When it comes to your technology, you have enough to worry about. New cyber threats appear in the news every day. And while you’re likely doing your best to keep your business protected, you may not think twice about the security of your phone. And why should you? Well, if you’re an Android user there’s a new malware that has the ability to wipe out all your personal data on your phone. So, how does it work? And, how can you protect your Android? Here’s what you need to know.

How does it work

Mazar, as the malware is known, spreads exclusively via links in a text message. Once the user clicks on the link, Tor software is downloaded, which hides the source of the malware by allowing anonymous Internet connections. Then with little chance of being noticed, mazar is downloaded onto the phone.

What’s the risk?

Not only can mazar erase all your personal data, but it can also wreak havoc on your phone in other ways. If your Android is infected, the malware can secretly monitor your device, send text messages, and take control of your settings and keys. Similar to trojan malware, mazar creates a backdoor to your smartphone for cyber criminals to enter. Once the hacker is in, he can control your Android as however he sees fit.

How can you protect your Android?

If the language setting of your phone is set to Russian, you are safe. So unless you’re looking to take up a second language, the best security measure is to be cautious of all text messages you receive on your phone. Just like your mother taught you not to talk to strangers, you should also avoid clicking on their links. But you should also be wary of texts from friends because, as most of us know, hackers can easily disguise themselves as those close to us.

Lastly, there is one small, practical step that may help prevent mazar from infecting your Android. Simply switch off the security setting that allows apps from unknown sources to be installed on your phone.

As an MSP provider, we know how stressful security issues can be. The worry can cause you to lose focus and be less productive. That’s why we want our customers to know that we’re always there to offer security tips and solutions to keep your data safe. Whether you’re looking for a security solution for your Android or for your business, give us a call and we’re happy to give you some peace of mind.

Just when you thought it was safe to surf the Internet waves on your Mac computer...if malware could have a catchphrase, this play on the classic Jaws 2 tagline would be quite fitting for a recently discovered scareware. It’s sneakier and more convincing than almost anything that’s come before. Here’s what you need to know to keep your Mac safe.

What is scareware?

For those who’ve never heard of it, scareware is a type of malware designed to trick you into purchasing illegitimate software. If you’ve ever been prompted to buy the antivirus software known as Mac Defender (also known as Mac Protector, Mac Guard, Mac Security, etc.), then you’ve seen scareware firsthand. Essentially, this malware burrows into your computer and attempts to scare you into purchasing their product, oftentimes which is antivirus. This new form of scareware on Mac works in the same fashion.

How this new Mac scareware fools consumers

If you’re familiar with scareware, you may think you have nothing to worry about. You already know how scareware attempts to trick users, so why should you be afraid of this one? The reason is this malware masquerades as an Adobe flash update, and quite a believable one at that because the installer is signed with a legitimate Apple developer certificate and downloads a legitimate version of flash on your machine. The catch is that it also downloads the scareware.

What happens once you download the scareware?

After you download the Adobe Flash update, the scareware is also installed on your system. You’ll then be prompted to scan your computer. If you do, it will claim you have a variety of malware on your system like Trojans, viruses, worms and more, in an attempt to scare you into buying fake security software to clean the malware out. If you’re reading this and have somehow gotten to this stage in the ruse, don’t buy the software.

Lessons to learn

Regardless of whether you’re a Mac or PC user, there is a valuable lesson to learn here. When getting software updates, ignore all prompts from random third party sites. Instead you should get your updates directly from the software developer.

Malware is becoming a growing threat for Mac users. So it’s important to remember that just because you use a Mac, doesn’t mean you’re automatically immune to security threats. If you’d like to know more about how to protect your Apple systems, call our Mac security experts today.

If you’re grinding away at your desk, stuck at the office for another late night, wondering when you’ll ever complete that final task on your to-do-list, there is hope: principles that can be applied to make you more productive. These ideas will not only improve the quality of your work and business, but also the quality of your life. Here are a few to keep in mind.

Have a single focus

When Bill Gates and Warren Buffet were asked what the single most important reason for their success in life was, both answered with a single word: focus. It is that important. When you work on one task for an extended period of time, the quality of your work is at its highest. What’s more, you’ll also finish that task in a shorter amount of time than if you had to stop and start it repeatedly due to distractions.

This principle of focus can be applied to many areas of business and life. Whether you’re writing a report, sharing time with your family, or simply reading a book for your own pleasure, the quality of that experience improves with the more uninterrupted time you dedicate to it. Now, when it comes to IT and technology, this same principle can have a tremendous impact on your business. Not only do technology distractions - such as constantly breaking computers, security breaches, and slow servers - hurt your productivity, but they also crush your spirits. How can you focus on growing your business like this? This is where an MSP comes in. They can help eliminate all IT interruptions so you get back to doing what you do best - running your business. What’s not to love about that?

Obey Parkinson’s law

If you ever pulled an all-nighter as a university student, you may be familiar with Parkinson’s law. The principle states that the time it takes to complete a task expands or shrinks depending on the time allotted for it. For example, when you were hitting the books in high school or college, you may have noticed that a few students (and maybe you were one of them) would put off an important paper or project to the last moment and still end up getting an A. While at the same time, other students would take weeks to complete the same project or paper and only manage a B. So how did this happen? This peculiar phenomenon is the magic of Parkinson’s law at work. When you have less time to work on a project, you focus only on the important aspects of it. Oftentimes this is all you need to do a good job.

So whether it’s a company meeting or the amount of time you put towards researching your next vacation, apply Parkinson’s law to increase everyone’s focus and ensure you’re not wasting valuable time on the task. As for your IT, give your in-house staff a reasonable, yet specific amount of time, to complete a task. This will ensure they finish the job in a timely manner, and then move on to other projects. Alternatively, you can simply outsource all of your IT to an MSP for a single, flat monthly fee, and never have to worry about it to begin with.

Use technology to become superhuman

As human beings, technology enables us to become more than we could have ever dreamed of. Apps like Evernote can enable us to remember every valuable piece of information we encounter. Cloud technology can bring a remote workforce scattered around the country together so they can work on the same project simultaneously. VoIP gives you the ability to video-chat with business partners, loved ones, and friends while they’re as far off as Bangkok or Baghdad. Technology is reshaping not only the business world, but also the life of every individual on the planet. So when it comes to your own business, is your company going to take advantage?

We hope that these productivity tips will help improve your life in and outside of the office. If you’d like to know more about how IT can transform your business, to make it more efficient and profitable, give us a call today.

The thought of a robot doctor stirs lots of emotions in people. And truth be told, a ton of mystery still surrounds just what will become of this technology. We are still years, if not decades, from a robot doctor being incorporated into the practice of healthcare. That being said, people remain extremely curious and want to know more about them. Here are 3 things you need to know about robot doctors.

1.) Robot doctor is probably a misnomer

When most people think of robots, they think of some humanoid inspired piece of metal like C3PO from ‘Star Wars’ or the maid from ‘The Jetsons’ and assume the robot doctor will be something like this. Realistically, robot doctors will take the form of Siri, the AI companion found on iPhones, and operate on smartphones and other devices you probably already use. This isn’t saying that one day your visit to the doctor’s office won’t involve having a chat with a machine that looks and speaks like Data from ‘Star Trek’, but it certainly isn’t in the works at the moment and may never actually take this shape.

2.) The main purpose of a robot doctor will be error prevention

The companies looking into the AI technology that will power robot doctors have one very specific goal in mind: error prevention. As Dr. Herbert Chase, Professor of Clinical Medicine in Biomedical Informatics at the University of Columbia (EUA) noted during a recent Ted Talk, there are 13,000 diseases known to the world, 6,000 medicines, 4,000 medical and surgical procedures, and thousands of pieces of data in each electronic medical record.

That’s a lot of information for a human doctor to process, but it’s far easier for a robot doctor to handle all this data. They can process information given to them by patients and then pass on the preliminary findings to the doctor who will be able to analyze it more efficiently. It will also improve the breadth of knowledge physicians have at their disposal meaning the likelihood of a misdiagnosis will decrease.

3.) Human doctors aren’t going anywhere

While AI continues to improve, it simply will not be able to accurately make a diagnosis. More importantly, the companies creating the so-called robot doctors don’t want them to have the final word when it comes to medicine. It will instead be used as a tool for doctors to help them focus more on personal interactions and spend less time on having to find information. This info can instead be extrapolated and analyzed by a robot doctor, either before or during an appointment, and given to the human doctor for further scrutiny.

Throughout the years, technological advancements have transformed the way doctors practice medicine and the advent of robot doctors, or medical AI, will continue this trend. And while the way we communicate and share information with health professionals continues to evolve through app-based video calls, telehealth and eventually robot doctors, a human doctor will be paramount in the process regardless of what tools are used.

Technology continues to revolutionize the healthcare industry and it’s important you keep up. Patients want cutting-edge health solutions and you risk losing out if you can’t provide it to them. Contact our staff today for more information on how technology can help your practice care for patients more effectively.