corporate network, rather than triggering the infection immediately, they explore the space and try to use their beach head to expand the number of machines their infectious software resides on.  Only when they’ve achieved deep network penetration that spans a large percentage of the company’s networked machines do they trigger the infection. This results in the mass encryption of files across much (if not all) of the target network, instantly bringing the company to its knees.

The researchers have taken to calling this approach ‘Big Game Hunting’ for obvious reasons., It is proving to be brutally effective because statistically, infected companies are more likely than not to pony up the ransom money being demanded.

All that to say the hackers are getting increasingly savvy and organized.  Don’t let your guard down.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Windows 10 Update May Cause Gaming Issues

If you’ve installed Microsoft’s March 1st update for Windows 10, version 180G, be aware that a growing percentage of users are reporting performance issues that impact graphics quality and mouse movement. Granted, the issues seem to have the biggest impact on games, with gamers who play games like Destiny 2 and Call of Duty 4. Of course, performance issues are likely to crop up in a variety of other applications as well.

Microsoft engineers are tracking various discussion forums and Reddit threads where the issue surrounding the KB4482887 update is the topic. They have concluded that the biggest performance impacts come from users who are playing older games (upwards of ten years old), but don’t seem to impact people who play newer games nearly as much, which is curious to say the least.

It’s not at all surprising that gamers are the first to report performance issues.  After all, gaming tends to demand quite a lot from a computer system’s resources in ways that mucking around in a spreadsheet simply doesn’t.  Then there’s the fact that gamers live and die based on in-game lag and latency, so even small blips are very noticeable.  Even so, there are several resource intensive Enterprise applications that may suffer similar performance issues.

For their part, Microsoft is on the case and is currently scrambling to provide a fix for the update. Although to this point, they haven’t provided users with a timeframe for when it might be released.

This latest incident follows on the heels of several months’ worth of problematic Windows 10 updates which have left the company with egg on their faces and prompted them to revisit the way they handle QA/QC prior to the release of an update.

Despite the fact that they’ve been working hard to improve their approach, it seems clear that they’re not quite where they need to be yet.  If you haven’t installed the KB4482887 update yet, and you make frequent use of resource-intensive programs, it may be worth holding off until Microsoft issues an update to the update.

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