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

1. There is no practical universal solution to the problem.
2. 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.

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

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

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

Extra tips for businesses

1. Include an area that governs USB devices in your Acceptable Usage Policy (AUP).
2. Do not allow third parties to use USB devices or charge phones on your corporate systems.
3. 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

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.

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.

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.

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.