Beginning February 27, 2023, Microsoft will start enforcing number matching for all users who have MFA enabled on their Microsoft 365 account. Number matching in authentication procedures refers to displaying a number on one device (typically a cell phone,...
SpireTech Company News and Tips
Windows
Changes coming to Microsoft in 2023 and beyond
Downloads to stop for Windows 10 Windows 10, originally released July 2015, is officially entering its twilight age. Microsoft plans to stop selling Windows 10 Home and Pro downloads after January 31, 2023. This will be applied to its product pages and stores....
Microsoft patches a zero-day vulnerability from October
In an update released December 2022, Microsoft patched a zero-day vulnerability that was exploited. A zero-day vulnerability refers to potential weak points in an update that could be exploited the day it is released. The fear is that someone could learn to exploit...
Phishing education: two case studies and tips
Continuous phishing education is important to anyone who uses the Internet. So, pretty much everyone. People know not to click on spam messages, or suspicious texts, or to give away sensitive information like a social security number online. However, phishing attacks...
Year-end checklist for small businesses
Be aware and be prepared! Whether you’re beginning to start a small business, or you are a fellow small business owner looking for guidance, please enjoy our checklist to help you through some year-end planning. IT Checklist Backup dataThe best way to ensure your...
SpireTech exiting hosting business to focus on Managed IT Services
Celebrating our 29th year in business, SpireTech has been making some moves. We are exiting our long-established hosting and datacenter businesses to focus exclusively on Managed Services and Microsoft 365 moving forward. Effective October 4,...
TikTok Hack Breaks Accounts
There was an exploitation available in the Android version of TikTok that would have allowed hackers to effectively take and shut down a user’s account with one click. This bug was present in just the Android version of the app. Luckily, the issue was found and...
Make sure basic authentication is disabled for Microsoft Office 365
Beginning on October 1, 2022, Microsoft is disabling the ability to connect to Microsoft services using legacy authentication protocols. Users are moving to modern authentication whether they want it or not. It is also up to the user to make the switch, and after...
If you use Windows 11, you may be at risk for data loss
Users of Windows 11 or Windows Server 2022 with recent CPUs are at risk for data loss. Luckily, few users will be affected. The people who do need to worry are the ones who encrypt data regularly. To be at risk, users needed to have had one of the following hardware...
Windows Server 2012 ends its ten-year reign
Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2 will soon be ending its ten years of service. Its End-of-Life date is October 10, 2023. Why does this matter now? If you use Windows Server for your business, upgrading to a newer version of Windows Server, like Windows...