The Edge of WiFi

When you have a weak wireless signal, you can try and boost it in a couple of ways: Make sure the wireless access point (WAP) closest to you is not obstructed. Clear away any dense objects within a foot of the device. You might also reposition it to boost the signal. Make sure your device in not in… Read More »

VidAngel

Ever want to watch a movie with your kids without them getting too scared or without the profanity and sexual scenes? This subscription based app works with your existing streaming apps. It can filter out content with very granular options.

Positive Pay

A business may be held liable for all or a substantial portion of any loss when checks are stolen or altered. Positive Pay is an automated check fraud detection service offered by most banks. It matches the payee, check number, and dollar amount of each check presented for payment against a list of checks issued from your accounting… Read More »

Newforma Tasks

Newforma has a task tracking and accountability feature that covers your team as well as external vendors on your projects. File attachment and markup, Mobile and web access are all built into the system.

Avoiding Cyber Fraud

Tips, from the FBI, to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud: Do Not Do not give unknown, unverified persons remote access to devices or accounts. Do not communicate with unsolicited email senders. Do not act in haste. Criminals create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure the victim into immediate action.

The Traveling WiFi Circus

Whether you are in a hotel, airport, or coffee shop, WiFi can be spotty. The most common cause is the requirement for you to agree to an acceptable use policy on each device. This must be done before you can connect to your email or VPN. To do this, launch your browser and go to a new page.… Read More »

iOS 13 Preview

Apple announced the new features of iOS 13 More here… Do not be the first to upgrade. Turn off Automatic Updates: Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates > Off

Real ID

Your current Illinois driver’s license will not be accepted at airports, military bases and secure federal facilities after Oct. 1, 2020. You can obtain a REAL ID card or use a passport after that time. To see what documents you need to apply for a REAL ID, visit the REAL ID Interactive Checklist. All Driver Services facilities are… Read More »

This icon can ruin your iOS

Hackers are using the familiar Apple settings icon to trick users into hacking their own iOS devices. As I discussed in a previous post, this can permanently destroy your device. If you ever see the settings icon and a request to install, confirm or cancel, do not click any response presented. Rather, you should immediately close your app.… Read More »

USPS helps criminals read your mail

The U.S. Postal Service just fixed a security weakness that allowed anyone who has an account at usps.com to view account details for some 60 million other users, and in some cases to modify account details on their behalf. This would have been less of an issue before they released their latest service called Informed Delivery, which allows users… Read More »

Gift Card Scam

The Internet Crime Complaint Center received an increase in the number of Business complaints requesting false requests to purchase gift cards. The victims receive either a spoofed email, a spoofed phone call or a spoofed text from a person in authority requesting the victim purchase multiple gift cards for personal or business reasons.

Newforma Shared Folders

Did you know that you can use Newforma to share folders on the network with outside vendors and clients? Shared folders create an online space where internal and external team members can access and share project files. This has a number of advantages over products such as Dropbox (which is a violation of some client contracts). Key features … Read More »

Office 365’s New Look

Office has a new look if you are on Office 365. One advantage that Office 365 offers is real-time access to the ever growing list of features that the product receives on an ongoing basis. Microsoft has also released its on-premise version of Office 2019

Freeze your credit

Freezing your credit is the best way to prevent identity theft. When your credit is frozen, no business can check it, and therefore will not allow new accounts to be opened in your name. When you need to open a new account, buy a car or home you can unfreeze your credit for a specified period of time… Read More »

Equifax 17’ Breach – The fallout starts now.

If you were one of the 143 million Americans that had their data compromised in the September 2017 Equifax breach you will want to read on. According to the FBI, thieves that steal personal data park the information until it can be used with the greatest likelihood of success. Then they sell it, and you become a victim… Read More »

Facebook 90M Hacked

Attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook’s code that impacted “View As” a feature that lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else. This allowed them to steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over people’s accounts.

5G is here.

The next generation of cellular known as 5G is being rolled out on October 1. Verizon is first in the world to provide a commercial 5G service, with plans for rapid broadband internet, and 5G mobility service More Here …

FBI: Remote Desktop Compromised

Remote administration tools, such as Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), as an attack vector has been on the rise since mid-late 2016 with the rise of dark markets selling RDP Access. Malicious cyber actors have developed methods of identifying and exploiting vulnerable RDP sessions over the Internet to compromise identities, steal login credentials, and ransom other sensitive information.

iOS: Apps for Architects

This corner of the App Store recommends iOS apps for architects and designers. Apps like Morpholio Trace – Sketch CAD take advantage of the augmented reality features of the iOS. Download from iTunes

FBI: K-12 Students Targeted

The FBI is encouraging public awareness of cyber threat concerns related to K-12 students. The US school systems’ rapid growth of education technologies (EdTech) and widespread collection of student data could have privacy and safety implications if compromised or exploited. EdTech can provide services for adaptive, personalized learning experiences, and unique opportunities for student collaboration. Additionally, administrative platforms… Read More »

New iPhone X S

iPhone X S & iPhone X S Max – Compare models Improvements Faster Processor Better Camera Water Proof to 2 Meters Dual Phone Number Support 1.5 hr. Longer battery life on Max

High Quality Voice Calls

Your iPhone is capable of making higher quality voice calls with VoLTE. The quality improvement comes from increasing the bandwidth used to carry your voice, relative to a traditional cellular call. To enable this go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Enable LTE > Select Voice & Data

OneNote

OneNote is a virtual notebook, with incredible search capabilities, that synchronizes across all your devices and between multiple users in real time. A universal platform, it works on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Online. Everything is stored as a separate element so markups can be removed, files or images can be saved or moved. Pages are a limitless… Read More »

Drones as a service

Capturing a unique perspective of a project is easier than ever with the use of a drone. Services such as Droners.io connect you with pilots from around the country, making capturing those images very easy and affordable. Costs range from $40-$150 depending on the scope of your project.

Set Out of Office from iOS

To set your out of office from your iPhone: Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts  > Choose Your work account At the bottom of the page tap Automatic Reply Be sure to set both the internal and external (scroll down) message. When you set an end date the message text will be updated with that date automatically,… Read More »

FBI: Personal Data Used in Online Scams

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has recently received an increase in reports about extortion attempts received via e-mail and postal mail and using specific user information to add authenticity. While there are many variations in these extortion attempts, they often share certain commonalties.

Security Awareness Training

Today the greatest threat to company security is the email vector. KnowBe4 provides security awareness training and simulated phishing attacks to test employee response to manage the continuing problem of social engineering.

Clear your iOS Device

This will destroy all data. Backup your data. From the iOS device to be reset: 1 Go to Settings > Tap your name at the top > iCloud > Turn Find My iPhone / iPad Off 2 Enter your Apple ID password when prompted 3 Next go to Settings > General > Reset 4 Choose Reset All Content… Read More »

Amazon Prices

Did you know that prices on Amazon change hourly. CamelCamelCamel.com tracks prices and can send alerts when they are at their lowest. Browser Plug-ins help simplify the service.

FBI: Tech Support Fraud

Based on new reporting, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is providing updated guidance regarding technical support fraud. Tech Support Fraud involves a criminal claiming to provide customer, security, or technical support in an effort to defraud unwitting individuals. This type of fraud continues to be a problematic and widespread scam. In 2017, the IC3 received approximately 11,000… Read More »

Never use Online Password Services

There are a multitude of services that are built specifically for storing your passwords. I’d like to briefly delve into why it is foolish to use any of them. First of all, there are specific instances of these sites being hacked, for obvious reasons. If you store all the gold in one bank, that’s where the robbers are… Read More »

Hard Reset iPhone X

When you iPhone is not performing normally a hard reset may help: Press and quickly release the Volume Up button Press and quickly release the Volume Down button Press the Side button, and hold until the display suddenly goes dark (10 seconds).

SketchUp Make is Illegal

Sketchup Make is a free version of SketchUp, however, the license is not for commercial use. Employees of our clients will often unknowingly request that we install software that has similar limitations. These requests are not intended to do harm, but they can be costly.

FBI: Internet of Things Devices

Common Internet of Things Devices May Expose Consumers to Cyber Exploitation In conjunction with National Cyber Security Awareness Month, the FBI is re-iterating the growing concern of cyber criminals targeting unsecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices. The number of IoT devices in use is expected to increase from 5 billion in 2016 to an estimated 20 to 50… Read More »

Installing Ajera Expense

1) Open the email from your accounting department and click on the link that looks like: https://something/deltektouch/ajera/expense/ajerashared/backend/ajeraurl.php Click ok if you see this error 2) Click Open 3) Install the App 4) Open the App & accept terms (at the bottom) 5) When you get here, stop. Go back to the email with the link and click on… Read More »

Preview Panes

When a user has the preview pane turned on in Windows Explorer, they cannot rename or move files. This is because, unlike the thumbnails generated for photos, the OS does not release the current file after opening it and generating the image. The OS then falsely reports that the file is locked by someone for editing. The worst… Read More »

FBI: Internet-Connected Toys

Consumer Notice: Internet-Connected Toys Could Present Privacy and Contact Concerns for Children The FBI encourages consumers to consider cyber security prior to introducing smart, interactive, internet-connected toys into their homes or trusted environments. Smart toys and entertainment devices for children are increasingly incorporating technologies that learn