News and Updates

February 4, 2018 – One of our web servers for shared web hosting had an issue tonight.  It seems that there was a denial of service (DOS) attack which resulted in some sites being unavailable – including this one.  Technicians were alerted at 4:19am and worked to mitigate the problem.  The issue was resolved roughly one hour later with web services for that server coming back online at 5:14am.

Please direct any questions or concerns about this issue to support@internetpro.net.  Thank you.

January 26, 2018 – We experienced some short connectivity issues early this morning.  In general, the issues were under 5 minutes in duration and seem to have been caused by routing changes occurring upstream in response to failures outside our network.  The connectivity issues varied in length depending on the networks involved (AT&T vs. Comcast for example).

One side effect of these issues also caused a problem with our email services.   The anti-virus software tried to update during one of these intermittent connectivity issues and was not able to perform the upgrade properly.   This caused the anti-virus software to crash.   It looks like the issue was in place for about 1.5 hours. We did not detect the problem proactively because our monitoring systems test for server connectivity — not an actual successful sent email. The error that was produced was a “temporary error”, meaning that any email received during that time would be retried. As a result no email should be lost, but it may be delayed for a bit.

Update –  We have received information that the issue caused by the anti-virus software was *NOT* caused by an internet disruption, but rather a bad virus definition update.   This definitely fits better with our observation that the internet service disruption was *very* short lived and we saw no evidence of it starting as early as the virus software issue.  It seems we were just a victim of two issues at the same time.

Update – 11:10am – The issue with the antivirus software happened again.  We have restarted the software and it is back up and running.  We are working with the software vendor to find a resolution.

Update – 11:18am –  The bad update has been confirmed and our vendor has implemented a workaround until the signature database is updated.   We don’t expect this issue to recur.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.  If you have any questions about the issue, please email us at support@internetpro.net or call 256-547-6817.

January 17, 2018 8:15am – We are getting reports of sporadic issues with Comcast in the Gadsden area.  It does not seem to be localized to one node and is affecting customers at least from Rainbow City to downtown Gadsden.  We are attempting to contact Comcast for details and will post anything we find out here.  This also does seem to be affecting television service as well as internet.  From what we have seen service is going in and out periodically.   We do not know if this is a result of the cold weather.

Update 10:30am – We haven’t heard of any further issues this morning.  We didn’t really get a definitive answer from Comcast, but assume that it was an issue in their network which has now been corrected.    If you are still experiencing problems please call us at 256-547-6817 or email support@internetpro.net to let us know.

January 16, 2018  9:20am  – We are planning to close our office at 12:00pm due to the inclement weather.  We will be evaluating conditions for tomorrow and will post updates here as the conditions present themselves.   In the mean time, we do have technicians available by phone and email during normal business hours if needed.   Just call 256-547-6817 and hit option 8 (please leave voice mail if you get the mailbox) or email support@internetpro.net.   We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update – 8:00pm – Due to road conditions and school closings, we are going to delay opening until at least 10:00am.   We will reevaluate further delays in the morning and update this post.
Update – January 17 5:30am – We *are* going to have a limited staff and normal phone system operation at 8:00am due to road conditions improving overnight.  Some service calls outside of the Gadsden area may have to be rescheduled.

January 11, 2018 – As many of you know, there has been a large issue discovered which affects virtually all modern processors.   The exploits which can take advantage of this are called Spectre and Meltdown.  The details and scope of Spectre and Meltdown are outside the scope of this update, but if you would like more information on them, you can read it here: Spectre and Meltdown Explained

The fix for these issues is applied at the operating system level.  Microsoft, Apple, and Linux have all developed fixes and those are currently being deployed.   However, the fix which Microsoft has developed affects some third-party antivirus products.  To make sure that your currently installed antivirus is compatible, Microsoft has developed a registry key which must be set before your system will resume Windows updates (any future update – not just Spectre and Meltdown – because all Microsoft updates are now cumalative).

Network Solutions, Inc. is currently using Bit Defender, Trend Micro, and Panda Antivirus for our customers.  In the past, we’ve also used Vipre.  We wanted to share the impact of these updates on these products for our customers.

Bit Defender  – This is provided to our MSP clients.  Currently, this antivirus solution is still undergoing testing.  However, if you are currently an MSP customer,  no action will be required on your part as our technicians and patching solution will take care of everything.

Trend Micro – The majority of our customers (home and business) are currently using this solution.  Currently, Trend Micro has stated that their software IS compatible with the patches provided by Microsoft.  However, they have not yet automatically added the registry key necessary for these patches to be automatically deployed to all of their products.  Most of our business customers currently use Worry-Free Business Security Services which has NOT yet automatically deployed the registry key for updates.  Our consumer or standalone version of Trend Micro is Trend Micro Internet Security.  We have tested the product in-house and determined that it *does* deploy the registry key and therefore will allow Microsoft patches to be received.  Their official statement can be read here:  Trend Micro Security Update

Panda Antivirus – Some customers have opted to stay with Panda Antivirus and we do fully support this.  Panda has stated that all of their products currently automatically add the registry key when updated so Microsoft patches will continue normally without user action (as long as the antivirus is up-to-date). Read their statement here:  Panda Advisory

Vipre Antivirus – This is a legacy solution which we are no longer actively selling.  Currently, Vipre is still in testing for some of their products but have deemed most compatible.  They have stated that once a product is determined to be compatible, they will automatically set the registry key.  Their full statement can be found here:  Vipre Blog

If you have any questions or concerns about your antivirus or system updates, please contact us at support@internetpro.net or call 256-547-6817.

Our office will be closed from 12:00pm to 2:00pm on Friday December 15, 2017 for our staff Christmas party.  Calls will be routed to voicemail during this time but will be returned immediately after the office reopens.  The front office will be closed to walk-in traffic.   We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

November 6, 2017 – 12:00pm – We are experiencing some issues with our phone system.  Calls are coming in, but communication is very rough.  We have traced the problem down to an issue between Comcast’s network and that of our SIP provider (phone provider).   The issue is about 10 hops away on the internet and is nothing happening locally.   We have made the phone provider aware of the problem and they are looking into a solution.   In the mean time, you may be better served by emailing support@internetpro.net rather than calling our office.  As always, we will continue to post updates here as we get more information.

Update 12:45pm – This issue is affecting a lot of the internet, so many sites/services are not working.   It seems to be a larger Comcast issue.

Update 2:00pm – It looks like all connectivity issues have been resolved.

October 17, 2017 – 12:30am  – Comcast is experiencing an outage at the edge of their network in the Atlanta, Ga area.  Internet traffic from Gadsden is routed through this area when going to sites outside of Comcast’s network (including visiting this site).  As a result, our websites, email, and other services are currently unavailable for Gadsden area Comcast customers.   This is a Comcast issue, and they are aware of the problem.   Currently, the estimated time to repair is 3:00am.

Update –  1:05am – The Comcast issues seems to have been resolved.  Traffic from the Gadsden area is now able to reach our network.

October 16, 2017 – A new vulnerability in the modern Wi-Fi encryption protocol WPA2 has been found.  This security vulnerability basically affects ALL Wi-Fi installations and implementations.  The issue is with the WPA2 protocol itself.   The announcement was just made this morning and some manufacturers have already release firmware updates.  However, many routers and access points will probably NOT be updated at all resulting in an unpatched vulnerability on affected networks.  This is a very serious issue and makes it almost trivial to view unencrypted data on a Wi-Fi network.  There is a published attack called KRACK which exploits this vulnerability.

Network Solutions, Inc. will be reaching out to our customers with the most sensitive data (medical offices, accounting, legal, etc.) to make sure they are informed about this issue.   Right now, the only solution for many networks is to disable Wi-Fi access completely.   This will change as more manufacturers make patches available.  If the equipment in an office is something that will remain unpatched, the only other solution will be equipment replacement.    We will NOT be contacting residential customers about this issue for logistical reasons, but will do our best to get the word our through this web page and social media.

For more information about this serious flaw in WPA2, please visit this link.  The KRACK attack is outlined on this website.

Update:  Here is a link with a list of vendors who have released a fix for this issue:   https://www.windowscentral.com/vendors-who-have-patched-krack-wpa2-wi-fi-vulnerability

If you have any questions or concerns or would like to contact us about upgrading/patching your network, please contact us at 256-547-6817 or email support@internetpro.net.

September 21, 2017 – From approx. 11:53 PM on 9/20 until 01:17 AM 9/21 we experienced an outage with an upstream fiber optic service provider. We were able to troubleshoot the issue with the provider and restore services. We will continue to work with the provider to try to correct the root cause of the outage which was a service provider router failure.

Update September 26, 2017 – Apparently, the router supplied to us by AT&T is a hunk of junk and it caused an issue again with our network.  The issue lasted from about 7:55pm to 8:20pm.   We are in the process of requesting a replacement router.

Update September 28, 2017 – AT&T believes the issue is a “known problem” with the software running on the router.  They will be performing an emergency maintenance to upgrade the firmware at 12:00 midnight tonight.   We expect minimal impact to services as the router reboots.

Update September 29, 2017 – AT&T failed to do the firmware upgrade last night. Router failed again at approximately 8:58AM and we experienced a services outage until about 9:10AM.

Update 2 September 29, 2017 – AT&T has rescheduled the update for tonight 12:00 midnight – 3:00am.  Again, this should only cause an interruption for a few minutes as the router reboots. (If they actually perform the update this time).

Update September 30, 2017 – We are 1.5 hours into the maintenance window (1:30am) and AT&T has not started the maintenance.  We have been attempting to reach their support services for 45 minutes without success but are determined to have this maintenance performed tonight.

Update 2 September 30, 2017 – It looks like this maintenance is going to be performed outside our original window because AT&T “is short staffed”.  Due to the importance of this issue, we are going to allow the work to be done outside the window and we are doing everything possible to get it done as soon as possible (2:50am).

Update 3 September 30, 2017 – 3:35am and it looks like AT&T’s incompetence may win out over our determination to fix this issue tonight. Still on hold with technical support without an answer as to why the work has not been completed.  We are going to have this work completed as soon as we are able to get engineers to complete it. Unfortunately, it looks like we are not going to be able to give a window of time or even an estimate of when that will happen.  We will post any updates we get here as we get more information.

Update 4 September 30, 2017 – 11:00am – We’ve finally gotten word that although AT&T promised updates during our windows, they had no intention of doing it because no engineers capable of performing the upgrade work until Monday.   We’ve literally been told that they can’t do a simple firmware upgrade until Monday and it is just unbelievable.

Update October 4, 2017 – 12:45pm  – AT&T has finally applied the firmware update.  They could/would not do it during a planned maintenance window and we had to allow them to do it whenever they could get to it.  This happened (without notification) at 12:21pm and the router came back online at 12:32pm.   We have been assured that this will fix the issue, and we do hope to put an end to this saga.

Update October 9, 2017 – 8:15am – The event has reoccurred.   As we initially thought, we think the router is bad.   We are again contacting AT&T about this issue.

Update October 9, 2017 – 10:45pm – We finally got our replacement router.  We will have a brief interruption while it is replaced.  Unfortunately, it is the same model as the old one.  We are hoping it is not a design flaw.

Update October 10, 2017 – 12:15am – The comedy of errors that *IS* AT&T sent a router with a bad port.  We’re back on the original router and are awaiting a new replacement.

Update October 13, 2017 – 8:35am – Router failure.   We have one being shipped to us which should arrive today.  We plan on a maintenance window tonight or tomorrow night to replace the garbage we were given by AT&T with a new Cisco and a spare to replace that one if there is an issue.

Update October 17, 2017 – 4:00pm  – We are up and running on our new router.  We were able to make the swap with only about 10 seconds of downtime (unlike AT&T).  This should now be closed.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email support@internetpro.net or call 256-547-6817.