used with permission from FTC.gov., Lesley Fair There's been a lot of talk about "ping trees" and other activities associated with the lead generation industry. The FTC's concern is that consumers don't get ponged in the process. A proposed settlement gives a glimpse...
SpireTech Company News and Tips
Security
Google Docs phishing attack
As some of you may already be aware of, there has been a large scale email phishing attack that impersonates a Google Docs request. Although it may appear that the email requests are coming from a known sender or domain, they are using techniques to spoof those...
Warning: New Petya ransomware outbreak similar to WannaCry is spreading worldwide
A new ransomware attack called Petya, PetyaWrap, or GoldenEye began spreading worldwide on June 27th, and it looks similar to the WannaCry outbreak in May. It targets Microsoft Windows operating systems and so far reports show that all systems from XP to Windows 10...
6 steps to securing your email
used with permission from HP Technology at Work Is your company's email providing a tempting route for cyber criminals to attack your business? Hackers continue to target businesses with phishing attacks. Once opened, these malicious email messages can hijack an...
Scammers are not “friends” to small business owners
used with permission from the FTC, by Rosario Méndez Scammers try to contact people in many ways. They call, email, put ads online, send messages on social media and more. If you own a small business, they’re trying to contact you, too. Lately we’ve been hearing about...
Why you need to get serious about cybersecurity
used with permission from HP Technology at Work More than half of small and midsize businesses in the U.S. have suffered a cyber attack in the past year—but despite this frightening reality, very few businesses are making IT security a priority this year. That's a big...
CloudBleed and You
You may have heard about a recent vulnerability that has affected Cloudflare, and therefore certain sites that use cloudflare services. Cloudflare is a "Content Delivery Network" or CDN, and is used to speed up websites by acting as a "cache" that sits between...
Increased Security Concerns For Remote Desktop
At SpireTech, we've noticed an increase in certain types of "Brute Force" attacks on Microsoft Windows operating systems, particularly those allowing Remote Desktop. A 'brute force' attack is a repeated automated attempt to gain unauthorized access by...
Data Breaches That Made Headlines in 2016
used with permission from Norton by Symantec, by Christina Schubert 980 data breaches occurred in 2016. That left an approximate 35,233,317 known records exposed. Over the years, data breaches have become more sophisticated, and cybercriminals target both...
Protect or pay: 10 tips for safer online shopping this holiday
used with the permission of http://thenetwork.cisco.com, by Blake Snow What's a consumer to do in the age of online holiday shopping? Where there's money there are thieves nearby. That's the biggest risk facing online shoppers today, whether through phishing, stolen...