Hardware | Managed Solutions

2 Things Everyone Needs to Know about the WPS Vulnerability

January 6, 2012 By Joe Hackman 4 Comments

You may have heard recently that there is a vulnerability affecting many wireless access points. It has to do with Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) which is supposed to make it easier to configure devices to use your wireless network. The problem is the WPS system is vulnerable to a brute force attack that will allow a malicious attempt within range of your wireless signal to access and change settings on your device. Once the foot is in the door there are many other things that can be done, especially if you have un-protected devices on your network.

The two things you should know if you own or are responsible for any wireless access points are:

There is no practical universal solution to the problem.
You may have to use the hacking tools themselves to be 100% certain you are not vulnerable.

If you feel you have anything someone might want to steal, the smartest thing might be to just disconnect the wireless access point or turn it off. Then live without it until the manufacturer has clear information on your make and model of wireless device. Of course if your wireless access point is also your Internet Router this could be problematic.

There are more questions than answers right now and while you can’t tell with certainty if you are not vulnerable a list is being compiled of devices that have been confirmed to be vulnerable. You can access the WPS Vulnerability Testing Document to find devices that have been confirmed.

Known and potential solutions

Solutions to this issue will be updated here as they become available

Belkin (Does not note if this fully disables WPS!)

Netgear (Home Routers)

Additional Resources

Vulnerability Note VU#723755 (US-Cert)

Special thanks to @Shonali for sharing the Bart Simpson Chalkboard Generator.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Filed Under: Featured, Hardware, IT Professionals, Security, Technology Tagged With: Belkin, Cisco, Infosec, Linksys, Netgear, Reaver, Wireless, WPS Vulnerability, WPScrack

A simple demonstration of Thinkpad Durability

May 20, 2011 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

While attending the Lenovo Accelerate event in Las Vegas earlier this week I observed live a Lenovo X1 laptop dropped from a scissor lift to the stage. This “test” was well above the 48″ most laptops are drop tested and much higher than the 72″ that the X1 had been tested for. The truth is ThinkPads are probably not going to be subjected to this kind of brutal exercise but it is satisfying to see that if we do have a mis hap that the product is durable.

It’s light, powerful and durable, I’d like to introduce you to my next laptop the Lenovo Thinkpad X1.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: Featured, Hardware, Lenovo, Testimonials, Videos Tagged With: Drop, Durability, Lenovo, Thinkpad, Video, X1

Windows and Mac both vulnerable to potential USB Vulnerability

January 31, 2011 By Joe Hackman 2 Comments

USB (in)security

There are bulletins at us-cert.gov today for both Windows and Mac OS X being vulnerable to potential Human Interface Device (HID) functionality over USB exploit. The simplest way to explain this vulnerability is that both OS X and Windows lack a warning when you connect a USB connected device such as a smart phone when it is given keyboard or mouse capability. This could lead to a number of different compromises of the host system. This vulnerability has existed since USB HID support was added to both operating environments but was only publicly demonstrated recently. An example was demonstrated at the Black Hat DC conference, Cnet ran an article about it on January 19th.

Other USB related risks

USB connected devices have become a more common source of virus and malware infections. In 2010 there was actually a worm that spread via USB memory sticks called “Conficker” worm. As early as 2008 USB was becoming recognized as a much more common vector for virus propagation.

Protecting yourself

Since USB devices involve user interaction, it is an area where user education and caution is key. We can count on Apple and Microsoft to respond to this HID issue, but we can also say with certainty that there will be others that will come up in the future. Here are some simple suggestions to prevent becoming a victim:

Tips for individuals

Store your USB storage devices in a safe place.
Use memory sticks only from extremely trusted sources.
Do not allow others to use your computer to charge their USB devices.
Purchase memory sticks from trusted sources in clearly sealed packaging.

Extra tips for businesses

Include an area that governs USB devices in your Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP).
Do not allow third parties to use USB devices or charge phones on your corporate systems.
Consider implementing software or software policies that control access to USB ports on your systems.

You might also want to read these related articles on how you can function more securely:

Education: the Answer to Zero Day Exploits
Good Personal Choices – the most powerful Information Security Tool

Popularity: 8% [?]

Filed Under: Business/Productivity, Hardware, IT Professionals, Security Tagged With: Acceptable Usage Policy, AUP, CERT, exploits, HID, Managed Solutions, USB

Preventative Maintenance Before and After, Why we PM

October 19, 2010 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, what is this picture saying?

Before: Very Dirty Computer

Now the after picture though I wish in retrospect that we recorded a video of the entire process, the dust cloud was enormous!

After: Very Clean Computer

Why we PM

You probably already know that heat can be very harmful to your computer. Computers move air to keep themselves cool, in the process they pull any particulate matter that is present in the air into their cooling fans and on their heat-sinks. This is why for almost 14 years we’ve been providing preventative maintenance cleaning as an important part of our service offering. We have saved countless clients thousands of dollars on repairs and replacement costs. Have you PM’d your computers lately? Give us a call at 925-272-0384 and we’d be happy to provide you with a quote to perform this service at your place of business.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Filed Under: Business/Productivity, Company Info, Featured, Hardware, Services Tagged With: Cleaning, Hardware, Maintenance, Managed Solutions, Preventative Maintenance

4 Tips to extend the life of your laptop

October 15, 2010 By Joe Hackman 5 Comments

Laptops and netbooks are great devices, they provide us with portability, we can take them anywhere and work conveniently with them, well, in our laps. Due to their small size there are some inherent problems, the biggest enemy of a laptop is heat. The components are very similar to the ones in your large desktop PC just smaller, sometimes modified to generate less heat.

Be aware of your cooling vents!

If you operate your laptop on a soft surface like your lap be mindful of where the ventilation ports are. The air that cools a lot of the most critical components needs to enter through the bottom of the laptop. Check out the vents on this Sony Vaio netbook:

Vaio cooling intakes

Above: You’ll note that it is extremely easy to block the vents on this Sony Vaio Netbook. Below: Here is a laptop – a Lenovo W510:

Lenovo W510 Air Intakes

The Lenovo has much better distribution but it is still possible to block them all if you lay it on a soft surface. It is always best to lay laptops on hard surfaces whenever possible. That allows them to breath fresh cooling air through the bottom and allows the large side exhaust vents (not pictured) to properly eject the hot air from your expensive and useful laptop or netbook PC. You can keep those vents free using a little blast of canned air when you notice dust accumulating.

Tips Summary:

Be aware of where your intake and exhaust vents are and don’t block them.
Try to place your laptop on hard surfaces when operating it for long periods of time.
Occasionally use canned air to clear out dust or particles from the intake and exhaust.
Consider using a ventilated laptop cooling device if you work for long periods of time.

My Very Biased Opinion:

We are a Lenovo Partner and we recommend and sell their products. With 13+ years in the business I can say with great confidence that Lenovo Thinkpads are the best in the business. If you really want your laptop to last, buy a Thinkpad. While preparing this article I was greatly surprised by the contrast in the ventilation on all the laptops I looked it while making preparations.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: Featured, Hardware, IT Professionals, Lenovo Tagged With: Cooling, Heat Signature, Laptop, Lenovo, Managed Solutions, Netbook

Speakeasy Business Voice Enchancements

April 30, 2010 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

Managed Solutions is a Speakeasy VOIP Certified partner, and we provide these services to many of our customers. Speakeasy notified us today of some significant improvements going into effect in May.

We are pleased to announce starting May 5th customers will have the ability to make the following changes to their Business Voice account:

o Edit a user’s

- Phone number
- Extension
- Directory name
- User name

o Reset

- User’s voice mail pass code
- User’s voice web portal password
- Administrator’s voice web portal password

o Swap phones between users

Customers can manage their account by going to MySpeakeasy, logging in, and clicking on the Manage Your Voice Services link. If a customer forgets their password, they should click “Forgot Password” under the Login button and follow the prompts.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Filed Under: Business/Productivity, Hardware, News, Speakeasy Tagged With: Managed Solutions, Speakeasy, VOIP

Axis Q6032E PTZ Dome Camera Simplifies Installation

January 18, 2010 By Joe Hackman 1 Comment

Axis has really listened to the feedback resellers around the world have given them. Here is a recent example of how simple some of their latest products are to install. Managed Solutions is a member of the Axis Partner program and we have been distributing their products for the past 5+ years.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: Axis, Hardware, Security, Technology, Videos Tagged With: Axis, Howto, Managed Solutions, Q6032

Droid Must Have Task Manager Application

December 17, 2009 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

The first application you should download is one of the Task Manager apps. These applications allow you to kill extra programs that you do not want running or failed applications that might have hung or crashed. I’ve only seen the latter once but it was nice to be able to stop it without resetting my phone. The kill function is very responsive, similar to a Unix type environment.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Filed Under: Hardware, Howto, Technology, Videos Tagged With: Android, Droid, Taskmanager

Droid Does Wifi Analysis for Free

December 13, 2009 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

Do not waste your money on expensive Wifi Analyzer hardware and software just pickup a Droid phone and download the Wifi Analyzer utility for free. This tool is useful in identifying networks that overlap and will allow you to determine if you’ve made the right decisions about the channel your wireless device is using. You can quickly and easily see if there is a strong wifi signal that overlaps yours. Unlike my example you should perform this analysis where you intend to USE your wifi client devices most. Here is a video demonstration for more clarity:

Popularity: 5% [?]

Filed Under: Hardware, Howto, Technology, Videos Tagged With: Droid, Managed Solutions, Wifi Analyzer

PCI Slots A Quick Visual Guide

December 7, 2009 By Joe Hackman Leave a Comment

This will no doubt be valuable to someone one day. I often neglect to save older data and when I come across something it’s off to Google I go to search for information.

Variations of PCI Slots

Popularity: 11% [?]

Filed Under: Hardware, Quicktips Tagged With: Hardware, Howto, Managed Solutions, PCI, tips