Every modern business has one thing in common – the internet.
Businesses are using computers, smart phones, tablets, etc. to connect to the internet for research, shopping, advertising, or any number of things. With a connection to the internet comes the need for routers, switches, wireless, and other network hardware to distribute internet connectivity across the company. There are malicious people on the internet that are setting traps and trying to break into companies which necessitate the use of tools like antivirus, internet filtering, spam filtering, and other protective measures. There are also people who work from their homes and need to have a way of tunneling safely into the network to use the resources there.
All of this has to be managed by someone in the company or you can contract with a managed IT service provider.
If your company needs help managing all the things connected to your internet, then contact us for assistance.
Farmhouse Networking 2023 zero trust audits verify continuous authentication and micro-segmentation for Oregon SMB cybersecurity compliance.
This is the tenth and finale in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on Cyber Security Audit.
Cyber Security Audit
Cyber Security Audit is a process where both internal and external systems are tested for their ability and susceptibility to being successfully attacked by hackers. This usually involves an inventory of current systems, research into known vulnerabilities, and testing of those found to see what information can be accessed. Once this process is complete a report is generated to detail both what is found and how those vulnerabilities can be addressed to protect the business’ most valuable commodity – information (intellectual property and client data). Here are some questions to ask:
Do you have an inventory of all assets in your organization? Is it up to date?
Have you tested your internal network for vulnerabilities?
Have you had a penetration test performed on your external network?
Do you know what compliance standards apply?
How do you document policies and procedures? Who oversees that?
If your company is wanting to have a free cyber security audit, then contact us for assistance.
Farmhouse Networking protects Oregon businesses from 2023 Facebook imposter scams and Instagram phishing targeting SMB owners.
In today’s social media age, we are more interconnected than ever before. While this can be great for keeping up with loved ones and shedding light on current events, it also opens a new door for scammers. Last year, annual reported losses from social media scams hit $1.1 billion. Here are the five most common types and our recommendations for protecting yourself, and your business, from them:
Phishing Scams: Scammers attempt to trick you into revealing personal information by posing as a trustworthy source in an email or message. To avoid these scams, never click on links from unknown sources and always verify the sender’s identity.
Impersonation Scams: Scammers create fake profiles and impersonate others to deceive and scam others. To avoid these scams, check profiles for authenticity by verifying their information, friends, and photos.
Giveaway Scams: Scammers promise a prize or giveaway in exchange for personal information or a payment. To avoid these scams, never give out personal information, and only participate in giveaways from reputable sources.
Investment Scams: Scammers promise high returns on investments, but it is just a trick to steal your money. To avoid these scams, do thorough research before investing, be cautious of unrealistic returns, and don’t fall for pressure tactics.
Malware Scams: Scammers use social media to spread malicious software that can harm your device or steal personal information. To avoid these scams, don’t download anything from untrusted sources and keep your device’s security software up-to-date. Our goal at (Company Name) is to keep you safe while you’re scrolling. Speaking of social media, feel free to follow us @[handle] on Facebook and @[handle] on Instagram for more security tips and product updates.
Our goal at Farmhouse Networking is to keep you safe while you’re scrolling. Speaking of social media, feel free to follow us on LinkedIn for more security tips and product updates.
Farmhouse Networking’s zero trust security model prevents lateral movement
This is the ninth in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on Network Security.
Network Security
Network Security is having the proper hardware and configuration of that hardware in place to protect the business network. This configuration includes segmenting network traffic to keep specific types of traffic, like guest devices, separate from traffic of business devices. It also includes keeping outsiders out of the network and detecting when they have breached security measures. Here are some questions to ask:
Do you have a business class router / firewall?
Do you have business class switches and access points that support segmentation?
Is your network configured to segment business traffic from guest traffic?
Are devices like VoIP phones and network cameras on their own network?
Is geo-location blocking turned on for non-essential countries?
Is network traffic being analyzed for suspicious activity?
Do you filter internet traffic?
Can your network detect and respond to a breach?
If your company is wanting to lock down network security, then contact us for assistance.
Farmhouse Networking installs Wi-Fi 6E eliminating 2.4/5 GHz congestion for Grants Pass businesses using clean 6 GHz spectrum.
Wi-Fi technology is ingrained into our everyday lives WE COLLECTIVELY STREAM more movies and TV shows, play more online games, and make more video calls than ever before, and all this activity puts a serious strain on our Wi-Fi networks. Wi-Fi 6e has various features to improve the efficiency and data of your wireless network and reduce latency. the latest Wi-Fi 6e standards offers a range of benefits, including faster and more reliable access. So, what is Wi-Fi 6e and what are some of the benefits?
Wi-Fi 6e explained
Existing technologies operate on two frequencies 2.4 GHz and 5GHz which have become more congested over time; Wi-Fi 6e adds access to a third frequency, 6GHz. now wireless devices can also use the 6GHz band. And the 6GHz band opens up the opportunity for higher transfer speeds. On top of that, currently there are about four 160 MHz-wide channels with normal Wi-Fi this 6GHz band brings with it seven 160 MHz-wide channels, More available channels mean more available spectrum for Wi-Fi service “and less overlap between networks in crowded areas like apartment complexes or offices,”. with less overlap and congestion you are able to connect more devices with the same efficiency expectation. Additionally there have been security improvements with Wi-Fi 6E that puts the burden on the router, rather than you, to secure connections between your devices. WPA3 is mandatory for all Wi-Fi 6 certified devices, which provides the latest security and authentication protocols.
Summary of Benefits
Faster, more reliable connection
Transmits data faster with less interference.
You don’t have to compete with traffic from other devices or networks.
Security improvements making it more secure and harder to hack
Accommodates more connected devices
If your company is looking to upgrade the wireless coverage in your office, whole building, or entire business complex, then contact usto evaluate your WiFi needs.
Farmhouse Networking resolves credential manager clearing after reboot by deleting Microsoft Vault folder and restarting services for Oregon RMM automation.
As our business continues to focus on providing white labeled Tier 3 IT support services, RMM as a service, and co-managed IT services this blog will be highlighting tips for using Powershell to fix Credential Manager empty after reboot. There has been several users at a bunch of clients recently that have lost access to a network share due to saved passwords and we found Credential Manager empty after reboot. It was easy enough to re-add their password to Credential Manager, but it was not sticking around. This sounds like a job for automation, so we created a script to clear the errant Credential Manger files and create a new entry for the user to connect to file shares.
Variables
$user = username to add to Credential Manager of network share connection
$pass = password to add to same
Script Snippet
### Remove file folder associated with Credential Manager
Remove-Item -Path %localappdata%\Microsoft\Vault -Recurse
### Install Credential Manager Powershell Module
Import-Module -Name CredentialManager -Force
### Convert password to Secure String and create credential
$password = ConvertTo-SecureString -string $pass -AsPlainText -Force
$Credential = new-object -typename System.Management.Automation.PSCredential -argumentlist $user, $password
# Save the credential object directly without unwrapping it:
New-StoredCredential -Credentials $Credential -Target 'Share Credentials' -Persist Enterprise -Comment "Share Credentials for $($Credential.UserName)" > $null
This script will need to be run in the context of the user who needs the credential created. Please use caution with this script as it will empty Credential Manager completely for the user context run with. Also it is advised to run a full CHKDSK /R on the root (C:\ usually) directory to make sure that nothing else is corrupt on the drive.
If your company is a MSP or wants to become one and automation just seems out of reach, then contact usto run your RMM for you.
This is the eighth in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on Application Whitelisting.
Application Whitelisting
Application Whitelisting is a process of determining which software programs the company absolutely needs to do business, marking them as safe, and blocking any other program that tries to run on company computers. This methodology has the distinct advantage of blocking almost all forms of malware on computers. Pairing this with a good next-gen antivirus creates an impenetrable wall against malware threats. It also prevents users from accidentally or intentionally running something that should not be on company computers. Here are some questions to ask:
Do you know all software on your computers?
Do your users spend time on company computers listening to music?
Have any of your users ever downloaded software without asking?
Do you have a computer use policy? How is that enforced?
If your company is wanting to lock down what is running on company computers, then contact us for assistance.
Farmhouse Networking in Grants Pass Oregon celebrates earning the UpCity Best of Oregon Award for trusted managed IT services and local business IT support.
Farmhouse Networking has been working to establish our reputation and grow our business to serve others in the surrounding areas. God has continued to be gracious to provide that growth and it is being recognized.
“Every year, UpCity’s Best of Awards honor our B2B service providers’ tremendous work within rotating focus areas. Winners are selected using a variety of online credibility ranking factors which remain consistent regardless of the year’s focus area. In 2022, we celebrate the best providers at the local level for each U.S. state and Canadian province.”
Thank you to all our clients for making this possible as we continue to serve your IT needs.
This is the seventh in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on software patching.
Software Patching
Software patching is a neccesity because no person who writes code is perfect and hackers are actively looking for these mistakes. The hackers find the mistakes and then develop ways of using these to exploit the software, computer, or whatever else they can gain access to. The only way to combat both the mistakes and the exploits is to discover them before the hackers do and patch the hole in the software. This patch can however lead to unforseen consequences to the software, so a plan for testing and deployment of patches is needed to avoid unexpected downtime to businesses.Here are some questions to ask:
Do you know all of the hardware and software on your network?
Do you check for hardware, operating system, and other software regularly?
How do you check for updates, patches, or upgrades to software?
How do you install these patches? Is it automated?
Are these patches tested before installation?
What happens if a patch causes problems?
Do you have a log of all installed updates?
Are any systems or software on your network no longer supported for updates?
If your company is going to use full disk encryption or has compliance requirements that you need consulting for, then contact us for assistance.
This is the sixth in a series about the concept of Zero Trust, which means in the IT sense that you trust nothing and always verify everything surrounding and connected to your network. Today’s discussion will be on endpoint security.
Endpoint Security
Endpoint security is a fancy term used to describe how the computers on the network are protected. This used to be done by antivirus but due to the complexity of the attacks hackers are using to compromise networks these days, the definition has expanded greatly. This now includes things like Enhanced Detection & Response software, Security Operations Centers, DNS Filtering, employee train and more. Here are some questions that you should be asking yourself:
Are your endpoints protected by antivirus or enhanced detection & response?
Is website traffic being monitored? Restricted?
Are your employees being trained in cyber security?
Are computer logs being monitored for malicious activity?
Would unusual or suspicious activity on a computer be noticed? Alerted on?
Do you have security permissions set on all file shares?
Do you have least privileged access configured on those shares?
Do you keep track of what software is installed on all workstations?
Do you block access to unauthorized software?
Are files encrypted on servers and workstations?
Are your mobile devices managed? Can you wipe them remotely?
Are USB ports blocking removeable storage devices?
Are endpoints set to automatically log-out?
If your company is going to use full disk encryption or has compliance requirements that you need consulting for, then contact us for assistance.
And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. - 2 Corinthians 9:8-10
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