Author: rory-admin

  • If you have a computer or server with an Intel Processor, you need to patch for this vulnerability ASAP

    If you have a computer or server with an Intel Processor, you need to patch for this vulnerability ASAP

    Intel just released a fix for a vulnerability that would make certain CPUs in jeopardy of being compromised. The vulnerability would allow an attacker to gain privileged access to machines or trigger a denial-of-service attack.

    You can see the list of affected CPUs here, patching for this vulnerability may need to occur in phases including micro-updates to the BIOs, system OS and drivers. In a statement on their website Intel says malicious exploitation of this code would need execution of an arbitrary code (so it can’t be exploited with no input from the end user). They don’t believe patching for this issue will impact devices in a noticeable way.

    Originally discovered by a Google Security Engineering team and dubbed “Reptar”, a researcher at Google commented on how strange this vulnerability appears to be.

    The vulnerability changes how redundant prefixes, basically small bits of code, are interpreted by the effected CPUs. Normally CPUs ignore redundant prefixes for obvious reasons (the key word being “redundant”) but instead these prefixes triggered expanding errors within the system. The Google team found that when it was left without remediation eventually the affected machines would report processing errors and begin to malfunction.

    Destructive code like this is frightening because it may not just be a loss of data or temporary use of the affected machine, but it may cause the computer or server to fail altogether.

    This Isn’t the first CPU exploit Intel has suffered and they’re not the only ones battling attacks to their hardware, with AMD also announcing news of their own “CacheWarp” vulnerability that allowed attackers to gain root access to Linux Virtual Machines. So, if you thought these types of attacks were limited to Windows, think again. In this case the vulnerability only affects 1st through 3rd generation EPYC processors, the 4th generation is not vulnerable in this case.

    Also, with the AMD vulnerability it’s also important to note that while a patch is available for just the 3rd generation EPYC processor. For 1st and 2nd generation there is no mitigation available. As with Intel it’s not expected that the patch will have any effect on the CPU performance.

    Both companies have been very quick to patch these aggressive vulnerabilities and attacks like these highlight the need to make sure regular patching is a primary component of any tech service plan. Below are 5 key components we recommend when it comes to proactive technology support

    Proactive care is often a tough sell, with many business owners not feeling the need to spend the money on proactive tech care as these things “won’t happen to them”. It’s important to note that many attacks that occur are widespread and have no specific target in mind. If you have unpatched equipment in your office, you may be a sitting duck to any widespread attack issued to a vendor you use or because you bought a certain kind of hardware that ended up having a vulnerability. These attacks are ones of convenience not of malice as is often misconstrued.

    Even if it can be recovered from, why take the chance? Having a partner like Valley Techlogic to make sure vulnerabilities like the ones in this article are patched as soon as a fix is available means you will never be part of the eye-opening statistic about businesses who suffer a major breach. If you’re not aware, 60% of businesses close after a cyberattack. Don’t let that be you, reach out for a free consultation with us today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • 10 Microsoft 365 tools you need to take advantage of TODAY

    10 Microsoft 365 tools you need to take advantage of TODAY

    Most of our clients are Microsoft 365 customers and enjoy the tools and applications they receive through their Microsoft 365 subscription. Many of these same clients were long time Office customers and were already familiar with the software benefits – such as Word, Office, Outlook, Powerpoint and Excel. These are staple products in the business community and chances are if you’ve been in business long enough you’ve had some exposure to them throughout your career.

    We have had clients who miss the days when Office was a standalone product only. While you still can purchase Office 2021 for a one-time fee, many have to weigh the value of a pretty substantial upfront cost when purchasing for many employees for a product that will at some point expire vs the subscription model that is now favored by many software companies. This is a discussion onto itself, but in a nutshell many clients choose to go with a Microsoft 365 subscription.

    There is an obvious benefit to doing so right off the bat if you choose to go with Microsoft 365 Business Premium, the security benefits of this plan are well known and touted throughout the technology industry as being the crème de la crème of security suites for Windows machines.

    However, there are many benefits to your Microsoft 365 subscription that many users are not even aware of. Microsoft 365 is much more than just an Office subscription – your plan comes with business utility programs that can make organizing and running your business better.

    Here are 10 tools you can take advantage of TODAY if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription:

    1. Microsoft OneNote: OneNote is Microsoft’s digital notetaking app, it’s a step way above NotePad with the ability to organize multiple notes (with colored tabs) and collaborate and share your notes with other.
    2. Microsoft Intune: Intune allows you to control and manage all of the Microsoft endpoints within your business from one place. This one might need an IT pro when it comes to setup and management but once you get it going it really can simplify many IT tasks for your team.
    3. Microsoft Forms: Did you know that you can create surveys, quizzes and polls with a Microsoft product? You can with forms, you can even export the data to Excel and share the forms you create on your website or social media platforms.
    4. Microsoft List: With Microsoft 365 you don’t have to go off platform when it comes to managing even the somewhat more mundane aspects of your business, Microsoft Lists is Microsoft’s solution for keeping track of well, everything. Also just like with Forms you’re able to export these lists to Excel with a click of a button.
    5. Microsoft Bookings: Microsoft Bookings is Microsoft solutions to having a public calendar where clients or colleagues can book a meeting with you, and it’s tied right to your Outlook calendar. Another benefit of Bookings is it can be added to your website for prospective clients to book time with you and eliminating the cost of an outside calendar application.
    6. Microsoft To Do: If you or your employees struggle with staying on task, Microsoft To Do is the solution for you. You can plan out your days in advance and Microsoft To Do will be your one stop place for keeping things on track.
    7. Microsoft Viva: Microsoft Viva is an addition to Microsoft Teams that adds a lot of functionality not usually found in a chat program, Microsoft Viva is a multi-faceted platform but in a nutshell it allows you to set goals for your business, provide training to your employees and see insights into their workday, as well as offering them to provide feedback to you all in the Teams application they already use.
    8. Microsoft Streams: If you already use Teams for your video conference calls then you’re familiar with how reliable Microsoft is when it comes to video streaming. Microsoft Stream takes that a step further and allows you to broadcast video outside your organization with up to 1000 participants.
    9. Microsoft Power BI: Microsoft Power BI provides a snapshot of your business’s data in the form of charts and graphs, so you can see how the data your business creates evolves and changes over time.
    10. Microsoft Planner: Finally, we bring it all home with Microsoft Planner, it’s exactly what you would expect it to be a simple visual tool for planning out meetings, business goals, marketing pitches and more all found at your fingertips with your Microsoft 365 subscription.

    Of course, if you’re considering signing up for Microsoft 365, you do have to take the cost into account. Here are the costs for the most popular plans (these costs factor in a discount for committing to an annual subscription, the costs are approximately 20% higher when you choose a monthly term).

    Interested in learning more about Microsoft 365? Valley Techlogic is a Microsoft partner, and we can walk you through the process of buying and making the most of your new subscription. Learn more today with a consultation.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Our top five strategies for fourth quarter technology planning

    Our top five strategies for fourth quarter technology planning

    The end of the year is nearly here and if your business is anything like ours you might find yourself busier than ever, you may not relish the thought of adding more to an already full to do list but adding these technology related items will put you in a better position this time next year.

    Optimizing your business for technology is more than just purchasing new hardware, in fact some major upgrades have no cost associated with them other than a bit of your time (which we do know is valuable and in short supply).

    Our top three tips that have no cost are:

    1. Take advantage of free security upgrades like Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). According to InfoSecurity Magazine 90% of attacks can be prevented just by enabling MFA, and enabling it for most accounts just involves a button click.
    2. Evaluate your internet service. You may be overpaying for your current plan or not getting the best service for your money, if you have a legacy plan your internet service might be slower than plans available now. Also, if your contract lapsed a while ago, they might offer significant savings to enroll under another contract. We suggest evaluating your internet service first though before re-signing another contract. In our article from last week, we discuss what to look for when it comes to business internet.
    3. Inventory your existing technology assets. This step will really help you out when it comes to applying our tips for 4 and 5, but it’s also just a good idea. If you don’t know what you have it’s pretty easy for devices to go unaccounted for, and an accounted for device (especially something like a laptop) is a pretty significant threat vector to your business. We suggest creating an inventory worksheet now that includes all of your hardware to start and later on you can look at items such as peripherals which could including networking equipment, monitors etc.

    Of course, some technology upgrades do cost money, but we found making these purchases in quarter four can be really advantageous for a multitude of reasons. One, making technology upgrades now will give you a strong start for next year. Two, there are actually tax benefits you can take advantage of before the end of the year (such as Section 179). Three, you have greater insight into what your budget for spending is because most of us are doing are year-end tallies around this time.

    Our top two tips to make the most out of your technology spending for this year is:

    1. Use that asset list you created to evaluate aging hardware. Aging hardware is risky, they can fail spontaneously and may not have the most up to date security features. Hardware such as an office server that hosts the company backups, or key employee devices that are struggling to keep up with their day-to-day workload are items we suggest replacing ASAP.
    2. Of course, technology services are another area we recommend looking at. Why go into the new year with a service provider you haven’t been thrilled with? Making a change like this now will cement a better 2024 for your business. We have a kit for making the change you can find here.

    If you’re in the Central Valley, Valley Techlogic is also offering for a limited time $100 to any business that takes a meeting with us to hear about our services. See our flyer below to learn more about taking advantage of this offer or you can sign up here to get started.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Internet service terminologies explained and our top 10 recommendations for business internet

    Internet service terminologies explained and our top 10 recommendations for business internet

    If you’ve ever shopped for internet service for your home or business, you’re probably aware that it’s a little difficult to tell what you’re really buying due to the marketing efforts most providers have that are more about wooing you with their “blazing fast speeds” or “reliable up times” and less about explaining the actual service.

    In today’s article we aim to change all that by dispelling some notions that having a higher download speed is better (for businesses especially upload really matters) or that all the bells and whistles providers try to sell you are really worth it. For example, you’re not saving money if you sign up for a phone plan with your internet service if your office currently utilizes a VoIP solution – you’re just spending money on a service you don’t want or need.

    Speed and reliability do matter but it’s a good idea to look at the whole picture, let’s start with download speed.

    Internet speeds can come in two forms, symmetrical where the download and upload speeds are the same or asymmetrical where one speed (typically download) is higher. Download speeds matter when you’re trying to receive data to you. So, downloading files, web surfing, viewing videos etc. Asymmetrical internet service is typically less expensive than symmetrical internet service. That’s because it’s easier for a provider to service you with data than to take your data and send it somewhere else.

    For most businesses, download speeds are not as important. The files you receive are typically smaller and you’re not using the internet for gaming, or movie watching which are activities that benefit from a higher download speed.

    Upload speeds affect the data your device is sending, so sending files, uploading backups, video conferencing, all of these are directly affected by your upload speeds.

    Most of the time, internet service being marked as “business internet” is symmetrical and comes with a higher cost. It may be tempting to save money and just get your business connected with an asymmetrical consumer internet plan, but you may pay for it in the form of reduced reliability and impingement on your backups (which can have a catastrophic effect in a disaster recovery scenario).

    It also might feel like you’re getting ripped off if the plan with 1000 Mbps down and 10 Mbps up is a fourth of the cost of that 50 / 50 asymmetrical business plan – but for businesses the upload speed is often the thing that really matters.

    We’ve also found that for business internet users internet companies will allow you to be on your own circuit. To break this down, typical internet service is daisy chained. This means that your connection is connected to your neighbor’s connection which is connected to their neighbor’s connection – and so on and so forth. If one of your neighbors decides to download 3 terabytes of video one day your internet speeds will suffer.

    When you’re on your own circuit, the only one who can change the effectiveness of your internet connection is you.

    Another thing to consider is the type of internet, most people are familiar with cable which has been around for decades but there are actually more options available now. Such as:

    1. Fiber: This is similar to cable but can be seen as an upgrade, usually higher speeds are available via a fiber connection. It might also be helpful to note that many traditional cable providers (Comcast, Spectrum, AT&T etc) actually utilize fiber now in many cases and are in the process of upgrading lines all across the United States.
    2. DSL: If you’re more rural, DSL is often the only thing available to you and can be a viable solution if your office is small and/or does not utilize much data.
    3. Wireless: Similar to your phone service, wireless technology has grown leaps and bounds over the years and the speeds can often be comparable to cable. Wireless is a great option for businesses who have larger or outdoor facilities to provide internet services to employees who may be working further away from the main office.
    4. Satellite: This is another great option for rural businesses, there can be a higher cost to initiate service, but the speeds will be much better than those found with DSL.

    You can also consider merging some of these services for greater reliability. For example, we’ve helped clients acquire a symmetrical fiber plan that includes a free wireless backup. While the internet plan we choose was extremely reliable, that extra piece of mind that even if they had an outage to the primary internet service, they would still be able to connect via the wireless backup was something they didn’t know they needed but really appreciated having.

    Here are a few other tips when looking for a business internet service plan:

    Need assistance in selecting a provider or with looking for a new internet provider? Valley Techlogic can help, as we mentioned this is just a snapshot of some of the perks of being a Valley Techlogic client which includes expert tech advice, support and technology service, project planning and more. Set up a meeting with our expert sales consultant today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • AI explained and 4 simple ways to use it in your business

    AI explained and 4 simple ways to use it in your business

    AI or Artificial Intelligence has been all over the news as online tools have emerged that can do a variety of impressive things in the creative space such as copywriting, writing code, creating videos and images and much more.

    On a more technical level, AI is being used in medical applications for assisting doctors during surgeries or identifying suspicious tissue or masses in diagnostic images. The car you drive may be using AI through GPS to help you navigate a safer or more efficient route or for specific vehicles, autonomous driving. Advances in robotics grow via AI input each day, from minute applications such as cleaning robots to complex sensors that take in data and react to it in real time to make equipment used by a wide variety of sectors much safer or more efficient.

    Even on your mobile device and computer, AI input is found in abundance. The spam filter in your email? Powered by AI. Face recognition on your phone? That’s also AI.

    Our prompt was “Red haired girl sitting at desk with computer and cat.”

    We’ve found AI tends to have a negative association to it as well however, with some worried it may allow their employer to replace them for a computerized facsimile, some worried about the implications when it comes to privacy and autonomy and others worried on a grander scale what it will mean for humanity if AI ever reaches the level of being truly sentient.

    We would like to put some of these fears to bed, in a nutshell AI is exactly what we as a society make of it. When it comes to the creative pieces that have emerged from AI it’s a mistake to believe that those creations were spawned solely via technological input.

    In reality AI conjures up images, songs, and video by compiling the vast resource that is available to it via the internet. It takes human creations and fragments them to recreate them into something that matches your text prompt. The stylistic choice, the colors, the layout – all of this is garnered from human ingenuity that is then reiterated for your viewing consumption,via machine learning.

    The impressive part of AI is not the end product it provides to you, it is its ability to take so much information and compile it into something even remotely coherent. Even this is not something that’s spawned from the ether but is instead the net result of many decades of talented engineers with one goal in mind – to make many jobs simpler and safer to do.

    AI will not replace human ingenuity; it will do as any tool is designed to do – help us do more.

    Now that we have hopefully put some of your fears about AI to bed, you may be wondering how you can use AI in your business? Well, we have a few suggestions.

    1. Images. As we showcased above, AI is excellent for creating graphics that match your text input and can add a little bit of context or pizzaz to your designs or documents. Top Recommendation: AI
    2. Social Media Posts. If you own a business, you should ideally be posting to your social media platforms every weekday if possible (or at least three times a week). However, managing to squeeze content creation into your day to day can feel like a major chore. That’s where our top recommendation comes in, Canva allows you to create social media posts quickly and easily resize them for whichever platform you’re on (so you can make one post go further). Top Recommendation: Canva
    3. Editing: Just take a great group photo at work but realize there’s something really distracting in the background? Or maybe the colors are off, or it’s a little blurry? All highly fixable via Adobe Express, and you don’t need to be a graphic design expert. Best of all, it’s free. Top Recommendation: Adobe Express
    4. Text Prompts: While we don’t recommend leaving all of your content writing to AI, it can be a useful tool to help you get started or to help you reword a paragraph to be more persuasive or engaging. Top Recommendation: AnyWord

    Of course, it would be remiss of us if we didn’t mention you can get the best of human ingenuity and technological prowess by partnering with a technology service provider like Valley Techlogic. We pride ourselves on being at the forefront of technological innovation, and that includes advancements in AI.

    If you would like to learn more about how we can help you navigate this space and utilize automation and AI in your business today, you can schedule a consultation with us here.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Our how to guide on setting up MFA for your organization’s Microsoft 365

    Our how to guide on setting up MFA for your organization’s Microsoft 365

    In addition to major updates released for Microsoft Windows this month, Microsoft also released their Digital Defense Report for 2023. You can find it here.

    One page in the report caught our eye and that’s the five items you can enable that will block 99% of attacks. At the top of the list is enabling multi-factor (MFA). The other four items are: apply Zero Trust principles, use extended detection response (XDR) and anti-virus/malware, keep your systems up to date and protect your data.

    We’re zeroing in on enabling MFA today as it’s simple to implement (can be done today) and will increase the security of your account tenfold.

    The reason we say this is because the report also outlined that password-based attacks are also up tenfold, from 3 billion attempts per month in 2022 to 30 million per month in 2023. Microsoft says they have blocked an average of 4,000 password attacks per second over the last year. Attacks know many Microsoft users have not enabled MFA and are targeting those users specifically.

    It’s not a manual process either, many of these brute force attempts are being enacted by bots. Cyber criminals set these bots up and let them run, reaping the rewards from the stolen accounts they’re able to access. In addition to that, many credentials are still available on the web for a very low cost.

    We know many people have “breach fatigue”, news of yet another massive breach is not the major news topic it once was. It can feel much different though when it happens to you directly. If you currently re-use passwords for your accounts, it’s highly likely that password has been offered for sale on the web.

    Enabling MFA is strong protection against these methods and more. See our chart on how to set up MFA for your own Microsoft account.

    As you can see, it’s pretty easy to enable MFA for your own account but did you know you can also set it up from an organizational level to enable it for your employees?

    The steps doing that are as follows:

    1. Navigate to the Microsoft 365 admin center at https://admin.microsoft.com.
    2. Select Show All, then choose the Azure Active Directory Admin Center.
    3. Select Azure Active Directory, Properties, Manage Security defaults.
    4. Under Enable Security defaults, select Yes and then Save.

    Just to note, you must turn off legacy per-user MFA first before enabling global MFA in your organization. You can find that by navigating to Users > Active Users and you should see a tab on this page for multi-factor authentication. On this page should be a list of your users and you want to set each user to MFA disabled. Then you can loop back to our previous instructions and turn on the global MFA instead.

    There are also other global security settings in this section but before testing out different settings we suggest reaching out to your IT provider. MFA is a pretty non-intrusive security setting, but other settings may have unexpected consequences when it comes to you or your employee’s workflow. It’s best to evaluate your security options with a pro.

    Don’t have access to an IT pro? Valley Techlogic can assist. We are experts both in the field of cyber of security AND all things Microsoft. See our advertising flyer on our approach to enabling Microsoft 365 MFA for our customers.

    You can schedule a consultation with us today to learn more.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • If you received a loud phone alert this week at 11:20 PST, you definitely were not alone

    If you received a loud phone alert this week at 11:20 PST, you definitely were not alone

    At 11:20 PST on Wednesday phones across the nation blared a screeching sound with a prompt on the screen alerting users that this was a test of the National Wireless Emergency Alert system.

    In addition to cellphones across the nation this alert was also played on the TV and radio, although EAS (Emergency Alert System) alerts are common this was the first time a cellphone alert was used in conjunction with EAS simultaneously.

    The purpose of the EAS system was to be able to warn the public of any threats on a national scale. As television and radio viewership has declined in recent years. Adding cellphone alerts into the mix makes sense from an application level, though many were not aware that this was going to occur before this first alert hit their phones at a deafening volume.

    This test was conducted by FEMA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and was conducted using the same systems that send alerts about severe weather or Amber Alerts locally. The tone and volume were chosen in addition to vibration to make the alert accessible to those with disabilities. In many cases the notification was received in English as well as Spanish.

    Legislation was passed in 2015 requiring FEMA to conduct nationwide tests every 3 years, so you can extrapolate that another test of this nature will be received in 2026. The test was designed so that even if your phone was able to opt out of alerts for weather etc. they would not be able to opt out of alerts from NWEA.

    Although having your phone on airplane mode during the testing window would prevent the alert from reaching your phone. The test was scheduled to last, until dismissed, for 30 minutes. The sound would also not be played for those currently on a call when the alert went out.

    There were some claims in advance of this test made by groups concerned that the government will have overarching control of your mobile phone during the test (or afterward) or concerns about their phones security.

    The system behind how this alert was delivered was constructed after an executive order by then President George W. Bush in 2006. Labeled Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) in a nutshell it’s a code that distributes an alert to supported wireless devices via the internet, though that also unfortunately makes it vulnerable to the same roadblocks that can make internet unavailable (such as being out of network).

    The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) at the heart of the IPAWS system is not unique to the US but is instead a worldwide distributed protocol for both delivering alerts and studying the nature of the alerts that are being broadcast to look for trends and improve safety standards. CAP was adopted worldwide after a Geneva convention in 2006 and has been improved upon ever since.

    We realize we just delivered a lot of complicated information but in general, this alert was nothing to worry about and is a sign that the system is working. In the event of a national emergency, it’s important that the public can be warned so that they can take whatever safety measures necessary and to control widespread panic.

    This alert is an excellent example of effective communication and on a smaller scale, businesses can use this example to develop strategies in their own business for more effective communication. If you had to reach all your employees quickly, could you? If not, here are four things you can look at to develop a good emergency strategy for your office:

    If improving digital communication is something you would like to improve in your business, Valley Techlogic can help. We have experience in creating unified systems that includes increasing communication and collaboration, especially through our partnership with Microsoft. If you’d like to learn more, reach out today to schedule a consultation.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • In the aftermath of the MGM cyberattack, five class action lawsuits have already been filed

    In the aftermath of the MGM cyberattack, five class action lawsuits have already been filed

    MGM Resorts are a staple on the Las Vegas strip, operating more than two dozen hotels and casinos around the world with nine of them being found in Las Vegas itself. You may have heard of the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, and the Luxor? These are all MGM properties that host millions of visitors each year.

    Now some of those same visitors are wondering if the chain gambled with their private data. It was reported on September 11th that MGM was facing some kind of “cybersecurity issue” that trickled down to their facilities, with customers facing problems using the digital keys to their hotel rooms to slot machines not functioning as intended.

    Guests were left spending hours waiting to check in as the hotels shifted away from digital entry back to manual keys to get guests into the rooms they’d already paid for. It reportedly took 10 days for things to resume normal operations with some problems still occurring here or there.

    It’s now being reported that the cause of this hack was a persuasive phone call made by one of the members of a hacker group called “Scattered Spider” which has since claimed ownership of this attack. In a strange turn of events this group does not prioritize technology-based attacks such as malware or phishing but instead mostly engages in “Vishing”.

    “Vishing” or voice phishing is when someone calls you pretending to be someone else, they usually are purporting to be from a company you might do business with financially – such as your credit card company or banking institution.

    With number spoofing this type of attack can be very effective, and as the MGM attack shows even a massive organization is not necessarily immune from an attack if the bad actors is using the right attack vector for the job. That’s why it’s important to have several safeguards in place when it comes to protecting your systems and data.

    It’s alleged that a member of the Scattered Spider group found an MGM employee’s information on LinkedIn and was able to convince a member of their help desk to give them all the access they needed to perform the attack. Someone close to the group has said the original plan was to hack their slot machines but when that plan failed, they moved to plan B which was holding MGM’s data hostage for a payment in Crypto.

    Even though they’re now back to normal operations, MGM is not out of the woods yet. Five class action lawsuits have been filed with customers claiming the chain risked their personal identifiable information (PII) by falling for this attack. Two were filed against MGM directly, and three against their partner company Caesars Entertainment. We have talked about the legal ramifications. of cyber attacks before and it’s something companies should definitely be aware of, the insult of being hacked may not end just with the loss of data or systems being damaged – there may be legal consequences as well.

    Over 90% of successful attacks have a human element to them, with this most recent attack on MGM included in that figure. Cyber security training can go a long way in preventing cyber threats to your business, but vishing may still catch you or your employees off guard. You may be wondering how someone on the phone could possibly be so convincing that you give them access to your systems or financial accounts. We made a chart on the top 8 steps you need to take to guard against a vishing(voice phishing or)’ smishing (text message phishing) attack on your business.

    Of course, as we mentioned the best defense against cyber attacks in general is a layered approach, that way if one wall is breached an attacker would still have to get through several more to do any damage to your business. That’s where a partnership with Valley Techlogic comes in – we take a layered approach to protecting your backups, protecting your systems, and protecting you and your employees from bad actors. Learn more today through a consultation.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Chrome browser extensions we recommend, and ones to avoid

    Chrome browser extensions we recommend, and ones to avoid

    Whether you use Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera or something else for your day to day browsing, there are browser extensions (or add-ons) that can make that browsing better – but which ones?

    All browser options these days have a dedicated section in your settings options to find extensions that are compatible with that particular browser. See our chart below for the steps to finding it in each of the browser options mentioned above.

    Reaching the extension store is really just the first step, actually choosing extensions that will make browsing more pleasant or more efficient for you is a whole other ball game. There are extensions for changing the appearance of your browser, adding functionality (like highlighting specific tabs) blocking ads and more.

    Since Chrome dwarfs the competition in market share (with a whopping 63.56% of traffic worldwide coming from Chrome) we’re going to focus on Chrome, but in most cases there will be a direct analog for these found in other browsers.

    Top 5 Chrome Browser Extensions We Recommend (And Actually Use Ourselves):

    1. LastPass: LastPass is a subscription-based password storage vault, and it has an extension that makes logging into your accounts super easy. For one low annual fee they will safeguard all of your passwords and via the extension, you can autofill those into sites you use to login. It will also alert you if you’re usually a duplicated password (giving you the option to make better choices there) and if you want to change that duplicated password – it also comes with a password generator built in.
    2. Ghostery: There are a lot of adblocker options available, but Ghostery is unobtrusive and also blocks something many of the other ones miss, trackers. If you’ve ever had an ad seemingly follow you around it’s because websites will deposit a “cookie” onto your computer through your browsing that then allows you to be tracked across the web. Ghostery puts these sneaky ads in their place and blocks that practice altogether.
    3. Loom: If you’ve ever wanted to quickly show staff how to navigate a website or service you use in your business, Loom can help. Loom lets you quickly record video and screen captures directly from your Chrome browser. You can also file share via Loom so you can send the videos you make directly via the same extension.
    4. Buffer: Managing your social media content and enacting a strategy that allows you to be consistent is harder than it sounds. When you get into the grind of your day it’s very easy to forget that daily Facebook post or to check in on that new LinkedIn campaign you started. Buffer allows you to publish, review analytics, add content ideas to a calendar and review social engagement all under ONE platform found directly in your browser.
    5. Dark Reader: This is a Chrome extension your retinas will appreciate. As a dark mode fan it can be glaring when you hit a website that doesn’t have a dark mode option, luckily there’s a Chrome extension that adds the Chrome Dark Theme to every site you visit.

    So now that we’ve covered some extensions we do recommend, what about ones we don’t? In general, it’s good to think of the extension stores as being similar to the application stores found on your mobile phone. These are added by independent developers and as with the Android/Apple shops there can be unscrupulous additions included with the intended features, like collecting your data or abusing your systems resources.

    As such we suggest using your best judgement when downloading and if you’re ever unsure, reach out to your tech support team to confirm. If you need guidance for this or other technology topics in your business, Valley Techlogic is here to help.

    We’ve been providing our technical expertise to businesses in the Central California area since 2004, reach out today to schedule a consultation.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.

  • Our Top 10 Technology Myths and Urban Legends, Debunked

    Our Top 10 Technology Myths and Urban Legends, Debunked

    The advent of the internet brought an influx of information right to our fingertips, and unfortunately not everything that proliferates on the internet is factual.

    With “fake news” undoubtedly being one of the official buzz word phrases of the 2020’s, how close are you reviewing these common place technology tropes? These are the top 10 technology myths and urban legends we see as a technology provider:

    1. Privacy/Incognito mode is DEFINITELY private: We’re sorry to say, if you think everything you’re doing in a private/incognito browser is hidden from view you would be incorrect. The way this mode works is it hides your browsing history from other people who may use your computer, but your ISP definitely can still see what you’re doing and depending on what’s been set up at work, possibly your IT Team/employer as well.
    2. Leaving your phone plugged in destroys your battery: Nope this one is also false, we’re not sure how the idea of “over charging” a battery came to be but there’s zero evidence that leaving your phone or laptop on a charger for an extended period of time will have a long-term effect on your device’s battery.
    3. At the same time, don’t let your device die completely before charging it: Letting a battery discharge completely before charging it again will not improve your phone’s battery life. Just charge your devices when they need a charge and let these myths about batter life go.
    4. Mac/Linux devices (basically anything not Windows) are virus proof: Nope again, the bad news is if a device has access to the internet, it’s going to be a target for hackers. If even your smart fridge Isn’t safe, what makes you think any computer or cellphone would be?
    5. Force killing apps save resources and speeds up your computer: If you have ever opened your computers task manager you’ve probably seen a lot of processes running, and you may have even force closed some of these processes to “speed” up your computer. It doesn’t really work that way unfortunately, many of the processes you see are background processes that your computer needs to run. Your computer will just open them again automatically, effectively making this activity a waste of time. You can, however, close applications you’re not using the regular way (and if you’re still having issues, it might be time to look at upgrading your device).
    6. Full bars mean the best service: We’ve heard it time and again, “I have four bars!” someone will exclaim, indicating that their cellphone service has reached its full potential. More bars just mean stronger signal strength, but unfortunately for you if you’re in a heavily populated urban area it means you’re sharing that same strong signal strength with everyone else in the area. Mobile service, just like any other internet service, is subject to bandwidth load so even with a strong signal you may still experience slow service depending on where you are and how many other people are around.
    7. You shouldn’t shut your computer down at night: This is another head scratcher for us, but we still see folks who believe they shouldn’t shut their computer down when they walk away for the evening. We’re happy to report that shutting down your computer will not harm it, in fact reducing the load on it each day by turning it off at night may even extend the life of your device.
    8. Magnets will wipe your data/destroy your device: There’s a little bit of truth to this one but it’s run amok for so long that the truth has been obfuscated for most folks – we’re happy to report your device will NOT be destroyed by a common refrigerator magnet. However, a really big industrial magnet could do some damage, so we suggest not placing your computer near one of those.
    9. Cellphones etc. can give you cancer: Nope, this one has been completely debunked. The radiofrequency that is emitted by your cellphone, tablet, laptop etc will NOT give you cancer.
    10. I’m a small business/single person, no hacker will bother with me: This is unfortunately, quite untrue. It’s estimated half a million U.S. accounts are hacked each day – many of these are just regular folks or small business owners like yourself.

    We hope this article helped in quashing some of these myths for you but if you have any other technical urban legends you’re not sure about, we’d be happy to weigh in (just jump on our live chat and ask away!).

    If the last one was a scary one for you and you’re a business owner in California, Valley Techlogic can assist. We provide cyber security services for our clients that make sure they won’t be part of that frightening statistic. Learn more through a consultation today.

    Looking for more to read? We suggest these other articles from our site.

    This article was powered by Valley Techlogic, an IT service provider in Atwater, CA. You can find more information at https://www.valleytechlogic.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/valleytechlogic/ . Follow us on Twitter at https://x.com/valleytechlogic.