Computer Safety & News

While ZOOM is an excellent video sharing resource – the latest security best technical & user practices are a must for secure corporate usage for “work from home” needs https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-watch-out-for-zoom-bombings-on-online-video-meeting-apps https://www.pcmag.com/news/students-conspire-in-chats-to-zoom-bomb-online-classes-harass-teachers The FBI is warning the public to watch out for hijackers trying to infiltrate their Zoom video sessions  “The FBI has received multiple reports of […]

The March 2020 IIL blog features several techniques for advanced sorting for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.   Sorting (and beyond!) In this blog, I’ll discuss sorting, likely beyond features you knew were available. There are 3 ways to access sorting … 1- from the Data tab … 2–You can right-mouse click on a cell and select Sort […]

As thousands of COVID-19 themed websites have suddenly materialized — SANS ISC team is requesting test assistance to help identify fake or malicious sites as per following websites. Volunteers should be technically adept, versed in cyber-security concepts & use highly fortified security settings to avoid security/privacy issues. https://isc.sans.edu/forums/diary/Covid19+Domain+Classifier/25958/ https://isc.sans.edu/covidclassifier.html These last couple of weeks, criminals […]

Practical and Tactical Techniques for Managing Remote Teams Managing a remote team is new territory for many businesses. In order to help manage effective and productive virtual teams, implement these useful tips and suggestions: Keep in mind that when one person is remote, everyone is remote to that person. Get the business done quickly by […]

VPN security is a must for the new work-from-home paradigm & very sharp spike in usage have occurred during our more restricted business settings.  https://www.pcmag.com/news/vpns-are-a-valuable-tool-in-covid-19-times VPNs are a major piece of internet infrastructure holding together the work-from-home workforce right now. VPNs encrypt web traffic, keeping data safe and protecting privacy. You may have a corporate […]

https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/current-activity/2020/03/25/apple-releases-security-updates Apple has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. An attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.  The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) encourages users and administrators to review the Apple security pages for the following products and apply the necessary updates: iCloud for […]

Spotlight on Virtual Teams – What makes them work? A virtual team is defined as a group of individuals who work exclusively by using communication technologies to interact with one another while in different areas, and often, different time zones. What are some of the benefits of virtual teams? Ability to work asynchronously, from anywhere […]

Key milestone reached for WIN10: https://redmondmag.com/articles/2020/03/16/windows-10-reaches-1-billion.aspx https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2020/03/16/windows-10-powering-the-world-with-1-billion-monthly-active-devices/ Microsoft announced on Monday that Windows 10 is now on more than 1 billion “monthly active devices.”  The 1 billion number is noteworthy for being a goal that Microsoft had set for itself back in 2015, when Terry Myerson, then-executive vice president for Windows, had predicted it    

CISA & other security agencies are working to enhance cyber-security protection for Health &  Human Services during COVID-19 pandemic https://www.cisa.gov/news/2020/03/16/cisa-statement-reported-hhs-cyber-activity CISA will continue to support our partners at HHS as they protect their IT systems. CISA has taken a number of steps over the last several weeks to increase cybersecurity preparedness across federal civilian agencies, […]

Due to the O/S design, Windows 7 systems are most at risk for Adobe font zero day recently discovered & users must exercise caution with all links & email attachments. To a lesser extent, Windows 10 users are still at risk if good security is not in place. https://redmondmag.com/articles/2020/03/23/critical-flaw-in-windows-preview-pane.aspx https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/ADV200006 https://kb.cert.org/vuls/id/354840/ Microsoft on Monday issued […]