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End of Life – Windows 7

When does support for Windows 7 end?

Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 on January 13, 2015, but extended support won’t end until January 14, 2020.

This applies as long as you have Service Pack 1 installed. If you haven’t installed Service Pack 1 already, you should do it now by going to the Microsoft site or updating via Windows Update.

What's the difference between Windows mainstream support and extended support?

Mainstream support and extended support define the amount of time Microsoft allows for operating systems to continue. 

When an operating system is within the mainstream support period, it means Microsoft is still providing security updates for any bugs that emerge, releasing design changes and warranty claims etc.

Once Microsoft ends mainstream support of an operating system it goes into an extended support state.  Basically this means the company stops adding new features and ends complimentary support. Microsoft will still provide essential bug fixes and patches though.

Is Windows 7 still safe to use?

When an operating system is in extended support it is still safe to use. It means that Microsoft will continue to patch any security threats but will not add any new features to the operating system.

What does this mean for you?

Now is the time to take action and upgrade to Windows 10. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware and help keep users and their data safer. PCs running Windows 7 after January, 2020, are not considered secure.

The information provided here is of a general nature. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you require specific advice you should contact your local technical support provider.

project3it_alerts

Scam – Job Seekers

What’s happened?

Scammers are targeting Australian job seekers to steal their personal information and trick them into transferring money to criminals, by posting fake employment ads on job seeker websites like Seek, Jora and Indeed.

How the scam works...

The scammer posts legitimate looking job ads on official job seeker websites and asks applicants to transfer money as part of the job application process. Cybercriminals use this method to launder money which is a process of hiding illegal money from authorities by passing it through a series of bank transfers back to the criminal.

Scammers do this by getting the job-seeker to:
• receive a payment (the illegally obtained money) into their personal account, withdraw the money in cash and then deposit the cash into a Bitcoin ATM,
• receive a payment into their personal bank account, withdraw the proceeds in cash and then send the cash via MoneyGram or Western Union to an overseas recipient, or
• open a new bank account for receipt of the payment, set up a travel money card and then transfer the money via Western Union or MoneyGram to an overseas recipient.
Victims have also reported being asked for personal information as part of the application process, including:
• current residential address
• personal bank details
• tax file number
• photocopy of Passport.
Information that identifies you can be used by cybercriminals to carry out identity theft, including opening up bank accounts or lines of credit in your name.

How do I stay safe?

• When job-hunting, do your research first to verify the recruiter by checking their website and other online presences (like social media profiles) through an independent online search.
• A recruiter should only need a résumé or CV with basic details about you during the initial stages of a job application.
• No employer or recruiter should ask you upfront for your banking details or excessive personal info like your driver’s licence, passport or Tax file Number (TFN). You can provide information like your bank details for salary payments once you’ve been formally interviewed, offered the position and negotiated your employment with your new employer.
• If in doubt about a job ad, get a second opinion from family and friends before communicating with the recruiter.
• If you suspect you might have encountered this type of scam, you can report the scam to SCAMwatch. You should also report the incident to your local police, as well as the recruitment site the job has been advertised through.
• If you have provided any financial details in a suspected scam, contact your bank immediately and monitor your account for suspicious activity.

The information provided here is of a general nature. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you require specific advice you should contact your local technical support provider.

project3it_alerts

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End of Life – Windows XP

Support for Windows XP has ended.

After 12 years, support for Windows XP ended April 8, 2014.

Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for the Windows XP operating system. It is critical to migrate now to a modern operating system. 

What does this mean for you?

Now is the time to take action and upgrade to Windows 10. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that may be exploited by malware and help keep users and their data safer. PCs running Windows XP after April 8, 2014, are not considered secure.

The information provided here is of a general nature. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you require specific advice you should contact your local technical support provider.

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Alert – Exploit RDP [Bluekeep]

If you haven’t already heard, the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) released a HIGH Alert warning on malicious activities and potential widespread abuse of the BlueKeep vulnerability known as CVE-2019-0708.  The vulnerability has been discovered in Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol (aka Terminal Services) affecting older versions of Microsoft Windows operating systems.  

Ensure that your devices are patched; especially if running older versions of Windows such as Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Server 2003 and Server 2008.

Organisations and users are recommended to:

  1. Patch, patch, patch. If you or your organisation run a supported version of Windows, update it to the latest version. If possible, enable automatic updates. If you are still using unsupported Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 – for whatever reason – download and apply the patches as soon as possible. 
  2. Disable Remote Desktop Protocol. Despite RDP itself not being vulnerable, Microsoft advises organisations to disable it until the latest patches have been applied. Further, to minimise your attack surface, RDP should only be enabled on devices where it is used and actually needed. 
  3. Ensure RDP is correctly configured. If your organisations absolutely must use RDP, avoid exposing it to the public internet. Only devices on the LAN, or accessing via a VPN, should be able to establish a remote session. Another option is to filter RDP access using a firewall, whitelisting only a specific IP range. The security of your remote sessions can be further improved by using multi-factor authentication. 
  4. Enable Network Level Authentication (NLA). BlueKeep can be partially mitigated by having NLA enabled, as it requires the user to authenticate before a remote session is established and the flaw can be misused. However, as Microsoft adds, “affected systems are still vulnerable to Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploitation if the attacker has valid credentials that can be used to successfully authenticate.”
  5. Use a reliable multi-layered security solution that can detect and mitigate the attacks exploiting the flaw on the network level.

The information provided here is of a general nature. Everyone’s circumstances are different. If you require specific advice you should contact your local technical support provider.

Concerned about exploits and the vulnerability of your network?

Contact Project 3 IT for help securing and enforcing best practice policies for your network.

55 Bourke Road, Alexandria NSW 2015

1300 884 177