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Windows 7 Support Ends In 2020, So Plan To Upgrade
Bad news is on the horizon if you’re one of the surprising number of people still using Windows 7. Microsoft is only offering one more year of free support. As of January 14th, 2020, you’ll no longer have access to critical security updates. While support will end entirely for individual consumers, businesses will still be […]
Scammers Are Using Direct Deposit Requests To Steal Money
Last year, the FBI issued a warning regarding BEC (Business Email Compromise) scams. Unfortunately, security professionals report that those types of scams are increasing in frequency, and worse, the most recent ones come with a disturbing new twist. The latest incarnation of the scam targets employees, seeking to move their direct deposited paychecks into accounts […]
Privacy Advocates Win With Biometric Mobile Device Ruling
A recent court ruling handed privacy advocates a big, and much needed win. Prior to the ruling, law enforcement officials were in the habit of compelling “persons of interest” to unlock their phones via their face scan or fingerprint so that investigators could examine it. A US judge has now ruled that this is unacceptable, […]
New Windows 10 Updates Will Use 7 GB Of Space
Microsoft has angered a portion of their user base with a change that’s coming in the next build of Windows 10. As of the next build, the OS will reserve a whopping seven GB of space on your hard drive, so that big updates don’t fail for lack of space. Unfortunately, the change means that […]
New Love Letter Email Could Load Malware On Your PC
Here’s some disturbing news: Hackers around the world are actively trying to exploit Valentine’s Day. This is according to new research from the Emerging Treats team at the security firm ProofPoint. The team has detected a massive new mal-spam campaign they’ve dubbed “The Love Letter Campaign.” Relying on basic social techniques, this campaign uses […]
Malware Drains Your Computer’s Resources Without Your Knowledge
Cryptominers are among the most common type of malware in the wild today, based on the latest research by digital security company Check Point. While there are dozens of variants deployed by hackers, the cryptojacker “Coinhive” is the malware of choice this year. Once installed on a computer, it works in the background siphoning off […]
New Firefox Release Disables Adobe Flash Support
Are you a Firefox user? If so, be advised that in Mozilla’s next release, Firefox 69, the company will be disabling support for the beleaguered Adobe Flash plugin. The change has been on the radar for quite some time, so it should not come as a surprise to anyone. It’s part of a systematic plan […]
Windows 10 May Soon Provide Option To Pause Updates
Recent Windows 10 updates have been giving the company’s user base heartburn lately, with their tendency to delete files and cause at least as many problems as they solve. If you’re among the frustrated ranks, good news is on the horizon. The company is currently readying an update that will allow you to pause the […]
Passport And Credit Card Numbers Stolen In Marriott Hack
Recently, Marriott Hotels informed the world that they had been the victims of a massive data breach. As it turns out, the breach was even more serious than was initially reported. As the company has learned more from the ongoing investigation into the matter, they’ve been doing an admirable job at keeping the public updated, […]
Page Caches May Be Vulnerable To Attack
There’s a new side channel attack to worry about. This one is after the target system’s OS page cache, where a variety of sensitive data that has been accessed by the device’s owner is stored for rapid retrieval. Perhaps the worst and most ominous aspect of this newly identified threat is the fact that it’s […]
A Visionary Approach to Your Security
The purpose of an IT partner isn’t just to fix something when it is broken, it is to keep your people working and your data secure. Astral moves beyond traditional managed services by addressing all the key areas of cybersecurity in today’s complex landscape.
