Blog
Newest WiFi Version Will Be Called WiFi 6
Most people don’t know what the latest version of WiFi is called. That’s the fault of the Wi-Fi Alliance, the group that manages the implementation of WiFi. Since their earliest days, the group has insisted on a highly unconventional version numbering scheme. If you’re curious, the current version is 802.11ac. The group’s numbering system isn’t […]
Spectre Security Built Into New Intel Chip Hardware
By now, almost everyone has heard of the Spectre and Meltdown security flaws that have been making headlines for more than a year. They’re serious flaws with dire implications for tens of millions of users around the world who have an intel-based PC. The saga surrounding the fixes for these issues has been a long […]
Major Facebook Breach May Have Affected Your Account
Facebook got hit hard by a currently unknown group of hackers. If you recently found yourself inexplicably logged out of the social media site, Facebook did it in response to the breach. The breach resulted in the theft of data pertaining to more than fifty million of the site’s users. Here’s what we know […]
Apple Update Fixes A Number Of Issues with iOS12
The new iOS 12 was released just three weeks ago, but security flaws have already been discovered. Some of them are quite serious. This event prompted Apple to release the first update to the OS. The 12.0.1 update is available to all users with iOS 12. If you’re not set up to receive automatic updates, […]
Apple IOS12 Users’ Photos And Contacts May Be Vulnerable
Jose Rodriguez, a Spanish Apple enthusiast, has discovered a new security flaw to be aware of. He posted a Proof of Concept video showing the exploit in action. We’ll say upfront that this is a highly convoluted attack involving more than two dozen discrete steps. A hacker would need to be in possession of the […]
Google May Be Getting Rid Of Google Plus
If you’re one of the relatively few people who use Google+ in something other than an Enterprise setting, be advised that the clock is ticking. Google has just announced that they’re sunsetting the service. It will be going offline for consumers at some point over the next ten months. The reasons for their decision are […]
Microsoft Is Changing How Searches Will Work
Change is coming to the way Microsoft handles search across its ecosystem. If you use the home edition of Office, you’re not likely to notice, but if you use Office 365, the changes will be significant. Here’s what’s happening: First of all, the search bar will get bigger, taking a more prominent and visible place […]
Payment Pages Are Being Compromised To Steal Data
Symantec’s most recent statistics have revealed a disturbing trend. Malware designed to compromise checkout pages is seeing a big spike in use, with the company reporting a staggering 248,000 attempts since August 13th of this year, with more than a third of them (36 percent) between September 13th through September 20th. As disturbing as those […]
How Long Before You Experience A Cyber Attack?
According to this year’s Traveler’s Risk Index, published by The Traveler’s Indemnity Company, a majority of business owners have a somewhat fatalistic view of hacking and data breaches. The index includes 52 percent of survey respondents indicating that they believe a cyber-attack is inevitable. The other statistics in the report paint a grim picture. […]
Firefox Adds Data Breach Monitoring Service
Firefox is upping the ante where digital security is concerned, having just announced the release of a new, free service called ‘Firefox Monitor.’ The new service is designed with one specific goal in mind: To assist users in finding out if their accounts were exposed via a data breach. It was developed in partnership with […]
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.
