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Welcome to the October?Edition of our Smart I.T. Tips to help you build a safer & more profitable business using the latest and greatest Technology.
This month, we’ve got highlights on what to know about the demise of Internet Explorer, the mistakes being made in the digital workplace, popular system vulnerabilities, why small companies are hacked 3x more than big ones, introduction to Microsoft Defender for Individuals, and 7 great M365 tips. Check them out below.
1.HACKERS TARGET SMALL BUSINESSES THREE TIMES MORE FREQUENTLY THAN LARGER COMPANIES
Think your small business is too small for hackers to notice? We bust that myth! Smaller companies are targeted 3x more than larger ones for several reasons. We’ll tell you why.
2.WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST VULNERABILITIES HACKERS ARE CURRENTLY EXPLOITING
Software vulnerabilities are an unfortunate part of working with technology. A developer puts out a software release with millions of lines of code. Then, hackers look for loopholes that allow them to breach a system through that code.
The developer issues a patch to fix the vulnerability. But it’s not long before a new feature update causes more. It’s like a game of “whack-a-mole” to keep your systems secure.
Without ongoing patch and update management, company networks are vulnerable. And these attacks are completely avoidable. 82% of U.S. cyberattacks in Q1 of 2022 were due to exploiting patchable vulnerabilities.
What new vulnerabilities are lurking in products from Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and others? We’ll go through several. These were recently noted in a warning by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Make sure your system is patched against any of these vulnerabilities:
Vulnerabilities in Microsoft
CVE-2012-4969: This Internet Explorer vulnerability allows the remote execution of code.
CVE-2013-1331: This is a flaw in the code for Microsoft Office 2003 and Office 2011 for Mac. It enables hackers to launch remote attacks.
CVE-2012-0151: This issue impacts the Authenticode Signature Verification function of Windows. It allows user-assisted attackers to execute remote code on a system.
Vulnerabilities in Google
CVE-2016-1646 & CVE-2016-518 and 2018-17463 and CVE-2017-5070: These both allow attackers to conduct denial of service attacks.
Vulnerabilities in Adobe
CVE-2009-4324: This is a flaw in Acrobat Reader that allows hackers to execute remote code via a PDF file.
CVE-2010-1297: A Flash Player vulnerability that allows remote execution and denial of service attacks (Flash Player is no longer supported, so you should remove it).?
Natgear Vulnerability
CVE-2017-6862: This flaw allows a hacker to execute code remotely.?
Cisco Vulnerability
CVE-2019-15271: This is a vulnerability in the buffer overflow process of Cisco RV series routers. It gives a hacker “root” privilege.
Be sure to patch and update your software regularly.
These are a few of the security vulnerabilities listed on the CISA list. You can see all 36 that were added at https://www.cisa.gov
How do you keep your network safe from these and other vulnerabilities?
You should patch and update regularly. Work with a trusted IT professional to manage your device and software updates. This ensures you don’t have a breach waiting to happen lurking in your network.?
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3.WHAT IS MICROSOFT DEFENDER FOR INDIVIDUALS AND HOW DOES IT WORK?
When you hear about Microsoft adding security apps to M365, it’s often the business versions. But the pandemic has changed the way that we see the workplace.
It’s now a world made up of several connected “mini-offices” located in employee homes. 55% of employees use their own devices and software to work from home. The latest security offering by Microsoft is not for business plans. It’s for Personal and Family users of Microsoft 365.
The Basics of Microsoft Defender for Individuals.
Microsoft Defender is a new app that Microsoft 365 subscribers can download. It brings many digital protections together into one dashboard. These include the following:
1.??????Windows: Windows 10 version 19041.0 and higher.
2.??????Mac: Intel Macs from Catalina 10.15 and higher, and Apple silicon-based devices from 11.2.3 and up.
3.??????iPhone: iOS 13.0 or later.
4.??????Android: Android OS 6.0 or later.
4.MISTAKES COMPANIES ARE MAKING IN THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE
The pandemic has been a reality that companies around the world have shared. It required major changes in how they operate. No longer, did the status quo of having everyone work in the office make sense for everyone. Many organizations had to quickly evolve to working through remote means.
Overcoming the challenges and reaping the benefits takes time and effort. It also often takes the help of a trained IT professional, so you avoid costly mistakes such as:
5.SAVE RECURRING EMAIL TEXT IN OUTLOOK'S QUICK PARTS?
Do you have certain emails you send to customers that have the same paragraphs of text in them? For example, it might be directions to your building or how to contact support. Stop retyping the same info every time.
Outlook has a feature called Quick Parts that saves and then inserts blocks of text into emails.
When ready to insert that text into another email, just use the same menu. Then click to insert the Quick Part.
6.INTERNET EXPLORER HAS LOST ALL SUPPORT (WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW)?
After being the main entry to the internet in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Internet Explorer (IE) is gone. As of June 15, 2022, Microsoft dropped the web browser from support.
To ease the transition away from Internet Explorer, Microsoft added IE Mode to Edge. This mode makes it possible for organizations to still use legacy sites that may have worked best in IE. It uses the Trident MSHTML engine from IE11 to do this.
If you haven’t yet addressed old copies of IE on your computers, your network could be at risk due to vulnerabilities in the browser no longer being fixed. Here’s what you should do: