Blog
Is Your Point Of Sale System Secure?
Here’s the hard reality: Even if you devote sufficient resources to get the best security money can buy to protect your business from hackers, you might still be at risk. The reason? Well, in addition to the fact that there’s no such thing as security that a determined hacker can’t breach, there’s the simple fact […]
Is Uber Sharing Your information?
Are you, or is someone you know a driver for Uber? Have you used the rideshare service to get from Point A to Point B? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then odds are good that at least some of your information has been shared with a variety of government agencies. […]
Opera Browser Adds Free VPN For Better Privacy
When you surf the web, do you use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)? More than half a billion of the web’s users do, which is about a quarter of the web’s population, so you may be one of them. If you’re not, you should consider it, because it makes your browsing experience safer and more […]
Is Your Android Device Getting Needed Security Updates?
Google takes security more seriously than most companies, and it’s no wonder, given that the company’s Android Operating System is currently in use by more than 1.4 billion users worldwide. The latest version of Android (version 6.0, dubbed Marshmallow) includes such things as support for fingerprint scanners, a built-in patch level checker, verified boot functionality, […]
All USB-C Cables Aren’t Created Equal, Amazon Fights Back
You may not have heard much about USB-C cables, but you will. They are the future of USB connectivity, and will ultimately replace both USB-A and USB-B cables, which are the ones you’re likely using right now to connect your various devices. A few months ago, Google Engineer Brian Leung had a nasty encounter with […]
Windows “Blue Screen of Death” Getting New Information
If you have a Windows-based PC (and you probably do), then you’ve almost certainly had the dubious honor of seeing the dreaded BSOD, or Blue Screen of Death. Unfortunately, since the first appearance of that screen, it has had a history of being less than helpful. Mostly, what you get is a long string of […]
New Smart Adware Uses Your Computer Resources For Profit
Remember the good old days, when all Adware did was make your web browsing experience inconvenient by bombarding you with annoying popups? Sadly, those days appear to be over. There’s a new generation of Adware that goes far, far beyond that. Recently, a particularly nasty variant called VLMiner was found. It’s clever, and is programmed […]
BadLock Threat Not So “Bad” But Still Requires Patch
So, it turns out that the “Badlock” Samba exploit wasn’t quite as bad as it was originally cracked up to be. If you haven’t heard of Badlock, you’re not alone. It made the rounds in Internet security circles, but wasn’t widely publicized because it is a fairly specific, narrow threat, unlike some of the other […]
Legacy Operating Systems Including XP Lose Chrome Support
If your company has one or more of millions of PCs still running Windows XP, your options are collapsing around you rather quickly, making it more important than ever to finally get around to upgrading to a more current OS. Microsoft formally ended all support for XP last year, and now Google has decided to […]
Using Oracle Software? Update Now
It’s been a busy week at Oracle. The company has recently released a massive flurry of patches that fix a staggering 136 security issues for a wide range of the products it sells. This release comes in tandem with the decision to switch from CVSS 2.0 to CVSS 3.0 (the Common Vulnerability Scoring System). The […]
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.
