Google Hangouts Will Close And Transfer To Hangouts Chat

This is just a reminder for anyone using Google Hangouts. The company is moving forward with its plans to discontinue the service, starting with GSuite users and then later moving to the broader consumer shutdown. If your company is currently making use of the messaging app for communications and you haven’t begun making plans to […]

Chrome Extensions Are Being Targeted For Hacks

If you’re like most people, no matter how careful you are when you surf the web, you seldom think to review the permissions browser extensions ask for when you install them.  It’s just one of those things that’s easy to lose sight of, and unfortunately, hackers are aware of this. That’s why vulnerable extensions have […]

Windows Vulnerability Found Using VCard Files 

There’s a new zero-day vulnerability in Windows 10 you need to be aware of.  As with all zero-day threats, this one is dangerous in the extreme, allowing a hacker to potentially execute code on your machine remotely. It was discovered by security researcher John Page, and reported to the company via Trend Micro’s Zero-Day Initiative […]

The Basics of HIPAA: Quick roundup

The Basics of HIPAA: Quick roundup Most people are generally familiar with the acronym HIPAA, the federal law that protects the privacy of an individual’s health information– The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. We encounter it everytime we visit a medical office. What tends to get the most attention from businesses that […]

Windows 7 Support Ends In 2020, So Plan To Upgrade

Bad news is on the horizon if you’re one of the surprising number of people still using Windows 7.  Microsoft is only offering one more year of free support.  As of January 14th, 2020, you’ll no longer have access to critical security updates. While support will end entirely for individual consumers, businesses will still be […]

Scammers Are Using Direct Deposit Requests To Steal Money 

Last year, the FBI issued a warning regarding BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams.  Unfortunately, security professionals report that those types of scams are increasing in frequency, and worse, the most recent ones come with a disturbing new twist. The latest incarnation of the scam targets employees, seeking to move their direct deposited paychecks into accounts […]

Data Loss Can Cause You to Shut Down

  Small and medium sized businesses today are relying more than ever on IT systems to efficiently run their business, support customers and optimize productivity. These systems house sensitive digital data ranging from employee and customer information, to internal emails, documents and financial records, sales orders and transaction histories. This is in addition to applications […]

Privacy Advocates Win With Biometric Mobile Device Ruling 

A recent court ruling handed privacy advocates a big, and much needed win.  Prior to the ruling, law enforcement officials were in the habit of compelling “persons of interest” to unlock their phones via their face scan or fingerprint so that investigators could examine it. A US judge has now ruled that this is unacceptable, […]

New Windows 10 Updates Will Use 7 GB Of Space

Microsoft has angered a portion of their user base with a change that’s coming in the next build of Windows 10.  As of the next build, the OS will reserve a whopping seven GB of space on your hard drive, so that big updates don’t fail for lack of space.  Unfortunately, the change means that […]

New Love Letter Email Could Load Malware On Your PC 

Here’s some disturbing news:  Hackers around the world are actively trying to exploit Valentine’s Day. This is according to new research from the Emerging Treats team at the security firm ProofPoint.  The team has detected a massive new mal-spam campaign they’ve dubbed “The Love Letter Campaign.”   Relying on basic social techniques, this campaign uses […]