September 2019
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We are (still) strongly recommending setting up 2-factor authentication for your email and any sensitive websites.
With malicious tried-and-true techniques such as credential stuffing, phishing, and keylogging, hackers can defeat even the most complex passwords. But even if your password is compromised, multi-factor authentication gives you that extra layer of protection that will very likely foil their efforts. Microsoft says multi-factor authentication reduces hacking risk by 99.9%.
“Our research shows that simply adding a recovery phone number to your Google Account can block up to 100% of automated bots, 99% of bulk phishing attacks, and 66% of targeted attacks that occurred during our investigation,” Google said at the time.
Microsoft is requiring that admin accounts in Office 365 have 2-factor authentication.
OneDrive will become the default save location in the upcoming Semi-Annual release of Microsoft. Office.
Teams is now being installed automatically with MS Office updates. How to Stop the Teams App Starting Automatically with Windows.
More on how Office 365 updates work.
Windows 10 Version 1903:
Is the newest Windows 10 update ready to be installed? Yes.
Windows 10 Version 1903 Usage Tripled Since Last Month
Six issues fixed; new bugs added
After installing August 30th KB4512941 cumulative update for Windows 10 v1903, some users are reporting that the SearchUI.exe process for Cortana is exhibiting high CPU usage and spikes.
Contact us (as always) if your computer seems slow.
Two updates need to be installed on Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 systems so that future (SHA-2 signed) updates are installed correctly.
Upcoming changes in Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox may finally spark the end for Extended Validation certificates as the browser vendors plan to do away with showing a company’s name in the address bar.
T-Mobile and AT&T today began rollout of cross-network call authentication that may help cut down on robocalls.
The largest US pay-TV providers, representing about 93% of the market, lost a record 1.53 million video subscribers in Q2 2019. Consumers are choosing alternatives, including free over-the-air TV, various subscription services such as Netflix and Amazon, and a growing mix of free, ad-supported services (Xumo, Pluto TV and Tubi).
The cable industry is now losing 14,000 subscribers every day
Cord Cutting Statistics and Trends in 2019
If your website is not mobile friendly, you are missing out on over half the web users:
There are 2.7 billion smartphone users around the world
67% of internet users worldwide visit the Web on a mobile device.
The average device split for searches was 72% for mobile and 28% for desktop in 2017.
77% of Americans have smartphones.
62% of smartphone users have made a purchase on the device.
And more: 60+ Smartphone Statistics in 2019
U.S. border officials denied entry to a 17-year-old Harvard freshman just days before classes were set to begin based on images of other peoples accounts linked on social media. Questionable content — even from unsolicited messages — found during a border search could be enough to deny the traveler entry. Customs officials say they do not need to obtain a warrant for device searches at the border.
New iPhone 11 release date, price, news and leaks.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Final Impressions.
SECURITY
Foxit Software, maker of Foxit PDF Reader and PhantomPDF announced a data breach exposing the personal information of ‘My Account’ service users. Users should be receiving an email with instructions on creating a new password.
Keep your smart home devices behind a separate firewall: Even providing restricted access to IoT devices that might not seem to have any external connectivity could still allow that device to attack the rest of your network.
Researchers discover troubling new security flaw in all modern Intel processors.
Google has announced that it is to start replacing passwords as a method of verifying identity online for Android users. It will be a while before this becomes useful, but it’s worth mentioning as part of a growing trend toward getting rid of passwords and moving to biometric and similar types of authentication which don’t require a password.
New Data Breach Has Exposed Millions of Fingerprint and Facial Recognition Records:
Fingerprints and facial recognition records for millions of people may have been exposed. The issue with biometric data being stored in this way is that, unlike usernames and passwords, it cannot be changed. Once it’s compromised, it’s compromised.
By Tim Torian