Data Recovery Myths

Data Recovery Myths

You turn to the Internet. While the almighty Google can solve a lot of your problems, not everything you read on the Internet is true, especially when it comes to do it yourself data recovery techniques

We’ve highlighted our top three favorites for our own version of Data Recovery Myth Busters

 1.“Tap it with a hammer” BUSTED  Inside a hard drive are thin, circular discs made of glass or aluminum called platters, along with tiny metal arms called the read/write head assembly. Platters are covered in a thin magnetic substrate where the user’s binary data is stored. The heads read and write this data by floating just a few nanometers above the surface of the platters. Sometimes, when a drive fails, the heads can get stuck in place. Some people suggest tapping the drive with a hammer to “unstick” the heads.
 This is a terrible idea for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the internal components of a hard drive are extremely sensitive. If you hit a drive, you risk further damage to the drive itself. If the heads are stuck on top of the platters, moving the drive at all could cause them to drag across the surface, scoring the magnetic substrate and effectively removing the data written to the platters. Not to mention, if your drive was already malfunctioning enough to have the heads stick in the first place, you won’t want to keep using it and risk another failure later on that could be more catastrophic.


 2.“The five foot drop test” BUSTED
 While this may sound crazy, this is a story we heard from an actual Spider Networks customer. He was holding his failed hard drive and explaining what had happened when a friend asked if he had tried the “five foot drop test.” He then proceeded to take the failed drive and drop it on the ground. Presumably, he was trying to mimic the intended effects of the “tap it with a hammer” myth, but in this case, the results were even worse.
 Like we said before, platters are very thin and very easily breakable. When the drive arrived in our lab, it was already what we call a “maraca“, since the platters were shattered and the bits inside made a sort of shaker sound just like the musical instrument. So all in all, five foot drop test, would not recommend

3.“The freezer trick” BUSTED
 This is one of the more common myths we hear from our customers. According to the urban legends, if the heads of a drive are stuck on the platters, freezing the drive will somehow shrink the platters an “unstick” the heads? Don’t ask me, I didn’t make it up.In any case, this is also not such a great idea. Placing a hard drive in a freezer and then powering it up can short out the electronics or cause irreparable platter damage due to moisture condensing on the platters.  Hard drives are designed to operate within certain environmental conditions.  Extreme temperatures place the drive outside of its design specifications and can lead to rotational scoring.
 Most tutorials (and rebuttals to this myth busting) mention putting the drive in a zipper bag to prevent condensation, however even powering up a failed hard drive runs the risk of scoring the platters and causing data to be lost forever. So why take the chance with valuable data?

 We know you can handle a lot of different data recovery scenarios on your own. But when you come across a case that’s beyond what you can handle in house, that’s where we come in

 Visit Spider Networks for your Disaster Recovery Solutions

Microsoft withdraws update causing Outlook to start in Safe Mode

Microsoft withdraws update causing Outlook to start in Safe Mode

Microsoft has withdrawn the  released Windows Update KB3114409 because it causes Outlook to start in Safe Mode. This loads the email client without customizations and plugins. Fortunately it can be easily fixed

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday update KB 3114409, intended to help admins keep Outlook 2010 from starting in safe mode, has in fact done the opposite. Many Outlook 2010 customers report that installing KB 3114409 forces Outlook to start in safe mode.

As of early Wednesday morning, the patch has been pulled, but if you're experiencing odd problems with Outlook 2010 -- it opens in safe mode only (always opens maximized and has no sounds, no reading pane, or other view settings that stick), has broken templates, and much more -- you should look at the KB 3114409 article for instructions on how to remove the patch.
The patch was actually released to stop Outlook from starting in Safe Mode, but it appears something didn’t go the right way. Microsoft has decided to withdraw the update for now.

Users affected by the update can easily stop Outlook from starting in safe mode by uninstalling the KB3114409 update.

This can be done this way: Go to your Control Panel. Go to ‘Programs and Features’ and left click ‘View installed updates’. Find KB3114409 (tip: copy/paste KB3114409 and enter it in the search field at the top right) . Once you’ve found the appropriate update, click ‘Uninstall’.



For those of you on Windows 10's forced upgrade treadmill, note that Microsoft has pulled the patch, so you won't be forced to install it again.

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So whether you need computer or network server support, data security and backups, or IT project planning and business network consulting, Spider Networks Inc is the best choice for professional, end-to-end local IT outsourcing. Give us a call today! 

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Cyber attack vectors are growing 2016

It is not if you are going to be hacked but when

You can be phished,  spied on or attacked by a worm – the list of deadly attacks goes on. The types of malware and new attack vectors are growing at a frightening pace and trying to fight them off has become a daily concern

There is no escaping it – data breaches are on the increase and fines are only going to get bigger under sweeping changes in legislation. But all it takes is some common sense and a robust security strategy to ensure you aren’t in the firing line 

Although most cyber attacks are simple and predicable, it’s not always an outside threat that businesses need to be aware of. If employees are handling corporate information regularly, they may not always treat it with the care and attention required and this is where preventable data breaches can occur. All it takes is an employee to accidentally email the wrong person and the ramifications can be severe. 

Don’t leave the doors open
When it comes to securing devices, the obvious option is encrypting and password protecting data. IT needs to install tamper-proof encryption software at the endpoint so that all data on the devices is encrypted by default. Solid security policies, when paired with advanced device management features such as remote lock and remote wipe, go a long way in protecting sensitive business data from falling into the wrong hands.

The clear message is that businesses need to get their houses in order when it comes to security.

It is not if you are going to be hacked but when and this is something you can actively work to avoid.


Spider Networks is a leading network security consulting firm that has been utilizing a variety of tools and Best Practice methodologies that can protect your business internally and externally without hindering your business processes. The greatest threat to a business today is internal hacking from the company’s own employees. 

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Recovering from a Trojan Horse or Virus

 Recovering from a Trojan Horse or Virus

It can happen to anyone. Considering the vast number of viruses and Trojan horses traversing the Internet at any given moment, it’s amazing it doesn’t happen to everyone. Hindsight may dictate that you could have done a better job of protecting yourself, but that does little to help you out of your current predicament. Once you know that your machine is infected with a Trojan Horse or virus (or if your machine is exhibiting unexpected behavior and you suspect that something is wrong), what can you do?

Best practice before it happens 

1. A backup  will save Data, Time and money. In some cases fighting the virus and Trojan can cost more that replacing a machine. Acroniss and symantic are good choices from making full backup
2. Most machines do not come with a recovery CD and needs to be created right after you purchase the machine 
3. Keep all software that will be needed to recover the machine in a safe location.

 1. Call IT support
If you have an IT support department at your disposal, notify them immediately and follow their instructions. ( If not call Spider Networks Inc)
2. Disconnect your computer from the Internet
Depending on what type of Trojan horse or virus you have, intruders may have access to your personal information and may even be using your computer to attack other computers. You can stop this activity by turning off your Internet connection. The best way to accomplish this is to physically disconnect your cable or phone line, but you can also simply “disable” your network connection.
3. Back up your important files
At this point it is a good idea to take the time to back up your files. If possible, compile all of your photos, documents, Internet favorites, etc., and burn them onto a CD or DVD or save them to some other external storage device. It is vital to note that these files cannot be trusted since they are still potentially infected. (Actually, it’s good practice to back up your files on a regular basis so that if they do get infected, you might have an uninfected set you can restore.)
4. Scan your machine
Since your computer (including its operating system) may be infected with a malicious program, it is safest to scan the machine from a live CD (or “rescue” CD) rather than a previously installed antivirus program. Many antivirus products provide this functionality. Another alternative is to use a web-based virus removal service, which some antivirus software vendors offer (try searching on “online virus scan”).
The next best action is to install an antivirus program from an uncontaminated source such as a CD-ROM. If you don’t have one, there are many to choose from, but all of them should provide the tools you need.

Dell Slammed For Shipping Computers With superFish Security Flaw

Dell Shipping pre-installed on some Dell laptops.

 Here’s what you need to know about this Superfish-like vulnerability, and how you can check to see if your Dell laptop is affected.

The certificate, called eDellRoot, causes any affected computers to trust any SSL certificate it signs. Because the key is stored locally, an attacker could forge a signed key and expose users on the machine to man-in-the-middle SSL attacks. According to the US Comptuer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), that means you could be vulnerable to an attacker impersonating web sites (even ones that look like they’re HTTPS.) A falsely signed certificate can also let an attacker send email or sign and install software that slides past Windows’ built-in security or your anti-malware tools. Additionally, any encrypted network traffic and other data could be accessed and captured by the third party, HTTPS traffic to legitimate sites can be captured and decrypted.

The Dell Inspiron 5000, XPS 15, and XPS 13 have the certificate pre-installed, but Dell is still unsure how many computers out there are actually affected

Fortunately, Dell has already provided a fix for finding the certificate and revoking its permissions. It can be a complicated task for those who don’t normally go digging in their operating system, but Dell has issued step-by-step instructions for removing the certificate. If your machine is affected, it’s important to remove the certificate and the DFS component that re-installs the certificate.




Click here for removal instructions from Dell

You can read the statement Dell issued at the link below. We’ll update this post as we learn more.

Update: Dell has included an automatic removal tool in its certificate removal instructions to make the process much easier (link is on page 3). Dell will also push a software update starting sometime today that will check for the certificate, and if detected remove it. Lastly, we mistakenly recommended a check tool from security researcher slipstream/RoL, but this tool actually checks for another issue related to the same software.

Update Two: Security researchers have found a second certificate (DSDTestProvider) that allows attackers to create trusted certificates and perform impersonation, man-in-the-middle, and passive decryption attacks. CERT recommends you revoke the certificate using Windows certificate manager (certmgr.msc)

Response to Concerns Regarding eDellroot Certificate

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Recover from Ransomware

Stand Up to Ransomware with a Backup

Imagine you are an IT administrator at a small company of 30 people or so. You juggle hardware, software, the network – and even phone systems and the occasional electrical failure or power outage on any given day. So, when your CEO calls you and says, “I cannot open my sales forecast file,” you rush into action. You check your CEO’s PC and find that the file is somehow corrupted. Then you notice a small red icon at the bottom corner of the desktop with a prompt reading: “Your files have been encrypted. Pay $500 for a decryption key within 10 days or your data will be deleted — click here for payment instructions.”

After the initial shock, you realize that you have been infected by Ransomware – a type of malware that blocks access to files or your systems until the ransom is paid. There are many types of ransomware, including Reveton, Cryptolocker, Winlocker, and Cryptowall, and for many the antidote may not be available yet. According to McAfee Labs Threats Report (February 2015), each quarter the number of ransomware types grows on average of 155%.
What Would You Do?
Think about what you would do if ransomware hits your company. Would you pay? Unless you can find an antidote out there – you may have no way to restore your data. Remember, even if you did pay, there is no guarantee that the attacker would decrypt your data and not just disappear.

However, what may come as a surprise to you is that the universal solution against ransomware has existed for years. In fact, it has existed even longer than ransomware itself:

It's called Backup!
Don't just backup the data back up the entire machine!
Test you backup on a regular basis
Finding out that it is not working when you most need it is not the time to find out it has not been working
Redundancy is also key in having a good disaster recovery in place

Acronis is a great inexpensive way to backup a machine 

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