How do you make sure you're protected online?

Last week, Epsilon, a Dallas, Texas based company that handles mass-email marketing and communications for some of the world’s largest banks and corporations, sent out a notification and press release explaining that they had experienced a security breech into their customer database which exposed millions of personal records to a unauthorized entity.  Many of you may have already received notifications from the companies you work with on a daily basis explaining this issue. 

Although these companies send out very nice and calming notifications with verbiage such as:

“We have been informed by Epsilon Interactive, a vendor based in Dallas, Texas, that files containing your email address were accessed by unauthorized entry into their computer system. Epsilon helps us send you emails about products and services that may be of interest to you.

We want to assure you that (financial institution) has never provided Epsilon with financial information about you. For your security, however, we wanted to call this matter to your attention. We ask that you remain alert to any unusual or suspicious emails.” 

This was not a very finite event.  Although Epsilon is downplaying it stating it was only email addresses and names, and they only exposed 2% of all of their records, realize that Epsilon handles marketing information on a massive scale for companies such as: 

1800-Flowers
Best Buy
Capitol One
Chase
CitiBank
Hilton Honors
JP Morgan
Marriott Rewards
US Bank
Walgreens

And that is just a small sample of the dozens of their clients that were affected.

Or should I say, of their clients’ clients that are affected?  Ultimately this lands on each and every one of us that has done business with these companies and provided our names and email addresses in the course of doing business with them. 

What does this mean for you?

Obviously, first and foremost this means your security online has been compromised.  Perhaps not in a way that directly can lead to identity theft, but as an end result, it is a possibility.  Expect increased spam, phishing emails and virus attacks as a result of this.

At best you’ll get a letter acknowledging there was a problem – neither Epsilon nor their clients are offering any solutions or remediation and seem to be doing nothing more than analyzing the scope of the damage.  In essence, they are making this your problem to deal with as they work at fixing the security issue that caused the exposure.

Your security, as always, is your responsibility!

What should you do?

Epsilon and their clients can assure you all they want that nothing really important was stolen – just your name and email address – but for those that stole the information, you can bet their intentions are to get as much personal information as they can.

Act with extra caution when clicking links in emails or opening any emails from unrecognized sources.  If you receive and email from someone you know that looks suspicious but you’re not sure, pick up the phone and call them to verify what it is, or simply send an email to their address in return (not a reply!) asking them what it is and if they did indeed send it.

Be sure you are using a good quality desktop security software that offers aggressive spam and phishing filtering, web threat prevention and proactive internet security features – and make sure you keep it updated and the subscription active!  Our recommendation is Trend Micro Internet Security.  It is a lightweight but robust security platform that you can trust.

Change your passwords.  According to Epsilon passwords weren’t stolen, but do you really want to take the chance that they’re 100% accurate regarding that?  Besides, most of us use the same passwords for email, bank accounts, on-line shopping, etc. and our email address is almost always our login ID.  If the bad guys can get one of your passwords either through a phishing scam or Trojan download, it could expose much more than just your email address to them.

And as always, if you have questions call us.  We are indeed concerned about your security and are more than willing to answer your questions or inspect any suspicious emails you receive.  If you already suspect you may have a Trojan, spyware or other malware on your system, bring it in to us for our flat-rate PC Tune-Up service.  We’ll diagnose any issues your system may have and make security recommendations to keep you safe.

If you’re concerned about your network security or have multiple systems, schedule an on-site appointment with one of our technicians and we’ll come to you!

Remember, security is your responsibility – trust the professionals to make sure YOU are as secure as you need to be!

Security Alert is a post from: @ Blog

What do I need from my hosting service?
This question is more easily answered when you have considered other questions first.

1. Do you plan to sell online, display a gallery, or have a blog? If so, your hosting provider should include multiple MySQL databases, which make e-commerce, gallery and blog solutions possible and easy to create.

2. Will you need your own domain email? At Aspire, we always advise business owners to use their own domain emails. Consider it a way to advertise your business online every time you send an email.

3. Would you like to advertise your business online? You may want to get a jump start on advertising with sites like Google, Facebook, and Yahoo. Will your Hosting provider provide Advertising credits to get you started?

4. Who will own your domain? No one wants to discover a nasty surprise; the domain you paid for doesn’t even belong to you! Be sure that you are the sole owner when you register a domain with a Hosting provider.

At Aspire Technology Solutions, we believe these are the basic essentials for any company making its mark online, regardless of size or market, and meeting all of these needs with a Hosting provider at a fair and low price is not too much to ask for.

Harness the online presence of your business with Aspire Technology Solutions; we have it all:

Multiple MySQL Databases – Create blogs, galleries, e-commerce sites, CMS sites, forums, web calendars, and more all with the click of a button!

Unlimited Domain Email – Create as many as you need! Set up auto responders, auto forwards, send newsletters, and connect to Outlook with ease!

Jump-Start On Advertising – Facebook Ad Credits, Free YellowPage.com listing, Google AdWords Credits, and Yahoo Search Credits, they’re all included!

Owning a Domain – The terms are clear, when you choose Aspire as your Hosting provider, you are the owner of your domain and retain all rights to your Company’s name online.

Search Engines and Site Results – Automate search engine submissions to increase your site’s visibility in search results and examine real-time site activity data and see who is visiting your web pages and where they are coming from, all from your easy to navigate control panel!

Unbeatable Tech Support – With an intelligent control panel help option that makes finding the answers you need fast and easy as well as our web technicians who are ready to answer your questions and only a phone call or email away, Aspire Technology Solutions provides consistent web services that can’t be topped.

All of this and more for only $60 a Year!
Contact us today to learn why so many people are choosing to host with Aspire!
(716) 200-4479 Option 4

Web Hosting – The smart shopper’s guide is a post from: @ Blog

One question many business owners ask themselves is: Should I have a website?

In fact, I often hear from small to medium business owners, “I don’t have time for the internet, I never use it. A website is useless to me.”

You may prefer the phonebook over Google search, but you may be surprised by how many potential clients are out surfing the web, searching for services and products that you may be able to offer.

Did you know?

80% Of Americans spend as much time online as they do watching television.

Here are some even more interesting statistics:

Half of all small businesses with 10 or fewer employees do not have websites.

7 out of 10 single person owned businesses do not have websites.

The next question many business owners ask is:  What can a website do for me?

As more and more people take to the internet, searching for anything from restaurant menus to IT consulting businesses, a website is an essential online landmark for your company. In fact, having a website is as essential today as having business cards or a telephone number.

It doesn’t take much.A professional web presence for your business doesn’t have to cost thousands or even hundreds of dollars, nor does it need to be flashy and full of bright and colorful images. You may be surprised at how affordable, fast, and easy designing a website that tailors to your business’ needs really is.

Do I really need a website? is a post from: @ Blog