Conficker: Ticking Time Bomb on Your PC?

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If you watched “60 Minutes” last night, or if you pay attention to online security sites, then you are aware of the latest “super virus” known as Conficker. It also goes by the names Downadup or Kido and has infected at least 10 million systems, and maybe up to 350 million, worldwide.

The scary thing about Conficker is that it is currently laying dormant on affected systems. In effect, it is awaiting further instructions from its creator. These further instructions could be to try and steal personal and financial information, or blast out spam causing further infections and network outages.

The virus is set to check with its creator on April 1st for further instructions, so now is a good time to make sure your system(s) aren’t infected. What steps should you take?

1. Make sure you have up-to-date antivirus software installed and running. Symantec, Kaspersky and others are reportedly catching Conficker infections right now.
2. Make sure you have the latest updates for Microsoft Windows downloaded and installed. Do this by visiting http://www.windowsupdate.com/. Microsoft has released a patch that deals with Conficker.
3. Run a virus scan. Better safe than sorry, right?
4. Don't visit unknown sites or suspicious links, even if sent to you by a friend.
5. Check with our friends at 'threatpost.com' for additional information and news.

By following these simple steps you can potentially save yourself a lot of pain and heart ache. Certainly, feel free to contact our experts here at Wasatch Software if you have any questions or need assistance about any IT security issues. Thanks and have a great day!

Wasatch Software Receives 2009 Kaspersky ‘Rising Star’ Award

It was my pleasure to accept the 2009 Rising Star award at the Kaspersky Lab America’s Partner Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico last month. The ‘Rising Star’ award honors a Kaspersky partner who has displayed exceptional sales and growth over the past year, and was presented by Eugene Kaspersky (CEO, Kaspersky Lab) and Steve Orenberg (President of the Americas, Kaspersky Lab). Wasatch Software was among 4 partners in the United States who received awards.

Kaspersky themselves can also be considered ‘Rising Stars’ in the world of antivirus software and computer security. Over the past few years, they have gained plenty of market share in the United States to coincide with their already strong international customer base. This is largely due to the strength of their product when it comes to virus detection, virus neutralization, ease of administration, and license costs. All of this is certainly drawing attention from players in the I.T. industry, as well as competitors. Following is a breakdown of antivirus market share worldwide as presented at Kaspersky’s recent conference:

Company, Market Share (%)
Symantec, 40%
McAfee, 17%
Trend Micro, 6%
Kaspersky, 4 %
Others, 33%

Of course, Wasatch Software partners with all of the organizations listed above. However, in most cases we find ourselves recommending Kaspersky to our clients based on the best fit for their needs. Certainly let me know if you have any comments, or if we can be of assistance in regards to your perimeter or endpoint security needs.

Computer (In)Security

Yesterday, the owner of another business in our building rushed into our office and reminded me just how important computer security is. His IBM ThinkPad had been virtually paralyzed by a malicious trojan. He stated that he had been surfing the Internet the night before when something popped up and said he had a virus. This pop-up instructed him that he must download something to fix it right away. Naturally, he obeyed as he certainly didn’t want his system to be infected.

Unfortunately, the pop-up was simply an Internet ad meant to scare people into downloading a malicious program. This particular ad led to a download, and the software downloaded was cleverly disguised as antivirus software, even though it was actually the virus that was paralyzing his system. Once on his system, the program told him the only way to fix the issue was to pay a license fee. This is typical of the latest generation of malware (known as crimeware) which is designed to make the creator money by either stealing information or tricking you. Thankfully, our fellow tenant came to us before paying the license fee. We were able to remove the virus and get his system running smoothly again without any loss of data.

What can you do to prevent a situation like this and maintain your computer security?

First and foremost, get good antivirus software. We use Kaspersky Total Space Security on our network here at Wasatch Software. It’s light on system resources, yet effective. Of course, there are a number of other good solutions from companies like Symantec or Trend Micro.

Next, be a skeptic. No antivirus program is perfect, and certainly not user-proof. Therefore you must use good judgment. If you aren’t sure if you should do something, contact an I.T. professional or someone you know who is computer savvy.

Last but not least, backup your data. If your system does get infected beyond repair, at least you can get things back to normal in a reasonable period of time. Backup Exec System Recovery is a great tool for this. If you’re using Windows XP or Windows Vista, be sure to create regular restore points so you can ‘turn back time’ on your system settings.

Have you experienced any similar situations? How did you resolve them?

Kaspersky, Trend Micro Increase Anti-virus Market Share

It was my pleasure to provide some input about security and anti-virus software to Kevin McLaughlin of CRN. Here's an excerpt from his article titled "Channel Best-Sellers: Winning Security Players ":

Security vendors that manage to strike the right balance between functionality
and performance are fast becoming favorites in the channel, signaling an end to
the days of security "bloatware."

Tokyo-based Trend Micro and Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab shared the top spot in the Security Suites category of this year's CMP Channel Channel Best Sellers survey, with each seeing a 4.4 point jump in dollar volume share compared to last year. McAfee placed second with 0.7 points of growth, while Symantec and CA both experienced significant losses during the period...

...Spencer Ferguson, president of Wasatch Software, Salt Lake City, said what sets Kaspersky apart in the channel is the vendor's willingness to work with partners on an individual basis.

"We've worked with security vendors that have started working with us only to have it fall through later, but that hasn't been the case with Kaspersky," said Ferguson.

You can read the entire article here:

http://www.crn.com/security/204200883?pgno=4

As Wasatch Software is a reseller of all of the security and anti-virus software products that were mentioned, I can certainly understand why the numbers are increasing for Kaspersky and Trend Mico, and decreasing for Symantec and Computer Associates. What do you think about the climate of security software vendors?

Kaspersky Antivirus

Wasatch Software is pleased to add Kaspersky Antivirus solutions to our extensive list of security products. Kaspersky offers protection from spyware, viruses, intruders, spam and more!

Whether you are in need of coverage for your workstations and file servers (Business Space Security) or need additional coverage for your mail servers and Internet gateway (Total Space Security), Kaspersky has an answer. If you're not sure exactly which suite is right for you don't hesitate to contact one of our experienced sales reps today!

WatchGuard Product Center Launched

Wasatch Software is pleased to announce the launch of the WatchGuard Product Center on our website. The product center makes it easy to locate part numbers for WatchGuard devices, subscriptions, renewals and more! All major WatchGuard devices and add-ons are offered, from the Firebox X Peak to Firebox III and everything in between.

How can WatchGuard help you? WatchGuard devices ensure complete network protection, including safeguarding your system from attacks, spyware, viruses, spam and more!

Product information can be located at our WatchGuard Product Center, or at the WatchGuard home page.

If you would like to learn more about WatchGuard products and services, or just need pricing information contact us today! Our experts are eager to help!

Is Symantec Making a Comeback?

Is Symantec making a comeback? Most consumers and IT professionals who have had recent experience with the industry leader understand that they have been in quite a slump. Many blame the slump on their merger VERITAS, which, from a channel partner’s perspective, seemed to go off with more than a few hiccups. In late 2006 many customers (including many of Wasatch Software’s) didn’t receive license certificates for several days or even weeks. Other customers were experiencing hold times of several hours when they called for support. In addition to these issues IT professionals complained of inaccurate reporting in the management consoles of Symantec products (most notably Symantec Antivirus).

Thankfully, Symantec seems to be resolving these problems. Since the beginning of ’07 most license certificates are being issued within 2 or 3 business days. Hold times can still be rather long from time to time, but they are certainly improving. The addition of VERITAS’ line of products is a great compliment to what Symantec already offers. Acquisitions of companies like Altiris also signal that the software company is likely to continue its dominance of their market.

With these positive signs channel partners were beginning to get over the unease they had been feeling about Symantec. Personally, I was further pleased by a discussion I had with our Symantec territory sales rep, who acknowledged that there were problems in their transition with VERITAS. He described to me how they had ramped up their support staff, and how the issues their customers were facing were regrettable ‘growing pains’. Had it not been for the progress I had seen over the past few months I might have viewed this as mere lip service. However, the worst seems to be over for Symantec and their future may be brighter than ever.

Eset NOD32 Enterprise Edition Antivirus

'Award Winning', 'Smallest Footprint', 'Fastest Performance', and 'Best Protection' are just a few of the adjectives that experts are using to describe NOD32 Enterprise Edition from Eset. NOD32 is a security solution that provides top of the line antivirus and antispyware protection, among other features. You can always contact us to get information on Eset's products, or to request a quote or free trial of NOD32 Enterprise Edition.

The fact is that I have yet to talk to someone that has even had a minimal infection or problem after implementing NOD32. Has anyone out there had experience with this product? We look forward to your post...

Trend Micro is HOT!!!

Wow! Trend Micro licensing has been sizzling lately. Symantec and other certainly offer solid solutions, but many of their users are switching over to Trend Micro due to recent good press, channel rewards, discounts and promotions, and other factors. Here's a run down of the hottest solutions for our top vertical markets:

1-50 systems (no servers): Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security
5-249 (windows servers, no mail server): Trend Micro Client/Server Security SMB
5-249 (windows and mail servers): Trend Micro Client/Server/Messaging Security SMB

Trend Micro's Antispyware SMB is now bundled into each of these solutions at no additional cost. You can also ask us about Trend Micro's options for larger customers, or those with specific security needs. Our experienced agents look forward to hearing from you soon!