Pulling an account password can be hard or easy, it’s up to you.
The bottom line for when it comes to personal security on the internet is you must take care of it yourself. Many .com companies will make lofty promises of keeping your private data secured, but when things go bust they don’t take responsibility when your account is compromized.
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System commands saved by Bing, will show up as ‘search suggestions’.
Windows 8 users need to be aware that Bing will record system commands inputted locally. This is a big problem for businesses (and even individuals) if the commands are unique and track-able, as the commands are publicly displayed for anyone using the Bing via the ‘search suggestions.’
Companies like Google and Microsoft will, one way or another, find ways to track your user data, and it’s crucial that people are aware of what is being extracted from a computer console every time the power switch is flipped on.
By integrating Bing into the OS itself, the results may be beneficial as well as detrimental. When users search for something on a computer, those same keywords are recorded so that Bing can help other users find things on the internet quicker. For sensitive and private data (in this case system commands pointing to your network), the threat of hackers obtaining such information can become a major problem.
How to disable it
To prevent Bing from recording your system command inputs, go to your Search options in Windows 8 by pressing Windows + C, clicking on “Settings”, then “Change PC Settings”, “Search and Apps” and sliding the ‘Use Bing to search online’ to ‘Off.’
For more tips on how you can keep your information safe while using a connected device, contact your office IT professionals.
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Browser share according to W3Counter
The debate about which internet browser is the best has essentially ended. Personal preferences aside, the consensus among most casual users as well as developers is that Chrome, the Google-backed browser, is number one (for the time being).
Why should you pick Chrome over all other browsers? First and foremost, let’s consider the fact that the browser is constantly being revamped and tweaked by a huge community of developers worldwide. Google gave developers the source code for Chrome back in 2008. Since then, the open source Chomium project has thrived, leading to a robust and constantly updated browser.
AdBlock can be easily integrated into Chrome
What it comes down to is this, Google is allowing outside developers to tinker with Chrome. Among some of the crucial benefits resulting from the open collaboration of many brilliant minds are these:
Google, with its involvement in adding parts to the Internet of Things (IoT), has greatly improved the browsing experience for most average internet surfers. Much of the work done in the development of Chrome (past, present, and future) ultimately serves as medium for Google to grow and profit. However, Google is taking input from outside developers, and thus it has given the search giant an edge in the browser war over its competitors like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox.
Although Chrome is an exceptional browser for almost everyone and every purpose, a tool for surfing the internet is only a piece of the personal computing experience. Chrome users will still need to consider what other tools will complement the browser, so that surfing the Internet becomes as secure as possible.
For more ideas and tips on staying safe and secure online, contact your office IT professionals.
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Windows XP, despite its age in the software ecosystem, still controls nearly 30% of worldwide operating system share distribution. Microsoft announced several months back that it will cease supporting Windows XP as of April 8, 2014. For consumers, especially those that have already upgraded to Windows 7, the news didn’t mean much. Businesses that rely on Windows XP for their IT solution, however, the news meant that they will have to either upgrade or find an exemplary IT partner to maintain their infrastructure.
There’s no running away from Windows XP if your business relies heavily on the dated OS to run things like legacy software. So when Microsoft announced earlier this week that it will continue to provide antimalware signature and engine updates until July 14, 2015, most were relatively happy about the news.
According to Microsoft, XP users will continue to get antimalware updates because Microsoft wants to ‘help organizations complete their migrations.’ On the enterprise end, the patch updates apply to System Center Endpoint Protection, Forefront Client Security, Forefront Endpoint Protection and Windows Intune. Casual XP users will continue to receive the antimalware patch as a part of the Microsoft Security Essentials.
Although antimalware support will last for a bit longer, Microsoft recommends that XP users upgrade as soon as possible. The reason being, old software and hardware may not be capable of keeping up with modern day threats.
As we’ve already mentioned in a previous post, businesses that have a heavily connected infrastructure should consider upgrading from Windows XP. When patches and update packages stop coming, the systems will become vulnerable to hackers and other threats on the internet. Windows 7 still has quite a bit of shelf life left in it, so upgrading to this version of Windows is ideal if businesses are seeking a similar-to-XP experience.
At the moment, most businesses will probably stay away from Windows 8 as it is a rather new platform that will take some getting used to.
If your business is still running Windows XP, contact our IT professionals for advice on how you can extend the life of the system without official Microsoft support, or how you can leverage your current hardware and save by upgrading to Windows 7.
Lastly, Microsoft also clarified to XP users that as of April 8, 2014, the ‘no longer supported operating system’ means that users will no longer get the official security updates, non-security hotfixes, free or paid assisted support options, or online technical updates.
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In mid-December Target disclosed that hackers broke into the company’s computer system and stole several millions of its members’ personal information. A month later and Target has just tripled the number of people that might be affected by the security breach.
According to Target’s latest revision, the recent security breach might affect one out of every five Americans—that is, roughly 70 to 110 million are susceptible to identity theft. The data stolen from Target’s database range from email addresses to credit card numbers, so the magnitude to which one’s identity is compromised will vary.
Given that the recent Target debacle gave hackers just bits and pieces of information on people’s financial data, the ensuing aftershock should not be as bad as some might predict. Target, to its own credit, has been proactive about mitigating the damages that its customers have or will experience because of the security breach. The company, and affiliating banking institutions, has reached out to members by issuing them new account numbers and credit cards.
Security experts, however, predict that the fraudulent activities that coincide with such a huge security breach will be an everlasting one if consumers don’t take matters into their own hands. Information such as emails and phone numbers can, if left in the hands of experienced cyber criminals, be used as tools to indirectly steal more personal information. When all the pieces of a person’s identity is pieced together, thieves can easily access their target’s banking accounts and make off with the loot with just a click of a mouse.
So what can you, as a consumer—especially if shop at Target, do to protect yourself if your personal information linked to a company like Target? First, check your banking statements for any unusual activities, and if something out of the ordinary occurs report it immediately to your financial institution. Next, Target members with a credit/debit card on record need to contact the company to make sure that the account number is completely erased from the database. As an extra preventative measure, take yourself off Target’s database completely—that is, make sure Target does not have your email, phone number, home address, etc.
There’s not much you can do once your personal data has been stolen from you, but what you can do is try to plug in the holes while you still can. Security analysts and firms that monitor the World Wide Web for activities regarding the intrusion and manipulation of peoples’ personal data saw a huge spike in black market activities since the breach occurred. Since most average consumers have no means of tracking down cyber criminals or stop their malicious activities, it’s up to the local authorities and banking institutions to stop them from draining out a bank account.
Target is working closely with private and government security/forensic experts to close up some of the holes, but only time will tell if people can once again trust the Target brand. One could say that it was a bad omen for Target to choose a bullseye for its logo as that image has mutated into a double edged sword. On one end, the retailer flourished as consumers flocked to the red buildings to make purchases, and at the same time gave away their personal information. On the other end, the bullseye also became an attractive target for hackers and cyber criminals, evident by the recent security breach.
For more details about security issues that can affect you or your business, contact your office IT support.
Update:
Target is offering customers affected by the breach 1 year of free credit monitoring. Sign up here.
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