ISO Quality Services – April 2014 Newsletter

17 Apr, 2014

Welcome to the April edition of our newsletter, where April Fools Day has been and gone and the sun has shone, celebrating Easter and the the lighter evenings.

What’s in this issue?

Easter
April fools day

Congratulations to our Newly Certificated Client

Compuserve Limited T/A Compuserve IT Services

Compuserve Limited T/A Compuserve IT Services are based in the West Midlands.

They have recently achieved their ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management Standard. They are the first company to be presented with the updated version of the standard. They provide an excellent range of IT services to help support the growth of businesses. They concentrate on driving IT Services into small businesses throughout the UK and Ireland.

Their staff are committed to helping SME’s make the most of their computer systems by ensuring they maximise the potential of an IT infrastructure whilst maintaining reliability and performance. They can offer a cost effective solution for your IT support requirements with structured services tailored to your individual needs.

For more information on the company and how they provide services to help your needs, please contact them on 0845 839 9306 or visit their website.

Compuserve Limited - Presentation Photo

Pictured, from left Colin Watkins, Senior Lead Assessor, ISO Quality Services Ltd and Andy Milward, IT Customer Support Liaison, Compuserve Limited

Do you know and understand the concepts of a safe working environment?

Do you have a current topic that you would like to gain the advice of a Health & Safety professional?

Would you like to meet new contacts?

Would you like to learn answers to the above / below questions ?

We are holding a 1/2 day Risk Assessment Training Course in May that will cover the below areas:

risk-letter-blocks-question-mark

  • Concepts of risk and hazards.
  • Concepts of a safe work environment.
  • Hazard identification and differentiation between hazard and risk.
  • Principles of risk control/s – workplace precautions.
  • Safety law and risk assessment legislation.
  • Risk assessment, risk analysis and risk management.
  • Risk Assessment and the relationship with BS OHSAS 18001:2007.

A Q and A session will be held throughout the morning.

Are you free on the morning Wednesday 28th May 2014?

The small price to pay to have all of the above questions answered, per delegate is £150.00 plus VAT* – the course includes course material, certificate, refreshments and on-site parking.

To book a place on the above course or for more information, please send an email to debbie@isoqsltd.com

Firms urged to take tough action on Unix-based cyber attack

Security researchers have uncovered a widespread cyber criminal campaign that has seized control of more than 25,000 Unix servers worldwide.

The attack, dubbed Operation Windigo, has resulted in infected servers sending out millions of spam emails.

The campaign was uncovered by researchers from security firm Eset, in collaboration with Germany’s federal agency computer emergency response team, the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing and other agencies. 27001 image

Operation Windigo is described as a “complex knot of sophisticated malware components” that are designed to hijack servers, infect the computers that visit them, and steal information.

“Windigo has been gathering strength, largely unnoticed by the security community, for over two-and-a-half years, and currently has 10,000 servers under its control,”

“More than 35 million spam messages are being sent every day to innocent users’ accounts, clogging up inboxes and putting computer systems at risk. Worse still, each day over half a million computers are put at risk of infection as they visit websites that have been poisoned by web server malware planted by Operation Windigo redirecting to malicious exploit kits and advertisements,”.

According to researchers, Windigo-affected websites attempt to infect visiting Windows computers with malware via an exploit kit, while Mac users are typically served adverts for dating sites and iPhone owners are redirected to pornographic online content.

Over 60% of the world’s websites are running on Linux servers. Eset researchers are calling on webmasters and system administrators to check their systems to see if they have been compromised.

“Webmasters and IT staff already have a lot of headaches and things on their mind, so we hate to add to their workload – but this is important.”

“Everyone wants to be a good net citizen, and this is your chance to play your part and help protect other internet users. The last thing anyone should want is to be part of the problem, adding to the spread of malware and spam. A few minutes can make the difference, and ensure you are part of the solution.”

Eset researchers are appealing for Unix system administrators and webmasters to run the following command which will tell them if their server is compromised or not:

“The Ebury back door deployed by the Windigo cyber crime operation does not exploit a vulnerability in Linux or OpenSSH. Instead it is manually installed by a malicious attacker. The fact that they have managed to do this on tens of thousands of different servers is chilling.7-Security-Policy-Development

CHECK YOUR SERVERS

System administrators should run the following command to check whether Unix servers have been compromised by Operation Windigo:

“While antivirus and two-factor authentication [2FA] is common on the desktop, it is rarely used to protect servers, making them vulnerable to credential theft and easy malware deployment,”

If sysadmins discover their systems are infected, they are advised to wipe affected computers and reinstall the operating system and software. Eset said it is essential that fresh passwords and private keys are used, as the existing credentials must be considered compromised.

For a higher level of protection in future, technology such as two-factor authentication should be considered, said researchers.

“We realise that wiping your server and starting again from scratch is tough medicine, but if hackers have stolen or cracked your administrator credentials and had remote access to your servers, you cannot take any risks,”

ComputerWeekly.com http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240216389/Firms-urged-to-take-tough-action-on-Unix-based-cyber-attack

Chamber expo wins the crowds

On Wednesday 5th March 2014 members of the ISO Quality Services Ltd team attended the Hereford and Worcester Chamber Business Expo, which took place at the Three Counties Show Ground in Malvern, Worcestershire. Over 800 delegates attended the event with 100 exhibitors!

Chamber IMG_0600

The Expo, one of the Chamber’s most popular type of networking event, is a great opportunity for businesses to network and gain crucial business contacts, as well as promoting their company and raising the profile within the community.

This is the second Hereford and Worcester Chamber Expo that we have attended in six months and both have put us in contact with many new companies, which have turned out to be new clients and suppliers.

IMG_0605 (Pictured from left, Peter Appleton, Director, ISO Quality Services Ltd, Mark Hobart, Clearview Systems Ltd and Jennifer Appleton, Operations Director)

The Expo started off with a massively popular networking breakfast, with words from President of the Chamber, Jim McBride and Louise Hewett, Hewett Recruitment. The exhibition zone was officially opened at 9.00am, followed by four seminars running throughout the day. We were lucky enough to be one of the four companies providing seminars for the day, in which we spoke about “the power of exhibiting and is it worth it”? There was also a networking zone and the Chamber offered visitors and exhibitors the chance to have a go at the ‘Chamber Cube’ challenge! Which attracted a lot of interest and some very competitive behaviour – who’d have thought it!?

IMG_0608 IMG_0599

(Pictured, from left, Chantall Herbert, Business Development Manager and Delegates enjoying the event)

Water Cooler World sponsored the event, Michael Williams, Director, commented, ‘It was a fantastic day, we were busy all day. There was a great footfall and great leads.’

At the event many of the exhibitors held a business card draw where delegates are able to put there business card into a pot to win a prize, these can range from a number of things from a bottle of champagne to a place on our Quality Manager Training Course! We would like to say congratulations to Tom Blakeman from GRG Engineers who was lucky enough to win the place!

For more information on attending or exhibiting the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber Expo being held in September, please call 0845 641 1641 or email events@hwchamber.co.uk

All change for the Environment Agency!

Environmental

The Environment Agency will be moving their website to the gov.uk site from April 2014.

The new site can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/environment-agency

The site already provides a wealth of information to businesses, including support and information on business waste and legislation and will continue to do so after the move.

However, as with all moves, it takes time to perfect everything – so our advice is bear with the EA whilst they find their feet.  Contacting YOUR local Environmental officer for advice is another option.

The Power of Water!

22nd March celebrated World Water Day! With over a 1000 energy and water standards – there’s many ways to make a difference! This year it focused on the nexus of water and energy.

Water and energy are closely interlinked. Water withdrawal by the energy sector is expected to rise one-fifth by 2035, while the amount consumed increases by a more dramatic 85 %. Energy is also needed to provide freshwater, include powering systems that collect, transport, distribute and treat it.

The power of water

Source – ISO – International Organization for Standardization http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index/news_archive/news.htm?refid=Ref1831

Be part of our LinkedIn communitylinkedin

If you haven’t joined already – what are you waiting for?

ISO news, training updates and offers, meet the ISO QSL team and connect with other like-minded individuals

Visit us at: ISO QSL LinkedIn Company page

Networking events and seminars we are attending in April – May 2014

Showcase Market and Sell Road Show – Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce

Date of Event 22/04/14

Cost:Tr

Members – Free

Non-members – £30.00

Time: 12.15pm – 2.00pm

Venue: Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, NG2 6AG

Website

Event Description

These events have attracted in excess of 150 businesses to Showcase, Market and Sell their products and services. Designed to maximise business opportunities for local companies this event is an event not to be missed. For more information please contact the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce events team on events@dncc.co.uk or 01332 851280

How to make the most of your membership – Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

TrDate of Event 01/05/14

Cost:

Members – Free

Non-members – £10.00

Time: 09.30 – 11.30

Venue: Chamber House, 75 Harborne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3DH

Website

Event Description

Being a Chamber member provides you with lots of opportunity to network, raise your business profile and help you gain greater knowledge and skills which can give your business differentiation and a real advantage. This event gives delegates the chance to understand more about the products, services and benefits membership can bring your business and how to use these effectively to help develop and grow your business.

Are you a client of ours? Would you recommend our services to your clients / suppliers…Why not refer a friend?

This event is ideal for any member looking to connect and share information with new and existing business contacts.refer a freind 2

(To qualify for this you must refer a successful lead).Receive a free case of wine or a £50 Marks & Spencer’s Voucher…..the choice is yours!

To offer your referrals please contact – admin@isoqsltd.com or call 01905 670 303

 

ISO Quality Services Ltd are proud to specialise in the implementation and certification of the Internationally recognised ISO and BS EN Management Standards.

Do you want to get ahead of your competition? Win more tenders or save time and money on reoccurring issues? Contact us today on 0330 058 5551 or email info@isoqsltd.com.

Alternatively, you can request a quote by filling out our enquiry form and a member of our team will be in touch shortly.

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