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Make iPhone text messages more privateYou must take digital privacy seriously, regardless of whether you’re a business owner, managing director, IT manager, or senior staff member. When it comes to iPhones, there are three device settings that are particularly important when protecting the privacy of your messages. Turn off message previews How many times per day do you leave your […]

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13 Sep, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in iPhone, Security category
Make iPhone text messages more private

You must take digital privacy seriously, regardless of whether you’re a business owner, managing director, IT manager, or senior staff member. When it comes to iPhones, there are three device settings that are particularly important when protecting the privacy of your messages.

Turn off message previews

How many times per day do you leave your iPhone unattended, sitting face up for any passerby to see? It sounds harmless, but that’s all it takes for the wrong person to glimpse a confidential message. Here are steps to prevent this from happening:

  • Open your iPhone’s Settings app
  • Select Notifications
  • Tap Messages
  • Disable the Allow Notifications option

With the preview setting turned off, you’ll be alerted to a new text message but will have to open the app to see the message contents.

Automatically delete texts

If you lose your phone or someone steals it, thousands of your conversations with your closest confidantes are up for grabs. The easiest way to prevent this nightmarish accident is to configure your iPhone to delete texts after a certain period of time has passed. Follow these steps for this additional security:

  • Open the Settings app
  • Tap Messages
  • Expand the Keep Messages section

From this window, you have options to automatically delete messages after 30 days, a year, or to keep them forever.

Turn off read receipts

When the word “Read” appears under a text message you’ve sent, that word is a read receipt. It lets you know you that the receiver of the text has opened your message. Sometimes it’s convenient, but it does clue people into what you’re doing.

To keep the people you text from seeing read receipts, choose Messages from within your Settings app and disable Send Read Receipts.

These three simple privacy measures will prevent countless awkward, problematic, and possibly dangerous situations. Want more iPhone tips or need a technology question answered? Don’t hesitate to give us a call today!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Some ransomware strains are free to decryptOver the last few years, different versions of ransomware have sprung up, all aimed at extorting money from your business. Before you even consider paying for the release of your data, the first thing you must always check is if there's a free cure for the ransomware that infected your systems. The state of ransomware […]

The post Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

03 Sep, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Security category
Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt

Over the last few years, different versions of ransomware have sprung up, all aimed at extorting money from your business. Before you even consider paying for the release of your data, the first thing you must always check is if there's a free cure for the ransomware that infected your systems.

The state of ransomware in 2019

For businesses, the challenge of dealing with ransomware is both from outside and within. On the one hand, there are more cybercriminals trying to infiltrate your network. And thanks to an ever-increasing variety of social engineering scams, there are more internal staff members who are tricked into providing sensitive information or downloading malware.

The statistics are sobering. Ransomware cost businesses more than $75 billion per year. Over the past two years, ransomware attacks have increased by over 97%. And compared to 2017, this year’s ransomware from phishing emails increased by 109%.

According to studies, by 2021 there will be a ransomware attack targeting a business every 11 seconds. That is up from every 14 seconds in 2019, and every 40 seconds in 2016.

Zombie ransomware is easy to defeat

Not every type of infection is targeted to individual organizations. Some infections may result from self-propagating ransomware strains, while others may come from cyberattackers who are hoping targets become so scared that they pay up before doing any research on how dated the strain is and how to remove it.

No matter what the circumstances of your infection are, always check the following lists to see whether free decryption tools have been released to save you a world of hurt:

Prevention

But even when you can get your data back for free, getting hit with malware is no walk in the park. There are essentially three basic approaches to prevent ransomware.

First, train your employees about what they should and shouldn’t open when browsing the web and checking email.

Second, back up your data as often as possible to quarantined storage. As long as access to your backed-up data is extremely limited and not directly connected to your network, you should be able to restore everything in case of an infection.

Finally, regularly update all your software solutions (operating systems, productivity software, and antivirus). Most big-name vendors are quick to patch vulnerabilities, and you’ll prevent a large portion of infections just by staying up to date.

Whether it’s dealing with an infection or preventing one, the best option is to always seek professional advice from seasoned IT technicians. It’s possible that you could decrypt your data with the tools listed above, but most ransomware strains destroy your data after a set time limit, and you may not be able to beat the clock. And even if you do, you probably won’t have the expertise to discern where your security was penetrated.

Don’t waste time fighting a never-ending stream of cyberattacks — hand it over to us and be done with it. Call us today to find out more.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Read More

Some ransomware strains are free to decryptOver the last few years, different versions of ransomware have sprung up, all aimed at extorting money from your business. Before you even consider paying for the release of your data, the first thing you must always check is if there's a free cure for the ransomware that infected your systems. The state of ransomware […]

The post Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

03 Sep, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Security category
Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt

Over the last few years, different versions of ransomware have sprung up, all aimed at extorting money from your business. Before you even consider paying for the release of your data, the first thing you must always check is if there's a free cure for the ransomware that infected your systems.

The state of ransomware in 2019

For businesses, the challenge of dealing with ransomware is both from outside and within. On the one hand, there are more cybercriminals trying to infiltrate your network. And thanks to an ever-increasing variety of social engineering scams, there are more internal staff members who are tricked into providing sensitive information or downloading malware.

The statistics are sobering. Ransomware cost businesses more than $75 billion per year. Over the past two years, ransomware attacks have increased by over 97%. And compared to 2017, this year’s ransomware from phishing emails increased by 109%.

According to studies, by 2021 there will be a ransomware attack targeting a business every 11 seconds. That is up from every 14 seconds in 2019, and every 40 seconds in 2016.

Zombie ransomware is easy to defeat

Not every type of infection is targeted to individual organizations. Some infections may result from self-propagating ransomware strains, while others may come from cyberattackers who are hoping targets become so scared that they pay up before doing any research on how dated the strain is and how to remove it.

No matter what the circumstances of your infection are, always check the following lists to see whether free decryption tools have been released to save you a world of hurt:

Prevention

But even when you can get your data back for free, getting hit with malware is no walk in the park. There are essentially three basic approaches to prevent ransomware.

First, train your employees about what they should and shouldn’t open when browsing the web and checking email.

Second, back up your data as often as possible to quarantined storage. As long as access to your backed-up data is extremely limited and not directly connected to your network, you should be able to restore everything in case of an infection.

Finally, regularly update all your software solutions (operating systems, productivity software, and antivirus). Most big-name vendors are quick to patch vulnerabilities, and you’ll prevent a large portion of infections just by staying up to date.

Whether it’s dealing with an infection or preventing one, the best option is to always seek professional advice from seasoned IT technicians. It’s possible that you could decrypt your data with the tools listed above, but most ransomware strains destroy your data after a set time limit, and you may not be able to beat the clock. And even if you do, you probably won’t have the expertise to discern where your security was penetrated.

Don’t waste time fighting a never-ending stream of cyberattacks — hand it over to us and be done with it. Call us today to find out more.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post Some ransomware strains are free to decrypt appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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4 Virtualization myths you shouldn’t believeExplaining the concept of virtualization is no easy task and failed attempts to do so have left it with a less-than-ideal reputation. We want to set the record straight about virtualization's many benefits by dispelling four of the most common misconceptions about it. Myth #1 – Virtualization is too expensive for SMBs Many people assume […]

The post 4 Virtualization myths you shouldn’t believe appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

30 Aug, 2019 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Hardware, Security category
4 Virtualization myths you shouldn’t believe

Explaining the concept of virtualization is no easy task and failed attempts to do so have left it with a less-than-ideal reputation. We want to set the record straight about virtualization's many benefits by dispelling four of the most common misconceptions about it.

Myth #1 – Virtualization is too expensive for SMBs

Many people assume that the more advanced an IT solution is, the more expensive it is to install and maintain. That’s not the case at all for virtualization, which is a strategy to boost hardware efficiency and cut costs.

Sure, a virtual server requires more support than a traditional one, but the capacity boost means you won’t need to purchase a second server for a long time, resulting in a net reduction of hardware and IT support expenses. Furthermore, managed virtualization services usually follow a pay-as-you-go model that costs just a few bucks per hour.

Myth #2 – Virtualization adds workplace complexity

Most people feel comfortable with the traditional computing model, wherein one set of hardware equals one computer. Contrary to what many may think, adding a new model isn't necessarily more complicated than a traditional setup. With virtualization, one “traditional” computer can run as two or more virtual computers.

The technical aspects of how that’s accomplished may be confusing, but virtualization actually reduces complexity because it allows business owners to expand their IT systems whenever necessary without having to worry about hardware limitations.

Myth #3 – Support is hard to come by or inconvenient

You may be more familiar with the cloud than with virtualization, but that doesn’t mean the latter is a niche technology. In fact, it was one of the most in-demand technologies in 2016. Virtualization also works well with remote support, which means technicians can install upgrades or resolve issues without having to travel to your office.

Myth #4 – Software licensing is more difficult

There’s a misconception that if your server is running three virtual Windows 10 computers, you’ll have to jump through extra licensing hoops. In reality, virtualization follows the same licensing rules as traditional computing: one desktop, one license. This means you won’t need to rethink your software budget.

It’s natural for new technologies to cause confusion, and virtualization does require a new way of thinking about IT hardware. But as long as you have certified technicians like ours on hand, everything will run smoothly.

Give us a call today to find out how we can lower your hardware costs and simplify your IT support.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

The post 4 Virtualization myths you shouldn’t believe appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

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