[ Security Advisory ] Critical Security Notice for Unpatched SonicWall Devices

// Overview  

SonicWall has published an urgent notice indicating a ransomware campaign targeting End-of-Life (EOL) SonicWall Secure Mobile Access (SMA) 100 series and Secure Remote Access (SRA) devices. Details are currently limited, but we are monitoring the situation and will provide additional guidance as new information is disclosed.

The announcement listed below in the references section has all the current publicly known information regarding this activity. 

// What you should do 

If you use a SonicWall SMA and/or SRA devices running unpatched EOL firmware 8.x, the current guidance from SonicWall PSIRT is as follows:

• ·                 Disconnect device from the network
• ·                 Reset Credentials
• ·                 Enable/Implement MFA 

Currently, SonicWall devices running firmware 9.x and higher are not impacted. 

// References 

• §     SonicWall Notice -- https://www.sonicwall.com/support/product-notification/urgent-security-notice-critical-risk-to-unpatched-end-of-life-sra-sma-8-x-remote-access-devices/210713105333210/ 

Introducing PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams

PowerPoint Live transforms your presenting experience - only in Microsoft Teams 

PowerPoint is used around the world to share compelling stories—from personal to professional. As the world shifted to working remotely, we all faced new challenges presenting without a live audience. Reading the room, seeing people’s expressions, and natural interactions all became more difficult to do from behind a screen.  

We created an entirely new remote presenting experience with PowerPoint Live in Microsoft Teams. This exclusive and unique experience benefits both presenters and audience members, offering the rich presenting capabilities of PowerPoint and the collaboration of Microsoft Teams. 

 see more

Out of Office

Let others know that you are not available by scheduling an Out of Office message in Teams. This helps set expectations with your colleagues, letting them know that you won’t be able to respond during this time and allows you to take the time off. During this time, your presence status is changed to "Out of Office" and your status message is displayed when someone reaches out to you via chat. Additionally, your Outlook calendar and automatic replies are updated accordingly.

250 GB file size support in Microsoft teams

We have now increased the upload file size limit for Microsoft Teams from 100 GB to 250 GB. This also applies to all other Microsoft 365, services including SharePoint and OneDrive. You are now able to easily share large files like a 3D model of a new building, a client commercial shot in 8K video, a large dataset for a vaccine trial or research projects or large videos for educational projects. Learn more

Press Release: Exciting learning news and opportunities at Microsoft Ignite, March 2-4

Tech capability is more crucial than ever in driving productivity, innovation, and growth. As we rise to meet each new technological challenge, our continued mission is to empower you with essential skills for digital transformation today and the future. At Microsoft Ignite, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, connect, and explore new tech. Register and join us today for a two-day digital experience and learn about our new training and certification announcements, along with engaging opportunities at the event’s Learning Zone.

Our commitment to closing the security skills gap

With complex cyberattacks increasing and more employees working remotely, the need for cybersecurity professionals is growing by the day. With the struggle to fill security skills gap, there’s an estimated global shortage of 3.5 million security professionals. To help close this gap, we’re dedicated to getting you up to speed on Microsoft security, compliance, and identity solutions with training and certifications on Microsoft Learn. And wherever you are with your learning journey, expand your knowledge and validate your skills with four new certifications:

• Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals. Validate your foundational understanding of security, compliance, and identity across cloud-based and related Microsoft services.
• Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate. Prove your expertise in planning and implementing controls to meet organizational compliance needs.
• Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate. Certify your knowledge of core identity governance principles and your ability to ensure a proper identity lifecycle.
• Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate. Validate your skills in threat mitigation using Microsoft security, compliance, and identity solutions, in addition to performing proactive threat-hunting activities.

In addition, find relevant content based on your needs in the Microsoft Security Technical Content Library, and sign up for Microsoft Virtual Training Days – free in-depth virtual training events available in multiple languages and time zones. Learn more about these additional resources to help you expand your knowledge and skills on security and compliance solutions.

New Windows Virtual Desktop specialty certification

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed a worldwide surge in the remote work economy, and organizations around the globe are looking for reliable productivity tools for their remote workers. Along with the burgeoning growth of remote work comes the urgent need and great demand for administrators with subject matter expertise in planning, delivering, and managing virtual desktop experiences and remote apps—for any device—on Azure. That’s why we’re excited to announce the release of a new certification to help validate those skills. Get ready for the upcoming Microsoft Certified: Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty certification, available at the end of March.

Certification renewal features are now available on Microsoft Learn

In December 2020, we shared our new approach to renewing role-based and specialty certifications for free on Microsoft Learn. We’re happy to announce that this feature is now available for 19 certifications, with more following shortly. If you have a certification that expires within six months, you can take a certification renewal assessment online—at no cost and on your schedule—and extend your certification for an additional year. Learn more about renewing your Microsoft Certification.

Get in the zone at Microsoft Ignite

Whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned professional, you’ll find the perfect way to expand your digital toolkit in the Learning Zone at Microsoft Ignite. We’ve designed Learning Zone experiences for every learning style and skill level:

• Cloud Skills Challenge. Self-starters will enjoy diving into this challenge, where you can learn and earn a free certification exam to help you validate your skills.
• Learn LIVE. If hands-on learning is your preferred style, tap into these self-paced modules while you’re guided by subject matter experts.
• Intro to Tech Skills. If you’re just getting started in a tech career or looking to make your next move in tech, you’ll feel right at home in these sessions. Build new skills using Microsoft technologies and get started on your chosen path to success.
• Ask the Experts. During these Q&A sessions, pick our experts’ brains about your specialty or role and their accompanying Microsoft Certifications.
• Learn at Ignite. Continue learning with us after the event. Find your way to deeper content, training options, communities, and certification details across Microsoft cloud solutions from one place.

Now that you’ve learned about what we have in store for you, what are you waiting for? Register for Microsoft Ignite and join us today at the Learning Zone so you can build your journey to having greater tech confidence.

New file sharing experience in Microsoft Teams

Microsoft is updating the file sharing and access control experience in Microsoft Teams to make it similar to the experience with other Microsoft 365 apps. We had announced this feature last fall but delayed the rollout to ensure the best customer experience. We apologize for any inconvenience that this delay may have caused.

Key points

• Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 51230 
• Timing: mid-March through mid-April 2021
• Roll-out: tenant level
• Control type: admin control
• Action: review and assess

How this will affect your organization

With this update, when users share a file from within Teams (desktop/web), they will have the option to create sharing links that provide access to:

• anyone
• people with existing access
• people within your organization
• specific people, including those in a 1:1 chat, group chat, or channels.

Before users share a file in a chat and channels, they will be notified if recipients don't have permission to view the file. The user can change permissions before they share the file (if they have permission to do so).

What you need to do to prepare

Teams honors the sharing controls defined in SharePoint. For example, if external sharing is disabled in SharePoint, then it is disabled in Teams as well.

The default file link permission in Teams will be the same that is set at tenant level, unless that setting has been overridden at the respective SharePoint site level.

Review your file sharing options in the SharePoint admin portal to ensure that they align with the requirements in your tenant.

Learn more

• Manage sharing settings in SharePoint and OneDrive
• Sharing files in Microsoft Teams

Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) Video Overview

Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) Overview from Sophos on Vimeo.

Sophos News: MTR Casebook: Uncovering a backdoor implant in a SolarWinds Orion server

A real-world story from the Sophos Managed Threat Response team

This is a great read and worth your time if you have any interest in security and this shows the what you can expect from a strong MTR engagement experience.

Setting the scene

The organization in question came to Sophos Rapid Response after falling victim to a Ragnar Locker attack in early 2020. A ransomware payload was delivered manually by a highly capable group at around 2 a.m., while admins were asleep, hitting as many computers as they could in quick succession.

They hit hundreds.

Sophos Rapid Response was brought in to help identify, contain and neutralize the threat. It took the team less than two days to resolve the active threat and over the following days incident responders were able to ascertain the threat actor had entered the network two months prior to the ransomware attack.

With the Ragnar group removed from their network, the customer transitioned to the full MTR service in Notify mode with our security operations team watching over them 24/7.

While the pressing threat of Ragnar Locker was out of the picture, in November 2020 another threat actor stepped into view…

Logitech: Bringing People Together with Video

Logitech put together a little brochure that describes their focus on video conference systems. We use Logitech cameras in quite a few of our solutions and we are quite happy with their quality and over function with many of the video conferencing software packages that are out their. If you are interested in seing this brochure you can download it here.

If you are interested in one of our team members working with you on creating a video conference solution for your organization please don't hesitate reaching out to us at sales@paconnect.com or call call us at 724-838-7526.

Snagit 2021 - Great Screen capture tool

airSlate Added to Pax8 Vendor Roster

Product Release

airSlate signNow an advanced e-signature solution that boosts workflows and takes contract management to a new level, is now available for all PAconnect Customers. With signNow, ussers get access to useful tools that can help close deals in hours instead of days by signing PDFs, invoices, contracts, and much more with legally binding signatures right from your desktop or mobile devices.

signNow makes it easy for recipients to sign documents in seconds. Upload .pdf, .docx or .ppt files and add signature fields anywhere you need, and assign the fields to teammates and partners while defining their level of access. Recipients can securely approve your documents in seconds.

Sign and collect e-signatures, build online fillable templates, automatically send documents to multiple recipients and much more with signNow. It enables you to create secure and intuitive e-signature workflows on any device, track the status of documents right into your account, and build online fillable forms, all within a single solution.

The signNow API allows you to create e-signature requests and build complex e-signature workflows, without having to write code, and you can test signNow API features in a development environment before going live.

Sophos Alert: End of Support for Sophos Enterprise Console Managed Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Sophos has now ended standard support for all Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 devices managed by Sophos Enterprise Console (SEC). Extended support is available for purchase for both operating systems.

Without an extended support license, all Sophos updates will be disabled for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 devices managed by SEC commencing February 1, 2021. 

Lifecycle Milestones 

Windows 7 

• Standard Support End Date - December 31, 2020 (Expired)
• Extended Support End Date - March 31, 2023

Windows Server 2008 R2 

• Standard Support End Date - December 31, 2020 (Expired)
• Extended Support End Date - March 31, 2023

A full list of supported platforms and operating systems with retirement dates can be found in KB34756.

About Sophos Enterprise Console

Sophos Enterprise Console is a single, automated console that manages and updates Sophos security software on computers running Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and UNIX operating systems, and in virtual environments with VMware vShield.

Sophos Enterprise Console enables you to do the following:

• Protect your network against malware, risky file types and websites, and malicious network traffic, as well as adware and other potentially unwanted applications.
• Control which websites users can browse to, further protecting the network against malware, and preventing users from browsing to inappropriate websites.
• Control which applications can run on the network.
• Manage client firewall protection on endpoint computers.
• Assess computers for missing patches.
• Reduce accidental data loss, such as unintentional transfer of sensitive data, from endpoint computers.
• Prevent users from using unauthorized external storage devices and wireless connection technologies on endpoint computers.
• Prevent users from re-configuring, disabling, or uninstalling Sophos security software.

If you have any questions, please contact us.

PAconnect Premium Security Package

When you have been attacked and are down with Ransomeware, where do you turn? Our company has the people trained and the right partnerships in place to help you get your company back up and running as quickly as possible. We have the right tools that help to prevent this in the first place but if you have not decided to implement them then we have other solutions that we can draw upon.

Our new CyberSecurity Product Premium package includes a 24x7 component that tracks and mitigates CyberAttacks to your network. If you need a higher degree of security or just want to feel more secure about your network we have the products that will take you to that next level. 

Firewalls are essential for securing the network perimeter and separating trusted from untrusted connections. They will protect network resources and infrastructure against unauthorized access.  Firewalls also provide a means to secure connections between office locations and to connect employees more securely from remote locations. This is our first layer of protection we suggest that you put in place.

Email Security is a prime attack vector for security failures. Providing a means to secure your system from these attacks takes a multi-layered approach through training to increase awareness of what these attacks look like, as well as providing barriers to help prevent the attacks from ever succeeding. Using scheduled training, advanced email protection software, email encryption products and more we help you to lock down your security on this attack path.

DNS Protection: Providing an additional layer of protection between an employee and the internet by blacklisting dangerous sites and filtering out unwanted content. By using secure DNS servers both at home and at work, employees can avoid unnecessary risks and the potential for malicious attacks.

Endpoint Security Solutions add another layer to our security stack. Our products provide automated patch management on your systems and AI and Machine learning level security to protect your system from malware, trojans and ransomware attacks. Our premium package also provides active threat hunting and remedial diagnostics for those of you who require a more critical security stance and ability to document any intrusion/attack attempts to your network. Our goal is to provide the right level a protection at a price that you are able to afford and take advantage of.

3D Printers are really getting interesting...

Some of our techs have started using 3D printers for creationg some interesting end results and some that are getting more and more practical as they keep giving you more options on the media that you can use in the printing process. The more this guys play the more ideas we are getting for replacement parts and specialized designs to enhance some of the products that we are already selling. 

One of our phones has a very poor design for a wall mount and this is something that we are considering to produce. In fact, for us, specialized mounts seem like a very practical implementation of this process and price competitive. 

This Christmas I gave my grandson a hand printer that allows him to sculpt designs with a pen like device. It will be his first foray into this technology.

Down the road, who know what we will want to create and what devices will available to us use to do it!

CES: Infinity Gaming Table

Again, not here yet but wish it was. Originally brought to market as a Kickstarter campaign, with pledges exceeding $1 million. Arcade 1Up is planning on releasing soon so if this is something that looks interesting to you, you may not have long to wait...

It looks like Hasbro is getting in on the action making available some of its popular games in digital format. One of the neat things with this table design i some fo the feed back and the ability to program in interesting graphics to make the games more fun and interactive.

Of course you lose the ability to touch real cards, dice and tokens but the possibilites of the what can be designed into the games. The tables are networkable in that they can interact with other players playing on remote tables. Nothing has been said about an ability to integrate with other devices types other than tables made by his manufaturer but there is no saying that this cannot be a future addition. 

The cost of the table is $600 so considering its capabilities and the size of the touch screen sounds like a reasonable purchase. See this direct link of a video showing it's capabilities from CNET.

Best private search engines that won’t track you in 2021

Had a customer that is trying to get off of the grid and asked what search engine they could use that won't track them...

Here is a posting I found that lists a couple of options.

CES: Cadillac Air Taxi

One of the problems with shows like CES is that vendors and manufacturers are showing off a lot of prototype sysetems that we still have to wait for. One of those that I wish was here now is Cadillac's eVTOL Air Taxi. I have linked the CNET Road Show posting describing this neat product that has a unique and curiously practical design for a personal aircraft that GM is working to bring to fruition.

The version that they are showing is a single person design but supposedly a two person version is also in the works. Take a look at the Video that is attached to the posting. It will leave you wanting it to be available today!

Microsoft Teams Dynamic View Feature coming in March

At a theater near you, just kidding. Thursday I highlighted the new December release from Microsoft with the Microsoft Teams Feature of Breakout Rooms. Today, I am looking towards the future release of a new Teams feature that allows you to dispaly content side by side with your participant's windows do be able to see content at the same time you are talking to your meeting participants. 

This new feature provides more control over your display view during meetings to enhance the entire experience. Microsoft's intent is to make meeting feel more connected and create better engagement during the meeting. 

In July, Microsoft posted an update of new feature updates and if you want to see the entire list jump over to this posting.

Microsoft Breakout Rooms

We have been doing so much work using Microsoft Teams, Zoom and other remote connectivity software that it is exciting to see that the software manufacturers are continuing to upgrade their products to make them even more capable as time goes.

One of Microsoft's flagship product's is Microsoft Teams and they have added the ability to use breakout rooms in their software. Here's an article on how to use that new feature.

Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR)

We have added Sophos Managed Threat Response to our Premium Security Package and it has been working out great for everyone that has had us install it for them. What is included in this package. We start with our base package which includes Patch Management, Asset Management, Remote Access/Support and Intercept X Advanced as your AV Protection Software. With the addition of the MTR Service you also get:

•  24/7 Lead-Driven Threat Hunting - Confirmed malicious artifacts or activity (strong signals) are automatically blocked or terminated, freeing up threat hunters to conduct lead-driven threat hunts. This type of threat hunt involves the aggregation and investigation of causal and adjacent events (weak signals) to discover new Indicators of Attack (IoA) and Indicators of Compromise (IoC) that previously could not be detected.
• Adversarial Detections - Most successful attacks rely on the execution of a process that can appear legitimate to monitoring tools. Using proprietary investigation techniques, our team determines the difference between legitimate behavior and the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by attackers.
• Security Health Check - Keep your Sophos Central products, beginning with Intercept X Advanced with EDR, operating at peak performance with proactive examinations of your operating conditions and recommended configuration improvements.
• Activity Reporting - Summaries of case activities enable prioritization and communication, so your team knows what threats were detected and what response actions were taken within each reporting period.
• 24/7 Leadless Threat Hunting
• Applying data science, threat intelligence, and the intuition of veteran threat hunters, we combine your company profile, high-value assets, and high-risk users to anticipate attacker behavior and identify new Indicators of Attack (IoA).
• Dedicated Threat Response Lead - When an incident is confirmed, a dedicated threat response lead is provided to directly collaborate with your on-premises resources (internal team or external partner) until the active threat is neutralized.
• Direct Call-In Support - Your team has direct call-in access to our security operations center (SOC). Our MTR Operations Team is available around-the-clock and backed by support teams spanning 26 locations worldwide.
• Enhanced Telemetry - Threat investigations are supplemented with telemetry from other Sophos Central products, extending beyond the endpoint to provide a full picture of adversary activities.
• Proactive Posture Improvement - Proactively improve your security posture and harden your defenses with prescriptive guidance for addressing configuration and architecture weaknesses that diminish your overall security capabilities.
• Asset Discovery - For both managed and unmanaged assets, we provide valuable insights during impact assessments, threat hunts, and as part of proactive posture improvement recommendations.

This is an amazing amount of support that becomes available at a very affordable cost. Call our Sales team to find out how you can take advantage of this great product  line up.