Malware and your Digital Defenses (2/26/22 Part 2)

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We’ve been talking about malware and badware. What can you do about it? Digital Defenses 101 – Malware, Part 2 Well, its time to talk about defenses! Anti-virus, anti-malware, and more! https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-malware-removal-and-protection-software https://www.techradar.com/best/best-malware-removal https://support.apple.com/guide/security/protecting-against-malware-sec469d47bd8/web https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing

Online Scams! And we’ve got a prize! (1/29/22 Part 1)

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As always, there are online attacks, scams, and badness running amok. Online Scams – 2022 Are things the same as before? Or has it changed a bit? https://blog.malwarebytes.com/malwarebytes-news/2022/01/new-dazzlespy-malware-attacks-macos/ https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-in-2022-were-all-screwed/ https://www.techrepublic.com/article/cybersecurity-best-practices-an-open-letter-to-end-users/ Also, our friends at the Dairy Road OfficeMax/Office Depot have given us a FANTASTIC prize! It’s Monster Quest RGB Corded Mechanical PC. What’s great about a mechanical keyboard? Well, Tom’s Hardware has an article about that. If you touch type (or game) its great!

Stupid hackers. We hates them. (5/15/21 Part 1)

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Stupid hackers. We hate them. Ransomware – Part 1 Listen in as we talk about the Colonial Pipeline. Spoiler: we do manage to go the whole show without saying “we told you so.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/may/15/welcome-to-darkside-and-the-inexorable-rise-of-ransomware https://www.axios.com/hackers-darkside-shutting-down-colonial-pipeline-6e11766f-3d41-438a-9e21-dc06d1c3816f.html

Hospitals and scumbag hackers. There, we said it. (10/31/20 Part 2)

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Scumbag jerky hackers and ransom-ware. We hates them. Hostageware on the rise And yet, they don’t go away! So, what happened this time? https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/10/us-government-warns-of-imminent-ransomware-attacks-against-hospitals/ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/hospitals-being-hit-in-coordinated-targeted-ransomware-attack-from-russian-speaking-criminals/ar-BB1auEpi?ocid=uxbndlbing https://www.zdnet.com/article/first-death-reported-following-a-ransomware-attack-on-a-german-hospital/ Also, if you saw the lights in the Maui sky the other night but don’t know what they were? https://mauinow.com/2020/10/25/cluster-of-mysterious-lights-observed-across-maui/  

Don’t be a Pirate! Yaaaaar! (2/22/20 Part 2)

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Computer piracy is probably more common than people admit. Especially in the business world. All those companies have tons of money, so no problem, right? Sorry, afraid not. Yarrr! Its illegal!  Obviously, yeah. You want to save some money, but it could get you in trouble with the law.  Employees (especially disgruntled ex-employees), even customers who know you’re pirating can actually report you with the possibility of getting a cash reward/bounty if you get busted. nopiracy.org  The fines can be pretty bad (they’ve got rewards to pay out). https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/software-piracy-claims-can-ruin-your-business-and-reward-those-responsible/  While unlikely, a software vendor could possibly request an audit to make sure you’re in compliance. https://redmondmag.com/articles/2010/09/01/beware-the-bsa.aspx  Its not safe!  Trojans, malware, and viruses oh my!   Many common programs have inexpensive alternatives, even free/open-source ones.  LibreOffice or OpenOffice (OSS).  GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus for some of Creative Cloud. Affinity and others for cheap.  Do you really NEED the big fancy name software?  Being paid/legit means you can get support from the company.  Important for updates.  Important for compliance within your industry (HIPPA).