Back to Top

Tech, Web, Cloud & Cabling Services

Category: Tips & Info

Tips & Info Category

Atari’s Ataribox console will run Linux

Cost $250-$300, if it ever materializes

Now it just needs an E.T. game.

Atari announced in June that it was getting back into the hardware business, with plans for an upcoming “Ataribox” console. Of course, it didn’t release any actual details at the time—only a slick-looking render of a retro-styled box, complete with real wood paneling. Oh, plus a promise to crowdfund the upcoming console.

If alarm bells just started ringing in your head, visions of another Ouya-style disaster, well we can’t say those fears are unfounded. This week Atari further detailed the Ataribox to GamesBeat, and the plan seems even weirder than before.

According to Ataribox creator Feargal Mac, we’re looking at a device that will a) run Linux and b) cost in the neighborhood of $250 to $300. Featuring a custom AMD processor and launching alongside a catalog of classic Atari games, GamesBeat writes, “the idea is to create a box that makes people feel nostalgic about the past, but it’s also capable of running the independent games they want to play today, like Minecraft or Terraria.”

You know what? Best of luck to them. If Valve couldn’t make the Linux-centric living room PC a hot item, though, We’re not sure that Atari will be able to. And that’s all this is—a very cheap Steam Machine, cheaper even than Alienware’s quaint little model.

Is that enough? Probably not. The problem, as always, is the games. Linux gaming is worlds better than it was a few years ago, especially if Atari focuses on the indie scene. Still, we’re talking a pretty small subset of available titles. Atari’s trotted out the ol’ Valve line of “You can install Windows on it if you want,” and that’s not a great omen in my mind.

And even a $250 Ataribox is still plenty expensive considering this thing won’t run any big-budget games. You can buy an Xbox One S for $250 right now on Amazon, and a PlayStation 4 is only $50 more expensive. Sure, it’s a console, but it’ll at least play Wolfenstein II just as easily as it’ll play Terraria.

Atari’s also been quiet about how you’ll control the Ataribox. GamesBeat mentions a “user interface [Atari is] customizing for TVs,” so I assume a controller, but every photo of the Ataribox is just the console on its own. Hell, for all we know Atari will be buying Steam Controllers in bulk and packaging them with the system. Might as well. Those who want to get into the system level and tinker, though, will probably need a keyboard and mouse, which isn’t very living room-friendly.

One last red flag: It’s still being crowdfunded. Plans are for an Indiegogo campaign later this fall, with a release scheduled for Spring 2018. We’ll keep you updated.

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

To read this article in its entirety click here.

Windows 10 quick tips: 10 ways to speed up your PC

Want Windows 10 to run faster? Take a few minutes to try out these tips, and your machine will be zippier and less prone to performance and system issues.

 

 

1. Change your power settings

If you’re using Windows 10’s Power saver plan, you’re slowing down your PC. That plan reduces your PC’s performance in order to save energy. (Even desktop PCs typically have a Power saver plan.) Changing your power plan from Power saver to High performance or Balanced will give you an instant performance boost.

To do it, launch Control Panel, then select Hardware and Sound > Power Options. You’ll typically see two options: Balanced (recommended) and Power saver. (Depending on your make and model, you might see other plans here as well, including some branded by the manufacturer.) To see the High performance setting, click the down arrow by Show additional plans.

To change your power setting, simply choose the one you want, then exit Control Panel. High performance gives you the most oomph, but uses the most power; Balanced finds a median between power use and better performance; and Power saver does everything it can to give you as much battery life as possible. Desktop users have no reason to choose Power saver, and even laptop users should consider the Balanced option when unplugged and High performance when connected to a power source.

 

2. Disable programs that run on startup

One reason your Windows 10 PC may feel sluggish is you’ve got too many programs running in the background programs that you may never use, or only rarely use. Stop them from running, and your PC will run more smoothly.

Start by launching the Task Manager: Press Ctrl-Shift-Esc or right-click the lower-right corner of your screen and select Task Manager. If the Task Manager launches as a compact app with no tabs, click “More details” at the bottom of your screen. The Task Manager will then appear in all of its full-tabbed glory. There’s plenty you can do with it, but we’re going to focus only on killing unnecessary programs that run at startup.

Click the Startup tab. You’ll see a list of the programs and services that launch when you start Windows. Included on the list is each program’s name as well as its publisher, whether it’s enabled to run on startup, and its “Startup impact,” which is how much it slows down Windows 10 when the system starts up.

To stop a program or service from launching at startup, right-click it and select “Disable.” This doesn’t disable the program entirely; it only prevents it from launching at startup — you can always run the application after launch. Also, if you later decide you want it to launch at startup, you can just return to this area of the Task Manager, right-click the application and select “Enable.”

Many of the programs and services that run on startup may be familiar to you, like OneDrive or Evernote Clipper. But you may not recognize many of them. (Anyone who immediately knows what “bzbui.exe” is, please raise your hand. No fair Googling it first.)

The Task Manager helps you get information about unfamiliar programs. Right-click an item and select Properties for more information about it, including its location on your hard disk, whether it has a digital signature, and other information such as the version number, the file size and the last time it was modified.

You can also right-click the item and select “Open file location.” That opens File Explorer and takes it to the folder where the file is located, which may give you another clue about the program’s purpose.

Finally, and most helpfully, you can select “Search online” after you right-click. Bing will then launch with links to sites with information about the program or service.

If you’re really nervous about one of the listed applications, you can go to a site run by Reason Software called Should I Block It? and search for the file name. You’ll usually find very solid information about the program or service.

Now that you’ve selected all the programs that you want to disable at startup, the next time you restart your computer, the system will be a lot less concerned with unnecessary program.

 

3. Turn off search indexing

Windows 10 indexes your hard disk in the background, allowing you – in theory – to search your PC more quickly than if no indexing were being done. But slower PCs that use indexing can see a performance hit, and you can give them a speed boost by turning off indexing. Even if you have an SSD disk, turning off indexing can improve your speed as well, because the constant writing to disk that indexing does can eventually slow down SSDs.

To get the maximum benefit in Windows 10, you need to turn indexing off completely. To do so, first type services.msc in the Start Menu search box, and click the Services result that come up. The Services app then appears. Scroll down to either Indexing Service or Windows Search in the list of services. Double-click it, and from the screen that appears, click Stop. Then reboot. Your searches may be slightly slower, although you may not notice the difference. But you should get an overall performance boost.

If you’d like, you can turn off indexing for only files in certain locations. To do this, first type index in the Start Menu search box, and click the Indexing Options result that appears. The Indexing Options page of Control Panel appears. Click the Modify button and you’ll see a list of locations that are being indexed, such as Microsoft Outlook, your personal files, and so on. Uncheck the boxes next to any location, and it will no longer be indexed.

 

4. Clean out your hard disk

If you’ve got a bloated hard disk filled with files you don’t need, you could be slowing down your PC. Cleaning it out can give you a speed boost. Windows 10 has a surprisingly useful built-in tool for doing this called Storage Sense. Go to Settings > System > Storage and at the top of the screen – in the Storage Sense section – move the toggle from Off to On. When you do this, Windows constantly monitors your PC, and deletes old junk files you no longer need; temporary files; files in the Downloads folder that haven’t been changed in a month; and old Recycle Bin files.

You can customize how Storage Sense works and also use it to free up even more space than it normally would. Underneath Storage Sense, click “Change how we free up space automatically.” From the screen that appears, you can change how often Storage Sense deletes files (every day, every week, every month or when Windows decides). You can also tell Storage Sense to delete files in your Download folder, depending on how long they’ve been there. And you can also set how long to wait to delete files in the Recycle Bin automatically.

You can also delete old versions of Windows that might be hogging space. At the bottom of the screen, check the box next to “Delete previous versions of Windows.” Storage Sense will then delete old versions of Windows ten days after you’ve installed an upgrade. Note that if you do this, you won’t be able to revert to the older version of Windows.

 

5. Clean out your Registry

Under the Windows hood, the Registry tracks and controls just about everything about the way Windows works and looks. That includes information about where your programs are stored, which DLLs they use and share, what file types should be opened by which program or just about everything else.

But the Registry is a very messy thing. When you uninstall a program, for example, that program’s settings don’t always get cleaned up in the Registry. So over time, it can get filled with countless outdated settings of all types. And that can lead to system slowdowns.

Don’t even think of trying to clean any of this out yourself. It’s impossible. To do it, you need a Registry Cleaner. There are plenty available, some free and some paid. But there’s really no need to outright buy  one, because the free Auslogics Registry Cleaner does a solid job.

Before using Auslogics or any other Registry Cleaner, you should back up your Registry so you can restore it if anything goes wrong. (Auslogics Registry Cleaner does this for you as well, but it can’t hurt to have it backed up twice.) To do your own Registry backup, type regedit.ext in the search box, then press Enter. That runs the Registry editor.  From the File menu, select Export. From the screen that appears, make sure to choose the “All” option in the Export range section at the bottom of the screen. Then choose a file location and file name and click Save. To restore the Registry, open the Registry editor, select Import from the File menu, then open the file you saved.

Now download, install and run Auslogics Registry Cleaner. On the left-hand side of the screen you can select the kinds of Registry issues you want to clean up – for example, File Associations, Internet or Fonts. I generally select them all.

Next tell it to scan the Registry for problems. To do that, click “Scan Now” and from a drop-down menu that appears select Scan. That lets you first examine the Registry problems it finds. If you instead choose “Scan and Repair,” it makes the fixes without you checking them.

It now scans your Registry for errors, then shows you what it found. It ranks the errors according to their severity, to help you decide which to fix. Click Repair when you’ve made your decision, and make sure that “Back up Changes” is checked, so you can restore the Registry easily if something goes wrong.

 

6. Disable shadows, animations and visual effects

Windows 10 has some nice eye candy — shadows, animations and visual effects. On fast, newer PCs, these don’t usually affect system performance. But on slower and older PCs, they can exact a performance hit.

It’s easy to turn them off. In the Windows 10 search box type sysdm.cpl and press Enter. That launches the System Properties dialog box. Click the Advanced tab and click “Settings” in the Performance section. That brings you to the Performance Options dialog box. You’ll see a varied list of animations and special effects.

If you have time on your hands and love to tweak, you can turn individual ones on and off. These are the animations and special effects you’ll probably want to turn off, because they have the greatest effect on system performance:

  • Animate controls and elements inside windows
  • Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
  • Animations in the taskbar
  • Fade or slide menus into view
  • Fade or slide ToolTips into view
  • Fade out menu items after clicking
  • Show shadows under windows

However, it’s probably a lot easier to just select “Adjust for best performance” at the top of the screen and then click OK. Windows 10 will then turn off the effects that slow down your system.

 

7. Launch the Windows troubleshooter

Windows 10 has a very useful, little-known tool that can sniff out performance problems and solve them. To launch it, run Control Panel and select System and Security > Security and Maintenance > Troubleshooting > Run maintenance tasks. A screen titled “Troubleshoot and help prevent computer problems” will appear. Click Next.

The troubleshooter will find files and shortcuts you don’t use, identify any performance and other issues on your PC, report them to you and then fix them. Note that you may get a message that says, “Try troubleshooting as an administrator.” If you have administrative rights to the PC, click it and the troubleshooter will launch and do its work.

 

8. Get help from the Performance Monitor

There’s a great tool in Windows 10 called the Performance Monitor that can, among other things, create a detailed performance report about your PC, detail any system and performance issues, and suggest fixes.

To get the report, type perfmon /report into your search box and press Enter. (Make sure there’s a space between “perfmon” and the slash mark.) The Resource and Performance Monitor launches and gathers information about your system. It will say that it will take 60 seconds, but I’ve found that it takes several minutes. When the Monitor finishes, it will launch an interactive report.

You’ll find a lot of extremely detailed information in the report, and it can take a lot of time to go through. Your best bet is to first look at the Warnings section, which details the biggest issues (if any) it found on your PC, such as problems with Windows, with drivers and so on. It also tells you how to fix each problem — for example, how to turn on a device that has been disabled.

It is also worthwhile to scroll down to the Resource Overview section, where you’ll find an analysis of how well your CPU, network, disk and memory are performing. Each result is color-coded, with green meaning no problems, yellow meaning potential issues, and red showing a problem.

Beyond that, the Resource Overview also reports performance metrics and explanatory details. For example, for the CPU, it might show green and a utilization of 21%, with the details, “Normal CPU load.” Or for Memory, it might show yellow, with 62% utilization and the details, “1520 MB is available.” Based on what you get, you might want to do something about your hardware — for example, add more memory.

 

9. Kill bloatware

Sometimes the biggest factor slowing down your PC isn’t Windows 10 itself, but bloatware or adware that takes up CPU and system resources. Adware and bloatware are particularly insidious because they may have been installed by your computer’s manufacturer. You’d be amazed at how much more quickly your Windows 10 PC can run if you get rid of it.

First, run a system scan to find adware and malware. If you’ve already installed a security suite such as Norton Security or McAfee LiveSafe, you can use that. You can also use Windows 10’s built in anti-malware app — just type Windows Defender in the search box, press Enter, and then click Scan Now. Windows Defender will look for malware and remove any it finds.

It’s a good idea to get a second opinion, though, so consider a free tool like Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. The free version scans for malware and removes what it finds; the paid version offers always-on protection to stop infections in the first place.

Now you can check for bloatware and get rid of it. Several free programs will do this for you; your best bet is to run several of them, because no single one will find all the bloatware on your PC. Good choices are the PC Decrapifier, Should I Remove It? and SlimComputer.

 

10. Shut down and restart Windows

Here’s one of IT’s not-quite-secret weapons for troubleshooting and speeding up a PC: Shut it down and restart it. Doing that clears out any excess use of RAM that otherwise can’t be cleared. It also kills processes that you might have set in motion and are no longer needed, but that continue running and slow your system. If your Windows 10 PC has turned sluggish over time for no apparent reason, you may be surprised at how much more quickly it will run when you do this.

Try just some of these tricks, and you’ll find that you’ve got a faster Windows 10 PC — and one that is less likely to have any reliability problems.

Microsoft 365 Business: Get Office + Windows 10 in one SMB-friendly subscription

Will preview $20/month software-as-a-service plan Aug. 2

Earlier this week, Microsoft introduced two additional software-as-a-service subscription plans to the partners who will try to sell them.

The pair join an increasing number of subscription deals that the Redmond, Wash. company has modeled on the Office 365 pattern. The new plans even carry the “365” label, which Microsoft sees as a unifying identifier.

Microsoft 365 is, as CEO Satya Nadella introduced it Monday, “a fundamental departure in how we think about product creation,” composed of, initially at least, two plans. The more expensive, Microsoft 365 Enterprise, is simply a new name for a year-old, two-tier product titled “Secure Productive Enterprise E3” and “Secure Productive Enterprise E5.” Those SKUs (stock-keeping units) were introduced at Microsoft’s 2016 partner conference. Like SPE, M365 Enterprise tosses Windows 10 Enterprise, Office 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security into a bucket.

But “Microsoft 365 Business,” or M365 Business for short, is the more interesting of the two plans because it is actually new. Nadella thought the same. “I’m so excited about the product innovation that you will see today around small and medium-sized businesses,” he said during a two-hour keynote before partners.

So, what’s Microsoft 365 Business?

That’s the new deal Microsoft will push later this year after an unspecified time in preview, which will start Aug. 2.

M365 Business includes:

Office 365 Business Premium, a software-and-service plan that includes all the Office applications, hosted Exchange email, OneDrive storage service and more. Alone, Office 365 Business Premium costs $12.50 per user per month when billed on an annual basis.

Windows 10 Pro: Devices currently running Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1 Pro may be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro under M365 Business.

Windows 10 Business: According to Microsoft, “Windows 10 Business is a set of cloud-[based] services and device management capabilities that complement Windows 10 Pro and enable the centralized management and security controls of Microsoft 365 Business.” The services and tools include a subset of those from Intune, Microsoft’s enterprise mobility management (EMM) platform, as well as Windows AutoPilot, an automated deployment service bundled with Windows 10’s March 2017 feature upgrade, aka 1703 and Creators Update.

How much does M365 Business cost?

$20 per user per month when it launches later this year.

That’s $7.50 per user per month more than Office 365 Business Premium, or an extra $90 per user annually. For that amount, customers receive the difference between the two plans: the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro and the various management service components.

Who is Microsoft 365 Business for?

According to Microsoft, the plan is “built for small and midsize customers that have little to no IT resources on staff.”

Although companies of any size can purchase M365 Business licenses, any one customer can buy no more than 300 subscriptions, another signal that it aims at small and medium-sized organizations.

The limited management tools also play to that theme. They’re designed to be easy to use and offer only basic functionality, and are accessed via simple control panels similar to what they may have already used for Office 365.

What’s the Windows 10 upgrade all about in M365 Business?

Microsoft’s descriptions of this component are sketchy thus far. An extensive company Q&A on the subscription plan had the most information, saying, “If you have devices that are licensed for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 Professional, Microsoft 365 Business provides an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.” (The “Professional” label holds for Windows 7, but 8 and 8.1 are dubbed “Pro” instead, as is Windows 10.)

Computerworld was unable to unearth additional details of the upgrade, specifically what happens when a customer cancels a M365 Business subscription or lets one expire. Do devices that were upgraded from Windows 7 Professional to Windows 10 Pro retain the latter license? Or is the Windows 10 license revoked, forcing customers to reinstall the previous OS?

Microsoft declined to answer questions about that scenario, and analysts who had been briefed by the company said that licensing issues were not discussed in Microsoft’s presentation.

The matter of expiring subscriptions requires context. Generally, when customers exit a subscription, say, Office 365, the applications and services will retreat into a reduced functionality mode or stop working entirely. Something similar happens after a subscription to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 lapses. “When a subscription license expires … the Windows 10 Enterprise device seamlessly steps back down to Windows 10 Pro,” Microsoft states in a support document.

In other instances, Microsoft doesn’t strip away an upgrade. Customers who have subscribed to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 or E5 may upgrade devices equipped with Windows 7 Professional or 8.1 Pro, to Windows 10 Pro; if they later depart the E3 or E5 plan, the Windows 10 license permanently remains in place.

Which of these options remains — cancellation or retention — is what’s unclear in the case of M365 Business.

What management tools does M365 Business include?

Enough, says Microsoft, to adequately serve small and mid-sized businesses.

What Microsoft calls “a simplified management console” controls device and user management functions. The tools bundled in M365 Business include:

  • Auto-install (and easy uninstall) Office
  • Wipe company data from devices, both company- and employee-owned
  • Enforce user settings on devices, including access to Windows Store or use of Cortana
  • Force users to save all work to OneDrive for Business
  • Configure new PCs as well as existing systems running Windows 10 Pro 1703 (Creators Update) or later using AutoPilot
  • Automatically update and upgrade Windows 10 PCs using Windows Update for Business

We heard there’s a preview of M365 Business. What’s that deal?

Yes, there will be a preview available starting, Microsoft’s said, on Wednesday, Aug. 2. The preview will be accessible from this website. Users may, in fact, sign up now for the preview on that page.

Although there is no charge for the preview, Microsoft recommended that potential customers contact their preferred Microsoft Partner — or locate one — to handle the M365 Business deployment.

Interestingly, Microsoft said, “Devices running Windows 7 [Professional] or 8.1 Pro are eligible for an upgrade to Windows 10 Pro within the Microsoft 365 Business preview.” It was unclear whether that upgrade would be retained or retracted at the end of the preview.

What does M365 Business require?

According to Microsoft, Windows 7 Professional PCs “likely meet the minimum requirements.” However, only Windows 10 devices can be managed in M365 Business, a powerful motivator for equipping as many systems as possible with the newer OS.

The other major precondition for the subscription — Azure Active Directory (AAD) — is necessary to enforce user and device policies set in the management console, and for other tasks, such as AutoPilot set-up. Microsoft acknowledged that on-premises Active Directory works with M365 Business, but “it is not recommended.”

Have questions?

Get answers from Microsofts Cloud Solutions Partner!
Call us at: 856-745-9990 or visit: https://southjerseytechies.net/

South Jersey Techies, LL C is a full Managed Web and Technology Services Company providing IT Services, Website Design Services, Server Support, Network Consulting, Internet Phones, Cloud Solutions Provider and much more. Contact for More Information.

To read this article in its entirety click here.

What You Need to Know About the Big Chip Security Problem

According to Intel Corp.,most of the processors running the world’s computers and smartphones have a feature that makes them susceptible to hacker attacks. The chipmaker, working with partners and rivals, says it has already issued updates to protect most processor products introduced in the past five years, but the news sparked concern about this fundamental building block of the internet, PCs and corporate networks.

The revelation of the so-called Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities spurred a scramble among technology’s biggest players, from Apple Inc. to Amazon.com Inc., to enact fixes and reassure customers they were on top of the problem.

1. What’s the problem?

Modern processors guess what they’ll have to do next and fetch the data they think they’ll need. That makes everything from supercomputers to smartphones operate very fast. Unfortunately, as Google researchers discovered, it also provides a way for bad actors to read data stored in memory that had been thought to be secure. In a worst-case scenario, that would let someone access your passwords.

2. How bad is it?

The vulnerability won’t stop your computer working and doesn’t provide an avenue for hackers to put malicious software on your machine. Though it could put important data at risk, there’s been no report so far of anyone’s computer being attacked in this manner. More broadly, though, the new fears could undermine longtime assurances that hardware and chip-level security is more tamper-proof than software.

3. How was it discovered?

The weakness was discovered last year by folks Google employs to find such issues before the bad guys do. Usually, solutions are developed in private and announced in a coordinated way. This time the news leaked before the companies involved had a chance to get a fix in place.

 

 

4. What’s being done to fix it?

Chipmakers and operating system providers, such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Microsoft Corp., are rushing to create software patches that will close the potential window of attack. Intel said that it expects to have issued updates for more than 90 percent of recently introduced processor products. Amazon.com Inc. said “all but a small single-digit percentage” of its servers have already been protected. In a blog post, Google said its security teams immediately “mobilized to defend” its systems and user data. Some customers of Android devices, Google Chromebook laptops and its cloud services still need to take steps to patch security holes, the company said. Patches for Windows devices are out now and the company is securing its cloud services, Microsoft said in a statement.

5. Is this just an Intel problem?

No, though that seems to be what panicky investors initially thought. Intel says it’s an issue for all modern processors. But rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. stated that its products are at “near-zero risk.” ARM Holdings, which has chip designs that support all smartphones, said that, at worst, the vulnerability could “result in small pieces of data being accessed” and advised users of its technology to keep their software up to date. Google fingered all three companies. Apple said all Mac computers and iOS devices — including iPhones and iPads — were affected, but stressed there were no known exploits impacting users and that steps taken to address the issue haven’t dented performance.

6. What will the fallout be?

Some computers, mostly older ones, could be slowed down by the software patches that will make them more secure. Intel said that in common situations software might be slowed down by as much as 3 percent or not at all. But in other rare situations, performance might be reduced as much as 30 percent. The company doesn’t expect any financial impact and said it thinks customers will keep buying. As the fixes haven’t been widely deployed yet, it’s unclear whether anyone will even notice or whether computer slowdowns will be widespread. Intel has only done lab tests.

Move Over Skype, Calling From Gmail

Kon’nichiwa, hola, and bonjour says Google, as it expands Gmail calling to support a total of 38 languages and four currencies including Euros, British pounds and Canadian / US dolla dolla bills y’all. The calling feature allows Gmail users to call landlines and mobile phones from within their Gmail browser for next to nothing, making the email center a one-stop shop for IMs, emails, video and voice calls. The year-old service is lowering its call rates to $0.10 per minute to mobile phones in the UK, France, and Germany, $0.15 per minute to Mexico, and $0.02 per minute to any number in China and India. Calling landlines is even cheaper — which would be fantastic if you actually knew someone that still used one. The expanded language support and cheaper calls adds another piece of ammo to Google’s arsenal as it goes head-to-head with Skype (which charges $0.18 – $0.25 per minute for calls to UK mobile numbers), after the company conveniently partnered with Google+’s arch nemesis for calls from within the social network. But hey, at least those late-night arguments won’t cost the former nearly as much as it once did.

 

To view the original article in it’s entirety, Click Here.

Quick Reference CyberSecurity Guide

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is at the forefront of technology, both at the workplace and in our personal lives. With the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats, it is essential that we all play a role in protecting sensitive information both business and personal.

 

To help you stay informed and vigilant about cybersecurity best practices, we have created a Quick Reference Guide for Cybersecurity to be shared with your users as a courtesy to better protect themselves from cyber threats and contribute to a safer digital environment.

Please Download Our Quick Reference Cyber Security Guide Below

Quick Reference CyberSecurity Guide

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

Zero-Day Security Vulnerability in Chrome, Firefox and Others

Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox and Apple’s Safari browser have all been impacted by a single zero-day vulnerability. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-4863, is caused by a heap buffer overflow in the WebP code library. Once exploited it can lead to system crashes and arbitrary code execution, where hackers can gain control over an infected device.

Where Does it Originate?

CVE-2023-4863 was first identified by researchers at The Citizen Lab, a research arm of the University of Toronto. The institution subsequently informed Google and Apple of the vulnerability’s existence. Both companies have now released patches. They were joined by Mozilla, which released its own advisory on CVE-2023-4863 yesterday and updates for several versions of its Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client, and Microsoft.

 

Vulnerability Originates In Webp Reader. Users of the affected browsers should update to the most up-to-date version in order to ensure the zero-day vulnerability is patched on their machines. The problem isn’t with the browsers — the vulnerability originates in the WebP Codec. Many applications use the WebP codec and libwebp library to render WebP images.

 

In more detail, a heap buffer overflow in WebP allowed attackers to perform an out-of-bounds memory write. A heap buffer overflow allows attackers to insert malicious code by “overflowing” the amount of data in a program. Since this particular heap buffer overflow targets the codec (essentially a translator that lets a computer render WebP images), the attacker could create an image in which malicious code is embedded. From there, they could steal data or infect the computer with malware. The vulnerability was first detected by the Apple Security Engineering and Architecture team and The Citizen Lab at The University of Toronto on September 6.

How Dangerous Is This Flaw?

Since many browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi are built on the Chromium platform, the same platform that Chrome is based on, this could affect their users as well. The same risk is also applicable for Firefox browser clones.

 

Such a widespread exploit in ubiquitously used software is dangerous, widening the attack surface for most organizations.

 

Patching will mitigate the risk, but users must act quickly as hackers will already be at work. Attackers will be working over the coming days and weeks to make the exploit more reliable meaning remote code execution will be more likely. Modern web browsers are exceptionally good at pushing out security updates rapidly and applying them as quickly as practicable, so users will shortly be protected.

 

The biggest risk is to organizations which don’t allow automatic updates and push out updates at their own release schedule.

What Steps Should You Take?

Google, Mozilla, Brave, Microsoft and Tor have released security patches for this vulnerability. Individuals running those apps should update to the latest version. In the case of other applications, this is an ongoing vulnerability for which patches may not exist; NIST noted that the vulnerability has not yet received full analysis.

 

If you are already a Managed Services client, please follow the steps below to check for updates

 

Google Chrome – Click the 3 dots in the top right corner for the menu and choose Help->About Google Chrome.  Chrome will check and install updates automatically from this screen.

 

Microsoft Edge – Click the 3 dots in the top right corner for the menu and choose Help and feedback->About Microsoft Edge.  Edge will check and install updates automatically from this screen.

 

Mozilla Firefox – Click the 3 lines in the top right corner for the menu and choose Help->About Firefox.  Firefox will check and install updates automatically from this screen.

 

 

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990

Microsoft Office 2013 End of Life: What You Need to Know

Microsoft Office 2013 was a popular productivity suite that included several essential tools such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. It was released in 2013 and was widely used by individuals, businesses, and organizations of all sizes. However, like all software products, Microsoft Office 2013 has reached its end of life, and users are now advised to upgrade to Microsoft 365, the cloud-based version of Microsoft Office.

drawing of a man holding a laptop in front of a very large laptop with "update" on the screen and a wrench in front

What Does End of Support Mean?

End of life, or EOL, refers to the point in time when a software product is no longer supported by the manufacturer. In the case of Microsoft Office 2013, this means that Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, bug fixes, security updates, or new features for this product. This makes the software more vulnerable to cyberattacks, viruses, and malware. Continuing to use Microsoft Office 2013 after the end of life date could result in data loss, security breaches, and other serious problems.

  • This means that Microsoft will no longer provide any updates or support for this software product beyond this date. Users who continue to use Microsoft Office 2013 after this date do so at their own risk.

If you’re using Office 2013, it’s probably a good time to upgrade your version of Microsoft Office.

Upgrade Options

The best way to protect yourself and your organization is to upgrade to a newer version of Office:

  • Cloud upgrade: Subscriptions to Microsoft 365
  • Box Version: Microsoft Home And Business 2021

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 is an all-in-one cloud solution with a number of different licensing options to fit your organization’s needs. The best part about cloud-based applications is that you no longer have to worry about retirements, patches, and end of support. Cloud licenses are automatically updated with new features, new applications, and security updates. Many cloud subscriptions also include installed (or desktop) versions of the application, so you can have the same look and feel of the Office applications you are accustomed to using, but built with more robust features and benefits.

Microsoft Home And Business 2021

Office Home and Business 2021 is for families and small businesses who want classic Office apps and email. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook for Windows 11 and Windows 10. A one-time purchase installed on 1 PC or Mac for use at home or work.

 

If you have any questions, please email us at support@sjtechies.com or call us at (856) 745-9990.

What Terms You Need to Know to Get Your Business GDPR-Ready

 

What Is EU GDPR? 

The EU GDPR is a law designed to protect and empower residents of the EU by guiding business usage of personal data. In essence, it is reshaping the way corporations handle personal data by controlling its collection, use, and storage. It will replace the regulations and frameworks of the existing 20-year-old directive (95/46/EC).

 

Who Is the GDPR Protecting and Empowering? 

The data subject: This is any individual that can be directly or indirectly identified or uniquely singled out in a group of individuals, from any stored data.

 

What Is the GDPR Protecting? 

Personal data: This is any information relating to an individual, whether in reference to their private, professional, or public life. It includes things like names, photos, email addresses, location data, online identifiers, a person’s bank details, posts on social networking websites, medical information, work performance details, subscriptions, purchases, tax numbers, education or competencies, locations, usernames and passwords, hobbies, habits, lifestyles, or a person’s computer’s IP address.

 

Who Is the GDPR Regulating? 

The data controller: This is the person who, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes for, and means of, processing personal data. A data controller is not responsible for the act of processing (this falls to the data processor); they can be defined as the entity that determines motivation, condition, and means of processing.

Generally, the role of the controller is derived from the organization’s functional relation with the individual. That is, a business is the controller for the customer data it processes in relation to its sales, and an employer is the controller for the employee data they process in connection with the employment relationship.

 

Who Else Is the GDPR Regulating? 

Data processors: This is the person who processes personal data on behalf of the controller. Typical processors are IT service providers (including hosting providers) and payroll administrators. The processor is required to process the personal data in accordance with the controller’s instructions and take adequate measures to protect the personal data. The GDPR does not allow data processors to use the personal data for other purposes beyond providing the services requested by the controller.

 

What Does the GDPR Consider “Processing?” 

Processing refers to any operation or set of operations performed upon personal data, whether or not by automatic means—such as collection, recording, organization, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, blocking, erasure, or destruction. Processing must be fair and lawful, although transparency is significantly strengthened. The processor may not use the personal data for their own purposes.

 

What Rights Do the Data Subjects Have? 

Under the GDPR, data subjects can request the following:

  • To be informed about the data processing
  • To consent to the processing of their personal data (opt in) or object to the processing of their personal data (opt out)
  • To obtain their personal data in a structured and commonly used format in order to transfer that data, in certain circumstances, to another controller (data portability)
  • To not be subject to fully automated data processing or profiling
  • To know what data is processed (right of access)
  • To correct where any data is incorrect
  • To have data erased under certain circumstances, for example, where the retention period has lapsed or where consent for the processing has been withdrawn (referred to commonly as the “right to be forgotten”) and to register a complaint with the supervisory authority

 

Other Key Elements to Consider in Preparing for GDPR

We’re not done yet. There are four more important elements to consider with GDPR as you become ready.

 

1) Data Breach Notification

For controllers, GDPR requires that breach notice must be provided, where feasible, within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach; processors need to provide notice to controllers without undue delay. Any data breaches must be documented.

2) Data Minimization

This requires the level and type of data being processed to be limited to the minimum amount of data necessary. This requires you to ensure that the purpose in which the data is agreed and the purpose in which the data was collected are materially similar. The processors should ensure that individuals’ privacy is considered at the outset of each new processing, product, service, or application, and only minimum amounts of data are processed for the specific purposes collected and processed.

3) Data Pseudonymization

The GDPR defines pseudonymization as “the processing of personal data in such a way that the data can no longer be attributed to a specific data subject without the use of additional information.” To pseudonymize data, the “additional information” must be “kept separately and subject to technical and organizational measures to ensure non-attribution to an identified or identifiable person.” In other words, it is a strategy designed to enhance protection and privacy for applicable identifying data.

Although similar, anonymization and pseudonymization are two distinct techniques that permit data controllers and processors to use de-identified data. The difference between the two techniques rests on whether the data can be re-identified.

4) Fair Processing of Personal Data

This requires the processing of personal data to be fair and lawful. Generally, only the level and type of data collected should be limited to the minimum amount of data necessary (see data minimization above). There are a number of methods in which the data may be processed, including: express consent (which may be withdrawn at any time), legitimate interest basis (the subject of which legitimacy may be challenged by the data subject), honoring obligations under the agreement with the data subject, or any other legal basis that may apply.

 

What We Can Do to Help

We know this information can be overwhelming, but taking the proper steps now will save you headaches later. SolarWinds provides products that can help you with getting ready. Our Risk Intelligence software is one of them, providing you with hard data on:

  • A business’ quantified financial risk
  • Personally identifiable information (PII)
  • Protected health information
  • Payment information located in storage
  • Access permissions for sensitive data

Search your ‘data at rest’ for risk areas and start the data mapping you need to get ready for GDPR.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month Tips

360px-US_Department_of_Homeland_Security_Seal.svg

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month by Department of Homeland Security.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month encourages vigilance and protection by sharing tips and best practices in regard to how to stay safe.

Small businesses are a large target for criminals because they have limited resources dedicated to information system security.  Cyber criminals look for access to sensitive data.

Create a cyber security plan

The Federal Communications Commission offers a Cyber Planner for small businesses.  The planner guide allows specific sections to be added to your guide, including Privacy and Data Security, Scams/Fraud, Network Security, Website Security, Email, Mobile Devices, Employees, Facility Security, Operational Security, Payment Cards, Incident Response/Reporting and Policy Development/Management.

Generate a personalized Small Biz Cyber Planner Guide.

Establish Rules and Educate Employees

Create rules and guidelines for protecting information.  Educate employees on how to post online in a way that does not share intellectual property.  Clearly explain the penalties for violating security policies.

Network Protection

Deploy and update protection software, such a antivirus and antispyware software, on each computer within your network.  Create a regularly scheduled full computer scan.

Manage and assess risk

Cyber criminals often use small businesses that are less-protected to get to larger businesses.  Being a victim of a cyber-attack can have a huge impact on any business including financial issues, loss of possible business partner(s) and many more issues.

Download and install software updates

Installing software updates from vendors can protect your network for unwanted viruses and malware.  Vendors frequently release patches/updates for their software to improve performance and fine-tune software security.  (Example:  Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash and Java updates are critical for protection.)

Backup important business data and information

Create a backup plan for all data including documents, databases, files, HR records and accounting files.  A regularly scheduled backup can be a full, differential or incremental.

  • Full Backup:  Backup of all data.
  • Differential Backup:  Backup of all data that has changed since the last full backup.
  • Incremental Backup:  Backup of all data that has changed since the last full or incremental backup.

Control physical access

Protecting physical property is a very important role in protecting intellectual data.  Create a physical security plan to prevent unauthorized access to business computers and components. 

Secure Wi-Fi

Securing your Wi-Fi network consists of a few configurations.  Configure a device administrator password for your wireless access point (WAP) or router, require a password for Wi-Fi access and do not allow the WAP or router to broadcast the Service Set Identifier (SSID), also known, as network name.

 

CALL US NOW!