Critical Windows Vulnerability

If you do not have a service agreement with Servcom USA, you will need to contact our office immediately to schedule the installation of the fix for this Windows vulnerability. Please note that a patch has been released, but it must be installed ASAP. Customers under a current service agreement will be handled automatically. (Contract customers do not have to request installation of this patch.)

For more details on this problem, to see a list of affected operating systems, or for more information, you can see the full Microsoft Security Bulletin here.

Again, this is a VERY serious problem. You need to have this addressed on your servers and workstations IMMEDIATELY.

 

A repost of the Microsoft Security Bulletin released yesterday:

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-067 – Critical

Vulnerability in Server Service Could Allow Remote Code Execution (958644)

Published: October 23, 2008

Version: 1.0

General Information

Executive Summary

This security update resolves a privately reported vulnerability in the Server service. The vulnerability could allow remote code execution if an affected system received a specially crafted RPC request. On Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 systems, an attacker could exploit this vulnerability without authentication to run arbitrary code. It is possible that this vulnerability could be used in the crafting of a wormable exploit. Firewall best practices and standard default firewall configurations can help protect network resources from attacks that originate outside the enterprise perimeter.

This security update is rated Critical for all supported editions of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and rated Important for all supported editions of Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. For more information, see the subsection, Affected and Non-Affected Software, in this section.

The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the way that the Server service handles RPC requests. For more information about the vulnerability, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) subsection for the specific vulnerability entry under the next section, Vulnerability Information.

Recommendation. Microsoft recommends that customers apply the update immediately.

 

 

Business Trip

Adam and I will be out of town from September 23^rd through Monday, October 5^th. Servcom USA will remain open during regular business hours.

Save Your Data – Crush a Hard Drive

Ever wonder what happens to your computer once you throw it away? Chances are it ends up in a landfill, possibly in the third world. Or, if you donate it to a charity, it might get put back on the shelf for resale. Or maybe it goes somewhere else.

Except that the data on your computer might get sold or recycled along with it.

How do you make sure that your data is safe, even after you've donated it to a worthy cause? Let Servcom USA recycle your PC for you. Your computer will be cleaned, refurbished, and either recycled safely or transferred to a non-profit organization in the area.

We will make sure your hard drive is wiped clean and overwritten with random data. We use industry-standard software and procedures to make sure your data is gone, and that it will not be recovered.

And if that isn't enough for you, then let us crush your hard drive.

Crushing a drive ensures that the plates are warped or broken beyond repair. Broken plates can't be read by anybody – they are as dead as can be.

Here are a few images of our smashed drives.

By the way, our hard drive crushing meets the compliance standards of various industries. That means that you can recycle computers, even if they come from a HIPAA- or SOX-compliant environment.

Available Internship

Servcom USA is has an internship position available beginning immediately. Interested applicants, please call our main phone number: (803) 329-2867.

Available Internship

Position Description: Assistant Network Administrator

Responsibilities:

1. Maintain and service Windows servers in test and production environments
   
2. Maintain, troubleshoot, repair, and design networks and networking equipment
   
3. Maintain and repair desktop, laptop, and workstation computers
   

Prerequisites:

1. Experience with desktop computers, especially Windows 2000, XP, and Vista
   
2. Experience troubleshooting and repairing computer hardware, including network devices
   
3. Working knowledge of TCP/IP networking, DNS, DHCP, and Layer-3 routing protocols
   

Extra skills (suggested, but not required):

1. Experience with Windows Server operating systems
   
2. Experience with any (or all) of the following: IIS, Exchange, SQL, ASP, .Net, Visual Basic/C#, Symantec BackupExec, Hyper-V, Linux
   
3. Certification in any IT field, such as A+, CCNA, Network+, MSCE, etc.
   

Additional Criteria and Information:

Servcom USA is a Technology consulting and services firm located in Rock Hill, SC. We have been servicing non-profit organizations and small businesses in York, Chester, and Lancaster counties since 2000.

This position will require 10 hours per week at Servcom USA's main office, although some work may be conducted off site. Pay will be commensurate with experience. Servcom USA will provide the assistant network administrator with additional training, as needed. The internship will run from August through December of 2008. All work can be completed outside of school hours; currently enrolled students are encouraged to apply. Applicant must be able to provide own reliable transportation. Please provide at least one current letter of recommendation from an employer or educator in a field relevant to the requirements of this position.

Interested applicants, please call our main phone number: (803) 329-2867.

Easy Email Backups

Most of us can't work without email, and you know that you can't afford to lose any email when your computer crashes.

But most email backup software is expensive, complex, and requires lots of time to set up.

If you are looking for a program to just back up your Outlook email, download the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup tool. It works for Outlook 2002, 2003, and 2007.* Save the backup to your external hard drive or USB drive for quick backups of your email, contacts, calendars, and journal notes. Best of all, it's free!

Installation instructions for the Microsoft Outlook Personal Folders Backup tool are available here. Call or email us for help installing this tool on your system today!

*Requires validation and Genuine Microsoft Office installed on your system. File download is approximately 160KB. The tool does NOT support Outlook Express or Windows Mail.

**** Maintenance Notice ****


When: 8/18 - 8/19
What: Security Updates
Impact: 15-30 minute service interruption

Details:

On August 18th and 19th, we will install all of the security updates currently available for the server where your website(s) and/or database(s) reside, as well as any patches the machine requires.

This maintenance will occur between 02:00 a.m. and 06:00 a.m EDT and the estimated downtime is between 15 - 30 minutes. All of the patches that will be deployed have gone through our quality assurance process and are currently running with no incident on our test servers.

The calendar feature in the HostMySite Control Panel allows you to see upcoming server security upgrades and patches for a progressive one month period. You can also check the calendar for maintenance and other important updates.

Worried About Your Security Online?

Worried about the recent DNS exploit? Servcom can help keep you safe. We have a fully customizable web-browser protection platform.

Using our custom server, you can block specific websites and even filter explicit material. Block all shopping websites on your work network, or just prevent your children from accidentally stumbling on adult content online.

Best of all, it can be enabled on your network remotely. Call us for details.