kinetik IT blog spot

Reports have started to surface that a new strain of ransomware is spreading through Russia and Europe. This ransomware is called Bad Rabbit, and first surface up in Russia and the Ukraine, however is starting to spread through Turkey and Germany, but it’s not fully known how far this virus has spread.

Some targets that have been attacked and infected by Bad Rabbit so far include Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Kiev’s public transportation system, along with the Russian news groups Fontanka.ru and Interfax.

Bad Rabbit appears to be attacking news and media outlets, along with corporate networks – a method similar to the ExPetr attack. Yet, it cannot be confirmed if the ExPetr and Bad Rabbit attacks are related.

The way in which Bad Rabbit infects a computer, the virus first requires the potential victim to download and run a fake Adobe Flash Player installer file, that way infecting themselves. The fake Adobe Flash Player installer file is prompted to the user when they visit a compromised website, most of these websites that have been compromised with the Bad Rabbit virus are Russian news agencies.

The hackers that created the Bad Rabbit ransomware must have been fans of the television show Game of Thrones, as throughout the malware there are references to Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons and Grey Worm.

Computers that have been infected with the Bad Rabbit ransomware are then directed to a .onion Tor web domain where the user is then asked to submit a .05 Bitcoin payment which is roughly $280, this will then release all of their encrypted files and data. On the .onion Tor web domain that the user is directed to, there is a countdown timer shown before the requested ransom amount goes up.

At this point, it is not certain if the Bad Rabbit malware will decrypt all of the users encrypted files once the ransom has been received, although researchers have performed tests and believe that Bad Rabbit is unlike the WannaCry malware that will wipe all of the users data and files.

It is always recommended that anyone infected with a ransomware malware to not pay the ransom, as there are zero guarantees that once you have paid the ransom that your data and files will be decrypted and released back to you.

One way to be proactive and prevent yourself falling victim to the Bad Rabbit ransomware attack is to create a c:\windows\infpub.dat file and remove all of the write permissions. This will disallow the Bad Rabbit malware from encrypting your files if ever attacked.

The Bad Rabbit malware is bares similar resemblance to the WannaCry and Petya attacks that spread around the world earlier this year.

At this time not all anti-virus and anti-malware tools are able to detect the Bad Rabbit malware, allowing it to go undetected and continue to infect users’ computers. With this level of severity, it’s important to take proactive measures and do not download files from any untrusted sources on the internet. 

It used to be that placing an ad in the Yellow Pages was the surest way to attract local buyers. Over the course of the last decade, however, those thick printed directories have been almost completely replaced in most parts of North America.

In 2017, buyers don’t flip through thin sheets of paper to find businesses in their neighborhoods. Instead, they turn to their smartphones and tablets to find what they need because Google offers them more choices, up-to-date contact information, and even unbiased reviews from other buyers.

This change in technology has provided a big boost to lots of savvy marketers. And, it has allowed them to save quite a bit of money – it’s a lot cheaper to find customers using Google than it ever was to place a full-page ad in a print directory. But, if your business hasn’t adjusted, then you might be missing out.

Here are a few steps you can take today to get more customers from your local area…

Make the Most of Local Search Engine Optimization

Ever wonder how Google figures out which businesses match up to customers in a certain area? It mainly determines location by scanning a website for geographic keywords. Having city, state, and province names (as examples) on your website can help search engine spiders to figure out where you’re located. Additionally, things like street names, ZIP Codes, and neighborhood identifiers can be helpful in the same way.

Go Beyond Geographic Keywords

As important as it is to have geographic keywords in your website, there are other tools you can use to pull local customers into your business. Maps, driving directions, and local landmarks are all useful. In addition to giving Google more data about your geographic location, they can help you turn search visits into new revenue. That’s because photos of your location, along with updated phone numbers and contact details, make it easier for someone who is thinking about visiting your office or store to find you in the real world.

Have a Mobile-Ready Website

It’s no coincidence that print directories began to decline in importance just as smartphones found their way into millions of pockets. Lots of buyers are making spur of the moment decisions from anywhere, relying on Google to show them the closest restaurants, dry cleaners, and other local businesses. To take advantage, it’s important that your website be mobile-friendly. Otherwise, those customers are going to take their time and money to a competitor.

Boost Your Reputation With Buyers

Customers looking for local companies to work with aren’t necessarily going to find your website. That’s because they may explore third-party review sites (like Yelp) to look for recommendations first. For that reason, it’s important that your business have profiles on these types of portals, that your information be up-to-date, and that buyers can see lots of positive reviews about your business. Encourage your best customers to say good things about you online and you’ll have an easier time standing out in your local market.

You probably have hundreds or thousands of local buyers who are ready to work with your business, but only if they can find you on Google. So, if you haven’t already replaced the Yellow Pages with a good online marketing strategy, now is a great time to set up a meeting with our creative team to see how we can help.

Executing a profitable internet marketing campaign can involve a lot of tedious and exhausting details. It’s no wonder, then, that so many business owners ask us about the value of advanced customer relationship management (CRM) systems like HubSpot and Infusionsoft.

Hardly a week goes by when we aren’t asked whether one of these platforms (or perhaps a lesser-known competitor) is worth the investment of time and money. Unfortunately, there’s hardly ever a clear-cut answer to this question. Although advanced CRM’s work differently, and offer some unique functionality, no solution is perfect for every situation.

To understand whether you need an advanced CRM like HubSpot in your business, you should be aware of what they can and can’t do in a broad sense. So today, we want to focus on for things you should know before you make a decision…

#1 An Advanced CRM Can Help You Organize Your Online Marketing Activities

One major challenge facing small business owners these days is keeping track of all the different activities needed to move an online marketing plan forward. There are different tools and platforms for blogging, SEO, and email, not to mention several different social apps and websites. an advanced CRM can help you manage and organize these different systems so you can stick with a coherent plan.

#2 An Advanced CRM Can Put Information at Your Fingertips

It’s hard enough just to use all the different tools and platforms we've just mentioned. Keeping track of your progress with them is even tougher. With software like HubSpot, you can put all kinds of detailed and interactive reports right at your fingertips. That way, you won’t just be able to stay on top of your marketing channels, but you also get a sense of what sorts of results you’re achieving on a day-to-day basis.

#3 Advanced CRM’s Can Boost SEO, Sales, and Lead Generation

Advanced CRM systems allow you to structure and refine your campaigns easily. Because you have blogs, emails, social posts, and other tools all working in coordination, it’s easier to stay in touch with prospects and turn them into leads or actual customers. By following a coordinated approach, you can not only get a bigger payoff from SEO, social media marketing, and other channels, but you’ll be much more profitable overall.

#4 No Software System Can Do the Hard Work of Marketing for You

There is an important caveat to the three benefits we’ve given you with regards to advanced CRM’s – you have to actually use them before they’ll pay off. That means taking the time to learn the software, and then plugging in new content, posting to your social accounts, and checking out the results. No matter how sophisticated a platform is, it can’t do everything for you. Advanced CRM’s make it easier to organize your marketing, but they can’t replace the time and effort that’s needed from a committed business owner or Internet marketing professional.

The bottom line looks like this: an advanced  CRM like HubSpot can help you if you take the time to learn its features and then put them into use in your campaigns. However, if you’re just looking for a magic solution that will help you get real results from very little effort, it’s just going to be a waste of money.

To learn more about how advanced CRM’s and other online marketing tools might fit into your business plan, contact our team today to schedule a free consultation!

While business owners love talking about web design and Internet marketing, most aren’t that concerned (or familiar) with the details of their web hosting plans. That’s easy to understand, given that servers and hosting software work behind the scenes and under the surface. They aren’t visible in the way a social media profile or prime search engine spot would be.

But, that’s not the same as saying hosting doesn’t matter. In fact, the quality of your web hosting package will have an enormous effect on the performance and stability of your business website. To understand why hosting is a bigger deal than you might think, here are four things we’d like you to keep in mind…

#1 Web Hosting Affects Web Performance

Usually, when an Internet connection is moving slowly, we think to blame our computers, tablets, or routers. However, there are two sides to any online interaction. The disc or server your website is stored on can either speed the delivery of your content up or slow it down. Those differences in speed matter, particularly when your customers are coming to you via mobile devices and are impatient to get to your site. Better web hosting means customers spend less time waiting and you end up with more conversions.

#2 Google May Ignore You if You’re on the Wrong Hosting Platform

Google uses multiple elements of web hosting (like page loading speed, for example, along with website availability and SSL connections) as search signals. That means the better your website performs, the more visible you are going to be to potential customers. Having a faster, more reliable website won’t take away the need for lots of great and original content, but it can give you an edge over your competitors. The tighter your search market is, the more important the hosting -related details of SEO can make a difference.

#3 Better Web Hosting is More Secure

Security is a big topic in web design and online marketing, and for good reason. You need to know that your HTML – not to mention customer information – is being kept safe. An easy way to do that is by using a better web hosting package. That’s partly because premium web hosting can give you availability to its SSL connections, system monitoring, and automatic backups. It’s also because the cheapest web hosting packages tend to group lots of budget websites together on the same servers, meaning your site could become “contaminated” by less ethical or careful neighbors.

#4 Premium Web Hosting is Incredibly Affordable

For all that you get from upgrading to premium web hosting, it might surprise you to know that the difference between your average run-of-the-mill shared hosting plan and a premium package could be as little as a couple of dollars per day. And, better hosting means you’ll get more from the money you spent on your website the first place. Financially, that makes it one of the smartest and most cost-effective investments you can make in your business.

Web hosting will probably never be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re considering upgrades or improvements to your business. But, with a little bit of attention to the space where your site is stored – and a few extra dollars a month – you could gain big benefits in performance, security, and even search visibility. Knowing that, doesn’t it make sense to talk with a member of our team today to see whether a fast and inexpensive tweak could make your web presence stronger?

This last Sunday, Microsoft announced radical changes to the next generation augmented reality HoloLens by incorporating an artificial intelligence coprocessor. What is HoloLens? HoloLens is essentially a holographic computer built into a headset that lets you see, hear, and interact with holograms within an environment such as a living room or an office space.

The AI coprocessor will expand the capabilities of the HoloLens allowing it to analyze visual and auditory data locally, without having to send and receive information from a cloud based server, giving the next generation HoloLens faster processing times and increased mobility.

“… and this is the kind of thinking you need if you’re going to develop mixed reality devices that are themselves intelligent. Mixed reality and artificial intelligence represent the future of computing, and we’re excited to be advancing this frontier.” Wrote Marc Pollefeys, Director of Science for the HoloLens at Microsoft, in their latest blog post.  

Previously, the current version of the HoloLens could only perform simple augmented reality tasks such as simple visual interactions and displays. However with the AI coprocessor Microsoft plans to develop, the next generation HoloLens will be able to perform much more complex interactions and tasks. Possible examples of these tasks could be displaying real time statistics on products. Since the AI coprocessor will help with tagging data in the real world the HoloLens can present overlays that are incredibly informative.

Microsoft plans of create the silicon AI coprocessor in house because they believe that is the most productive way to unlock the best uses from augmented and mixed reality environments. Google has also built its own AI processor, and Apple has also been developing its own dedicated AI chip for the iPhone. However, Micorsoft’s approach to developing its own AI coprocessor chip is to unlock the full potential of MXNet, an open-source deep neural-network framework that Microsoft supports.

With Microsoft developing their own AI coprocessor to incorporate into their next generation HoloLens, Microsoft is taking augmented and mixed intelligent reality to the next level. Removing cloud based computing to store information locally, giving the HoloLens increased processing times and enhanced real world interactions. All of these enhancements will make for faster and smarter business decisions, allowing companies and organizations to win and succeed through an intelligent augmented reality. 

Would you ever leave the front door to your home or business wide open? I’m guessing you wouldn’t, not even if it were located in a very safe neighborhood. It doesn’t matter how tired or distracted you are, you take the time to close up shop, lock the doors, and maybe even set a security alarm to keep things as safe as they can be when you’re not around.

Unfortunately, many business owners don’t take the same level of precaution – or any level of precaution – when it comes to their own websites. That’s too bad, because the data being stored on your servers might be more valuable than what’s in your file cabinet or cash register at any given moment.

There are any number of ways you can neglect your web presence that are akin to leaving the front door open for hackers and thieves. You may not notice them because you don’t know what to look for, but cyber criminals certainly do. Today, we want to share a handful of quick tips you can use to make your website just a little bit safer…

Use Lengthy and Complex Passwords

By now, you already know you’re supposed to use complex passwords with lots of numbers, capitalized letters, and special characters. What you might not realize just how big of a difference this can make. A thief using automated software can break a simple password in tenths of a second. Throw in these more complicated strings, though, and that time stretches to months. Being smart with passwords is a simple way to make your website a lot more secure.

Always Update Your CMS and Plugins

Often, when Internet criminals “break-in” to a website, they aren’t using any sophisticated tools or techniques. Instead, they are exploiting known problems with outdated versions of hosting software or commonly-used plug-ins. By keeping yours up-to-date (or working with a web design team who will upgrade your CMS for you) you can fend off these types of attacks automatically.

Upgrade Your Web Hosting Service

Good web hosting makes your site more secure in a lot of different ways. It allows for stronger encrypted SSL connections (if you have that feature installed), for example, and usually includes ongoing monitoring. What’s even more important, though, is that it keeps you away from servers that are hosting online casinos, adult websites, and other questionable web destinations that tend to harbor malicious software. For a few dollars a day, you could make your site a lot safer..

Make Sure You’re Running Regular Backups

Occasionally, even a well-designed and maintained website will suffer from a security intrusion. When that happens, though, a recent backup can put things to right in a matter of minutes. That’s why it’s critical you have someone monitoring your web activity and keeping restorable copies of your files.

While none of these tips is foolproof, they all go a long way towards keeping you protected online. Just as importantly, they stop you from being an obvious target for people who would like to steal your data. Remember, most online criminals do exactly what real-world burglars do: they look for the easiest victim they can find. Close the front door to your website and they just might take their attention elsewhere.

Need help with web design, Internet marketing, or online security? Get in touch with us today for a free consultation to see how we can help!

Is your data as secure as it could be? Are you an easy target for hackers, either personally or through your business? Most of the men and women we work with don’t know the answers to those questions. And to be fair, there’s no way to know whether criminals are going to target you specifically.

Still, we find that many of our new clients have been neglecting their most important weapon against cybercrime: a strategy for setting and managing their passwords.

Believe it or not, just a little bit of attention to this one small part of your life can go a long way towards determining whether you’ll eventually be dealing with fraud and identity theft or if criminals will turn their attention elsewhere. That’s because taking the time to set strong passwords is the online equivalent of carrying a nightstick with you on the street. Conversely, using simple ones isn’t that much different than leaving your doors and windows open for anyone to come in.

Knowing that, let’s take a look at five solid password management rules you can use starting today…

#1 First, Use Complex Passwords

A lot of people don’t realize this, but hackers can use automated software to crack simple passwords (like names and complete words) within tenths of a second. Make your password at least 16 characters while adding in some capital letters, numerals, and symbols, and you could change that to months. Criminals don’t have that much time, so they’ll move along (or be discovered) before they ever get in.

#2 NEVER Use One Password for Everything

Yes, it’s convenient to use one password or security reminder question for everything. But no, you shouldn’t do it. No matter how secure your passwords are, you ought to have different ones for each website you use, and particularly for any financial institutions you do business with. That way, someone who finds their way into one of your accounts won’t be able to access the rest automatically.

#3 Change Your Passwords Frequently

It’s a good idea to change or update your passwords at least once or twice a year. If this is all starting to sound like a lot of work, remember that there are a number of free and low-cost tools you can use to generate random passwords and keep track of them. Whether you use software or not, though, it’s a bad idea to hold onto the same passwords for years on end.

#4 Keep Offline Reminders of Your Passwords

Of course, you don’t want the passwords you’ve set for all of your most important accounts and websites to disappear if you have an issue with your computer or mobile device. So, while your updating your passwords every 6 to 12 months, be sure to write them down (or print them out) and keep them in an insulated safe or another secure place. The whole process will only take you a couple of hours, which is a lot better than the weeks and months you’ll need to undo the effects of identity theft.

#5 Don’t Share Your Passwords With People Who Don’t Need Them

Finally, don’t let all of your hard work go to waste by sharing your passwords of people who don’t need them. Employees, contractors, and friends generally don’t need access to your accounts, and you should never send your passwords to someone else via text or email.

Having good passwords won’t protect you from every kind of online crime or theft, but it’s definitely a start in the right direction. Put these five pieces of advice to good use and prevent hackers from taking the easy way into your website or personal life.

Search engine optimization is both evolving and getting more competitive all the time. Not only are there hundreds of times as many websites online today as there were when Google first launched, but algorithm updates and artificial intelligence have changed the way search spiders crawl the web.

With all of that in mind, it’s not surprising that a lot of businesses need an update when it comes to their approach to search engine optimization. If you’d like to boost your search visibility in 2017 – and get more buyers coming to your website as a result – here are some steps you should think about taking today…

Re-Evaluate Your Keyword Strategy

Over the years, we have learned that a lot of marketers stick to the keywords they know out of sheer habit. That sometimes remains true even if their potential customers aren’t using the same search terms anymore, or if the competition for search rankings around those terms has gotten intense. The point is that you should re-evaluate your keyword strategy at least once a year to ensure you’re doing everything you can to attract buyers and bring them to your pages.

Clean Up Your Website

Through successive algorithm updates, Google has gotten aggressive in weeding out websites with broken links, scraped content, or out-of-date information. So, if you have any of these issues with your website, the odds are good that you’re either being filtered out of Google’s search results or are losing ground to competitors who are keeping their pages in better shape.

Upgrade Your Web Hosting

Premium web hosting is the new “secret weapon” in search engine optimization. For one thing, it allows websites to load more quickly and consistently. And for another, good web hosting allows for secure SSL connections, which were recently revealed to be a search signal within Google’s rankings. All in all, it almost always makes sense to upgrade your web hosting for a few dollars a day when you consider the added security, performance, and search visibility.

Make Mobile a Big Priority

Mobile web use has been growing rapidly and steadily for a few years, and Google’s emphasis on mobile compatibility has increased step-for-step. This is true to the point that the world’s largest search engine recently announced that positioning for desktop searches could be affected by mobile functionality. If you want to keep Google happy, along with the thousands of people who are likely to visit your website from an iPhone, android, or other mobile device this year, it’s time to invest in responsive web design.

Develop a Content Plan

It’s not enough to just have content on your website anymore – if you want Google to crawl your pages and send visitors your way, you need relevant, current, and insightful articles that invite comments and interaction. That’s not going to happen by accident, so you should develop a content plan that lets you plan ideas and updates for the months to come.

Ready to put your new search engine optimization knowledge into action? Call our creative team today so we can schedule a free website review and talk about the next set of steps you should follow.

If you read the occasional article about web design, IT, or Internet marketing, you may have noticed that lots of experts are advising business owners to upgrade their web hosting to include SSL connections. Is it something you should consider?

To get to the bottom of the matter, there are a few questions we should try to answer first…

What is SSL?

SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer, and basically amounts to creating a more secure connection between your website and the visitors who arrive at it. You’ve undoubtedly used many SSL connections this week, and probably several already today. You can recognize them by the “https:” designation in your browser, and the different icons or shading that sometimes show up when you have a secure connection.

Beyond that, most users associate SSL connections with banks and online merchants. So, even if your customers don’t understand exactly what they are, they are probably aware that an SSL signifier means more safety.

How do You Add SSL Capability to Your Website?

While the actual technical process of adding security certificates to your server can be complicated, the decision to move forward is an easy one for a business owner. It basically amounts to upgrading your hosting package, adding SSL to your package of services, and telling your web design team that you want it installed on your site.

The cost of adding SSL protection to your website is essentially negligible (less than $20 a month through most providers), so it shouldn’t be financially prohibitive to most companies.

What are the Benefits of SSL?

There are a few reasons you might want to upgrade to SSL on your business website.

The first is that it makes every connection safer. That’s important in situations where you’re transmitting data back and forth to users or customers, particularly if there are going to be financial details or transactions involved. The more sensitive the submissions are, the more important SSL protection becomes. Once it’s in place, it becomes much harder for thieves and hackers to get access to things they shouldn’t.

Almost as important as the safety of data is the perception of your website. Because most customers and users associate SSL with security, they feel more comfortable seeing it on your pages. So, there is an issue of credibility that comes into play.

And finally, SSL is getting more attention these days because Google has identified secure connections is a search engine signal. In other words, by adding this feature to your hosting, there is a chance you could draw more search engine traffic to your pages. Given that Google currently processes more than 2 billion search queries every day, and competition for the top spots is intense, marketers will (and should) take any advantage they can get.

Given the minimal costs involved, it might make a lot of sense for your company to upgrade its web hosting package and add SSL capability if you don’t have it already. You’ll gain a lot in safety, prestige, and visibility, and all without giving it much in return.

Looking for great advice on web design, technology, and online marketing? Call our team today to arrange a free consultation where we can talk about your goals.