Badrabbit Malware Attack

Good morning customers! It was brought to our attention yesterday that many businesses worldwide were hit with a new and particularly rough form of ransomware, dubbed "Badrabbit". The majority of these ransomware attacks were centered in the USA, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria, and Estonia. It disguises itself as an Adobe Flash update, which is a very common update to see on your computers.

Many anti-malware and anti-virus software's and vendors failed to catch Badrabbit with catastrophic results for those businesses. However, we are proud to announce that Malwarebytes was one of the only anti-malware software's to find, alert and protect against Badrabbit. 

This is why we choose to partner with and use Malwarebytes, and also why it is incredibly important to have good, reliable anti-virus and anti-malware software on your computers.

Give us a call at (858) 345-0382 if you have any questions and would like to sign up for a 1-year subscription of our Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection!

 

Malware Protection Made Simple

One of the most common issues we find in our day-to-day repair work is the discovery of malware on a customer's PC or laptop. Malware (short for malicious software) is a software specifically designed to damage, incapacitate or otherwise ruin computers and their systems. Malware can include viruses, worms, ransomware, spyware, adware and other annoying (and often expensive) programs. The easiest way to infect your computer with malware is by downloading suspicious or unknown content, such as images or files, but it can also find its way onto your computer by visiting certain websites that contain it. Once downloaded, the computer can begin exhibiting many symptoms of infection including, but not limited to, sluggish response, freezing, unwanted popups and more.

For many, this becomes a mild inconvenience resulting in a trip to our shop for a cleanup or minor repair. For others, especially those unlucky enough to have been infected by ransomware, it can be incredibly costly to retrieve your data from the person or persons who now hold your data hostage.

So how do you protect yourself and your computer from Malware?

 

Exercise Caution When You Click

First and foremost, education is important with the ever-evolving tech and internet industry. Don't click unverified links, don't download files in an unverified email you've received, don't click that popup no matter how enticing it might be. Though it might seem paranoid, always consider the fact that anyone or anything on the other side of your computer screen is doing all they can to obtain your personal information and gain access over your computer.

The old adage of "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" rings accurate when it comes to the internet, as most malware have become personalized enough that they can even appear to be friends or family. Double and triple-checking can save you a whole lot of hassle.

Long story short: if you don't know where it came from, don't click it. Educate yourself on what types of websites to avoid, what things not to click, and you'll be on your way to protecting yourself from any adverse malware affects and infections.

 

Malwarebytes: MCW Approved!

Waste no time in getting an approved anti-virus/anti-malware software on your computer. Seriously. Don't wait.

Here at Mobile Computer Wizard, we partner with Malwarebytes to come to the rescue and assist us with infected machines, as well as preventing any further infections once a healed computer leaves our shop. Malwarebytes is a layered system that provides malware detection, specialized ransomware protection, and security. Downloading the free version to your computer gives you scanning and removal ability of malware right at your fingertips. They also provide a paid premium program that handles virusware, rootkits, anti-exploits, scheduled scans and more.

If you want to take it ten steps farther, sign up for the Cloud-based Endpoint Protection, which includes everything that is in the Malwarebytes paid premium version, but has a managed services back-end. This allows Mobile Computer Wizard to remotely respond to any threats on your machine, for just $39.99/year. That's just $3/day!

Virtually every machine that comes to our shop leaves with Malwarebytes installed, because we trust it on our own computers, business and personal. 

Call or email us at (858) 345-0382 or support@mobilecomputerwizard.com if you have any questions about Malware, Malwarebytes, or the services that Mobile Computer Wizard provides. We're here to help!

Data Preservation - Protect Your Data Now with a Cloud Backup!

A cloud backup is exactly what it sounds like: the data stored on your laptop, computer or other device is uploaded and saved on an online archive, safe and sound from those unthinkable (and almost always unplanned) device or hardware failures. We’ve all been there at some point in a personal or business capacity: something happens with the device we’re working on, it crashes, and we’re left with a terrifying amount of complete squat. All that hard work (for some people it can be years worth of important documents) gone… and while data recovery is possible, it’s not always successful.

If you don’t have a cloud backup, you need to get one, and soon! For every minute you don’t have a backup in place for your data, you risk losing some or all of it to any number of potential failures… even one so simple as accidentally spilling your morning coffee on your laptop.

While it’s possible to back up and store your own data, it can be tricky and time consuming. Most folks find it easiest to toss some money at a third-party provider once a month to store their data. But what happens if that third-party discontinues?

 

Crashplan Backup Service Discontinuing

One of the most popular services our customers have used for backing up personal data has been provided by the online service CrashPlan. They were reliable, cost-effective and had well-managed customer service… until now. The CEO of CrashPlan has announced that they have discontinued their cloud backup service as of August 22, 2017 for home users - that is, the individuals of the world - and are shifting their focus to businesses and enterprises only.

This is huge, and impacts every person who just wants to make sure their personal data is safe and stored away in a cloud backup. CrashPlan will continue to offer Business plans, but the pricing is nowhere near feasible for a single person or persons simply wanting their data reliably backed up. Those with current home subscriptions will have them honored, but if you have one be prepared that they will not renew it once it expires.

 

A New Plan for your Cloud Backup

Because of the news above, Mobile Computer Wizard has taken action and will now be offering cloud-based backup services to our customers!

Wizard Cloud Backup 1PC+100GB (File Based) - This subscription provides you with secure backup services for a single PC or Laptop with 100GB of file storage.

Wizard Cloud Backup 1PC+100GB (Image Based) - This subscription provides you with secure backup services for a single PC or Laptop with 100GB of image storage.

We also provide additional storage that can be added to either plan, providing you with as much space as you need for your files. All storage purchased is pooled and can be shared between your computers. For example, one computer can have 50G, while a second has 150G, for a total of 200G used.

Prices for the above plans range from $99-120 yearly - that’s <$10/month to ensure your data, documents, projects, family photos and more are backed up safely on the MCW cloud. Most of all, it’s peace of mind that you'll never be left in a compromising position of losing some (or all) of your hard work.

Give us a call at (858) 345-0382 or email us at support@mobilecomputerwizard.com to discuss your options. We're always happy to answer any questions you might have!