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Official Statements

Relevant Articles

Solutions

Scams

official statements

relevant articles

remote work solutions

Peters & Associates has decades of experience implementing secure remote access solutions to help our clients adapt to modern workstyles. COVID-19 has forced many organizations to accelerate these plans. The solutions below were developed to help our clients quickly and safely implement or expand remote work. Each solution includes additional health and performance monitoring, security log review, and support.

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VPN

VPN is a popular choice for many organizations because it can be configured with existing firewalls. However, additional licensing, capacity, user training, and security must all be considered before proceeding. Many firewall vendors, including Citrix and Cisco-Meraki, are offering free or discounted licenses to help organizations through the COVID-19 crisis.

Remote Access

Remote Access provides employees access to their work laptop via a secure portal. This is an attractive option for many organizations that need have a solution implemented quickly. Licensing can be added on a temporary basis, but organizations will need to consider network capacity, user training, and security awareness to optimize the solution.

Citrix

Citrix Virtual Apps and Virtual Desktops (formerly XenApp and XenDesktop) provide one of the most secure solutions for accessing organization resources. Central management allows for more oversight and control. However, implementation requires more planning, additional hardware or software purchases, and involves more time than the options above. Citrix should be viewed as a more permanent solution than the prior options.

Teams Voice

For organizations that are not currently setup for remote work, accessing and managing the phone system can be one of the most challenge obstacles to overcome. Peters & Associates has developed a turnkey cloud-based soft phone setup so that your employees can send and receive calls from anywhere on any device. We can quickly get your business running with voice, conferencing, and more using Microsoft Teams. For a limited time, Microsoft is offering free licenses to help organizations through the COVID-19 crisis.

Microsoft Direct Access

As an alternative to traditional VPNs, Microsoft offers a seamless connected experience for domain-joined Windows 7/8/10 Enterprise clients. This allows users to work remotely with the exact same capability as in the office and without the need for separate VPN licensing or agents. For remote employees, it is seamless so training needs are minimized.

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scams

 Millions of remote desktop accounts attacked every week

While it is not recommended, hundreds of thousands of employees use RDP as a way to remotely connect to their office computer with the same privileges they would have on site.  Using brute-force techniques, hackers are gaining…

From ITProPortal, May 2020 

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 Hackers target remote workers with fake Zoom downloader

Researchers have uncovered a new cyber-criminal campaign attempting to exploit the current circumstances to trick remote workers into installing RevCode WebMonitor RAT.  While the Zoom loader installs and works successfully, in the background a….

From ZDNet, May 2020 

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FBI Sees Rise in Fraud Schemes Related to Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Scammers are leveraging the COVID-19 pandemic to steal your money, your personal information, or both. Don’t let them. Protect yourself and do your research before clicking on links.
 
From FBI and Department of Homeland Security, March 2020 
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Online Posts Falsely Claim Census Response Will Lead to Cash

CHICAGO (AP) — You won’t get a check in the mail for filling out this year’s census as claims circulating on social media suggest. The inaccurate posts on sites including Facebook and Twitter urge people to click on the link.

From AP Newswire, March 2020 

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Live Coronavirus Map Used to Spread Malware

Cybercrooks have started disseminating real-time, accurate information about global infection rates tied to the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic in a bid to infect computers with malicious software.
Krebs On Security, March 2020
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COVID-19 Map Malware Can Spy On You Through Your Android Microphone And Camera
Watch out for any links texted to your Android phone promising an app to track coronavirus.

Lookout, March 2020

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