Blog
3rd Party Sign-in with Facebook or Google May Have Security Flaw
If you own your own business, then odds are good that you’ve taken advantage of the “Sign in With Facebook” (or Google) API. It’s fast, it’s convenient and it’s one less thing to worry about. It gives your users an automatic way to sign onto your site, meaning that they don’t have yet another password […]
Mobile Users Running Old IOS Versions Vulnerable To Fake Apps
Back in the good ol’ days before the rise of the iPhone, Apple devices were largely considered to be more secure than their Wintel counterparts. There was a time when Apple used this as a major plank in their marketing efforts. These days, it is increasingly clear that that’s no longer the case. A recent […]
Microsoft Is Losing The Browser Wars
Internet Explorer is widely regarded as one of the most security riddled browsers in the history of the internet. Microsoft had hoped that with the release of Windows 10, which included a complete overhaul of IE and a rebranding of it as Microsoft Edge, the company would be able to regain its position as the […]
Faster Wi-Fi Coming Soon With New WiGig Standard
It’s amazing how pervasive WiFi has become. These days, it’s hard to imagine life without it. The internet is everywhere. It’s always on, and you’re always connected. Unfortunately, as speeds have improved and bandwidth has increased, so too have the demands we place on it, which has led to a kind of internet cold war. […]
Viruses Affecting Patient Care Hospitals Cause Shutdowns
So far as is known, no hacking attack to date has resulted in death, but the day is inevitably coming. One day in the not-too-distant future, a hacker will be charged with murder, in addition to their other crimes. The reason is simple, and two-fold. First, hackers have turned their attention to hospitals in a […]
Microsoft Windows Vulnerability Revealed By Google
Tech giants Google and Microsoft are at odds, thanks to a recent announcement made by Google about a vulnerability in Windows’ Operating System. Google’s longstanding policy has been to inform the company that owns the software when a security flaw is found. Google’s thresholds are seven days for an announcement, and ten days for a […]
Employees Ignore Security Policies At Alarming Rate Says New Study
No matter how good, expensive or robust your security system is, your employees are always the weakest link. In fact, in some cases, your own policies might be pushing them to “rational noncompliance,” a situation in which your employees break the rules in order to make their jobs easier. The statistics are alarming. According to […]
FTC Legalizes Hacking Your Own Devices
There is some big news out of the FTC recently. The agency has announced that they are relaxing the rules governing what is and isn’t allowed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). As of today, you can legally hack the devices you own, including cars and TVs. This is a huge policy shift that […]
Bank Regulator Downloads Data To Thumb Drive, Then Loses It
This is how something as innocuous as a thumb drive can become a major security issue. Recently, it has come to light that a soon-to-be retiring regulator at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) had downloaded work files onto a thumb drive, but now, seems to have misplaced it. The files were […]
Majority Of Employees Unsure How To Deal With Sensitive Information
What percentage of your employees know how to properly handle sensitive information? The answer is “probably a lot less than you think.” In a recent survey conducted by MediaPro, it was discovered that nearly 90% of employees lacked security and privacy awareness. Only 12% of respondents knew how to properly identify and dispose of information […]
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.
