Hackers New Targets are…Cars?

Cars are giant computers, and unfortunately, those computers can be hacked. In the 1990s, the cars being built were basically a closed box, so the computers were safe. But today, car’s computers are hooked up to the internet and the computers are much more complex than they used to be. CNN Money reports that “The space ship that put humans on the moon, Apollo 11, had 145,000 lines of computer code. The Android operating system has 12 million. A modern car? Easily 100 million lines of code” (CNN Money). With this much complexity, it is no surprise that there is room for error. Not only can hackers now hack into your car’s internal computer and tamper with brakes or steering, malicious apps can be downloaded through your car’s “infotainment” system (dashboard with tablet functionality). Car manufacturers are beginning to notice these problems, and are in the process of building firewalls and security chips for computer protection. All auto-makers are moving toward Internet-connected cars, and manufacturers will not separate the core controls from the car’s wireless communication hub due to federal regulations. Federal regulators will soon demand that cars automatically relay information wirelessly to one another as part of the United States government’s vehicle-to-vehicle communication program. These car-to-car messages will one day be able to engage brakes, which can be life-saving, but also will allow hackers to tamper with steering wheels and navigation. To read the full article from CNN Money, click here.

How to Recover from Viruses, Worms, & Trojan Horses

Unfortunately, many computer users will be victims of viruses, worms, and/or Trojan horses that will infect computers with malicious code. Some infections will be very obvious: files will be destroyed, your computer will be shut down, and programs will not function. Other infections might not be as obvious. Unless you are running anti-virus software, malicious code could slowly affect your computer over time until the system is completely useless. If your anti-virus software cannot remove the malicious code from your computer automatically, the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team recommends following these steps:

1.       Minimize the damage: If a work computer is affected, contact your IT team immediately and have them investigate and treat your computer. If a home computer is affected, disconnect the computer from the internet. By removing the internet connection, you will prevent future attacks and viruses from being able to access your computer and perform tasks such as locating personal data, manipulating or deleting files, and using your computer to attack other computers. The most important factor is to act quickly.

2.      Remove the malicious code: “If you have anti-virus software installed on your computer, update the virus definitions (if possible), and perform a manual scan of your entire system. If you do not have anti-virus software, you can purchase it at a local computer store (see Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information).” (U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team). If the software cannot locate and remove the virus, you may need to reinstall your operating system (using a system restore disk that is often supplied with a new computer). Reinstalling or restoring the operating system will typically erase all of your files and software installed on the computer. After reinstalling the operating system and any other software, install of the appropriate patches to fix known vulnerabilities (see US-CERT Understanding Patches for more information).

States Seek Ways to Regulate Bitcoin

As bitcoin continues to grow in popularity, state regulators in Massachusetts and others around the country are taking a closer look at virtual currencies. Leading the regulations is The Emerging Payments Task Force, which is made up of nine state regulators from around the country. The task force will look at everything from bitcoin to mobile payments. Barbara Anthony, undersecretary of the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, says that one of the key issues with regulating virtual currencies is that average consumers may be interested in bitcoin, but they are not aware of some of the risks. "Consumers and average consumers need to know that there are certain drawbacks to trading in a virtual currency," Anthony said. "The kinds of consumer protections that we're used to, people have to understand they are not available to virtual currencies." Anthony warns consumers to be aware that volatile worth and the fact that there is no central authority that guarantees bitcoin’s worth are major issues related to bitcoin.

http://www.cpapracticeadvisor.com/news/11485814/states-seek-ways-to-regulate-bitcoin?utm_source=CPA+Accounting+%26+Audit+Advisor&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CCSN140523002

Square Expands Partner Program, Integrates with Xero & QuickBooks

Mobile credit card acceptance vendor Square has launched a new software partner platform that includes integration with Xero and QuickBooks. The collaboration between Square and these companies is focused on building new applications that complement Square’s set of business services. The main integration objective is to simplify operation for small businesses in the United States. With data flowing automatically from point of sale to back-office accounting software, sellers using the software will save time spent manually inputting sales. Square initially connected with QuickBooks in November, and decided to team up with Xero as the integrations were working so well. Sellers can now link their Square and Xero accounts in mere minutes and pull past Square sales data into Xero. Essentially, the integration works the exact same as with QuickBooks. Once the software is connected, each day’s transactions will automatically import, summarize and populate the appropriate account within Xero’s general ledger, providing an accrual accounting view of cash flow. Sellers of all size are increasingly adopting Square’s business tools for their affordability and ease of use. Follow this link for more information.