Phone attacks are only going to become more and more common.

Here’s a great little article on how to spot a fake URL on your mobile device.

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-spot-a-fake-address-bar-in-chrome-on-android-1834388305 

Take a look at this little skit helping to explain Two-Factor Authentication….

Is your IoT device secure? According to one of my favorite cyber security authors there’s a new BIG vulnerability for IoT devices. It’s really important that you properly secure the devices, and with regards to the devices he lists… simply don’t use them!

So what can you do to secure you IoT devices? Here are some steps we’d recommend:

• Change the Default Username and Password
• Setup a firewall that protects them
• Update firmware on the devices
• Avoid any devices that are on his list (See link below)

More info here:

https://hacked.camera/

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/04/p2p-weakness-exposes-millions-of-iot-devices/ 

A recent data breach was found affecting 80 Million US households (article here for the report). This 24GB of data was found unprotected on a Microsoft Azure server. This brings up one of the two myths that people believe about cloud security, that the cloud is secure and you don’t have to think about what you’re putting up there. This simply isn’t the case. If you don’t secure the cloud, it won’t be secure.

Here are some initial steps you need to do to secure the cloud:

1. Turn on and configure built-in security services
   1. Microsoft Azure: (https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/security/)
   2. AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/security/ 
2. Update your platform when patches are availible
3. Enable TFA on your logins

In IT many people say “the only use for Microsoft Edge, is to install Chrome.” Well hopefully that’s ending soon! Microsoft is officially moving it’s Edge browser to be Chromium based, which means it’s build on the same foundation as Chrome itself!

See article here:
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/04/hands-on-first-public-previews-of-chromium-based-edge-are-now-out/

Sonicwall just published their great Threat Report.

I’d strongly recommend it

Here are some of the highlights:

Industries attacked:

Malware Attacks

Attacks by Country

Types of Attacks

Very interesting article on how little people do to destroy their data on old equipment. If you have some old data that needs to be destroyed we can help!

Photo by Patrick Lindenberg on Unsplash

https://gizmodo.com/its-scary-how-much-personal-data-people-leave-on-used-l-1833383903

In case you didn’t know, Windows 7 will be decommissioned and unsupported come January of next year. You’ll need to plan on upgrading these bad boys (I have two) or replacing them. But, I wanted to take this time to walk down memory lane with Windows 7.

In true Microsoft fashion, Windows 7 was an operating system that replaced a terrible version (remember Vista?), they seem to get this right every other time. It was released in 2009. Here are some of features you’ve probably come to take for granted that were introduced in Windows 7:

• “Pinned” programs on the taskbar
• “Snapping” windows to the sides of the screen
• “Shake” to minimize all windows except the one you’re shaking

Rest in Peace

Australia just passed a data encryption law that requires companies to give law enforcement access into devices without the user’s permission. “Police can force companies to create a technical function that would give them access to encrypted messages without the user’s knowledge”.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-46463029

What if there was one plug that charged your computer, connected its monitors, internet, and every accessory you could want. Well, it’s here! The new Thunderbolt 3 by Intel is amazing! It can transfer data up to 40Gbps (That’s about 400x faster than your internet speed at 100Mbps). Check out this article on the new plug, I’m hoping all laptops will be using it soon!

https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2486078,00.asp