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5 steps to eliminate ads in File Explorer

Microsoft has quietly begun doing the unthinkable: inserting advertisements into your File Explorer. The last place anyone ever expected to see a OneDrive promotion is right alongside their ‘My Documents’ folder, and we expect the first thing they’ll think is, “How do I turn that off?” Read on to find out how.

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23 Mar, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Office 365, Windows category
5 steps to eliminate ads in File Explorer

Microsoft has quietly begun doing the unthinkable: inserting advertisements into your File Explorer. The last place anyone ever expected to see a OneDrive promotion is right alongside their ‘My Documents’ folder, and we expect the first thing they’ll think is, “How do I turn that off?” Read on to find out how.

Who is getting these ads?

Right now, we’re still unsure of how widespread Microsoft’s new advertising strategy goes. Not every Windows workstation has started displaying File Explorer banners, and based on some overwhelmingly negative reactions online, the campaign might get shut down before it even reaches your desktop.

However, even if you have yet to be targeted, you can quickly and easily disable these ads right now.

How do I turn them off?

At the moment, these pushy promotions show up only in Windows’ File Explorer window, so that’s where we’ll begin. After you’ve opened a new window, there are only five steps to boot them off your screen:

  1. Select View from the ribbon along the top of any File Explorer window.
  2. Click Options on the far righthand side.
  3. In the new window select the View tab.
  4. In the Advanced Settings window pane, scroll down and deselect ‘Show sync provider notifications’.
  5. Click Apply and close the Folder Options window.

That’s all it takes! Keep in mind that we highly recommend the services Microsoft chose to advertise with this move. Office 365, OneDrive, and others are all great cloud platforms for safely working and collaborating from any device in any location -- we just don’t want to see advertisements for them when we’re hunting down sales records.

When you’re in the market for the Windows tips and tricks, this is the best blog on the web. If you’re looking for something a little more robust however, our managed services are second to none. Get in touch with us today to learn more!

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Check the list of free ransomware decryptors

We’ve gotten so caught up discussing ransomware prevention with our clients that we’ve neglected to mention that several strains have already been defeated. In fact, there’s a decent chance you can actually decrypt all your data for free. Always make sure to check these lists before responding to a cyber attacker’s demands.

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22 Mar, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in Security category
Check the list of free ransomware decryptors

We’ve gotten so caught up discussing ransomware prevention with our clients that we’ve neglected to mention that several strains have already been defeated. In fact, there’s a decent chance you can actually decrypt all your data for free. Always make sure to check these lists before responding to a cyber attacker’s demands.

The state of ransomware in 2017

It’s been almost 30 years since malware was first created that could encrypt locally-stored data and demand money in exchange for its safe return. Known as ransomware, this type of malware has gone through multiple periods of popularity. 2006 and 2013 saw brief spikes in infections, but they’ve never been as bad as they are now.

In 2015, the FBI estimated that ransomware attacks cost victims $24 million, but in the first three months of 2016 it had already racked up more than $209 million. At the beginning of 2017, more than 10% of all malware infections were some version of ransomware.

Zombie ransomware is easy to defeat

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

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 preventing ransomware. First, train your employees about what they should and shouldn’t be opening 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. If you do, you probably won’t have the expertise to discern where your security was penetrated.

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

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Defend yourself from this new Mac ransomware

Cybersecurity experts stumbled into a ransomware variant late last month, but this one doesn’t target Windows devices. The malware, known as OSX/Filecoder.E, encrypts Mac data like any cryptolocker strain many businesses have seen in the past. However, unlike normal ransomware that release files after the Bitcoin ransom is paid, this new strain makes no such promises.

The post Defend yourself from this new Mac ransomware appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

21 Mar, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in category
Defend yourself from this new Mac ransomware

Cybersecurity experts stumbled into a ransomware variant late last month, but this one doesn’t target Windows devices. The malware, known as OSX/Filecoder.E, encrypts Mac data like any cryptolocker strain many businesses have seen in the past. However, unlike normal ransomware that release files after the Bitcoin ransom is paid, this new strain makes no such promises. Read on to find out what you can do about this ransomware.

According to ESET security researchers, even though the Filecoder ransomware was written in Apple’s programming language, the malicious code is not as potent or as skillful as other viruses. In fact, it’s so poorly written that hackers never developed a method to retrieve the encryption key once the ransom has been paid.

In any case, whether you’re dealing with Filecoder or some other ransomware, we advise against ever giving in to the hacker’s demands.

Avoid Filecoder
So far, Filecoder isn’t given out via phishing emails like most ransomware; instead, it’s distributed on Torrent sites and goes by the name “Patcher.” Therefore, it’s best to stay away from these highly unregulated (and mostly illegal) websites and stick to trusted app stores like Mac, Microsoft, and Google.

Even if the ransomware is not sent out via phishing campaigns, you should still be careful of any unsolicited emails with strange file attachments in case the malware authors decide to branch out.

Install preventive measures
Like with any other malware, being proactive with your cybersecurity solutions is the best way to defend against Filecoder. Install reliable antivirus software, intrusion prevention systems, firewalls, and update systems whenever possible.

You must also maintain backups and have a disaster recovery plan to keep your business running in the off chance that ransomware or any other cyberattack successfully infiltrated your systems.

Defeat the ransomware
Given the ransomware’s shoddy code, security researchers have found a way to decrypt files without paying. Free cracking tools like PKCRACK can recover Filecoder-encrypted data if you have one original version of the affected files. The recovery process, however, does require some programming knowledge, so contact an IT expert or a managed services provider to unlock the ransomware for you.

Filecoder may not be the strongest malware around, but this could just be the start of Mac-based attacks. To protect your business from the onslaught of cyberattacks, you need security experts. Contact us today.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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Google offers Always Free cloud platform

A cloud platform provides businesses with a means to develop, customize, and manage applications for their business’s needs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure offer this cloud service, but Google has just come up with a compelling alternative in the form of an ‘Always Free’ tier for its own Cloud Platform service.

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20 Mar, 2017 / by Complete Technology Resources / in category
Google offers Always Free cloud platform

A cloud platform provides businesses with a means to develop, customize, and manage applications for their business’s needs. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure offer this cloud service, but Google has just come up with a compelling alternative in the form of an ‘Always Free’ tier for its own Cloud Platform service. Google quietly unveiled this new offering and it would be interesting to see whether this crafty move could urge users to switch to their app development platform.

What’s included?

With 15 new services in total, Google’s ‘Always Free’ Cloud Platform provides users with 5GB of Regional Storage (US only) per month; one f1 micro-compute instance that comes with the requisite virtual machine features; various web applications and mobile backends; NoSQL database; messaging and streaming data services; and loads more.

Not to be confused with the ‘Always Free’ tier, the ‘12-month, $300 free trial’ tier slightly differs from the former with a consumable $300 credit, which can be used for any Google Cloud Platform products such as Google Compute Engine, Google Cloud Functions, and Google Stackdriver. This free credit is given upon sign-up and is valid over the course of the 12-month trial period; previously, it could be used only within the first 60 days.

The catch

The ‘Always Free’ tier has usage limits and is subject to eligibility and requirements, which include an upgraded billing account and a good Google account standing. There are also regional restrictions, with many of the associated Google Cloud products and services being offered only in Google’s us-east1, us-west1 and us-central1 regions.

Other providers

Google’s cloud platform services and tier offerings are similar to those of leading cloud providers in the market, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Like Google Cloud Platform, AWS also offers a free tier (‘AWS Free Tier’) and a 12-month free option. Google’s noticeable advantage is the free virtual machines -- something that Amazon does not, or is yet, to offer.

From this new service tier, one can surmise how competitive the cloud market is. Google’s generous offer of a $300 free trial credit was apparently not enough to persuade users of competitors’ services, particularly those who have been using Amazon’s platform, which explains the new and improved ‘Always Free’ tier.

It’s easy to become complacent in choosing the best cloud provider as there are a lot, but even though there are many similarities among the services offered by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, some cloud platforms fit certain businesses better than others. Looking for a cloud platform that's perfect for your business? Call us today for professional cloud advice.

Published with permission from TechAdvisory.org. Source.

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