News and Updates

This category contains information about events that may affect your service such as maintenance or outages. It also contains announcements on new products releases and enhancements.

Office Closing Due to Weather

January 28, 2014 – Due to inclement weather conditions and for the safety of our staff, we have elected to close our office. Our phones will still be monitored by our technicians. However, our main office location will be closed for dropoffs, pickups, and other business. We expect to be able to reopen tomorrow (Wednesday) at our normal time of 8:00am. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update – 2:45pm – We are no longer sure we are going to be able to open at 8:00am tomorrow. Conditions continue to deteriorate. We will post updates as we have them.

Update – 4:45pm – January 28, 2014 – We have made the decision to postpone opening of our office until at least 10:00am. We will be reevaluating road conditions in the morning and will post another announcement around 8:00am.

Update – January 29, 2014 –  The roads in our county are still deemed “impassible” by the Emergency Management Agency.   It does not look like that will change by 10:00, so our office will be closed for today.  However, our technicians will still be available by phone for support.  We do understand that many of our customers are not affected by this weather, so we will do our best to handle your technical issues via phone.  Unfortunately, for the safety of our staff, we will not be able to dispatch technicians onsite today.   We will be evaluating the situation later today and/or tomorrow morning.  We will continue to post updates here.

Update – January 29, 2014 5:15pm – We are planning on opening our main office at 10:00am tomorrow (Thursday).   We will have staff manning the phones at 8:00am.  If conditions are still bad, we may end up not opening the main office until later, but we will post updates here.  There will be some customers who are scheduled for service calls who we will not be able to reach.  We will be rescheduling those calls.

Update – January 30, 2014 6:30am – The Comcast outage is affecting our phone system and the ability of our technicians to field phone calls from home.  We are working to find a solution to the problem but in the mean time, our phones will be unmanned and calls we will be checking our voicemail system to return calls as quickly as possible.  While our phone system is out, we also recommend emailing us at support@internetpro.net.

Update – January 30, 2014 7:50am – Comcast is back online and our phone system is back to normal.  We will have a skeleton crew in our main office by 10:00am.  Our scheduling is still going to be a little behind as we work with a reduced staff and try to handle emergencies first.  However, if you need to come by the office, we will be there.

 

2014-01-30T14:06:56-06:00January 28, 2014|News and Updates|Comments Off on Office Closing Due to Weather

NetSol Cloud Updates

We’ve update the NetSol Cloud with some major fixes.   This release includes the following changes:

  • Collaborative editing of documents
  • User management interface fixes
  • Performance improved significantly over older versions
  • Overall file-handling is faster and more optimized
  • Allow numeric group names
  • Improved IE compatibiliy
  • Sharing permission interface fixes
  • Small visual fixes
  • File scanner fixes to handle deleted files correctly
  • User avatars
  • Better file conflict handling
  • File previews

 

The collaborative editing is an especially important development.  The documents can be created from within the web-interface or existing documents can be uploaded. Sharing and editing can be done securely in the browser and be shared inside NetSol Cloud or via a public link. Users that have an account on the same server can be invited or public invitations can also be sent be email. The editing works on top of normal ODF files that are stored in NetSol Cloud.  ODF documents are Open Document Format which can also be edited by programs such as OpenOffice.org, LibreOffice, or Microsoft Word.   This editing is done in real-time so your changes can be seen by the other party AS THEY HAPPEN.

 

We’ve also posted an update to the NetSol Cloud Sync Clients.   You can find the new clients on our Sync Clients Page. Changes for the client program include:

  • Fixed error display in settings/status dialog, displays multi line error messages now correctly.
  • Wait up to 30 secs before complaining about missing systray
  • Fixed utf8 issues with basic auth authentication
  • Fixed remote folder selector, avoid recursive syncing
  • Handle and display network problems at startup correctly.
  • Enable and disable the folder watcher during syncs correctly.
  • Fix setting of thread priority.
  • Fixed file size display.
  • Fixed various folder wizard issues
  • Made “Sync started” message optional
  • Fixed shutdown, avoid crashed config on Windows
  • Pop up config wizard if no server url is configured
  • Settings: calculate sidebar width dynamically
  • Fixed a crash if sync folders were removed
  • Do proper resync after network disconnect
  • Allow to sign in and out
  • Ask for password if missing
  • Introduce activity view
  • Introduce black list for files which could not be synced
  • Numerous fixes and code cleanup

We recommend updating to the lastest desktop sync client.  If you have any questions about these upgrades, please contact us at 256-547-6817 or support@internetpro.net.

 

2013-12-26T23:00:45-06:00December 26, 2013|NetSol Cloud, News and Updates|Comments Off on NetSol Cloud Updates

WordPress Updates

We’ve updated our managed WordPress sites to a new version (3.8).

Here is the press release regarding the new version:

WordPress has gotten a facelift. 3.8 brings a fresh new look to the entire admin dashboard. Gone are overbearing gradients and dozens of shades of grey — bring on a bigger, bolder, more colorful design!

about-modern-wordpress

Modern aesthetic

The new WordPress dashboard has a fresh, uncluttered design that embraces clarity and simplicity.

Clean typography

The Open Sans typeface provides simple, friendly text that is optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing. It’s even open source, just like WordPress.

Refined contrast

We think beautiful design should never sacrifice legibility. With superior contrast and large, comfortable type, the new design is easy to read and a pleasure to navigate.


WordPress on every device

responsiveWe all access the internet in different ways. Smartphone, tablet, notebook, desktop — no matter what you use, WordPress will adapt and you’ll feel right at home.

High definition at high speed

WordPress is sharper than ever with new vector-based icons that scale to your screen. By ditching pixels, pages load significantly faster, too.


Admin color schemes to match your personality

colors

WordPress just got a colorful new update. We’ve included eight new admin color schemes so you can pick the one that suits you best.

Color schemes can be previewed and changed from your Profile page.


Refined theme management

themesThe new themes screen lets you survey your themes at a glance. Or want more information? Click to discover more. Then sit back and use your keyboard’s navigation arrows to flip through every theme you’ve got.

Smoother widget experience

Drag-drag-drag. Scroll-scroll-scroll. Widget management can be complicated. With the new design, we’ve worked to streamline the widgets screen.

Have a large monitor? Multiple widget areas stack side-by-side to use the available space. Using a tablet? Just tap a widget to add it.


Twenty Fourteen, a sleek new magazine theme

The new Twenty Fourteen theme displayed on a laptop. tablet and phone

Turn your blog into a magazine

Create a beautiful magazine-style site with WordPress and Twenty Fourteen. Choose a grid or a slider to display featured content on your homepage. Customize your site with three widget areas or change your layout with two page templates.

With a striking design that does not compromise our trademark simplicity, Twenty Fourteen is our most intrepid default theme yet.

2013-12-23T21:22:06-06:00December 23, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on WordPress Updates

IMAP issues in Outlook 2013 and Office 365

It has come to our attention that many Outlook 2013 and Office 365 users are having issues within synchronizing IMAP folders recently. This appears to be happening across all hosts due to a recent update that Microsoft has pushed out to all of its users.

What causes the issue?

This issue is caused by installing one of the following updates that have been pushed out by Microsoft on 11/12/13:

KB2837618 or KB2837643

If you have not already done so, please avoid this update for a bit until Microsoft corrects the issue. If you cannot avoid the update, we will provide you with further steps regarding a temporary fix for the issue.

What does this issue affect?

This issue with Microsoft Outlook 2013 and Office 365 will cause IMAP folders to not successfully synchronize, therefore inhibit your ability to receive new mail to your inbox.  Restarting Outlook temporarily fixes the issue.

How do I fix this issue?

There are a few ways to resolve the issue:

Option 1) Uninstall the recent updates (KB2837618 or KB2837643)

One option is to remove the recent update that has been pushed out by Microsoft to Outlook 2013 and Office 365 users. To do so, complete the following steps:

  1. Open your Start menu and click visit your Control Panel.
  2. Click Programs and Features
  3. Click View Installed Updates
  4. Locate either the KB2837618 or KB2837643 updates and remove them.

Option 2) Disable the “Show only subscribed folders” option in Outlook

There have been reports that the problem can also be resolved by removing the setting that states to show only subscribed folders in Outlook. To do so, complete the following steps:

  1. Under the “Folder” tab, right of the “Favorites” tab, click “IMAP Folders”
  2. Outlook should open a dialog box with IMAP folders.
  3. There is a checkbox that says, “When displaying hierarchy in Outlook, show only the subscribed folders.” Uncheck that box.
  4. Force sending/receiving within Outlook and everything should synchronize up properly.

Option 3) Changing the root folder path

Visit your Account Settings, then Advanced for the mail account that you are having trouble with. This can be located at one of the following:

  1. Go to Change Account>More Settings>Advanced Tab
  2. File>Account Settings>Account settings>Change…>More Settings…>Advanced
  3. In the Folders option, look for “Root folder path” and enter “Inbox”.
  4. Save your settings and force a Send/Receive

 

2013-11-25T17:30:46-06:00November 25, 2013|Documentation, FAQ, News and Updates|Comments Off on IMAP issues in Outlook 2013 and Office 365

Cryptolocker Virus

We wanted to help make people aware of this very dangerous virus.   It destroys your documents and will affect not just the infected computer, but also mapped network drives as well.  We have seen a few of our customers get infected with this and have had to restore from backup each time.  There is no way to recover the files encrypted by this virus.   Below is a document published by US-CERT, the United States Computer Readiness Team.  It outlines how this virus is distributed, what it does, and how to prevent infection.

 

NCCIC / US-CERT

National Cyber Awareness System:

11/05/2013 10:58 AM EST
Original release date: November 05, 2013 | Last revised: November 13, 2013

Systems Affected

Microsoft Windows systems running Windows 8, Windows 7, Vista, and XP operating systems

Overview

US-CERT is aware of a malware campaign that surfaced in 2013 and is associated with an increasing number of ransomware infections. CryptoLocker is a new variant of ransomware that restricts access to infected computers and demands the victim provide a payment to the attackers in order to decrypt and recover their files. As of this time, the primary means of infection appears to be phishing emails containing malicious attachments.

Description

CryptoLocker appears to have been spreading through fake emails designed to mimic the look of legitimate businesses and through phony FedEx and UPS tracking notices.  In addition, there have been reports that some victims saw the malware appear following after a previous infection from one of several botnets frequently leveraged in the cyber-criminal underground.

Impact

The malware has the ability to find and encrypt files located within shared network drives, USB drives, external hard drives, network file shares and even some cloud storage drives.  If one computer on a network becomes infected, mapped network drives could also become infected. CryptoLocker then connects to the attackers’ command and control (C2) server to deposit the asymmetric private encryption key out of the victim’s reach.

Victim files are encrypted using asymmetric encryption. Asymmetric encryption uses two different keys for encrypting and decrypting messages. Asymmetric encryption is a more secure form of encryption as only one party is aware of the private key, while both sides know the public key.

While victims are told they have three days to pay the attacker through a third-party payment method (MoneyPak, Bitcoin), some victims have claimed online that they paid the attackers and did not receive the promised decryption key.  US-CERT and DHS encourage users and administrators experiencing a ransomware infection NOT to respond to extortion attempts by attempting payment and instead to report the incident to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Solution

Prevention

US-CERT recommends users and administrators take the following preventative measures to protect their computer networks from a CryptoLocker infection:

  • Do not follow unsolicited web links in email messages or submit any information to webpages in links
  • Use caution when opening email attachments. Refer to the Security Tip Using Caution with Email Attachments for more information on safely handling email attachments
  • Maintain up-to-date anti-virus software
  • Perform regular backups of all systems to limit the impact of data and/or system loss
  • Apply changes to your Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems and Firewalls to detect any known malicious activity
  • Secure open-share drives by only allowing connections from authorized users
  • Keep your operating system and software up-to-date with the latest patches
  • Refer to the Recognizing and Avoiding Email Scams (pdf) document for more information on avoiding email scams
  • Refer to the Security Tip Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks for more information on social engineering attacks

Mitigation

US-CERT suggests the following possible mitigation steps that users and administrators can implement, if you believe your computer has been infected with CryptoLocker malware:

  • Immediately disconnect the infected system from the wireless or wired network. This may prevent the malware from further encrypting any more files on the network
  • Users who are infected should change all passwords AFTER removing the malware from their system
  • Users who are infected with the malware should consult with a reputable security expert to assist in removing the malware, or users can retrieve encrypted files by the following methods:
    • Restore from backup,
    • Restore from a shadow copy or
    • Perform a system restore.

References

Revision History

  • Initial
  • November 13, 2013: Update to Systems Affected (inclusion of Windows 8)
2013-11-14T00:12:03-06:00November 14, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on Cryptolocker Virus

iFoye Updated

We’ve done a major update to our iFoye remote access tool.  Version 4.6 utilized Java so that we could support cross platform (Windows, Linux, AND Mac).  However, due to some recent security issues with Java, some people were reluctant to have it on their computer.  To better support those people and to speed up the process when getting connected to a technician, our new iFoye version utilizes stand-alone client downloads.  There are two available downloads: 1) A small, online version which just gets the components the software needs to run and 2) a larger, offline version, which downloads everything our software needs to run on your computer.   We also still have the Java plugin version available which runs just like the older 4.6 version.

The new version of iFoye also offers many enhancements and fixes including better Windows 8  support.  Honestly, most of the changes are on the technican side, so you as the customer receiving help won’t see much change, but these changes will help us help you faster and more efficiently than ever!   We look forward to working with you using this new tool, so if you have computer issues, don’t hesitate to call us at 256-547-6817!

 

2013-10-28T19:55:06-05:00October 28, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on iFoye Updated

WordPress Upgrades

A new version of WordPress was just released (version 3.7).   We are in the process of pushing out the updates to all of our managed WordPress sites.  If you have a WordPress site, we recommend checking the functionality to insure the update has not broken anything.   Below are the main changes to this version:

 

  • Updates while you sleep: With WordPress 3.7, you don’t have to lift a finger to apply maintenance and security updates. Most sites are now able to automatically apply these updates in the background. The update process also has been made even more reliable and secure, with dozens of new checks and safeguards.
  • Stronger password recommendations: Your password is your site’s first line of defense. It’s best to create passwords that are complex, long, and unique. To that end, our password meter has been updated in WordPress 3.7 to recognize common mistakes that can weaken your password: dates, names, keyboard patterns (123456789), and even pop culture references.
  • Better global support: Localized versions of WordPress will receive faster and more complete translations. WordPress 3.7 adds support for automatically installing the right language files and keeping them up to date, a boon for the many millions who use WordPress in a language other than English.

 

Of course, the “updates while you sleep” have been getting handled by Network Solutions, Inc. on our managed sites, but now the software is doing it for us.  We will still be applying updates to plugins and themes and, of course, pushing out the major WordPress updates which will not be automatic.
Update – Octover 30, 2013 – WordPress 3.7.1 was just released as a maintenance release fixing some bugs with the 3.7 rollout.  Here are the main updates:

  • Images with captions no longer appear broken in the visual editor.
  • Avoid fatal errors with certain plugins that were incorrectly calling some WordPress functions too early.
  • Fix hierarchical sorting in get_pages(), exclusions in wp_list_categories(), and in_category() when called with empty values.
  • Fix a warning that may occur in certain setups while performing a search, and a few other notices.
2013-10-30T13:47:25-05:00October 28, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on WordPress Upgrades

Network Solutions, LLC. Service Outage (not us)

October 22, 2013 12:15pm – We are getting numerous calls from customers of Network Solutions, LLC.  Apparently, they are experiencing a large outage that is affecting many customer web sites and services.  Their main homepage is also unavailable, so many people looking for answers are coming across our page and contacting us.  Please note that although we are an internet provider, Network Solutions, LLC is an entirely different company and we have no control over their systems.   We will, however, try to provide updates here as we get them.  If you would like to try to call them, their number is 1-800-333-7680.

We see that they are posting updates via their Facebook account at http://www.facebook.com/networksolutions.  As of this writing, there is a post about email issues yesterday, but no mention of the large outage.

They are also posting updates on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/netsolcares.  According to their latest status: “Service Alert: We are aware that some Customers are experiencing issues with websites. Our Team is working on the issue. Please stand by.”

Update 1:35pm:  Their Twitter account has been updated to say “We’ve experienced an incident on Network Solutions DNS, and we’re in the process of restoring services. Thx 4 your patience.”

Update 5:00pm:  They have not posted any new updates on Twitter or Facebook, but the http://www.networksolutions.com page is now online, so we assume they are making some progress.  We will consider this issue resolved unless we hear something further.

2013-10-22T22:20:38-05:00October 22, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on Network Solutions, LLC. Service Outage (not us)

Network Outage

At 7:31am CDT, we experienced a network outage which affected multiple upstream providers.  We contacted our providers who resolved the issue at 9:01am.   We have not been told what the issue was, but we will providing updates here as we find out more information.

This outage affected most websites and email services.  However, everything should be restored now.    If you are still having issues, please contact us at support@internetpro.net or cal 256-547-6817.

 

Update: 10:22am – Apparently the cause of the issue is “undetermined” according to AT&T.   We wish we could provide more information and have a better plan to head off future problems of this sort, but without being able to get more information from our providers, this is impossible.  We do apologize for the inconvenience.

 

 

 

2013-09-24T15:24:06-05:00September 24, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on Network Outage

WordPress Sites Updated

We applied the WordPress 3.6.1 update to all of our managed WordPress sites today.  We recommend that users check over their WordPress sites thoroughly to make sure everything is still working as it is supposed to.  This update was a maintenance and security update which fixed 13 bugs.

It addresses three issues fixed by the WordPress security team:

  • Block unsafe PHP unserialization that could occur in limited situations and setups, which can lead to remote code execution. Reported by Tom Van Goethem.
  • Prevent a user with an Author role, using a specially crafted request, from being able to create a post “written by” another user. Reported by Anakorn Kyavatanakij.
  • Fix insufficient input validation that could result in redirecting or leading a user to another website. Reported by Dave Cummo, a Northrup Grumman subcontractor for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, the update adjusted security restrictions around file uploads to mitigate the potential for cross-site scripting.
If you have any questions, please contact us at support@internetpro.net or by calling 256-547-6817.

2013-09-19T21:01:39-05:00September 19, 2013|News and Updates|Comments Off on WordPress Sites Updated
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