You may have read in recent news about Intel and other vendors’ CPU hardware bug that could make your computers and servers vulnerable. According to the researchers, the Meltdown flaw affects virtually every microprocessor made by Intel, which makes chips used in more than 90 percent of the computer servers that underpin the internet and private business operations.
This hardware bug allows malicious programs to steal data that is being processed in your computer memory. Normally, applications are not able to do that because they are isolated from each other and the operating system. This hardware bug breaks that isolation.
So, if hackers are able to get malicious software running on your computer, they can gain access to your passwords stored in a password manager or browser, your emails, instant messages and even business-critical documents. This is not good.
So, what are we doing about this? We need to update and patch all machines on your network. This is going to take some time since some of the patches are not available yet. Vendors are currently scrambling to develop hardware and software patches.
At Trinity, we are constantly watching and researching. If your company subscribes to our ActivSurveillance™ maintenance and monitoring service, we automatically apply the patches to your systems as they are made available.
However, if you do not have our ActivSurveillance™ service, call us to schedule a general checkup and update of your computers and servers. More importantly, vulnerabilities and threats like this have come up in the past, and will continue to be an issue in the future. This means that proper maintenance is not a once-in-a-while thing, but a constant and continuing need. Thus, we strongly urge you to consider utilizing our ActivSurveillance™ service.
Computer systems are like cars. They are not perfect, they need proper maintenance, and from time to time, they need fixing. Our ActivSurveillance™ service gives you the peace of mind that your IT system is being monitored and maintained. It is the difference between being proactive or reactive. Just as car maintenance is an essential part of owning a car, computer maintenance is an essential part of your business operation because it will be very difficult to run your business without computers.
In the meantime, please be extra vigilant, making security a top priority and “Think Before You Click.”
If you think that your PC may have been compromised, we strongly recommend that you seek remediation immediately. There are several steps that can be taken to mitigate damage if the breach is addressed promptly.
Our staff is well-versed in best practices that can help to restore and secure your data. Give us a call at (732) 780-8615 or send us an email at [email protected] for more information or to schedule an appointment with one of our trained professionals.