RMM

This update is a direct message from Roy Miehe, CEO of MspPortal Partners, addressing Managed Service Providers (MSPs). Here are the key points covered:

1. **Beware of AI Technology**: Roy warns MSPs about the rapid advancements in AI, particularly its ability to simplify tasks like writing PowerShell scripts. While this may seem like a positive development, the implication is that AI could affect the income of MSPs by automating tasks that once required specialized skills.

2. **Limited Product Recommendations**: The message advises MSPs to focus on a small selection of essential cybersecurity products, which MspPortal endorses:
– **Firewall**: Meraki is recommended as a reliable, moderately priced solution compared to Palo Alto Networks.
– **Antivirus/Malware Detection**: Bitdefender is praised for being a leader in malware detection.
– **Spam Detection**: Barracuda is recommended for spam detection and remote monitoring solutions.
– **RMM (Remote Monitoring and Management)**: Barracuda’s RMM solution is suggested as a reliable, long-standing option.
– **Anti-Phishing Training**: Phishing Box is suggested as a trusted provider for large corporations.

3. **Cost Efficiency**: MspPortal claims that all these services can be bundled for under $6.50 per month, with flat-rate pricing and no contracts, making it an affordable solution for both workstations and servers.

4. **Support and Expertise**: MspPortal offers 24/7/365 support at no extra charge, with a team that brings 30 years of experience in the industry. The emphasis is on service and technical skills, which they believe will help MSPs survive in the evolving tech landscape.

The message is a call to action, encouraging MSPs to adapt to the changing landscape, focus on essential services, and trust in MspPortal’s offerings to keep their businesses profitable.

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Phishing Simulation & Cyber Security Training
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

FCC: AT&T Didn’t Adequately Protect Customers’ Cloud Data

Dark Reading Staff, Dark Reading
September 18, 2024
My personal opinion all software providers should be held liable, the claim to hide behind EULA’s

Couple come to mind: Crowd Strike, Microsoft, Cloud Flare, FaceBook, Most RMM Systems (https://cloudstatus.mspportalpartners.net/)

The Federal Communications Commission fined AT&T $13 million and ordered it to tighten up its privacy and security practices in the wake of a catastrophic third-party compromise.

The commission also used its authority under the Communications Act of 1934 to extend consumer protections to the cloud, finding AT&T failed to maintain proper oversight of a third-party provider.

That vendor, data warehousing provider Snowflake, reportedly was compromised in January 2023, exposing a host of organizations’ sensitive data, among them AT&T’s. In the weeks that followed the breach, AT&T acknowledged “nearly all” its customers were affected by exfiltrated call and text records, phone numbers, and other personally identifiable information.

Following an investigation, the FCC ruled on Sept. 16 that Snowflake should have been required to “destroy or return” the information years prior to the incident, and finding AT&T responsible for failing to appropriately protect its customer data.

ArticleATT Fined 13 million (https://www.darkreading.com/cybersecurity-operations/fcc-att-did-not-protect-cloud-data?_mc=NL_DR_EDT_DR_weekly_20240919&cid=NL_DR_EDT_DR_weekly_20240919&sp_aid=125812&elq_cid=34964379&sp_eh=949bacdba1e2c4851acc11df0ff47140b1c6468716621bc723fe5fe498198bd9&sp_eh=949bacdba1e2c4851acc11df0ff47140b1c6468716621bc723fe5fe498198bd9&sp_cid=55121)

“Should MSPs manage antivirus (AV) products separately from RMM software?

Improved Prompt Example: “Should MSPs manage antivirus (AV) products separately from RMM software? Many MSPs and CTOs try to manage everything in one platform, but I believe this leads to reduced quality in both support and security. RMM software was designed for remote management, but investor pressure has caused it to integrate AV products, which leads to issues like lack of third-level support.Along misconfiguration

A recent Crowdstrike issue involving a sys file was worsened by delivery mechanisms from Microsoft and Cloudflare. EULAs are often written to discourage lawsuits rather than compensate users for developer errors.

As a distributor of security products like Bitdefender and Barracuda, MspPortal Partners provides comprehensive support. We believe in training partners properly to manage AV and Mail solutions effectively, and our 24/7 support service sets us apart.”

Market share held by the leading computer (desktop/tablet/console) operating systems worldwide from January 2012 to February 2024

Long Short if the statics are correct 68.15 percent of the world uses Microsoft OS’s

Published by
Ahmed Sherif,
May 22, 2024

Microsoft’s Windows is the most widely used computer operating system in the world, accounting for 68.15 percent share of the desktop, tablet, and console OS market in February 2024. Apple’s macOS ranks as the next most widely used operating system, while its iOS mobile operating system, the standard installation on all iPad devices, ranks fourth. Linux OS versions serve as the primary option for users who prefer open-source software and intend to avoid the influence of major OS developers.
Operating Systems

Operating systems serve as the underlying platforms which connect computer hardware and software. They provide users with the graphical interface through which they issue commands and perform tasks on electronic devices. Billions of people make use of these devices and their operating systems on a regular basis, meaning that the companies that develop these widely used technologies have a great deal of influence on the daily lives of internet users around the world. Although Microsoft Windows is the clear leader in terms of desktop operating systems,

Article
(https://www.statista.com/statistics/268237/global-market-share-held-by-operating-systems-since-2009/)

Which we are and still are dealing with having even more security issue’s because the CrowdStrike debacle
Based upon what I do for a living I see more Large Mega Cap Firms down to SMB firms struggling more then ever before.

Personally some attorney with a class action filed should request a huge Liquidated damages (LDs): Which is a sum of money specified in some contracts that are to be paid by one party to another as compensation for intangible losses.

Hopefully this will put huge firms like Crowdstrike, Microsoft, Cloudflare all on notice,if you are going to take money from clients/enduser you are responsible for damages and please do not try to hide behind a EULA..I still have not heard back about how many techs Crowdstrike or Microsoft were sending over to Delta Airlines,considering each machine had to be touched and continue to be touched since you cannot write a Power Shell Script nor remote to a machine, that is Blue Screened (BOD). There has been a lot of LIP SERVICE

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Phishing Simulation & Cyber Security Training
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count

Continued from July 19th 3 Cause’s of the Crowdstrike down in reality

Keep in mind this is my personal opinion..please prove me wrong if you can.

3 Cause’s of the CrowdStrike down
1) Bad Developer file uploaded/downloaded
2) Microsoft Software runs the operating systems sort of like a monopoly, we all know it in reality it is.
3) Distribution of software via Cloudflare

Keep in mind this is my personal opinion..please prove me wrong if you can.

I read something today that shocked me. CloudStrike was going pay techs globally $10.00 coffee vouchers to remove sys file issue. I work with four hundred plus tech firms through out the US I have never heard of a computer Tech working for a $10.00 coffee voucher.
Normal Tech rates run from entry level $50.00 to $500.00 a hour.

(Bloomberg) — Microsoft Corp. said Delta Air Lines Inc. turned down repeated offers for assistance following last month’s catastrophic system outage, echoing claims by CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. in an increasingly contentious conflict between the carrier and its technology partners.
Now I am not a strong proponent of Ed Bastien (to full of himself) nor do I fly Delta.

If read/sift through all the garbage it really was all 3 firms that caused the outage.
No matter what OS Delta was running, Windows, Apple, Linux, The Falcon Platform runs on all 3. So in my opinion Delta does deserve the money for the down time.

Even thou in my opinion Mark S Cheffo when :“Even though Microsoft’s software had not caused the CrowdStrike incident, Microsoft immediately jumped in and offered to assist Delta at no charge,” I did not hear they were going to fly Techs to fix all Delta’s machines, for that matter globally let alone Delta

When does a end user or SMB company ever able to talk to Microsoft Support and receive a response within a reasonable amount of time?

So right now I see 2 parties at fault (Microsoft & CroudStrike)
But there is a 3rd party involved, CloudFlare, have you ever asked yourself what they do:Protecting it from online threats and optimizing performance there web Site.

Cloudflare is a company that provides services like content delivery network (CDN), cloud cybersecurity, DDoS mitigation, Domain Name Service (DNS), and domain registration. They help improve website speed, security, and reliability by acting as a mediator between a website’s server and its visitors, protecting it from online threats and optimizing performance.

Cloudflare
American internet infrastructure and website security company
cloudflare.com

Cloudflare, Inc. is an American company that provides content delivery network services, cloud cybersecurity, DDoS mitigation, Domain Name Service, and ICANN-accredited domain registration services. Cloudflare’s headquarters are in San Francisco, California. According to The Hill, Cloudflare is used by more than 20% of the Internet for its web security services, as of 2022. Wikipedia

Now all this is my opinion but should help create and finish a Class Action Law Suit, all 3 need to named as defendants.

Last Pay Your developers and Tech Support folks more money, Take it out of the C-Levels paychecks/bonuses. It appears that most firms have forgotten with out staff the company would be nothing.

New Windows Server updates cause domain controller crashes, reboots

By Sergiu Gatlan March 20, 2024 04:40 PM 0

The March 2024 Windows Server updates are causing some domain controllers to crash and restart, according to widespread reports from Windows administrators.

Affected servers are freezing and rebooting because of a Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) process memory leak introduced with the March 2024 cumulative updates for Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2022.

LSASS is a Windows service that enforces security policies and handles user logins, access token creation, and password changes.

As many admins have warned, after installing the KB5035855 and KB5035857 Windows Server updates released this Patch Tuesday, domain controllers with the latest updates would crash and reboot due to increasing LSASS memory usage.

“Since installation of the march updates (Exchange as well as regular Windows Server updates) most of our DCs show constantly increasing lsass memory usage (until they die),” one admin said.

“We’ve had issues with lsass.exe on domain controllers (2016 core, 2022 with DE and 2022 core domain controllers) leaking memory as well. To the point all domain controllers crashed over the weekend and caused an outage,” another one added.

“Our symptoms were ballooning memory usage on the lsass.exe process after installing KB5035855 (Server 2016) and KB5035857 (Server 2022) to the point that all physical and virtual memory was consumed and the machine hung,” one admin told BleepingComputer.

“The Support rep says they expect official comms to be announced from Microsoft soon.”
Temporary workaround available

Until Microsoft officially acknowledges this memory leak issue, admins are advised to uninstall the buggy Windows Server updates from their domain controllers.

“Microsoft Support has recommended that we uninstall the update for the time being,” the same admin told BleepingComputer.

To remove the troublesome updates, open an elevated command prompt by clicking the Start menu, typing ‘cmd,’ right-clicking the Command Prompt application, and then choosing ‘Run as Administrator.’

Next, run one of the following commands, depending on what update you have installed on your Windows domain controller:

wusa /uninstall /kb:5035855
wusa /uninstall /kb:5035857

Once uninstalled, you should also use the ‘Show or Hide Updates’ troubleshooter to hide the buggy update so it will no longer appear in the available updates list.

Microsoft addressed another LSASS memory leak affecting domain controllers in December 2022, when affected servers would freeze and restart after installing Windows Server updates released during the November 2022 Patch Tuesday.

In March 2022, Microsoft fixed one more LSASS crash, causing unexpected Windows Server domain controller reboots.

A Microsoft spokesperson could not immediately provide more details when contacted by BleepingComputer earlier today.

Article ( https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/new-windows-server-updates-cause-domain-controller-crashes-reboots/)

Update Article 3-21-2024 (https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-confirms-windows-server-issue-behind-domain-controller-crashes/)

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President
Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Phishline Training
“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

RMM Issues Today

CloudFare- Service Outage
Datto Kaseya Firm -Datto BCDR – Users are unable to access the BCDR Status Page
Kaseya – Service disruption for target in DENC DC
Barracuda- UK Region Outage- ECHOplatform and IBU currently unavailable outside North America
Barracuda MSP- US02 – RMM Service Center is moving

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President

Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”

RMM Status and Comments

Over this past weekend 3 RMMS had issues

Connectwise (Still having issues)

Kaseya

Datto

Now my opinion I think you are making a mistake incorporating your AV product with your RMM in 2018 a now large RMM deleted 4000 endpoints of Bitdefender, between my partner and myself we spent a week reinstalling. I had recommended the RMM so I compensated the partner (fyi still my partner) for his time. Now as of today the RMM firm never did repay my firm, and of course I did drop the line publicly.

Key is keep AV seperate, do not be lulled into signing a contract that is not based upon monthly count allowing you to go up and down.

Roy Miehe | MspPortal Partners Inc. | Ceo/President

Security Software Distributor: Bitdefender , Barracuda, Axcient

“Where Service and Technical Skills Count”