Like many security flaws, the Spectre and Meltdown bugs can leak critical data from computers and mobile devices for hackers to exploit. What makes them unique is the vast number of PCs, laptops, tablets, and smartphones they affect. But if you use an Apple device, there are fixes that can help you temporarily protect against them.

Download and install security patches ASAP

Apple has already released software updates for all affected devices, and you need to install them now. Here’s how:

• macOS - Click the Apple icon on the topmost part of your screen and check whether your system has been updated to macOS 10.13.2. If not, click the ‘Software Update…’ button to go directly to the App Store, then click the ‘Update’ button for macOS High Sierra.
• iOS - To update to iOS 11.2, go to Settings > General > Software Update and download and install the new software.
• tvOS - To update to tvOS 11.2, go to Settings > System > Software Updates and follow Apple’s step-by-step instructions to update your software.

The company hasn’t confirmed whether they would release patches for devices running on outdated software, so if your business still uses previous versions of Macs, iPhones, or iPads, make sure they do not have critical company data stored on them. Better yet, upgrade to new devices so that they’re better protected against legacy system vulnerabilities.

Practice browser safety

The Spectre bug could also exploit vulnerabilities in browsers, so make sure you update Safari too. Apple is set to release Safari updates for Macs and iOS devices soon, and it’s highly recommended to download and install them as soon as they become available.

You should also avoid using non-Apple browsers like Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Firefox, as they have yet to release security patches against the bugs.

Download applications only from the App Store

Downloading apps from the App Store is one of the best ways to ensure you install only secure apps. Third-party stores are prone to malicious apps that could be disguised as legitimate and harmless -- or worse, an exact copy of a well-known app.

The App Store has had incidents of malicious applications targeting iPhones, but these cases are rare. It is also much better at vetting suspicious apps and is relatively safer than other open-source platforms.

Moreover, avoid jailbreaking your devices, as this just makes them and your systems more prone to malware. And regardless of where you’ve downloaded an app, practice extreme caution when running new, unfamiliar apps, whether on Macs or iPhones.

Because of the sheer scale of Spectre and Meltdown, there’s a greater need for businesses to consult with IT professionals who can install powerful security software and other protections. Our cyber security team is ready to answer your questions about these and other system bugs. Call us today for professional advice.

The post How to stay safe from Spectre & Meltdown appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

On January 3, 2018, two hardware flaws were announced that affect nearly every computer sold within the last 20 years. Every virtualization service available relies on vulnerable computers, but you needn’t worry -- almost every vendor has already protected your virtual machines.

What are the risks of an unpatched computer?

Regardless of whether you are using a computer with all its hardware sitting on your desk, or you’re connected to a virtual computer drawing most of its computing resources coming from a cloud server, you’ll be using something called a central processing unit (CPU).

As unbelievably efficient pieces of technology, CPUs have been programed to recognize patterns. When a CPU recognizes a pattern, it stores everything it needs to complete that task in a temporary place. If the pattern changes, the information is thrown out. Spectre and Meltdown allow hackers to not only view trashed patterns, but also to trick a CPU into thinking a specific pattern has changed and should be dumped into this vulnerable storage.

In worst case scenarios, this could affect credit card information, passwords, and personally identifiable information. And even though a virtual desktop or server is created with software that partitions hardware resources on a large computer into several smaller, standalone computers -- Spectre and Meltdown flaws are still present.

How are they fixed?

Because these are hardware-level vulnerabilities, the only way to truly fix them is by replacing the CPUs. But because there aren’t any processors currently available without the Spectre and Meltdown flaws, software patches are the only option.

Amazon Web Services, Microsoft, and Google have all installed updates that essentially tell CPUs to stop recognizing patterns to store data ahead of time. However, predictive functions significantly increased the computing speeds of modern computers, meaning turning them off will slow down computer performance.

Virtualization is more cost effective than ever

This all sounds terrible, but it’s actually a huge selling point for virtual desktops and servers. First, it proves that big-name cloud platforms can push out urgent security updates to thousands upon thousands of clients in a relatively quick fashion. Those using “traditional” computers (remember, the ones with all the hardware sitting on your desk), need to apply these patches one-by-one, on-site.

Second, most virtualization platforms charge on a pay-for-what-you-use model. So, you’re not paying for hardware and its flaws, you’re paying for the actual work that is finished on your web-accessible computer.

Spectre and Meltdown will continue to affect the computing world for several months to come. However, businesses that use virtualization technology will not be hit nearly as hard. There’s no better time to make the switch than now -- give us a call today.

The post Spectre and Meltdown vs. virtual desktops appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

What will we do without Google? Sure, there are other search engines out there; but let’s face it, Google has left its competitors in the dust, thanks to its speed and ease of use. What’s more, the search engine is packed with advanced search features that make life a lot easier.

Include and exclude keywords
Google will understand most of the search terms you type into it. However, at times the search engine will match only some of the words you typed, showing limited results. To avoid this, just point out which keywords are the most important by adding a plus symbol (+) in front of words you would like Google to include in the search results.

And if the results you’re looking for get pushed off the page by similar yet irrelevant articles, adding a minus symbol (-) in front of keywords you don’t want to see will avoid them popping up in the first place. For example, “+cloud services -hybrid cloud” will provide search results about different cloud services while excluding results related to hybrid cloud.

Additionally, searching a phrase within double quotation marks guarantees to retrieve results that include only the exact phrase that matches your query.

Do a website search
Ever need to look for information from a specific website? Instead of visiting that website and sifting through different pages, Google makes it a breeze by allowing you to add “site:url” to the end of your search query.

For example, if you want to find what Forbes has written about security, simply head to Google’s homepage and type “security site:www.forbes.com.” This makes sure Google includes only pages from Forbes that are about security in your search results.

You can also limit search results to university and government websites by adding “site:.edu” or “site:.gov” to your search query. Combining this with the keyword manipulation trick above will narrow your search even more.

Search by time period
Google has been indexing the web for decades in order to add web pages into its database. Because of that, it could be quite time-consuming sifting through countless search results to find an old website or page, or even recent stories, too. Time period search minimizes this headache by allowing you to specify a date range so you can find recent stories or archived news faster.

Just run a search like you normally would. Then click on Tools under the search box and hit the Any time drop-down menu. From there, you can choose the time period parameter, such as past month or past week, or fill in an exact time period.

Use Google to locate files
While Google mainly focuses on indexing web pages, it also indexes publicly available files like PDFs and spreadsheets. To look for them, just type in “filetype:” after your search query. For example, typing “report filetype:pdf” will provide PDFs with “report” in the title.

Advance your search
Advanced Search can be accessed by clicking Settings from the toolbar located under the search box. This gives you more ways to refine your searches, such as by region or language. By default, search results are prioritized based on your location, so you should adjust that according to the topics you’re searching for.

While these tips might not be the most exciting thing from the tech giant, they sure help businesses save time and work smarter instead of harder. And in today’s fast-paced business environment, little things like these make a huge difference. If you have questions about how to use Google products to streamline your daily routine and increase productivity, just give us a call.

The post Google Search tips you need to know appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Cloud technology has seen continuous adoption in 2017. In fact, business owners are starting to embrace hybrid cloud so much that 2020 is expected to be the year when combined private and public cloud spending will exceed traditional data centers. But until then, here are five hybrid cloud predictions for 2018.

Clearer strategies

Many infrastructure as a service (IaaS) public cloud vendors have spent 2017 refining their hybrid cloud strategy. Giants like Microsoft, released Azure Stack in conjunction with Amazon Web Services, who released VMware on AWS’ hybrid cloud offering. Oracle and IBM have also entered the market.

So what do these new offerings mean for 2018? This year will determine how much traction they’ll gain and will present business owners like yourself with plenty of options. This means you need a managed services provider now more than ever if you intend to migrate to a hybrid cloud environment this year.

Private cloud war

Private cloud, which was once viewed as an expensive investment, is now the key to ensuring security and control. As such, more companies will find ways to leverage private and hybrid cloud with competition expected to be more intense than ever.

The rise of Containers and platform as a service

We’ve realized how crucial it is to let app / software developers create new business opportunities in the cloud. However, to ensure those applications can run in any environment requires engagement with both private and public clouds. PaaS and Containers provide the resources and flexibility necessary to optimize the app-dev pipeline. As such, they’re expected to be integrated across various hybrid cloud solutions this year.

Optimized connections

More companies are now offering managed and colocation services with direct connections to the public cloud. This is no accident as more companies are now using private and public cloud to handle in-house workloads, which is why an optimized network connection is critical to provide better usability and efficiency from two separate platforms.

With hybrid cloud set to become the norm in the future, optimizing these connections can make or break your business.

More on-premises services

In 2015, Amazon introduced Lambda, a serverless platform that uses function as a service (FaaS) to deliver public cloud resources into on-premises data centers. What’s more, Microsoft, Red Hat, and other companies are trying to do something similar by creating serverless functionalities on hybrid cloud environments.

The connection here is that tech giants will utilize public cloud to create serverless platforms which will provide organizations with much needed resources on-premises without sacrificing convenience, usability, and costs.

Keeping up with the cloud can be quite a headache, which is why we round up every useful IT news and tips in our blog. And if you have any questions about the cloud, just give us a call and we’ll be happy to advise.

The post What’s set for hybrid cloud this year? appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..