Category Archives: Blog

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Your Kindle EBook May Lose Partial Functionality Soon

Do you own an older Amazon Kindle? Older Kindles utilize 3G internet connectivity protocols but mobile carriers are currently racing to upgrade their networks to 4G/5G.

Older devices that only have a 3G connection option will be frozen out of the internet entirely once the upgrade is complete. Amazon has been emailing owners of older Kindles to keep them in the loop. According to the company, the clock is ticking and owners of Older Kindles will be shut out by December of this year (2021).

If there is a silver lining to be found in the company’s recent announcement it lies in the fact that you’ll still be able to download your ebooks onto your PC and connect your Kindle to the PC via USB cable. Doing so will enable you to keep your ebook collection up to date and extend the life of your old Kindle.

Note that this applies to more than just the first and second generation Kindle.

According to a blog post made by Amazon, the following products are also impacted:

  • The Kindle DX
  • The Kindle Keyboard (third generation and older)
  • Kindle Touch (4th generation and older)
  • Kindle Paperwhite (7th generation and older)
  • Kindle Voyage (7th generation and older)
  • And Kindle Oasis (8th generation and older)

Note that some of the products in the list above do have WiFi connectivity as an option. In those cases. users will be able to use that but will no longer be able to connect via 3G. The first and second generation Kindle and the Kindle DX have no WiFi option and will be shut out entirely except for the possibility of wired transfers as described above.

It’s unfortunate but that is often the way of things when technology advances. When the Kindle was first released no one gave much though to how networks might change in the future. If you own an older Kindle it may be time to consider an upgrade.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Malware Named Xloader Targeting Macs And Stealing Information

XLoader is a newly discovered strain of malware designed to infect systems running macOS. This new strain was built from a malware strain called FormBook which was designed to steal passwords from Windows-based machines. The new strain is currently being offered on at least one forum on the Dark Web. It is being billed as a botnet loader service which can “recover” passwords from a variety of web browsers and email clients.

These include but are not limited to:

  • Foxmail
  • Thunderbird
  • Outlook
  • Internet Explorer
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Opera
  • Firefox
  • And Google Chrome

The Windows-based variant of the malware is being offered on the Dark Web for rent for $59 a month. The macOS version is being offered for $49 a month.

Formbook has played a role in more than a thousand malware campaigns over the last three years and ranks as the 4th most prevalent strain of malware on the web. Although Formbook campaigns have impacted users around the world more than half of the affected users have been in the United States.

If the popularity of Formbook is any indication then Mac users are in for a tough time in the weeks and months ahead. Odds are excellent that we’ll be seeing and hearing about a wide range of XLoader attacks.

The internet security company CheckPoint discovered the new strain. Yaniv Balmas, of CheckPoint, observed that this new variant is far more sophisticated and advanced than its predecessor.

Balmas warns that although there has historically been a large gap between the prevalence malware in the Windows and Mac ecosystems that gap is closing quickly. The threats to Mac users are growing almost by the day. If you have Macs in service in your office be on the alert and keep a sharp eye out for this threat.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Some Older Printer Drivers Are Vulnerable To Hackers

SentinelOne recently published a report that revealed a previously undiscovered security flaw found in a wide range of printers that include printers manufactured by Samsung, Xerox, and HP.

The bug is being tracked as a high severity security vulnerability and puts hundreds of millions of older printers in currently in service at risk.

The flaw allows an attacker to gain admin rights on a vulnerable system by exploiting a flaw in the print driver software. It is being tracked as CVE-2021-3438 and is described as a buffer overflow issue that could lead to a local escalation of privileges. That is even if the printer is not currently connected to the machine in question.

The good news is that a hacker would need local access to the target machine in order to successfully exploit the security flaw. This limits its usefulness to hackers.

All three companies responded to the news quickly and have already issued updates to their drivers which addresses the issue. Some Windows machines may already have access to the updated driver courtesy of a recent Windows update. If you are still using the outdated driver you will want to install the updated version as soon as possible in order to mitigate your risk.

This is not the first time that SentinelOne has found a very old bug that everyone else had overlooked. Earlier this year (2021) the company discovered a 12-year-old bug in Windows Defender Antivirus that allowed attackers to gain full control of vulnerable systems.

As was the case with Samsung, HP, and Xerox. Microsoft acted quickly and patched their software to minimize the chance of abuse.

Kudos to all of the companies mentioned above for taking fast action here. This will certainly not be the last time this year we hear about such issues but it’s good to know that so many of the companies we rely on are responding quickly when problems arise.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Malware Called MosaicLoader Is Being Delivered Via Ads

Security company BitDefender has recently discovered a new strain of malware you should be aware of. They have dubbed the new threat MosaicLoader.

According to the company it is currently being distributed via ads displayed in search results when an internet user searches for links to cracked versions of popular software.

It is designed to steal passwords, deliver other forms of malware, and install cryptocurrency miners. This means that if it winds up on your system it can cause all manner of problems for you.

Most malware we see today is delivered via phishing attacks or by exploiting unpatched software. MosaicLoader’s method of delivery makes it markedly different and thus noteworthy.

Bogdan Botezatu of BitDefender had this to say about the recent discovery:

“Most likely, attackers are purchasing adverts with downstream ad networks – small ad networks that funnel ad traffic to larger and larger providers. They usually do this over the weekend when manual ad vetting is impacted by the limited staff on call.”

Most up to date antivirus software would spot and prevent the installation of MosaicLoader. Unfortunately many people who are looking for cracked versions of popular software turn their antivirus software off. Hackers around the world are well aware of this and are seeking to take advantage.

Bogdan Botezatu continues:

“From what we can tell, this new MosaicLoader attempts to infect as many devices as possible, likely to build up market share and then sell access to infected computers to other threat actors. We advise users to never turn off their security solution when it blocks the installation of software downloaded from the internet, as attackers have become adept at bundling legitimate apps with malware.”

It’s good advice. Make sure all of your employees are aware and on their guard. That’s not a perfect solution but it is a very good start.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Latest Version Of Chrome Gets Additional Security Enhancements

Google has recently released Chrome 92. The latest version of the browser includes a raft of high value updates and has fixes for a number of high severity security issues.

Here’s a quick overview:

Chrome for iOS now allows users to lock their “incognito” browsing tabs. This secures them with either a passcode or your TouchID. The new security feature is not enabled by default. In order to enable it you will need to go to Settings and Privacy and then enable the “Lock Incognito Tabs” option.

Locked Incognito tabs will not be visible after leaving and reopening Chrome unless the user re-authenticates.

Chrome 92 (all platforms) also fleshes out its Chrome Actions feature. This allows you to typing in certain keywords and phrases and get a shortcut to the feature you’re looking for.

For example, you can type in:

  • Delete History
  • Edit Passwords
  • Manage Security Settings
  • Or Manage Sync

Typing these commands will bring you to the relevant section of the browser’s settings page. You can also now type in “Safety Check” which will allow you to scan your device for malicious extensions. Google has also beefed up its Site Isolation feature. This feature was initially introduced to prevent Spectre-like side-channel attacks. Google has also upgraded its phishing protection by adding image processing capabilities.

The company had this to say about its new phishing protections:

“If the site matches a known phishing site, Chrome warns you to protect your personal information and prevent you from exposing your credentials. On average, users will get their phishing classification results after 100 milliseconds, instead of 1.8 seconds.”

Chrome 92 offers all of that and also addresses a total of nine high severity security issues. This is a major update. Get it today if you haven’t already installed it.

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