What does an online attack look like? We often think of online attacks as being all about advanced programs and hidden exploits in software. However, while that can be the case, often gaining access to a computer system works by tricking the user into allowing it. After all, you don’t need to pick the lock […]
Tag: Security
Delivery Scam Messages
Are you waiting for items you’ve ordered online? If you get text messages concerning your parcels, be wary of any that are saying you need to make additional payments in order to receive your item. Why? Because fake messages pretending to hold your parcel are a common scam. Many online retailers will text you to […]
Strange Facebook Postings and Messages
Have you or your friends started receiving Facebook messages that don’t sound like the person they’re from? This could mean that person’s account has been hacked. One of the most common symptoms of a compromised Facebook account is a message or post making an offer that sounds too good to be true, such as the […]
Two-Factor Authentication
Are you familiar with two-factor authentication (2FA)? If not, then it’s something useful to learn about for keeping your accounts protected, and you may have already been asked by some sites and apps to start using 2FA. Two-factor authentication adds an additional step when logging in, so that even if your password is stolen, it’s […]
Smishing – Text Scams
Have you heard of ‘smishing’? It sounds silly, but it’s becoming an all-too-serious problem. The term is a portmanteau of ‘SMS’ and ‘Phishing’. Phishing is the use of fake emails that impersonate trusted companies and ask users to click on links to visit a fake website that asks for their account details. Smishing is the […]
LastPass Security Incident
Are you familiar with password managers? You may have heard about a recent security incident involving LastPass. Thankfully, the perpetrators of the attack did not succeed in stealing any passwords or personal data. The incident took place in their development environment, which does not provide access to where the passwords are encrypted and stored. Users […]
Your Computer Wants Some ‘Me Time’
Have you noticed your computer slowing down at certain times of the day? It might be to do with how the computer is handling updates. Windows can download and install patches in the background during the day while you’re using the computer. The primary benefit of this is that it lets the computer keep itself […]
Windows 7 Update
Despite Windows 7 having reached End of Life, a recent update has been released to fix the issue with wallpapers not always showing. Microsoft doesn’t usually release patches for operating systems after End of Life, but have done so in the past during major incidents. Fixing the wallpaper display options is however, a comparatively trivial […]
Windows 7 End of Life
A summary sheet covering the issues surrounding the Windows 7 End of Life on January 14th 2020
Data Destruction
One of the services offered by Solidarity IT is destruction of data to military standard. This is a impressive sounding term, perhaps bringing to mind the image of someone strapping a bomb to an old computer. What it actually involves however, is much less dramatic, but certainly more practical, and actually leaves the hard drives […]