Call 980-407-5488
Blog
June 27, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The University of Calgary recently submitted to the will of hackers and ponied up $20,000 to get their files back after more than 100 computers were locked via ransomware. Almost every security expert agrees that paying such a ransom is the wrong move, but the university felt that it had no choice. They did not […]
Read more »
Tagged
June 25, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Once more into the breach with Twitter. A company called LeakedSource claims to have gotten its hands on a database containing some 32 million Twitter passwords associated with accounts via email (rather than user name). Although per the company’s information on the database, most of the passwords come from Russia, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to […]
June 24, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The recent revelations about hundreds of millions of user names and passwords showing up for sale on the Dark Net from sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and MySpace has sent ripples of uncertainty through the entire digital world. If the data breaches of those companies were so much larger than it was originally thought, what other […]
June 23, 2016 by Vertical Axion
More and more business are migrating increasing amounts of data to the cloud. That’s generally seen as a good thing, but there’s a fly in the ointment. The cloud, which is regarded by many to be safer and generally more secure, is seeing a rise in malware infected files. This information comes to us courtesy […]
June 22, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If you have a Samsung desktop or laptop and are still running some version of Windows 7, hold off on upgrading, at least for now. Despite having more than two years to get their drivers in order, the company still isn’t ready, and some users who attempt to upgrade to Windows 10 from version 7 […]
June 21, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Another month, another Flash vulnerability. This time, it’s designated as CVE-2016-4171 (details here: https://helpx.adobe.com/security/products/flash-player/apsa16-03.html ). This is yet another critical vulnerability, identified by Kaspersky Labs. So far, this hack has been spotted in the wild, being used in limited, targeted attacks. If successful, a hacker can crash your system, then take control over it when […]
June 20, 2016 by Vertical Axion
TeamViewer, the company behind a popular remote desktop platform, which allows users to share their screens, access their computers remotely, or participate in online conferences, has been hacked…maybe. A little over a month ago, the company received reports from a cross-section of users who claimed that their accounts had been accessed by unauthorized users. The […]
June 18, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Online security company Check Point Software Technologies has discovered a flaw in Facebook’s chat app that allows hackers to log in and change the content of chat messages (individual messages or entire chat streams) without notifying users that changes have been made. The exploit is accomplished by finding the unique identification number associated with each […]
June 17, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The push toward ever greater miniaturization has been present in the technology industry from the very beginning. Computers that once occupied whole rooms got small enough to fit onto any available desktop. PCs gave way to laptops, which are currently giving way to a variety of handheld devices, and still, the drive to make equipment […]
June 16, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Your employees are both your company’s greatest asset and your biggest potential security risk. In a recent study conducted by Experian Data Breach Resolution and Ponemon Institute, it was found that 55% of companies surveyed have experienced one or more security incidents where the catalyzing event was a negligent or malicious employee. The study also […]
June 15, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If you’re one of the millions of users with an Android phone, then you already know there are a couple of different ways you can find it if you happen to misplace it. You can use the built-in search feature, or the Device Manager app. As of now, Google has rolled out an additional option, […]
June 14, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Have you been noticing “strange” search results when you’re surfing the web? Have your search results been taking longer than usual to appear? You may have been infected by a new, very clever bit of malware known as Redirector.Paco. There are actually two flavors of this malicious software, the key differences between them is that […]
June 13, 2016 by Vertical Axion
What percentage of total internet traffic would you estimate that bots (non-human visitors) account for? Twenty percent? Thirty percent? Unfortunately, according to data released by DeviceAtlas, a company that makes software to detect the kinds of devices web visitors are using, reveals that non-human sources account for a staggering 48% of all web traffic. This […]
June 11, 2016 by Vertical Axion
If you haven’t yet heard of “KeySweeper,” you have a new threat to be on the lookout for. The KeySweeper device is built with off the shelf, Arduino components. These can be programmed for a variety of purposes, but the hacking community is using them as stealthy keylogging devices. By all outward appearances, the device […]
June 10, 2016 by Vertical Axion
In recent months, Microsoft has made a number of very good, highly popular moves that have had its customers raving about its apparent change. This latest incident, however, isn’t one of those. Microsoft has been accused of resorting to malware-style tactics to try and force Windows 7 and 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10, […]
June 9, 2016 by Vertical Axion
You’ve probably got either a dual- or quad-core computer sitting on your desk right now, but if you love bleeding edge technology, then you’re going to want to upgrade after reading this. Recently, at the Computex trade show in Taipei, intel unveiled its first ever 10-core processor, designed for the home market (although why these […]
June 8, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Security firm Duo Security recently published a disturbing report relating to laptop security. It found critical security flaws in laptops produced by five of the largest OEMs: Acer, Asus, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, and Lenovo. If you’ve purchased, and are currently using laptops from these manufacturers, you are potentially at risk. Specifically, what the security firm found […]
June 7, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Most of us (and you know who you are) tend to be not-very-good when it comes to creating robust, secure passwords. If you’ve ever used your significant other’s birthday, your birthday, the word “password,” or the numbers “123456,” then you’re not alone. Millions of other people do too, and Microsoft is taking steps to help […]
June 6, 2016 by Vertical Axion
You’ve probably seen the joke email before. Something to the effect of, “If you don’t forward this message to six people within twenty-four hours, your teeth will fall out, your car will break down, and all the files on your computer will be deleted.” Ransomware isn’t quite to that level yet, but it’s getting awfully […]
June 4, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Not long ago, we learned that last year’s high profile LinkedIn hack was much bigger than initially thought. When the hack occurred, the company assured its user base that it was limited in scope to some 6.3 million user accounts (LinkedIn has some 400 million users all told, which made this a serious breach, but […]
June 3, 2016 by Vertical Axion
The Graham Cluley website today had an article with the most appropriate title I’ve seen regarding this subject. “Don’t believe everything bad you read on the internet.” I’d like to follow that up myself with a little piece of advice from a professional in the field (me.) “Don’t use Reddit as a source for news, […]
Not even dentists are safe from hackers, and if they’ve been targeted, your company could easily be targeted in much the same way. Recently, the ADA (American Dental Association) sent USB flash drives out to dental offices all over the country. The drive contained updated billing rates and instructions for filing claims with various insurance […]
June 2, 2016 by Vertical Axion
Have you been pwned? (Relax, old people, that’s really really old slang for “owned”, which translates in modern-geek to “hacked”) In just the last few weeks of 2016, millions of passwords have been leaked across the net. I’m sure someone has a list somewhere, but I can think of the following just off the top […]
There seems to be no end of trouble for the beleaguered Flash Player and those who use it. Not long ago, yet another critical security flaw was found in the player, designated as CVE-2016-4117 by security researchers at FireEye. As is generally the case with zero-day exploits like this one, Adobe responded almost immediately with […]
