Tag Archives: 24x7x365 network monitoring

Removing SAVEfiles Virus and Others with Webroot

Anti-virus, , ,
Hands on a keyboard removing SAVEfiles virus with Webroot

Protecting workstations and servers is critical in preventing downtime

SAVEfiles is a recent high-profile web virus making its rounds on the internet. It is attacking Windows based computers, workstations and servers with the goal of locking out the user and encrypting key files through AES and RSA algorithms. The hackers demand a ransom (in the form of Bitcoin) in order to restore full service. Like the WannaCry virus before it, this is a dangerous malware that should be avoided at all costs. In the case that it has infiltrated your system, there are a few things to know.

Response

First and foremost, users should not under any circumstances actually send the funds to the hackers. Most likely the scammers will not send the encryption key and the victim will simply be out his or her money with no result.

Secondly, even if the hackers send the encryption key, it will most likely be located on another malicious server location. Accessing that server may allow your computer to download or access additional malware. That malware could spread to other people in your network or simply lock additional files on your computer. So it is ideal to avoid this result.

Next, use reimage repair to start over from the beginning with your Windows system. That detects the ransomware and helps to restart and avoid the malware. Finally, use a high quality anti virus tool like Webroot to eliminate the malicious software and free yourself of the damage.

Anti-Virus Tools

In order to solve this dilemma, the best thing to do is apply a Webroot Anti-virus tool. It is an evolution of the well-known Spy Sweeper product. It has a handy “fix it now” feature that does not require the user to do anything but click the button to resolve the problem. At that point, the software will search the entire system for foreign, unauthorized files and eliminate them.

Webroot has a vast library of potential viruses that it can knock out with ease. Additionally, it can detect new files that enter the system if they are not authorized. It will then eliminate those after the user authorizes it.

Webroot has one the Virus Bulletin certification for excellence four times. ICSA labs has also certified it as a dependable anti virus solution for computers and servers. For this reason, many people are willing to rely on it to fix their systems.

The Webroot version 7.0 is the most impressive release yet. This version has much better user interface design. It also divides messages into “Green”, “Yellow” and “Red” so that it is very simple to prioritize. Green means that the system is clear, yellow messages are warnings and red messages indicate a virus must be removed. It also offers automatic periodic scans that are either Quick Sweeps or Full Sweeps.

Other Actions

In the future, there several additional security steps you may take. Firstly, you can purchase a USB stick and keep sensitive files in this device offline. Additionally, you may keep redundant files in different locations on the cloud. That way, if your device is compromised you still can access the important files from another device.

Of course, don’t click on suspicious links or download software from unverified sources. These are the most common sources of viruses online.

Make sure to change passwords every so often so that if the device is compromised once, it won’t continue to be compromised.  Network admins should make sure to have different passwords and authentications for different levels of the network as well.

Get Started

Webroot Antivirus is a leading provider of antivirus tools. They have helped large and small companies attack malicious software and prevent it from infecting an entire network. For more information, please contact us.

Website Acting Sluggish? Server Monitoring Will Tell You Why (Part 2)

Manage Service, , , ,
Businessman troubleshooting computer with server monitoring

Server monitoring is key to network performance

Welcome back to the second half of our fantastic two-part article on how to diagnose and repair website slowness with the help of a managed monitoring system. Last time talked about the importance of a snappy website and the difficulty in speeding up the website without clues. Let’s pick back up at clue gathering.

Troubleshooting with Server Monitoring

Server monitoring is a simple phrase with a big list of applications. There are all sorts of reasons to implement server monitoring from testing your own hand-written programs to watching for malware activity. The reason it’s so diversely useful is because with server monitoring, you can watch absolutely everything about the state of your server and what it’s up to. At the most basic level, it can tell you the temperature of the CPU and going over about 85 F on a regular basis can definitely slow you down (that’s what the cleaning was for).

Beyond that, server monitoring will track things like your CPU, memory, and disk usage which are all ways to tell how many resources are available to run your website and deliver it to viewers. CPU percentage indicates how many tasks your server can do at once, memory or “RAM” is like your computer’s immediate thinking power, and Disk usage will show you how full your hard drive is (if it’s full, things stop working). If any of these seem overtaxed or approach capacity during high-traffic times, your website is likely to slow down for all users as the server struggles to serve the data they’re requesting. Server monitoring not only shows you these stats, it can keep an eye on them as your traffic fluctuates and send you an alert if any go over a designated percentage.

Tracking Your Processes

With the basics covered, server monitoring can also take an in-depth look at the processes your server is running. If you want your website to have access to 100% of the server’s resources (you do), then it’s best to remove all unnecessary programs from the computer and stop all extraneous processes. Server monitoring can show you which processes you’re running and how much of your computer’s resources they’re eating with each cycle. Not only can you discover unnecessary resource-hungry processes you can close, it may also reveal certain processes from your site that might be consuming more than their fair share of resources. This could be a clue that it’s time to update your plugins or remove features you don’t need anymore.

Identifying Bandwidth Problems

There’s also the possibility that your sluggish website is a symptom of your bandwidth rather than the performance of the server itself. With a little monitoring, if you determine that there are more than enough resources and the server is plenty responsive with non-network tasks, the issue may lie with your internet provider, cables, or network configuration instead. First, check your network settings to be sure you’re not artificially bottle-necking yourself by accident. If that’s not the case and your server is a local machine, ISPs have been known to throttle bandwidth of high-demand users, like those hosting a popular website, and you may need to buy a larger monthly package. For a cloud-hosted server, talk to your hosting provider about how you can increase your allotment of bandwidth, which will probably also result in buying a larger monthly package.

Server Monitoring as a Service

Finally, server monitoring is a wonderful tool, or rather set of tools, that allows you to keep an incredibly detailed eye on the performance of your website and the server it runs on, but it’s also incredibly complex. If you’re not personally excited by the idea of constantly checking on your computer’s temperature, resource usage, and networking speed but still want to keep your website optimized, consider hiring a professional service to monitor your server for you. They will help you determine where to set up alert points (ex: when the computer heats up over 90 F or uses over 80% of its resources) and can even help you optimize for better performance based on the information the monitoring provides.

No matter what kind of website you’re running or how many users you handle every day, you deserve the snappy page loading that only a well-optimized server can bring. With server monitoring and professional IT support, you should be able to quickly troubleshoot whether your sluggish page load is due to heat, unnecessary processes, or old platform plugins that could be updated and replaced. Whatever the cause, server monitoring will help you identify, optimize, and get your site up to speed in no time. For more great website and managed IT tips, contact us today!

24 x 7 x 365 Proactive Monitoring of Network Infrastructure-Your Business Safety Net

Manage Service, ,
Without a safety net in the form of proactive network monitoring, you run the risk of costly outages and other potential disasters.

Without a safety net in the form of proactive network monitoring, you run the risk of costly outages and other potential disasters.

Picture the scene. A hush falls over the crowd as they crane their necks to see the small sequin-clad figure of a girl walking a tightrope high above the stadium floor. She walks sure-footed for a few steps and then, unexpectedly, she begins to wobble. Something has gone wrong, though the crowd cannot discern just what is it from their vantage point on the floor. She tries to correct her balance, and a collective gasp of horror rises from the audience as she loses her balance and falls for what seems like an eternity before hitting the carefully positioned safety net below. She bounces once, twice, and a third time before flipping easily down to the floor, unharmed. She raises her arms to show the crowd she is all right. The crowd erupts in applause. While the crowd will forever remember the girl, the unsung star of the event is the safety net.

Just like that girl on a wire, your business processes run day by day with seemingly sure footing. However, what happens on those occasions when something goes amiss? Where is your safety net? 24 x 7 x 365 proactive monitoring of network infrastructure can keep your business from the disastrous results of a network failure.

The key to the success of this type of monitoring lies in its name. It is proactive. Rather than waiting for a failure to happen and then stepping in with a sometimes complicated, time and labor-intensive fix, proactive monitoring anticipates the failure and moves to address potential issues before they become critical. Thus, catastrophe can often be avoided entirely. As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

How does this monitoring work? All day, every day, data is collected regarding the performance, health, and status of your network infrastructure. Based on data received, optimization features are triggered, which increase the productivity of your system and ultimately, the profitability of your entire enterprise.

Imagine the security of knowing that someone is watching your systems day after day to ensure every component of your network is working optimally at all times. While in-house IT support can provide a good level of care, it is likely that your business does not have around-the-clock coverage with on-staff IT professionals. The expense of maintaining 24 hour in-house support is often prohibitive. But the fact is that you need 24-hour-a-day support, because system failures do not historically occur just during regular business hours.

Proactive monitoring can often be paired with proactive maintenance support as well. This means that your network is maintained at optimal levels on an ongoing basis. Monitoring and associated maintenance ensures that backups take place at regular and appropriate intervals and that any security patches needed to keep your system up-to-date are handled in a timely manner.

Just as you expect your in-house IT staff to be knowledgeable regarding current issues that might impact your network infrastructure negatively, proactive monitoring ensures that emerging threats can be neutralized as quickly as possible.

Does proactive monitoring slow down your business processes? The simple answer is, no. This type of monitoring is completely unobtrusive, allowing you to proceed with the every day routines of your business workflows and processes without hindrance. Tweaking your system as needed, proactive monitoring provides peace of mind for you and your staff, optimal performance of each and every component of your network infrastructure, and increased productivity that comes from a reduction of downtime caused by random system failure.

If this sounds like something that would benefit your business, please contact us today. We can show you how proactive monitoring can work best for your enterprise.