Blog
Paypal-Owned Company Sees Breach Of 1.6 Million Customers
TIO Networks, a cloud-based, multi-channel bill payment platform purchased by Paypal for $233 million in 2017, was breached earlier this year, exposing PII (Personally Identifiable Information) for an estimated 1.6 million of the service’s users. TIO Networks primarily does payment processing and accounts receivables for cable, utility, wireless and telecom companies in North America. If […]
Former Employees Pose Serious Risk To Security
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has reminded those who deal with PHI and PII of the dangers that terminated employees can pose to system security in their monthly cybersecurity newsletter. Their advice is as timely as it is excellent, and includes the following: “Making sure that user accounts […]
Many Consumers Would Withdraw Business From Companies If Data Breached
You’ve probably heard the phrase “the customer is always right” a thousand times. It’s a truism in the business world, except when it isn’t. A recent survey released by Gemalto reveals a dismaying dichotomy that’s costing businesses around the world big money. Only 27 percent of consumers surveyed feel that businesses do enough to protect […]
Windows 10 Now Installed On Over 600M Machines
When Microsoft first released Windows 10, the company boasted that it would try to get its new OS running on a billion devices by 2018. Time and circumstance have conspired to make that lofty goal unlikely, and the company has since retreated from it. However, according to statistics released at a recent shareholder’s meeting, there […]
Look And Feel May Change In Future Windows 10 Update
Microsoft is experimenting with a new feature that may change the look and feel of Windows 10 in some future update. The new approach is referred to as “Sets,” which borrows from the playbook of modern web browsers and groups related applications into tabbed sets, with the groupings defined by project type. The applications you […]
Fake Symantec Blog Post Is Spreading Mac Malware
Sometimes hackers opt for a stealthy approach. Other times, their attempts are downright brazen. That’s definitely the case with a newly launched malware campaign that seeks to spread “Proton Mac,” a strain of malware designed to steal passwords from Mac users. The hackers registered a domain very similar to Symantec’s blog, mirrored its content and […]
Bug in macOS Could Allow Hackers Root Access
Do you own a Mac? Is it running Apple’s latest macOS, the “High Sierra?” If so, be extra careful with who you allow access to your machine. A security flaw recently discovered by a developer named Lemi Orhan Ergin can easily allow anyone unfettered access to everything on your machine, and by extension, give them […]
A Million Imgur Users Affected By Breach
Do you use the image hosting service, Imgur? If you do, there’s a slight chance that you’ll be prompted to change your password the next time you log on. That’s because the company’s servers were breached in 2014, and the hackers made off with 1.7 million usernames and passwords, which represents just a tiny fraction […]
Breach Of Health Data Gets California Company $2M Fine
Cottage Health System, a company that operates five hospitals in the Santa Barbara area of California, is the latest firm to have been hit with a hefty fine for losing control of PHI and PII for patients that it serves. In this case, more than 55,000 patients were impacted between 2013 and 2015. Cottage Health […]
Uber Paid To Hide Massive Data Breach From Public
It has recently come to light that the company was hacked in 2016 in a massive breach that exposed the personal information of more than 57 million Uber users and drivers. A wide range of data was stolen. Where users were concerned, names, email addresses and phone numbers were compromised. As bad as that is, […]
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.
