The Ill Winds of Solar Winds

Look for a continuing fallout from the breach of Solar Winds, the giant technology management company that was responsible for the high-level federal government systems that were hacked last year. The hack is top of mind because some of our most sensitive systems were hacked, but businesses were affected, too. It’s time to look at the world of big data management.

The lesson we all need to learn from the hack of Solar Winds is that nothing is truly, truly safe. We don’t know where government agencies and private industry systems were breached – and how badly they were breached – and when it comes to the government systems, we’ll probably never know. But I don’t think we’re going out on a limb by saying that 1.) Solar Winds will need to work extra hard to regain the confidence of customers (and their customers, too) and that if 2.) they don’t succeed in repairing their systems and reputation, they’ll join a lot of other companies on technology’s garbage heap. From our various industry contacts, we had heard customers wanted to leave Solar Winds for reasons other than security.

The big data management companies should be subject to much more scrutiny by government oversight and by their customers. Strict government oversight similar to what we do to monitor CIA activity is necessary because of the extremely critical and sensitive nature of government work. Industry regulation is required to set standards for performance and accountability.

How much oversight and regulation are needed is a political question. What is not political is the need to keep our systems secure and, where possible, insist on transparency in letting us know when things go wrong. Dependency is critical because every system is so intertwined. It’s easy to see it if you look at it like a wheel. In the case of Soar Winds, look at them as the hub, and then look at every organization in their customer list as spokes connecting the hub to the rim. The rim is everyone who does business with any one of the spokes.

Solar Winds and its customers are not the first victims of sophisticated hacking, and unfortunately, they won’t be the last. Google has experienced problems, including an email issue last month, and Microsoft has had its share of issues. Look at what our nation went through with security for our elections.

As individuals we can demand that big data management companies take greater care, but we also need to own our security and asset protection. A lot of it is technology-based. We’ve implored everyone over the years to keep all operating systems, networks and application software up to date – to make sure you download and install updates, security patches and bug fixes. We’ve implored everyone to have all data securely backed up and to have a plan to get your assets – like money in your bank account – when you need them.

Beyond that, be critical of information requested when you fill out forms. Why does somebody need your social security number? Even for a job application, does your prospective employer need that information before they’re ready to do a background check or pay you? Don’t be afraid to question a request or demand a satisfactory answer. For companies where you have critical relationships, like your bank, maintain personal contacts. Know that you can pick up a phone and actually talk to a real human being when you’re concerned about your asset. We can help you with the technology part of security. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for a security audit or to discuss applications and processes that can keep your computers as safe as possible when a big data manager is breached.

Shopping and Shipping 2020 Style

If you ask us to pick one word to define the 2020 holiday shopping season, we’d say “paradoxical.” With the pressure on to buy early and ship early, there’s no doubt you need to move fast. But at the same time, you should take a step back and carefully consider everything you do.

First, why the rush? Why do you need to shop early? Two reasons come to mind: 1.) You want to make sure you can get the gifts you want, and 2.) you want to make sure it can be delivered on time.

Let’s look at that second point first. It’s no secret that our major delivery services are already overtaxed. Many retailers contract with major shippers, such as UPS and FedEx, to deliver a specific number of packages during the season. They have already told the retailers they may not be able to pick up everything that’s on the loading dock every day, so it’s likely not all packages from the retailers will be delivered on schedule. We’ve seen major delays all year long because of the pandemic, and now we’re entering a time of traditionally high shipping volume. We need to take this into account if we’re ordering products that will be sent directly to the recipient.

In a sense, the retailers are competing with anyone who sends a package for that increasingly precious space on the trucks. There will be many people who will want to buy a number of items and put them in a single box to send to a family member or friend. If you’re planning on doing that this year, it’s even more reason to shop early – just so you can ship early. UPS and FedEx, which normally boast a 97 percent on-time delivery success rate, and the Postal Service, which normally boasts a 95 percent success rate, have all moved up their deadlines for the holidays.

And in the chaotic rush to send packages on time and ensure they’re received, here’s a scam tactic to look out for -fake shipping notices. We referred to it in our email, and it’s worth repeating. Scammers can send notices with fake links for tracking information. If you receive a notice, look carefully at the email address it comes from. Scammers are really good at making them look real, and it’s easy to copy and paste a logo. The better idea – if you want someone to know you sent something – is to send them the tracking info directly without any links to a website. The recipient can go to the website from a browser and add the tracking info.

Now for the products.

Don’t be so bargain-obsessed that you get sucked into a trap. There are too many to describe out there. If you see a price that’s too good to be true, be wary. This is the time of year that fake stores pop up online, including those that claim to be Amazon stores. When you do your comparison shopping, look at more than just the price. Look into the retailer. Sellers get ratings and comments just like products, and you should go to independent rating sites for retailers just like you do for products.

Make sure that phone numbers and addresses on store sites are genuine, so you can contact the seller in case of problems. Also take a second look at URLs and app names. Misplaced or transposed letters are a scam giveaway but easy to miss. Finally, carefully read delivery, exchange, refund and privacy policies. If they are vague or nonexistent, take your business elsewhere.

If you see a really good price, make sure it’s for a current model of a product – or understand you’re getting a clearance price on an older, lesser or discontinued model. That can be especially true with electronics.

Once you’re satisfied, you’re buying a legit product from a legit seller, use a credit card to pay for it – and make sure the site has the proper security. That can be tough because it’s easy for a scammer to use a fake https:// in the URL and just as easy to throw up any kind of graphic. You can always pick up the phone to complete an order. Don’t pay by wire transfer, money order or gift card. You won’t have any way to effectively dispute any charges if you’re dissatisfied with the purchase or have been duped. Sellers that demand these types of payments are generally scammers.

If you’re giving a gift to someone in your household or nearby, ordering online and picking it up at the store may solve a number of potential problems. You’ll be able to verify you got what you ordered, and you won’t need to worry about shipping delays. We’ve been using curbside pickup more and more and highly recommend it if it’s a feasible option.

We’re here to help in many ways during this holiday season. If you think you may have accidentally compromised your online security in any way, call us – 973-433-6676 – immediately. If you need help with setting up electronic gifts, email us.

What I’ll Miss About CES

I used to look forward to CES, the Consumer Electronics Show held every January in Las Vegas. Like everything else in town, it was glittery, glitzy and way over the top. But I always focused on finding the tech experts to learn more about how products worked. Now, it’s all changed. This year’s show starts Jan. 11, totally online, a reflection of where life is headed as the pandemic continues.

Being a techie, I loved talking to the engineers at the exhibits of product manufacturers. Whether it was for a product that caught my interest or one that many of my clients use, the engineers could answer my questions or explain the key areas that made a product work. They told me where I could unlock more capabilities and where I could stumble into a deep, dark hole.

You didn’t have to be a techie to get into the show. There was always something to wow anybody who attended, and there were neat toys that companies were giving away. Last year, I registered to get a flood detector that a company named Orbit introduced. It’s a good concept. It has Wi-Fi enabled sensors that you can put on the floor in a place that might flood, such as near a water pipe, sink, toilet or washing machine. It has an app that you install on your smartphone, and it warns you when the sensor detects water.

My friend, who attended the show with me, registered for one, too. They said they’d ship them; that’s what everyone says. After a while, we forgot about them. But last month, we got FedEx notices, and we could see that they were legitimately from Orbit. My system is on my basement floor, where, fortunately, it’s been silent.

But for all its glitter and glitz, CES is a show of concepts more than readily available products. Last year, as you may recall, healthcare was the major focus. If you had wristwatches stretching from your wrist to your shoulder, they would all contain features and apps that you couldn’t condense to just a few units. There were that many.

Flexible telephones, such as the one Samsung introduced, were not available until later, and the same was true of really large, really lightweight TVs with 8K resolution. Very few of them are on the market, and there is hardly any content I can think of that you can view with 8K resolution. Even 4K resolution is not universal – nor is it compelling technology for many.

I may go to the online CES, but it’s not the same. If you’re wandering around virtually, I’m sure there will be links to product manufacturers’ websites. But if you’re looking for information about the types of products you might buy, you can go directly to the websites. And if you want to actually see and touch the real thing, you might consider heading off to Best Buy.

If you’re looking for a TV, for example, you can get side-by-side comparisons by looking at multiple brand names, screen sizes and levels of technology. You can see if a specific size will fit in the room where you’ll watch it. You can do the same with any appliance and any type of smart home device you want to install. Seeing a product in person gives you a different perspective, and even with minimal sales staff, you can find somebody in a store who can answer some of your basic questions better than with most online chat services.

A trip to the store can also help us help you better with buying and configuring TVs, home electronics and smart home devices. You’ll have a better idea of what you want or need to buy and where to install it, and we’ll be better able to answer questions about what can work better and what’s possible to meet your expectations. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us. We can review product specs to help you make a good selection and provide whatever installation and configuration help you might need.

Finding and Thwarting Scammers

We helped a client recently resolve a personal financial issue that involved online banking and credit cards. The story illustrates some of the dangers we face in our online world. We can’t run away or hide from those dangers.

Those of us with aging parents face a gut-wrenching dilemma. Without getting involved in anybody’s specific family dynamics, we want our elderly parents to remain independent (as much as they want to be independent), but we also know they are more vulnerable to scams because they tend to be more trusting. Their vulnerability becomes even greater as they use technology more.

This story started with a credit card issued by BP, the gasoline retailer, and money that started to disappear from our client’s mother’s account through Synchrony, a bank that has close ties to Amazon and is used to finance merchant accounts. Our client manages the finances for his mother, who is in her 90s and lives in an assisted living facility. A gasoline credit card was odd because his mom stopped driving four years ago. That raised one red flag. Synchrony raised another.

We surmised that someone that someone was able to hack his mother’s bank account and then created a way to use her info get the credit card and create the transfer portal. In all likelihood, they found a piece of junk mail with the credit card offer and used it to do their dirty work. No email was involved. The credit card had a balance of $1,500, even though he had no knowledge of the card being used. So, he made a $200 payment and saw the balance transferred to what looked like a debit card. He also changed the bank account, but the connection was still there.

When our client wondered if his mom’s account had been hacked – and if any others had – we told him to investigate. He changed the bank account again and told us he was worried that his other accounts at the bank might be affected. In addition to his mother’s account, he had a personal account and one for his business. All were online. Fortunately, the scammers never got there.

To protect the money for the three accounts, our client created a sweep account in his wife’s name for personal use. This enabled him to clean out the accounts he was worried about on a daily basis to keep it safe.

At the same time, he had to send letters to the banks involved to cancel the credit card and close all the bogus accounts and open new accounts. None of this activity tied his mother’s taxpayer ID number to any of the accounts. Had there been a connection, the scammers could have done much more damage.

But it all started with the low-hanging fruit – that credit card offer that anyone could send in. The same problem can come from those “checks” you get in the mail that are really loans. Anyone can use them, and it can hurt you if your name is on the “check.”

Our advice: Pay as much attention to physical pieces of mail as you do to email. Don’t throw those offers in the trash or recycling bin. Shred them or cut them into tiny pieces that can’t be reassembled. At the same time, keep your online presence secure and check your financial info regularly to spot anything that looks out of order.

We can help you with a security audit and we can explain the technology behind various security measure you can take. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to set up a consultation and implement a program.

Why Can’t We Vote Online?

We file our tax returns online. Our Social Security system is online. Businesses and financial institutions transfer billions of dollars online every day. Why can’t we vote online?

I know this is a politically charged issue, but we need to look at online voting to make our elections more accessible and more efficient. I say this as we wait for six states to reach a result, including Georgia, where my in-laws live, and neighboring Pennsylvania. We’re not complaining about the time-consuming, labor-intensive process required to count every vote, but it has given us time to think about how we can make the process better.

I’m casting a vote for online voting, and I am highly confident the many disciplines that make up our technology industry can make it happen. I know that fraud is a major concern, and while some may have overblown concerns, fraud is a valid worry. However, the industry does a good job of minimizing it.

On the personal level, we’ve already mentioned that we file our tax returns online – federal and state. Those who are part of Medicare and receive Social Security benefits can complete all transactions online, including paying their premiums and receiving their benefits by direct deposit. We can file for unemployment benefits online, access our medical records online and even re-enter the country using apps such as Global Entry, which relies on biometrics, and Mobile Pass, which relies on info accessed from a smart phone.

Businesses use all sorts of online systems to transfer money safely and securely. While government elections are sacred – as well they should be – there’s a lot of money at stake when companies and banks send billions of dollars through millions of transactions every day. When breakdowns occur, they can generally be traced back to the exploitation of someone’s sloppiness or ignorance. We know that one country’s government can have an interest in affecting another country’s government, but there’s a far larger universe of hackers looking for ways to get their hands on someone else’s money. There are more ways for them to access and monetize someone’s sensitive health information.

Therefore, if we focus just on elections, I believe we should be able to make those systems safe and secure. We have the tools in place; we just need to refine them and make them stronger. We constantly refine and strengthen tools as a general practice, so it’s not like we’re looking for something completely new.

We can also make better, more extensive use of two-factor authentication – as well as increased biometrics and other forms of password-replacement technology that can make our entire internet experience more secure.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and signature verification software has been used for years. We have systems for providing electronic signatures for financial transactions great and small. Why not apply this technology to elections? Technology can be used to verify or update many a person’s residence. We have driver’s license information and utility bills online, for example. When we change addresses, that information changes – and is recorded. In many states, we are automatically registered to vote or can register to vote when we get or renew driver’s licenses.

We have the technology to coordinate all this information. What we need now is the will to do it. Our COVID crisis has forced us to take long, hard looks at new ways of doing things we’ve always done. New processes and procedures are likely to stay as we emerge from the pandemic (we will at some point), and voting is one of them. States expanded early voting and mail-in or absentee voting to avoid larger lines and longer waits in crowded places. The overwhelming response likely means we’re not going back on that.

Going forward with online voting will require governments at all levels to change laws and requirements, and that won’t be easy. There’s a lot of passion and fears when it comes to politics and elections. The technology industry, too, will need to prove it can – beyond any doubt – provide a secure platform to hold elections.

But we, too, as individuals, will need to step up our game. We’ll need to make sure that our individual systems are secure by keeping our network and device firewalls, antivirus and malware software up to date and installed. We’ll need to make sure we have the latest operating systems – with security patches – installed, and the same goes for all the apps we use.

Online voting may not be the right option for everyone. We just think it’s time to add it to the other options already available.

And regardless of whether we have online voting, you should still take all the steps that are needed to keep your networks and devices safe and secure. If you have any questions, we can help. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your online security needs – and talk about how we can promote effective online voting.

Healthcare and Ransomware

As many of you know, our family has spent a lot of time in hospitals over the past 30 days. Thankfully, we’re all healthy – and the doctors have been great. But looking at their technological support systems as a patient, parent and IT specialist, I could use an electronic sedative.

Judging from what I see in news reports, hospitals seem to be prime targets for ransomware. That’s a lot of sensitive data to hold hostage, and I have a greater appreciation of the consequences now than a month ago. Every hospital room I was in had a computer. Every member of the medical staff who examined Charlie or me had to login to enter all the data used to update our charts. Every medication we were given was logged into the system. The process created an information lifeline that was critical for every step in our treatments.

The data the hospitals used to treat us was entered before we were admitted. The doctors who examined us previously entered notes into our electronic charts. The results of COVID tests were entered. Everything, it seemed, had to be verified at every stage of our care. It was comforting to know that every caregiver had access to the latest information on a screen, where it could be clearly displayed without the need to decipher somebody else’s handwriting.

But what happens when the technology breaks down? What would have happened if just before surgery, a hacker had invaded Charlie’s chart or mine and held the records hostage as the anesthesiologist was about to administer drugs? What if one of us had a bad reaction to anesthesia during surgery? That’s not the best time for us to begin hostage negotiations, and even in the willingness to pay ransom, it’s not the same as going online to pay your credit card bill.

I’d feel a lot better about healthcare if the hospital systems put the same resources into information technology as they do into their healthcare technology. I saw truly amazing systems to treat us, but the news reports tell another story. IT systems, even in large systems in large metropolitan areas, are antiquated and don’t get regular updates for security patches and bug fixes. If I were prescribing a remedy, it would be to update those systems immediately.

And as large hospital systems acquire smaller, financially strapped hospitals, it’s even more important to take that update medicine. With telemedicine becoming more common, there’s more interaction with a variety of technology systems and networks, so I would demand the hospitals build electronic fortresses.

The same goes for physicians’ offices, regardless of whether they are part of a hospital system or in some other network. As patients, we regularly use the medical systems’ portals – websites – to access records, refill prescriptions and use other essential information. What if the doctor’s system goes down? What if someone is having a life-and-death emergency during a hostage negotiation because the doctor’s IT system was hacked?

To borrow an old phrase: Physician’s office, update thyself.

At the same time, we need to keep our systems secure. The hospital and office systems we deal with are likely to have done everything right. But if we leave a door open in our own system, it could be the opening a hacker needs to get into a healthcare system and hold critical data hostage.

We can help you make sure you keep up your end of the deal. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to arrange for a security audit of your system. For hospitals and doctors’ offices, we’re always happy to provide a second opinion.

Websites and the Need to Know

Why do some companies and organizations, especially non-profits, feel the need to post the names of their entire staffs on their websites? The question came up in a recent conversation with an IT colleague.

Smaller companies and non-profits seem to get hack-attacked more often, and they tend to list everyone in the company or organization on their websites – along with their contact information. If that organization is running “lean and mean,” it could have a lot of people wearing many hats and juggling unrelated tasks. That can create a vulnerability when an outsider can distract a busy worker who has access to sensitive information.

Here’s a possible scenario that illustrates the problem.

When you list the contact info for the bookkeeper, you may be listing it for an employee who has access to all the organization’s financial data but has no need for public contact. A hacker doesn’t need to be especially skillful to use the bookkeeper’s email address to launch a phishing attack in a variety of ways. The most obvious, of course, would be to spoof a bank. But it could also be a spoof email from someone connected with the organization who is looking for something, such as wanting to know if a check was deposited.

If the bookkeeper responds to the bogus bank link or the spoofed email, it could open the door to getting more financial information or sensitive data – not only from your organization but from every person or organization you deal with.

Why take the risk? If you limit names and contact information to those whose duties involve some aspect of public contact, you can limit your exposure. If someone really needs to contact your bookkeeper, for example, they can call a general phone number for the organization where a gatekeeper can determine if it’s a legitimate call or can “take a message” so the bookkeeper or another employee can return the call. If the contact is made by email, it can go to a general mailbox, where a gatekeeper can read it and distribute it appropriately.

If you limit contact info in a small company or non-profit to the C-Suite, you can limit your exposure to hacking, ransomware and other vulnerabilities. If people outside your organization need to contact specific individuals, that information can be provided privately.

We can help. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to help you set up appropriate email addresses and work with your web designer to make your website more secure.

The Night the ‘Office’ Went Dark

Two weeks ago, Microsoft’s Office 365/Microsoft 365 cloud-based services, which include the online Office apps, went down for as long as five hours in some parts of the United States, Western Europe and India. As of this writing last week, users were still reporting sporadic outages of some services. So far, our clients have not been affected, but It’s a fluid situation.

No matter what happened and what might happen, you can protect your data by backing up your files in more than one place. The outage hit Azure, a Microsoft platform, that we use for our backup for Microsoft 365, which was known as Office or Office 365. Microsoft 365 is built on Azure. It wasn’t the first time it was hit by an outage, and it won’t be the last. In its most recent outage, Azure and Microsoft 365 were affected by what was reported as a major Azure Active Directory authentication issue. In practical terms, users got kicked out of cloud-based applications, such as Office, Outlook, Exchange, Teams and SharePoint. It lasted from roughly 5 to 10 p.m. on Sept. 28.

Microsoft said very little but referred to an update in their network structure – and then said they rolled back the changes to an older version. It was all automated, but because of the authentication issues, some administrators couldn’t see the changes. Over the course of two weeks, problems cascaded worldwide – and randomly. Despite what Microsoft reports, we haven’t seen any satisfactory explanations of what happened and how it was fixed.

In this case, we don’t know of any data losses, but if you can’t access your files, they’re as good as lost until the service comes back. That’s where multiple backups are valuable. As a small business or home user, you may still have a computer with a version of Office installed. If you can pull a file from another storage site, such as Mozy (one of our partners) or Dropbox, or from an external hard drive, you may be able to work with your file. You also can store files on your computer’s hard drive.

One of the problems with an outage such as the one that hit Azure, you never know when it will hit. We reported on an outage two years ago, and we did have at least one client who was affected.

At the time we were affected, we were doing a setup at a client and needed to get a big file from Azure. When I logged in to get it, I got no access; I just got a message they would send a text. I had an external hard drive with an old version of the file, and that was not suitable. Transferring the file remotely from my office computer would have taken too long. We solved the immediate problem by transferring the file from my computer to my Dropbox account and then downloading it from there. We and our client were fortunate that I had the capability – files stored on a computer I could access and Dropbox – to initiate a solution.

Azure solves recovery issues for us because it works seamlessly in the background with Office 365, including Outlook and its PST files for your email. For some, backing up email may be more important than backing up files.

As an IT professional, I like Azure’s ability to generate reports – with more capabilities coming online all the time. Microsoft constantly uses customer feedback to add more power to the platform. That gives us the ability to go back into our clients’ backup records to trace incidents and to restore files after a catastrophic event. That’s critical because it can be 90 days – sometimes longer – before a hack or data loss is discovered by a client. When that happens, we can go back in time through the power of Azure to find data files that help us help you recover.

We can help you with continuity during various service outages, but it all starts with accessing your data.  Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your backup and file storage options. The cost of a workable redundancy system may pale in comparison to the loss you could suffer from the loss of data or the loss of access to your data.

iPhone 12: It’s Here

iPhone 12 has arrived, and it could be in your hands (or mine) in less than two weeks. As with every Apple product rollout, this one is shrouded in secrecy and pierced by leaks. You can get the official info from the online presentation – Hi, Speed – from Apple Park.

By the time you read this, you may have already seen the presentation, which is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. Regardless, here’s what we’re zeroing in on from what we’ve seen. iPhone 12 pre-orders could begin this Friday, and the first shipments could happen on October 23.

Rumors suggest the 6.7-inch iPhone and one 6.1-inch models will be higher-end devices with triple-lens cameras, while the 5.4 and 6.1-inch models will be lower-end iPhones with dual-lens cameras and a more affordable price tag. All iPhones in 2020 are expected to feature OLED display technology regardless of price. There were rumors that 120Hz displays could be included within the high-end iPhone 12 models, but more recent rumors indicate Apple will wait until 2021 to unveil the feature.

Reports indicate that Apple will take the plunge into 5G capability, but it’s possible that only one model, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will offer the fastest possible speeds. That makes sense; its 6.7-inch size will be able to house the antenna and slower-draining battery to provide the performance. iPhone is likely to have several ranges of 5G service with all the modems in the phone coming from Qualcomm.

With 5G still early in its development and deployment, we’ll need to wait to make better use of it, but the new iPhone 12 will be ready for at least some of it. Another futuristic twist will be LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). It uses lasers to judge distances and depth, and it’s big news for augmented reality (AR) and, to a lesser extent, photography. One can only wonder what it might open for new experiences on iPhones and iPads – and Apple Glasses.

But so much for the future. For the here and now, let’s review the expected specs and pricing for the four likely versions of the iPhone 12. All will have the new A14 processor and a minimum of 128GB storage, which is critical for all the apps we expect to use and high-image photos and videos we’ll want to take.

  • iPhone 12 mini will be considered the entry-level iPhone 12 with a 5.4-inch OLED panel with a rumored resolution of 2340×1080 pixels and Y-OCTA technology, which means that the touch sensor is integrated directly into the display. Like the iPhone 11, this model will rely on dual rear cameras, losing the telephoto in the Pro versions. It comes with 4GB of RAM. Estimated price: $699
  • iPhone 12 with its 6.1-inch will have the larger screen and battery size, and its OLED panel will have 2532×1170 resolution. It also has 4G of RAM. Estimated price: $799
  • iPhone 12 Pro is expected to have a 6.1-inch flexible OLED screen and could be the first phone to feature 10-bit color support with its 2532×1170 resolution along with Y-OCTA technology. Its screen may support a 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with 6G of RAM. Look for storage options up to 512GB. It could have three rear lenses, highlighted by a 64MP main sensor, plus a LiDAR time-of-flight sensor that will improve performance of AR apps. Estimated price: $1049
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max will be the same as the iPhone 12 Pro with a bigger 6.7-inch OLED screen and higher resolution at 2778×1824 pixels. A 120Hz refresh rate is also possible. Estimated price: $1149

We think the specs for each of the new iPhone 12s should hold pretty close to rumor reports. We’ve already seen some of the new features through the recent release of the iOS 14 operating system for iPhones and iPads – which coincided with the new iPad Air and 8th Generation last month. The pricing may be different. There will also be variations based on the storage capacity you choose.

If you drop down to 64GB on the iPhone 12 Mini or iPhone 12, you can save $50, which is probably false economy. Moving up to 256GB will likely add $100 to the base prices, and it may be worth the money. For the Pro and Pro Max models, going to 256GB will add $100, and going to 512GB will add $200.

While we’re on the subject of Apple upgrades, we’re expecting an upgrade to macOS Big Sur. It could be part of today’s announcements. The current version of macOS Catalina (10.15) is supported across every model line of Mac laptop and desktop, but only going back as far as 2012. With the release of Big Sur, Mac users will still see plenty of Intel-based Macs supported, but not as many as Catalina. It’s one of the big questions we have because many of our clients use Windows-based Microsoft 365 (Office) on their Macs. It’s likely that newer devices, like the iMac Pro and the MacBook will see all models supported, but products with longer legacies, like the Mac mini and the MacBook Air will see a lot of products missing out on support for Big Sur.

Releasing the new OS for Mac along with the new iPhone rollout would make a lot of sense, especially leading into the holiday shopping season. Apple already rolled out the new iPads and Apple Watch, along with OS upgrades for those products, the iPhone and Apple TV+.

Watch our social media for comments on the new Apple devices and operating systems. We can help you with OS updates and custom-configuring both the new operating systems and new devices. Once we see each of the new phones’ properties and prices, we’ll be able to guide you in selecting a new phone that’s right for you. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to talk about it.

Disinformation Wars Scaling Up

Disinformation is as old as the homo sapiens species. But the ability to create misleading information and deep fakes continuously gets better and more vicious, and the speed at which it can spread gets faster. It’s easy to say, “get your news from trusted sources” and “use common sense,” but the deceptions are sophisticated.

Disinformation is the blend between misinformation and malinformation. Misinformation can be simple or significant unintentional mistakes such as an error in statistics or translations. Malinformation can be the purposeful change of private information for personal, business or, as we’ve seen in this election cycle, political interests. Disinformation is the deliberate changing and manipulating content to spread rumors, conspiracy theories and propaganda.

Disinformation is difficult to distinguish and anyone is susceptible, including professional TV and radio show hosts. Even when news organizations discover disinformation or malinformation and edit or retract their stories, fire journalists etc., there are far-reaching consequences.

We applaud the efforts that social media are taking to call out and remove the deliberate dissemination of lies and distortions. Because anyone with the technical ability can game the algorithms used by social media, we do need humans to make some judgment calls. Those humans work for the social media companies, but you are also a human who can apply intelligence to judging the truth of any social media post or news item.

The consensus is that some 3.5 billion people worldwide engage through social media. Facebook is by far the largest social media organization, but with many social media organizations claiming hundreds of millions, if not billions, of users, it’s clear that we all visit several every day. Some 500 videos are uploaded every minute to YouTube.

With that said, here are some fact-checking tips and tools, starting with the tips.

  • Consider the source of the information. Is it legitimate or proven to be reliable? You don’t have to agree with the source’s point of view, but you should respect its integrity.
  • Read past the headline. Don’t assume the entire story is true, especially if the headline is worded in a way that catches your attention.
  • Check up on the author. Reputable news organizations use bylines to identify who reported and wrote the story. Reporters often have bios at the end of a story.
  • Don’t assume information is correct just because it confirms your beliefs.
  • Check the date. Information from the past can be manipulated into looking like up-to-date facts.

If you assume that everything you see on social media or on any news site needs some fact-checking, here are some sites you can visit.

  • Politifact is a fact-checking website that verifies elected officials’ statements. It has its most recent posts on its home page, but you can find extensive links to check out just about any specific candidate.
  • FactCheck.Org aims to reduce the level of deception in U.S. politics. On the right side of its home page, you can select specific topics for investigation, and it also has a “misinformation directory” organized alphabetically of websites that have published misleading information.
  • Snopes is one of the oldest fact-checkers on the internet.
  • The Daily Dot put together a list of fake websites that appeared on Facebook. While the link dates back to April, you can find current information once you get on the website.
  • Google Fact-Check Explorer can tell you if a fact or claim has been investigated by a fact-checking organization. Its home page is wide open. You’ll need to enter a name or phrase to get the fact-checker started.
  • Media Bias Fact Check can either confirm your suspicions or enlighten you. Use the search function to enter a specific news outlet. You can also learn a bit about the website’s methodology.

With less than a month to go before Election Day, you can expect more disinformation on the internet, especially in social media and on websites designed specifically to spread false information. We hope you find the websites we’ve mentioned useful in helping you make up your own mind and in deciding what to share. If you have similar sites to share or tips on evaluating information on the internet, we invite you to leave a comment or post it on our Sterling Rose Facebook page.