The days either side of the Thanksgiving weekend – commonly referred to as Black Friday and Cyber Monday – have become the busiest online shopping days of the year in the Western world. Whilst the potential to truly ‘bag a bargain’ is up for debate, one certainty is that these shopping events present a perfect […]
Beware Black Friday Bargains: Common Online Shopping Scams Read More »
The shift towards passwordless methods of authentication is slowly gaining momentum as organisations seek to enhance security and improve user experience. But what does this mean in practice and do the potential benefits outweigh the challenges involved? How Does It Work? Passwordless authentication is exactly what the name suggests – authentication that doesn’t rely on
No Password Required – The Pros and Cons of Going Passwordless Read More »
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, home working has seen a dramatic rise in popularity across almost all business sectors. The increased flexibility that home working offers, coupled with significant savings in travel time and commuting costs means that this phenomenon is here to stay. Whilst home working offers significant benefits to both employees and employers, it
Your Own Private Network – How a VPN Can Protect You in More Ways Than One Read More »
Imagine you receive an email with a link that appears to be from a legitimate source, like Google Drive. The link might say something like “documents.google.com[.]zip” – notice the extra dot and “zip” at the end. This seemingly minor addition is what makes it dangerous. .zip was recently added as a new domain which means
Beware the Sneaky Zipper! How a Tiny Trick in Your URL Can Unzip Trouble Read More »
Ticketmaster and Santander bank recently suffered major data breaches, potentially impacting over 590 million customers. While the source of the attack is debated, experts warn it highlights the dangers of interconnected systems. What data was exposed?Reports suggest hackers gained access to 30 million people’s bank account details, 6 million account numbers and balances, 28 million
Millions Exposed: Ticketmaster & Santander Hacks – How to Protect Yourself Read More »
How can you protect your precious data? In today’s digital world, our data is more valuable than ever. Businesses now hold the majority of their data in a digital format and we as individuals also generate a huge amount of data over our lifetimes, including photos and media files. These files don’t just hold immense
Cloud Backup – A Guardian Angel for Your Data Read More »
Fed Up with Online Ads? Imagine you’re trying to read a recipe online. You’re following along, picturing that delicious cake, when suddenly… BAM! A giant ad for the latest vacuum cleaner blocks half the screen. You close it, but then another ad pops up, this time for shoes you never clicked on. Sound familiar? This
Block Out the Noise: Why Ad Blockers are Essential in 2024 Read More »
A New Future Beckons: How Digital Tools are Reshaping Adult Social Care The landscape of adult social care is on the cusp of a transformative journey, propelled by the ever-evolving world of digital tools. As our population ages and the demand for high-quality care intensifies, we’re witnessing a move from traditional models towards a future
The Digital Journey – What Lies Ahead for Adult Social Care? Read More »
What is it and why does it matter? In the age of digital dominance, where data reigns supreme and cyber threats lurk around every corner, UK businesses must take steps to mitigate their vulnerabilities. One vital step that organisations can take to help protect themselves is the acquisition of Cyber Essentials Certification, a government-backed scheme
The Importance of Cyber Essentials Certification Read More »
How strong is your password? A recent report from NordPass contains a list of the most commonly used passwords in the US and 29 other countries. The report shows that people are still frequently using weak passwords like ‘guest,‘123456’, Password1, ‘a1b2c3’ and ‘qwerty’ to protect their accounts. Worryingly, 83% of these passwords can be cracked
Could a Hacker Guess Your Password? Read More »
Introduction In October 2023, a major shake-up of email configuration was announced (initially by Google and Yahoo), particularly in relation to its use for mass-mailing services such as Constant Contact, Mailchimp and Hubspot. The issue relates to email authorization changes happening with these service providers, all related to DKIM, DMARC, and SPF. The objective of
Mass-Mail Services, DKIM, DMARC & SPF – What’s The Story? Read More »
The Law is clear … The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR post-Brexit). Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules to make sure the information is: Used fairly, lawfully and transparently. Used for specified, explicit purposes. Used in a way that
How Secure Is YOUR Data? Read More »
Time is running out for Windows 10 On October 14, 2025, Windows 10 will reach its end of life, marking the end of security updates and technical support for the operating system. As such, it will be essential for users to migrate to a newer version of Windows (Windows 11) for the continued security and
The Clock’s Ticking For Windows 10! Read More »
Cybercrime is on the rise! Simple and/or outdated security systems are no match for modern threats and attacks. For companies dealing with sensitive data, such as health care organisations, loss of data represents a breach of GDPR, which can have devastating consequences. Unfortunately, it is often the users who are targeted, with their log in
2-Factor Authentication – Why does it matter? Read More »
Business continuity is like a safety net for your company, helping it bounce back and stay operational when unexpected challenges arise. Think of it as a plan to keep your business running smoothly, even during tough times. One crucial aspect of business continuity involves making changes to your IT (Information Technology) systems. Let’s dive into
How Prepared Is Your Business: 5 IT Examples to Improve Your Business Readiness Read More »
SafeBreach Labs claims to have discovered a Windows bug that allows a macro script to exploit the flaw and gain unauthorised access to the PC. Microsoft has not yet released a patch to defend against this vulnerability. The exploit has been investigated and appeared to be a targeted attack against an organisation using a malicious
Microsoft Windows Powershell Backdoor! Read More »
Zoom is one of the most popular video-conferencing products in use today. It rose to prominence during the global pandemic and continues to be one of the most widely downloaded apps. Zoom Video Communications issued a new bug patch on 11th October 2022 in response to a bug in the Mac version of its software
Zoom video conferencing bug in Mac version. Read More »
Social engineering is the one type of cyber attack that uses no malicious software. Instead of finding holes in the security of your network, social engineering exploits the weakest point of any system, the user. There are several forms that this can take – from emails and text messages to phone calls from the hacker
Social Engineering: Attacks Without The Malware. Read More »
Malicious computer software (formerly called “viruses” but more recently known as “malware”) is increasingly becoming the most significant risk to both personal and business IT users. The involvement of organised crime gangs and their heavy investment in malware development has given rise to a series of destructive attacks across the world – chasing a highly
Staying Safe From Banking MalWare Read More »
This brief article is not intended to be technical or in-depth, but is instead aimed at giving businesses and individuals a chance to protect themselves against an increasing risk of losing files and important computer data to the threat known as Ransomware. So what is Ransomware? At its most basic level, it is a strain
How to Stay Safe from Ransomware Read More »
On the 18th May 2016, 117 Million LinkedIn passwords have been put up for sale online. This follows the huge leak of LinkedIn passwords back in 2012 where over 6.5 Million passwords were leaked online. To assist our clients we have put this basic article together to provide some basic instructions of how to change
How to Change Your LinkedIn Password Read More »
Once again, the increasing mobility of data in corporate environments is one of the biggest challenges faced in the past year. Users are fully embracing the power to access data from anywhere. The rapid adoption of bring your own device (BYOD) and cloud are really accelerating this trend, and providing new vectors of attack. Furthermore,
Security Threat Report Read More »
It’s reasonable to assume from past events and history that privacy and security (or trust) concerns are always viewed differently depending on your original point in time. For example, my grandparents generation would never trust the banks, leaving the majority of their money in pots or hidden spaces around the house because this was deemed
Google Glass Privacy and Security Concerns Read More »
From April 8th 2014, all support from Microsoft for Windows XP will cease. There will be no further security patches or updates – this will leave Windows XP vulnerable to any new security flaws discovered. Windows XP was released by Microsoft almost 13 years ago, pre-dating most of the connected infrastructure that we all take
Microsoft Windows XP – Take Action Now! Read More »
Why are organisations failing to learn from the increasing numbers of highly publicised data security breaches that cause so much damage to company reputations? With an ever increasing number of individuals working outside the office environment, there are continuing failures to provide a suitably secure vehicle for people to do what they need to do
The Impact of Data Loss on Businesses Read More »