it risk management Archives - Mike Foster, CEH, CISA, CISSP

Mike Foster's IT Security & Best Practices Blog

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Microsoft Will Stop Protecting Windows 7 on January 14, 2020

Windows 7 computers will still run, your anti-virus will still work, as will your other programs. But you are taking a significant risk because Microsoft will no longer provide security updates that help keep attackers out of your network.

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Find Out if You Can Collect a Bundle from the Equifax Breach

There is a strong chance that hackers obtained your identity information in the Equifax breach. It exposed 148 million American’s sensitive information, and that sets you and your family up for identity theft. If you already suffered identity theft and can prove Equifax was the source, you might get up to twenty thousand dollars.

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Never Permit Tech Support to Access your Computer

A company had a problem with their bank’s remote deposit software. They called technical support, and the bank’s software support person announced, “First, I need to connect to your computer to see what is going on.” Fortunately, the company’s team member told the bank’s technical support person,

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Mac Vulnerability Permits Unauthorized Login

Apple’s newest operating system has a serious vulnerability that can allow someone else to logon to your Mac. Here’s what to do:

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A Secret Operating System is Running Inside Your Computers

If this gives you a sinking feeling, it should. What most people don’t know is that, if your computer uses an Intel brand CPU, there is a hidden microprocessor dedicated to running a second operating system called MINIX. And MINIX is running right now.

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Portable Radios Can Replace Family Phones

This is the time of the year when youngsters remind parents that all of their friends have phones, the latest model is out, and everyone is getting one! Some parents ask if there is an alternative. Yes.

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Wireless Security is Broken & What You Need to Do

Many organizations rely on a wireless password to protect their Wi-Fi networks. Behind the scenes, that password is used as part of a security protocol called WPA2. An attack, dubbed KRACK, has been announced that breaks that security.

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5 Steps to Take Now Even if You do not use Kasperski Anti-Virus

According to the Wall Street Journal, followed by the Washington Post, Russian hackers used Kaspersky anti-virus to steal NSA cyber defense information off of an employee’s home computer. Even if you do not use Kaspersky, you still need to take 5 important steps.

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Please Alert Your IT Pros – Increase Your Security Log File Capacity

Windows computers can keep a log of security events, such as failed logon attempts. It is helpful to know if attackers are trying to gain access to your network. When the log fills up, it overwrites itself with the oldest events first. By default, the log files are very small, and that makes it much […]

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Do the Basics. Do not Believe that Threat Protection Software Will Save You.

This week, someone told me about a group of CEOs who came to the conclusion that their IT security was handled since they installed an artificial intelligence (AI) based threat protection tool. They didn’t know it, but they were wrong.

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