Learning Center: Video Blog
Windows 10 Support Ending Soon
Important News: Microsoft will NO LONGER support Windows 10 after October 2025! While these PCs will still work after the official end date of October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide product key free services that keep your device working properly and securely. These services include: ● Security updates ● Non-security updates ● Technical support
Massive Data Breach Exposed
National Public Data confirmed in September 2024 that a hacker has compromised the personal records of millions of individuals. The information exposed includes the names, e-mail addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers and even Social Security numbers of up to 2.9 billion people. Here’s what you need to know.
Top 5 Cybersecurity Breaches 2024
This year has been a busy one for cybercriminals, with some massive data breaches making headlines and costing companies millions. From health care giants to project management platforms, no industry is immune to the risks. But what do these breaches mean for small to midsize businesses? The same vulnerabilities exist for you, and the consequences of not addressing them can be catastrophic.
Boost Productivity with CoPilot 2
Microsoft Copilot is an advanced AI-driven tool that leverages artificial intelligence to automate routine tasks, analyze data, facilitate collaboration and more. Its chat-like design works seamlessly across commonly used Microsoft applications like Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel and Teams and can significantly boost productivity.
Stop Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks are the most common cybercrime attack for one reason...they work. Every day, over 3.4 billion spam e-mails reach unsuspecting users' inboxes. Phishing e-mails have held the top spot as the most frequent form of attack for years because they're easy to implement, easy to scale and continue to fool people.
Spotting Medical Fraud Signs
In February of this year, Change Healthcare fell victim to a cyber-attack that impacted thousands of health care providers, insurers and policyholders nationwide. Reports from this incident suggest that around 50% of all US medical claims could be at risk! To put that into perspective, if you're in the waiting room with nine other people, there's a good chance that five of you could fall victim to medical identity theft within the year.
The great IT Outage of 2024
July 19, 2024 millions of Windows devices crashed, triggering an endless reboot cycle and unresolved blue screen. The issue caused massive global disruptions and was caused by a CrowdStrike botch update.
Cybersecurity Risks in Construction
Construction companies work with many suppliers and vendors, and each vendor can be a weak spot that hackers can exploit. For example, if a hacker gets control of a vendor’s e-mail, they can send fake invoices that look real, tricking businesses into sending money to the hacker’s account instead.
The Risks of IT Shortcuts
Small businesses often believe they are too insignificant to be targeted, but cybercriminals target precisely these businesses, knowing they are less likely to have robust protections in place.
Cyber Attack Disrupts Car Dealership
If the software your organization used to close deals and pay employees unexpectedly went down and you had no idea when it would be fixed, what would you do? Could you continue doing business? How much money would you lose? Unfortunately, in June, this happened to over 15,000 US- and Canada-based car dealerships when two cyber-attacks occurred on the popular industry software provider, CDK Global.
Beware Summer Travel Scams
Summer is a popular time for vacation travel. If you’re looking to squeeze in any last-minute travel, there is a scam circulating that you need to be aware of. As costs for everything from food to travel continue to increase, the logical step is to search for the best deals online to book a memorable trip without breaking your budget. According to Booking.com, cybercriminals have decided to capitalize on this need and are now using one scarily convincing, AI-generated phishing e-mail that can cost victims way more than their vacation fund.
AI Driven Fake Data Breaches
Just when you think cybercriminals will run out of new ideas for how to scam people, they find a way to get creative and surprise you. Now they’re faking data breaches, hoping to steal money from unsuspecting business owners and dark web data buyers alike.
The Cost of Outdated Technology
Is your organization currently bleeding money due to its reliance on outdated technology? The answer is likely yes. A recent survey by Deloitte revealed that a staggering 82% of companies failed to meet their cost-reduction targets last year, with an inefficient technology infrastructure being the primary culprit.
Linkedin Security Essentials To Protect You
One of the ways scammers leverage LinkedIn to deploy their phishing attack is when they zero in on anyone seeking a new job or career change. While e-mails like “You have 1 new invitation” or “Your profile has been viewed by 63 people” can be authentic, it’s critical to verify the e-mail address it’s sent from to ensure that it’s genuinely from LinkedIn. These impersonators will send e-mails that look identical to the real ones, with links to fake LinkedIn pages that will rip off your information as soon as you enter it.
Cybersecurity Tips For Vacation
Summer is a popular time for business owners and employees to step out of the office and take a well-deserved vacation. Even if their “out of office” e-mail responder is active, many people will periodically check in on work at least once while traveling. Unfortunately, studies show that working outside of the office – whether it’s a few simple check-ins on vacation, connecting to the Internet at a local coffee shop or even business travelers out on work trips – can lead to major cybersecurity issues.
Layoffs Create A Serious Treat To Your Cybersecurity
The massive wave of layoffs in 2024 brings a cybersecurity threat that most business owners aren’t focusing on – offboarding employees. Even big-time brands that you would expect to have top-of-the-line cybersecurity systems, processes and procedures in place fail to adequately protect themselves from insider threats. This August marks a year since two disgruntled Tesla employees went rogue after being let go and exposed the personal information – including names, addresses, phone numbers and even the Social Security numbers – of over 75,000 people, including employees.
Frustrated With BAD Tech Support?
A recent stream of Reddit comments emerged detailing a series of poor customer service experiences with tech support. While I typically try to stay clear of Reddit and its gang of chronic whiny-pants commenters, I scrolled through a few, you know, for research purposes since I’m in the industry.
How Poor Tech Support Is Slowing Down Your Business
If you’re serious about growing a successful, profitable business in 2024 and beyond, there’s no room for pass-the-buck tactics – especially when it comes to IT support. The efficiency of your IT team isn’t just a convenience – it’s a cornerstone of your operational capability. Yet many companies find themselves held back by subpar tech support, with unresolved IT issues lingering, impeding productivity and frustrating employees and customers alike.
Watch Out For This New Ransomware
The latest ransomware warning involves TeamViewer, software that allows users to access a company network from anywhere, view specific endpoints as if they're sitting in front of them, and transfer data. However, if a hacker finds their way into the program, they can do all of this too — and infect the entire network with ransomware.
AT&T Data Breach
In a statement released by the largest telecommunications company in the United States, AT&T, they shared that they recently discovered a dataset for sale on the “dark web” that contained information for about 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and 65.4 million former users, totaling approximately 73 million affected accounts.
Omni Hotel Attack
Cyber-Attack Takes Omni Hotels & Resorts Offline; Here’s How To Travel Safely Another day, another cyber-attack! In early April, Omni Hotels & Resorts was the victim of a cyber-attack that brought down the entire IT system and led to a company-wide outage. The organization took immediate action and brought the entire network offline to isolate the issue, protect its data and prevent further damage from occurring.
Healthcare Cybersecurity Breach
Look at the person to your left. Look at the person to your right. Now look in the mirror. One of you might have fallen victim to the ongoing Change Healthcare data breach. Alternatively, you or one of your friends could have been affected by last week’s cyberattack on the Ascension health system. This attack has caused significant disruptions: Ascension, the fourth-largest healthcare provider in the U.S., had to divert ambulances and cancel procedures due to its inability to access patient records across its 140 hospitals in 19 states.
10 Things Great IT Providers Always DO
What sets high-quality, reliable IT support apart from mediocre or substandard support? Is it lower prices? Flat-fee service? At CD Technology, we believe there are many deciding factors that separate even the good from the great providers, but when our clients switch from their old companies to us, we get the same feedback over and over. The problem isn’t that they didn’t know they had bad support; they just didn’t know what good support was.
What To Do If You Are Hacked
The initial reaction when you suspect your computer or network has been compromised is to panic. However, if your network has been breached, what you do next can make the difference between the incident being a minor inconvenience and being a devastating disaster that brings legal trouble and huge fines, and halts your ability to do business.
Top Tax Scams
Tax season is around the corner, which means so are tax scams. Without fail, every year, individuals and business owners alike fall victim to tax scams, resulting in the loss of substantial amounts of money and sensitive personal data. According to the Better Business Bureau, taxpayers lost $5.7 billion due to tax scams and fraud in 2022 alone. In today’s article, you’ll discover the top scams you need to be on the lookout for to reduce your chances of becoming these scammers’ next victim.
Financial Planner Scammed
Horror stories of people getting scammed out of hundreds or even thousands of dollars aren’t in short supply. As we scroll through the news app from the comfort of our couch, reading these accounts of how a stupid so-and-so opened an obviously suspicious attachment and a hacker drained their bank account, it’s easy to say things like “I’d never fall for that!” But would you?
Cyber Security Not Good Enough
Think your cyber security is good enough? More than likely that answer will be no. It must be maintained on a daily basis.
The Costs of Cheaper IT
In our technology-driven world, efficient IT support is the backbone of any successful business. From ensuring seamless operations to safeguarding sensitive data, reliable IT services are crucial for maintaining productivity and protecting your bottom line. However, not all IT support is created equal, and the cost of settling for subpar services can result in expensive consequences for your business.
6 Common Technology Problems Businesses Have
Technology can provide a strategic advantage for companies in every industry when properly utilized. However, one of the biggest issues small business owners face is overcoming some of the common tech obstacles that hinder productivity. These issues can range from minor inconveniences to serious threats that can permanently shut down a business.
Beware Of These Online Scams For Mother’s Day
Are you planning on buying gifts for the special women in your life for Mother’s Day? If you shop online, there are a few ways to do it SAFELY. During the holidays, cybercriminals ramp up various scams to capitalize on innocent people looking for gifts online.
Drop Box April 2024 Breach
Online storage service Dropbox is warning customers of a data breach by a threat actor that accessed customer credentials and authentication data of one of its cloud-based services. The breach occurred when an unauthorized user gained access to the Dropbox Sign (formerly HelloSign) production environment, something administrators became aware of on April 24, according to a blog post published on May 1.
How East TN Businesses Can Easily Eliminate Tech Problems
Now more than ever, we rely on technology to run our businesses and our lives. When the “Internet goes down,” most businesses come to a standstill until they are back online, costing thousands in lost productivity and sales. A perfect example would be the AT&T outage that happened a few weeks ago, when an estimated 1.7 million customers, including small business owners, lost service. No phones, no Internet. Could you afford your business being down for minutes, hours or even days? The answer is likely no.
