For the first time in January 2013 the Department of Homeland Security recommended that Java be disabled on most computers due to dangerous vulnerabilities in Java that would make your computer vulnerable to infection even if you have antivirus software and a firewall. This could result in the theft of your bank account logon or other important information. That wasn't the last time DHS has issued warnings of dangerous computer vulnerabilities.

We at ITPro svc began implementing actions to protect our Customers from the Java dangerous threats  six months before the DHS issued its warning. We had taken action a year earlier for a similar vulnerability in Adobe Flash Player without an advisory from DHS. We take the security of our Customer's networks seriously. Does your IT support provider? We urge you to be sure you are safe. Months after the DHS warning we encountered computers at accounts that have been under "Retainer" and "Managed" support agreements with other IT support providers that nevertheless had very old versions of Java installed. And it wasn't just our observation, a survey by a network security company showed that a majority of computers were still running old, dangerous versions of Java months after the DHS warning. When IT providers fail to take action for months after a DHS warning imagine how poor their response is for the many, many vulnerabilities for which DHS does not issue a warning! So unfortunately you cannot assume that you are being properly protected. The threats have only gotten worse. Though Java has been revamped to improve its security other threats have emerged. In the last dozen years Ransomware has become a major threat and the many reports of Corporations and Governments having to pay the Ransom demonstrates that ordinary network management doesn't protect you. NOT ONE of our customers has had to pay a Ransom in the 16 years we've been in business (since 2010). Thanks to protections and practices we implement only once has one of our customers even been attacked by Ransomware and thanks to protections we had implemented they suffered no downtime, no critical data loss and so did not have to pay a Ransom. And now AI provides opportunities for Hackers that dwarf previous threats. It is a deep concern if your IT support provider has ignored not only the many warnings that have circulated within the IT community but the Department of Homeland Security advisories as well. If your IT support provider isn't protecting you from this they are almost certainly missing the other, equally dangerous but less publicized, computer network vulnerabilities. If you decide that you want an IT support provider that takes your network security seriously we hope you will contact ITPro svc, but regardless of whether you contact us we hope you will find a support provider that understands that it takes more than antivirus software and a firewall to protect a network these days. Email us: support@itprosvc.com.