Entries by Bob Appleby (1525)

Friday
Feb102017

It is not just your IoT's that can get you into trouble with the LAW!

Image result for Image of house firesA recent article in Naked Security how gentleman's pacemaker information may help to convict him of setting a fire in his own home. It shows how so much of our lives now is being recorded by different types of devices and in so many different locations that it is hard to stay off of the grid. With this being said, it makes you wonder how people think that they can get away with illegal acts. Remember, Big Brother is watching!

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Thursday
Feb092017

IRS: New Email Phishing

Image result for irs images this article from healthcare info security  discusses  what to look for  and helps prevent  your  organization from  being fooled into sending  out  money  to perpetrators of this type of phishing attack. 

The IRS is warning of one of the "most dangerous" kinds of phishing scams in which fraudsters are successfully tricking organizations into sending wage data on employees and then making fraudulent wire transfers.

Don’t be fooled!

Tuesday
Feb072017

Having an issue with OneDrive or SharePoint?

imageEmail a take a quick look at this new version of OneDrive which my guys are telling me that it has stabilized synchronization to both one drive shares and SharePoint libraries out of Office 365. I am all for doing just that and I will be looking forward to getting this installed on all of my workstations and notebooks to see how well it begins a synchronization between all of those devices and are SharePoint document libraries. The link above will take you to Microsoft's blog article that discusses this new update and you may want to view this article to see exactly how to install the new client. Good luck!

Tuesday
Feb072017

Windows 10 Cloud?

imageWindows 10 cloud has just been recently announced and it looks a lot like standard Windows 10. It is meant to be a chrome OS competitor and will be interesting to see as time goes on the type of equipment will be required and how well it will work on that equipment. This operating system is targeted for education and business sectors and ZDNet is reporting that it is designed to only run universal apps from the Windows store. I don't know the release date as of yet, but will be keeping my eyes open for new information as time goes by.

Monday
Feb062017

Thinking about creating a Media Server in your Home?

Image result for media server imagesIt is great to have all the information and entertainment that you want right at your fingertips on any device that you pick up and at the location that you currently are at. Is this plausible? Of course it is!

Gizmodo put together an interesting article on “How to Build an Ultimate Movie and Music Server” that provides the basic components that you need to consider in creating your own home system. Most of the people in our office have put together some kind of NAS (network attached storage) box that creates a a storage area for all your videos, photos and music. Most of us are also using a server application called plaques which has android Apple and many other clients that can be called upon to connect to your media storage server.

When putting together your NAS device make sure you take in consideration the amount of media that you are putting in the box. To be surprised how fast you can fill it up. There are some great suggestions in the article for the base components and some suggestions on what types of drives that you should use.

There are lots of ways to collect your media that always consider adhering to your local  copyright laws.

Other How To Articles:

Monday
Feb062017

Sophos XG Firewall 16.5 Release Info

Sophos XG Firewall from Sophos on Vimeo.

You can also continue reading on our product pages about new features and what’s new in the latest release.

Sunday
Feb052017

Thinking about getting a New Bike?

imageAs I am getting older I'm trying to come up with different ways that I might be able to exercise and enjoy the process of it. An article in Gizmodo by Michael Nunez got my eye about a bicycle made by Priority Bicycles. It is their Continuum model that is categorized as a commuter bike and is outfitted with low maintenance components in a drivetrain system using a variable transmission hub located in the rear wheel that gives this bike a continuous spectrum of gears rather than a fixed number. The bike doesn't require a derailleur system which provides the bike with a much smoother ride.

While most bikes in this category are several thousand dollars, priority bicycles sells this bike four $899 which is not exactly a bargain looking at many commuter bikes being in the $400-$500 range the Michael says that once you write it it will become your favorite bike to ride.

Saturday
Feb042017

Data Privacy Day: know the risks of Amazon Alexa and Google Home

imageHere is a great discussion of whether you should be concerned with Amazon Alexa and Google Home

See the Naked Security article here.

The article addresses the following topics:

  • Your technology is listening
  • Lessons from the Dyn attack
  • Defensive measures
Friday
Feb032017

Sonos’s New CEO Wants To Connect With Alexa, Google And All Services That Matter.

imagePatrick Spence, Sonos new CEO, has a new mission: Keep Sonos alive in the face of the innovative disruption from the rest of the industry. Amazon’s Alexa and now Google’s Home Products are part of this competition invading the networked speaker environment. Sonos is a manufacturer of home speaker systems that have their own unique connectivity. Instead of embracing standards they have stood alone with their products not interfacing with other manufacturers products.

The Alexa is a good example of this type of device providing more than just sound, but services as well to access information or purchasing merchandise. Integrating this product with internet programming like IFTTT provides an extension to personalize its services.

So if Patrick Spence gets his way, Sonos will be connecting to these other devices that are exploding onto the market. I hope so.

http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2016/8/30/12709452/sonos-amazon-alexa-announced

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/business/sonos-john-macfarlane-ceo.html?_r=0

Friday
Feb032017

You aren’t using Plex?

Here is quick video on how to setup Plex server for yourself. Once you get started, you will probably need to pick up a large storage device to store your content. Have fun!

Friday
Feb032017

Use Alex to control your Plex Environment

Alex is one of those neat devices that if you pay attention to the enormous number of skills that are being attached to it everyday can help to add a lot of enjoyment in your home or office. Yesterday I ran across this article in engadget that discusses a new skill you can add to your Alex Tap, Dot, Fire TV or newer model Fire tablets. Below is a video on how it all works:

Thursday
Feb022017

Crypto Virus–How Can I Protect Myself

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If you don’t already know it already we are a great supporter of Sophos’s Security Products and they have quite a few that will protect you from the bad, bad world out there. Crypto attacks are devastating when they hit you and can cause you lost business as well as personal losses that you can never recover from.

Sophos has a new product they released in November of last year that helps to revolutionize the protection of your computer device. Intercept X in combination with Sophos’s Central Endpoint Protection Advanced as a wonderful One-Two Punch. Take a look at the video below:

Wednesday
Feb012017

How do you backup your photos?

_MG_3971_editedAlmost everyone these days take pictures with some form of digital photographic device whether it is your phone, digital camera or your own personal Drone Open-mouthed smile. Unlike the old days when you had your negatives and  prints to fall back on today a cyber attack or drive failure can wipe out your entire photo library.

Suzy Pratt wrote an article for Digital Photography School discussing the methods you might consider in protecting your photographs. Rule of thumb for backups, have at least three copies (the original, and two backups) with the backups on different storage media and at least on copy of premise. Falling this basic rule will help to prevent the heartache of losing everything from either a hardware failure or from a dreaded cyber attack.

I have my photos backed up locally on two drives in my computer, a USB drive a take offsite and most of photos go up into the cloud to SmugMug for safekeeping as well as making them available to family and friends. I’d also love to hear from you about how you protect your digital memories.

Tuesday
Jan312017

World Wide Security Expected to Top $1 Trillion Over the Next Five Years

imageThe Cybersecurity Market Report, published by Cybersecurity Ventures discusses this expectation. This same firm expects Cybercrime to top $6 trillion over the same period.

If you are entering the job or in college looking for job direction, this seams to be a real opportunity for you. Sad but true. It is important to focus on security wherever you touch the Internet. We are starting see a direction that includes your phone and other mobile devices as well. Take a closer look at the Naked Security Article here.

Sunday
Jan292017

19 crooks, 7,000 false identities, 1,800 drop addresses, and $200 million in credit card fraud

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Interesting article about a group of crooks that created an elaborate scheme to defraud credit card companies of $200 million dollars. See Cory Doctorow’s article here.

And if you are interested in the US Attorneys Office’s Press Release you can find it here.

Saturday
Jan282017

Are you looking for a new unique way of doing Selfies?

Here is a KickStarter Project for a pocket size drone with camera that will fit in your pocket and also act a phone case for you. The concept is to pull it out of your pocket, launch it and fly it around to either track your movements, do group pictures or close ups with the option of adding new viewing angles.

See the original article:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/2847781059/selfly-pocket-sized-camera-drone-snaps-to-a-smartphone-when-not-in-use

Wednesday
Dec282016

Press Release: PAconnect renews it commitment to the educational market

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Tuesday
Nov012016

Sophos PAC Trip to Burlington

20161025-124818 27We had a great time driving up to and back from our trip to Burlington, MA. Besides the meeting Kathy and I visited Salem, Marblehead, Rockport, Gloucester, Concord, Lexington, Manchester-by-the-Sea and Cape Ann areas. I have posted images up to most of my picture sites but you can take a look at them at SmugMug here.

Monday
Oct102016

Verizon threatens to fire workers who fix copper phone lines

from Cabling Installation & Maintenance Posted October 7, 2016

Verizon has reportedly told its field technician crews in Pennsylvania that they can be fired if they try to fix broken copper phone lines. Instead, workers must try to replace copper lines with a device that connects to Verizon Wireless's cell phone network, Ars Technica's Jon Brodkin reports.
From the article:
This directive came in a memo from Verizon to workers on September 20. "Failure to follow this directive may result in disciplinary action up to and including dismissal," the memo said. It isn't clear whether this policy has been applied to Verizon workers outside of Pennsylvania. The memo and other documents were made public by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, which asked the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to put a stop to the forced copper-to-wireless conversions. The wireless home phone service, VoiceLink, is not a proper replacement for copper phone lines because it doesn't work with security alarms, fax machines, medical devices such as pacemakers that require telephone monitoring, and other services, the union said.

“Field technicians are required to have VoiceLink units on their trucks and to refuse to repair copper plant serving voice-only customers,” CWA local President James Gardler wrote in testimony presented to the state Utility Commission. "Our members are being told that if they actually try to repair copper plant instead of using VoiceLink, they will be subject to disciplinary action by Verizon." The memo to field technicians adds that in order to give customers the “best possible network performance in non-FiOS areas, Verizon will migrate as many customers experiencing trouble on their line to VoiceLink as possible.” ... Technicians can fix the copper line “if the customer does not qualify” for wireless service. In those cases, the tech must document the reason the customer didn’t qualify for VoiceLink.
“It is a requirement that migration to VoiceLink be your first option when the customer qualifies and the trouble is in Verizon's network,” the memo [emphasizes]. Another memo tells workers that they should only restore copper phone service if they can verify that the wireless VoiceLink won't work. VoiceLink devices connect a home's inside wiring to Verizon's cellular network.

Read the full story at Ars Technica.

Thursday
Oct062016

Interesting article from RPost about a socially engineered eMail caused the loss of $480k

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Businesses cannot rely solely on cyber insurance policies to protect themselves and their clients from certain cybercrimes. In a recent case, Chubb Insurance refused to cover a cyber security loss of $480,000 despite the fact that Chubb had insured the victimized company for computer funds transfer fraud.
The case involved a cyber insurance policy issued to Houston-based Ameriforge Group Inc. (AFGlobal Corp.) by a division of Chubb Group. Criminals impersonating AFGlobal’s CEO convinced the company’s accountant to wire $480,000 to a bank in China. When the fraud was discovered, investigators learned that the foreign bank account had already been emptied and closed.  Source
As it turns out, cyber insurance policies such as the one held by Ameriforge Group may cover forgery of financial instruments (such as checks or drafts), but insurers may not recognize informal email correspondence containing financial instructions or wire information as qualifying financial instruments. Sending financial instructions encrypted in Registered Email messages may add sufficient formality to trigger cyber insurance coverage.
Fund transfer fraud often involves emails that appear to come from a company employee -- in this case, the CEO. The fact that the email has the weight of the CEO’s authority makes this particular tactic effective, as it is difficult to verify an email’s authenticity unless the sender uses a sender authentication service such as the Digital Seal® sender authentication feature included in the RMail service.
In the Chubb case, it is noted that the fraudster seemed familiar with the nature of the longstanding and trusting relationship between the accountant and the CEO, suggesting that the fraudster may have had access to emails between the two. These “fake CEO email” tactics often include email correspondence written with context, vocabulary and style matching the CEO’s normal email interactions. As always, using the RMail email encryption service when corresponding about sensitive transactions is an important preventative measure. 
In this case, the fake CEO email to the accounting director Glen Wurm allegedly said: “Glen, I have assigned you to manage file T521. This is a strictly confidential financial operation, to which takes priority over other tasks. Have you already been contacted by Steven Shapiro (attorney from KPMG)? This is very sensitive, so please only communicate with me through this email, in order for us not to infringe SEC regulations. Please do no speak with anyone by email or phone regarding this. Regards, Gean Stalcup.” Wire instructions followed in a subsequent email with a request to transfer $480,000 for due diligence costs associated with a purported acquisition.