Equifax and Protecting Your Identity

If anyone learns just one lesson from the recently disclosed hack of Equifax, the credit-rating service that has the keys to many people’s vital data, here it is: You have to take your data protection into your own hands.

We had a really queasy feeling when we saw the news reports, and a lot of the information didn’t pass our initial smell test. First, why did it take so long for Equifax to notify its customers and authorities? More than a month went by before there was any announcement. Second, when Equifax did respond, it seemed ineffective. You can go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/, enter some information about your name and Social Security number and see if you have something to worry about. From there, you need to scroll to the bottom of the page to find the Potential Impact button, which will take you to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/potential-impact/. Most people will learn that their data has possibly been compromised.

If you don’t want to fuss around with the internet, you can call a dedicated call center, 866-447-7559, from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. ET every day to discuss your account.

You can go back online and enroll in a credit monitoring with program with Equifax – or with Experian or TransUnion, the other two credit reporting agencies in the US. Equifax will give you the program free for a year without requiring you waive the arbitration clause and class action waiver included in the Equifax and TrustedID Premier terms-of-use for this cybersecurity incident.

We strongly recommend you take these additional steps:

  • Place an initial fraud alert on your credit records. Again, it doesn’t matter which reporting agency you use. They all “talk” to each other. When lenders see the fraud alert when checking your credit, they must take additional steps to verify that it is actually you who wants to open the account. Initial fraud alerts are good for 90 days, and you can renew them or cancel them as it suits your needs. Equifax is offering an “automatic fraud alert” feature, which automatically renews itself every 90 days.
  • Freeze your credit. This makes it virtually impossible to open an account in your name because it blocks access to your credit report. Nobody can complete a credit check, so someone else won’t be able to open an account. A credit freeze won’t expire until you choose to remove it, and you can cancel and reinstate them as needed. However, you must place a credit freeze with each bureau individually, and that can come with a fee, usually $10 or less, depending on what state you live in or if you’re already a victim of identity theft.
  • Sign up with a credit monitoring service. We have a service that does this, but there are others.
  • Check your bank and charge accounts and your credit score regularly. If you see something that raises a red flag, contact your financial institutions or credit reporting agencies immediately.

 We spoke to a number of people involved in the storage of highly sensitive personal information, and they all reminded us that you need to protect more than your financial information. Any organization that stores your medical and insurance records is vulnerable to a hack, and that can lead to additional problems. For example, someone who has your medical records can file a fraudulent medical insurance claim using your records.

That, of course, gets us back to advice you’ve often heard from us:

  • Install all updates for operating systems and application software as soon as they are available for computers and devices. The updates almost always include security patches and bug fixes.
  • Manage your passwords. Keep them long and complex and change them frequently.
  • Keep your networks secure by installing updates, managing passwords effectively, making sure your firewall and anti-virus protection is active, and limiting access to administrative functions.
  • Use common sense. Don’t click on links within an email from someone you don’t know or on something that looks out of the ordinary from an address you recognize. Email addresses are easily hijacked – and not necessarily because the owner of the address did something wrong. Don’t click on pop-up ads or ads with offers that are too good to be true.

Are we safe on the internet anymore? No, but you can be safer if you take ownership of your security. We can check security settings and run deep scans to help keep you as safe on the internet as possible. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to set up a security audit or answer any questions you have about managing your security.

Google Drive Drives into the Sunset

Here we go – again. Another staple of our applications is being replaced. This time, it’s Google Drive, which Google will stop supporting as of this coming Dec. 11 and will shut down next March 12. Taking its place: Backup and Sync, which will be more powerful.

Backup and Sync replaces both the company’s Drive and Photos desktop apps for Windows PCs and Macs. It allows you to store any photos, videos and documents in the same format on Google’s cloud for safekeeping from crashes and unfortunate accidents. You can use the app to back up the contents of your entire computer – or just selected folders.

Once you download the app and launch it, sign into your Google account and select which folders you’d like to continuously back up to Google Drive. For photos, you have two options: High Quality or Original Quality. High Quality will compress photos larger than 16 megapixels and videos with a resolution higher than 1080p, but these compressed files will not count against your data cap.

Oh, yes, there is a data cap. Are you surprised? The new and improved Google Drive gives you 15GB of file storage for free. Then, the rates go up to $19.99 a year for 100GB or $100 a year for 1TB. That’s not excessive. You get additional flexibility by being able to download files to work offline, and you can download the app for your mobile device, too. Plans for even greater storage capacity are available.

The new app is available now from the Google Drive or Google Photos page. The only downside is that you can’t use Backup and Sync as a restore tool if your computer crashes. But we have options available for that.

We can also help you set up Backup and Sync so it works as you want and coordinate how it works on your computer and mobile device. Storing your data files and photos and videos offsite is the way to go for safety and flexibility. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to answer your questions or provide assistance.

Cyberbullying Hits Home

When you know a family that’s been victimized by cyberbullying, you take a closer, more personal look at this problem as both a parent and an IT professional.

As I was waiting for a flight home the week before last, I saw something on Facebook and had a sinking feeling. I knew the family through my affiliation with the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, and I had heard about a service earlier in the week for a young woman in our community, Mallory Grossman.

It was a suicide that came to a head because of cyberbullying. It brought home problem that is plaguing mostly youngsters but also people of all ages. The internet allows anyone to post the meanest messages imaginable and largely stay anonymous.

The solution is not a tech issue because this problem is rooted in how we function as a society. Some people have cruel senses of humor, and in the absence of personal filters, there are few filters to prevent them from spewing venomous posts. When the target of cyberbullying is experiencing other issues, which the bully likely doesn’t know about (and could selfishly care less), it’s like pouring gasoline on a fire.

I honestly don’t know what the answer is. As parents of two children approaching their teenage years, my wife and I are extremely concerned. Perhaps we need an even more concerted effort to provide better education for parents and students, and maybe that can be done through the school curricula in coordination with programs run by PTAs and/or business associations. The business associations can encourage their members to provide some kind of education program for their employees.

Technology measures by themselves will be ineffective for many reasons. Chief among them, very few parents have the capability to totally monitor and control their children’s online activity. Even for those of us who know a lot about technology, what will it accomplish? It won’t teach our kids about social responsibility. Instead, it will motivate them to find ways to break our technological measures, and kids in groups are pretty good at figuring out how to override our controls.

Further, what’s to stop any kid who has no access to some websites from going to a friend’s house and getting online there?

Any blocking we can do is ultimately temporary, but if it can be a sufficient delay to prevent just one tragedy, it helps. If you have any questions about what you can do and need any help in setting up parental controls, call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us. And that goes double for working together on what we really need to do as a community to fight cyberbullying.

Passwords Becoming Passé

I’m as tired as anyone else when it comes to remembering dozens of arcane passwords for all the websites I need to access. Current and future technology will be able to provide relief and stronger protection. Here’s the lowdown on locking down.

If we’ve learned anything at all from the monthly ransomware reports, electronic “locks” are pickable. We’ve also learned that time is money for hackers when it comes to planting ransomware and other viruses that can make life painful or costly or both.

Operating under the assumption that any electronic barrier can be hurdled in time, you want to lengthen the time of your defense as much as possible – and we’re talking decades. The longer and more complicated the password, the longer it will take for hacking software to crack your code. We all know that when you include uppercase and lowercase letters in combination with numbers and special characters, the time stretches out. Making sure it follows no special pattern – that it’s totally random – adds to the security.

Many theories abound as to how to create a complex, random password that’s easy to remember. One suggestion is to take a phrase or sentence that you can easily remember. Then, take the first or second letter in your phrase and turn some into uppercase letters, numbers or special characters in a random order.

I have one password I use for everything, and I am extremely confident its length and complexity will deter hackers. You may find fault that I have only one password, and that would be a valid criticism. If it’s cracked, someone could get into every internet account I have.

You can eliminate the need to remember multiple passwords by using a password manager program. Some are free and some have a nominal cost. Basically, you just need to remember a master password to get into the system. The password manager randomly generates new complex passwords when you visit each site. Yes, you can argue that somebody could crack the password manager’s system. It’s possible, but would you feel more comfortable with $1 million under your mattress or in a vault that’s a half-mile underground, encased in 20 feet of concrete and guarded by a randomly rotated army that’s always being retrained?

You can augment the password manager with two-factor authentication, something we’ve liked and used for years. In many cases, you need to answer a question, and it should be something only you know. Other measures might include answers to randomly generated multiple choice questions based on publicly available information that can be verified as “right” or “wrong.” No “maybes” allowed.

In the future, passwords will give way to biometrics. The software is there; the hardware needs to catch up. Windows 10’s Hello can handle the biometrics, but most computers don’t have the 3-D cameras needed to use the feature. Some Microsoft Surface tablets have the cameras, and if you are in the right place, it works really well.

Regardless of what technology you use, don’t let your guard down. Don’t buy things or do your banking over a public Wi-Fi network. Use a trusted, secure network or a cellular data network. Make sure the networks you control are secure with up-to-date firewalls and anti-virus and anti-malware software. Make sure all operating systems and firmware are current with all bug fixes and security patches.

Remember that we can help you with all of your internet password and security needs, including choosing and setting up a password manager, setting up two-factor authentication and answering your questions about biometrics systems. Call us – 973-433-6676 – email us to set up an appointment.

Big-Picture Solution

When a new client wanted to go wireless in their new space, we found a way to wire it now and avoid future problems. The client is happy we offered the alternative, and that’s what got us the business.

There were two compelling reasons to wire the space.

The first reason was that the company, which does interior space planning, uses printers and plotters that cannot be connected over a wireless network. We noticed that when we went to their old offices the night before the move to disconnect all their systems.

The second compelling reason was that the opportunity was there.

Here’s how those two reasons fit together.

We had blocked out an entire day to install their equipment in their new office space, and that turned out to be a good move. From studying the map of where everything was supposed to go, we had envisioned a half-day of work. But experience has taught us that something always pops up.

When we arrived at the new offices, we noticed immediately that the floor below was vacant and that there was easy access to the space between the two floors. Our client’s new offices also had floor jacks to accommodate computers and work stations.

To our way of thinking, that was a bonus. We started to wire the office. The client agreed with our belief that wired systems are more reliable than wireless, and because there was wide-open space, it would be less disruptive and less expensive to do the wiring while moving in.

In the few weeks they’ve been in their new space, they’ve been running at top speed with no signal interruptions. That’s the benefit an experienced IT service firm can bring to a business. If you’re moving, we can look at your equipment, your new space and your business needs and help you optimize your information management system.

If you’re planning a move, call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to look at your new space and plan a setup that works for you.

Brave New Wireless World

It’s a wireless world out there, and it’s getting “wirelesser” every day. Not getting tangled up in wires can make for carefree experiences – as long as you’re not careless about your online presence. That’s especially true as you travel this summer. Here are some safety tips.

First, understand that we are not only living in a wireless world, we’re living in a Bluetooth world. To get it down to very simple terms, Bluetooth enables you to set up a short-distance radio broadcast/reception system, and for most applications, it’s a plug-and-play deal. You pair your mobile device with whatever broadcast system you’ll be using, and you’re good to go.

If you’re flying somewhere this summer, you’ll likely use a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for your inflight entertainment. Airlines are eliminating the seatback screens and related systems to reduce weight and space requirements. Mobile-device manufacturers are eliminating external ports for the same reasons. As a result, you’ll be likely to watch inflight movies or TV shows from the plane’s Wi-Fi network or watch programming you’ve already downloaded to your device or computer. And, you’re also likely to use Bluetooth headphones or earbuds.

Besides inflight entertainment, Bluetooth systems can be used to connect your phone or tablet to guided tours in museums, parks and other attractions. In addition, many cameras use Bluetooth to upload photo cards to mobile devices or computers.

Because it’s a broadcast system, there are security holes. You can start by trying to make sure your device or computer has Level Four Bluetooth security. That has the strongest authentication protocol, which can help your security. Newer phones, tablets and computers are more like to have this capability. Regardless of the security level, here are a few steps to help you secure your devices:

  • Make them “non-discoverable” when you have them in use. Turn off Bluetooth when you aren’t using the device.
  • Use headphones or earbuds with signal encryption.
  • Download and install all software updates and security patches.
  • Maintain physical control of enabled devices and “unpair” any that are lost or stolen.

Second, more and more of us are using Wi-Fi hotspots to enjoy the many benefits of internet connectivity while we’re on the go. Remember, you’re on unsecured – and untrusted – networks when you use these hotspots, so practice good security. You should especially make sure you and your family members avoid online banking or shopping on these networks, and that includes making online changes to your travel reservations or using a ridesharing app like Uber or Lyft.

Using a cellular network is safer, but make sure you have uploaded all the latest upgrades for your OS and apps and all security patches. Also make sure you have new, strong passwords and change them while you travel.

You might want to couple this with reviewing and/or deactivating any accounts you no longer use. A client recently got an email from Microsoft about an account that might have been compromised. We helped verify it was a legitimate message and traced it back to a free account or something that wound up being based in Turkey. He was able to access it and change the password; no harm, no foul.

However, it does raise the point that security and privacy laws vary among countries, and that you can’t depend on any company or government to guarantee your privacy and security when you’re connected to the internet or a Wi-Fi network.

We can help you make sure you have your security bases covered before you travel domestically or internationally – or even if you’re just going around the corner. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your travel-security needs.

Replacing Your Hardware

We’re a bunch of collegial competitors in IT support, and in recently sharing some thoughts with an industry fellow, I learned that Toshiba is shutting down its telephone business as part of a global restructuring. It seems that the pending bankruptcy of its Westinghouse Electric nuclear division is having a major financial fallout that’s affecting Toshiba America Information Systems’ (TAIS) Telecommunication Systems Division (TSD).

If you have a Toshiba phone system, as one client does, you need to make plans to secure third-party support or be ready to migrate to whichever company may buy Toshiba’s phone system assets. However, there are many things that any company needs to do whenever any of its technology suppliers goes out of business. Some companies have assets that can be acquired, in which case you can most likely expect factory-level support. Some companies are better than others about helping you stock up on replacement parts and providing final firmware updates and security patches, but we wouldn’t count on it.

As an IT support company, we can help you in a number of ways.

  • We’ll check to make sure you have the most up-to-date firmware and security patches for your hardware system. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of this. Any security hole in your phone system can easily lead to a breach in your entire network. Updates will buy time for any next steps you’ll need to take.
  • We’ll help you evaluate your options. Your best option may be to continue with your system based on its age, its capabilities and the strength of current firmware and security software or the strength of support from another provider. Our two goals are to protect the integrity of your business systems and to help you maximize your investment in your current technology.
  • If migration to another system is your best option, we’ll help you plan a budget and timetable for making your move. As part of the process, we’ll help you evaluate all the available systems that fit your needs to help you fully understand the strengths and weaknesses of each and set ROI goals.

System providers come and go. Always have; always will. But if you keep your eyes and ears open and take a deep breath when you get bad news about one of yours, we can always help you find a solution. And working together, we can find one that meets your cost and capability needs as best as possible. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us with any questions about looking for new systems.

Pulling the Plug at BA

An IT contractor for British Airways accidentally pulled the wrong plug as travelers queued up for a holiday weekend. That pulled the plug on travel plans for some 75,000 passengers and cost the airline a reported $128 million. It makes you wonder: Who else is vulnerable to an “oops”? Probably everybody, but we can all reduce our risk exposure with good backup systems.

The contractor’s mistake occurred at BA’s data center, and it caused the airline to cancel flights at London’s two airports, Heathrow and Gatwick. Besides the millions BA will pay for their customers’ inconvenience, there will be an investigation that will draw on company resources. It affected operations throughout the BA empire.

The incident raises two questions?

  1. Why wasn’t that cord clearly marked in some way, shape or form to give anyone a clue that it absolutely had to stay plugged in?
  2. Why wasn’t some sort of backup system available?

To me, the second question gets to some very fundamental issues about how major companies operate in today’s world. One of them is cost-cutting. News reports indicate that BA’s management was under pressure to cut costs and boost profit margins in a highly competitive industry. Well, we’re all in highly competitive situations, and we all want to raise our profit margins because we can’t raise prices – at least not without significant pushback.

But at some point, the large corporations that provide so many services for small businesses and consumers, like us, need to step up their game. They should be taking the steps our clients and customers would demand of us to make sure we serve them as expected. If one of the package delivery services, such as UPS or FedEx – or even the Post Office – has an IT failure that causes one of our deliveries to miss a deadline, the consequences for us will be much greater proportionately than for the big corporation.

Mechanical problems at a specific location can happen, but a data center problem should never happen because there are so many ways to add backups. Here are a few examples of what they can do:

  • Have a battery-powered back-up system in place so that everything in the system can be saved.
  • Have a back-up location that can be immediately and automatically activated so that critical operations continue.
  • Make time to make sure everyone is trained and retrained for all tasks they need to do on the system.
  • Keep your hardware and software up-to-date to make sure you have all performance and security measures installed. One of the things we’ve seen in many IT-related catastrophes, such as WannaCry ransomware, is that large businesses simply don’t bother to invest in technology in order to cut costs. They wind up paying more when something happens.

Let’s take this one step farther. You can be exposed to many of the same risks and can benefit from the same preventive measures in your office and at home. You can buy battery back-up systems and plug in your servers, routers and computers to give you time to save your data. You can use remote storage – the cloud – to save data and apps. You can make sure everyone knows what to do and not do with your system. You can automatically update your systems – especially your operating system and app software – to keep them secure.

Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us if you have any questions about keeping your home and office systems running in the face of any incidents – manmade or natural. We can also audit your system and give you a plan to stay plugged in.

Apple Speaks…or Listens

Siri’s new voice made a lot of noise at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last week. She’s the lead voice of HomePod, Apple’s home hub that will try to muscle out Google Home and Amazon’s Echo. But as they say, “wait, there’s more.” Apple had a lot more to announce and a lot for Apple fans to look forward to.

HomePod is the biggie. Like its competitors, you can ask questions and get info like news, scores and weather. Apple claims it’s going beyond the others by providing encryption to protect users’ privacy, and a system to sense the size of a room and adjust its acoustics. It’s expected to be available in December and carry a $349 price tag. But it also signifies a move by Apple to making greater use of artificial intelligence (AI), and that will be reflected in some of Apple’s other announcements.

You can look for a new operating system for Apple’s devices, iOS 11, and for Apple Watch, watchOS 4. Siri plays a key role in both. For iOS 11, Siri will be able to do more tasks, speak in a more natural voice and assume a male or female voice. There will be other features available, including a control center for making certain adjustments, a person-to-person payment feature for Apple Pay, GPS features and a “do not disturb” option for voice and text while you’re driving your car. Apple Watch will have a new Siri-focused interface that can personalize notifications based on your behavior at different times of the day, such as traffic updates before you leave for work or home.

The new iOS 11 will add new features to the iPad Pro, which will increase its screen size to 10.5 inches ($649) and a bigger 12.9-in screen model ($799). Both will have 512 GB of storage, and they’ll add productivity features with the new iOS, such as multi-tasking and drag-and-drop images between apps. With a better stylus, it should also read your handwriting.

Macs are getting a new OS, High Sierra, and the machines are getting upgrades, too. New desktops have higher memory capacity and stronger graphics performance. The 21.5-inch iMac starts at $1,099; a 21.5-inch, 4K-capable iMac Retina will cost $1,299; and a 25-inch iMac Retina 5K goes for $1,799. All are available now. In December, you’ll be able to get the new iMac Pro, but it will cost $4,999. For laptops, the MacBook and MacBook Pro have faster processors and solid-state hard drives. The 15″ MacBook Pro is also getting faster graphics. Apple is also cutting the basic price for the MacBook’s 13-inch model by $300. All are available now.

Finally, Apple TV customers will now be able to watch Amazon Video through their set-top boxes.

I’ve always been a big fan of iOS-powered devices and have been developing more of a liking for Apple products. I believe there are many instances where Apple and Windows products can integrate seamlessly and where other devices and systems can come into play. Apple’s announcements have raised my geeky sense of excitement, and I hope they do the same for you.

As always, we’ll be getting our hands on a lot of this new technology as soon as we can, and we’ll be available to help you make informed buying decisions and get everything properly installed and operating. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us with your questions and comments. Better yet, leave a comment on our website to share your thoughts and experiences with our Sterling Rose community.

Gigabit Service

For Verizon customers, 1-gigabit service for $70 per month sounds so good. But it may not be the service of your dreams. There’s a lot going on here, so let’s try to sort it out.

First, the initial offer is for new customers only. That shouldn’t surprise any consumers for anything we buy. Businesses routinely offer deep discounts to get new customers in the fold, and it can have one of two effects: 1.) it can upset existing customers and encourage them to churn through all their service providers, and 2.) it can be an attractive sample to get customers addicted to a certain level of service and immune to steep price increases later on.

For new customers looking to sign up, it’s not simply a matter of paying your $70 and getting a fast internet connection. There may be additional fees and required equipment upgrades (we’ll get to those shortly) on top of the initial fee, and there is a lot of confusion about how long you can keep the introductory rate before you get a big price increase. Verizon may be offering 1-gig service to existing customers as you read this newsletter, but we haven’t seen a clear description of prices for various packages as we write it.

Second, do you need that big a pipeline? Most of us don’t. Large online stores that sell lots of things through ecommerce are likely to need it. Businesses that send massive amounts of data through business applications, such as enterprise systems for huge, highly automated manufacturing systems, need it. Big, upscale hotels that offer streaming capability for their guests need it. Smaller businesses that push less data through their applications and home users who stream movies and TV programming probably don’t need it. Netflix, for example, recommends the following download speed in megabits per second (MBPS) per stream for playing TV shows and movies through its service:

  • 0.5 required broadband connection speed
  • 1.5 recommended broadband connection speed
  • 3.0 recommended for SD quality
  • 5.0 recommended for HD quality
  • 25 recommended for Ultra HD quality

Do your own math for what you need.

Third, do you have a wired network in place to use all that speed? Only a wired network can do it, and that’s why we recommend wiring office and commercial space for business. We also recommend it for new residential construction, and we recommend it if you are building a theater in your home for a big Ultra HD system. If you have devices connected to your gateway or router, you’ll get the connection speed. Any devices connected through Wi-Fi will get a slower speed, which can still be adequate based on Netflix’s recommendations.

Fourth, you won’t get gig-per-gig speed from the source. If Netflix recommends 25 MBPS for Ultra HD quality, they’re not pushing it out at 1 gig. The big businesses that need to get their data pushed out at that high a speed take advantage of a limited number of pipelines, and they pay for it.

Finally, how will you match your service to the router and cable boxes from your internet service provider (ISP), whether it’s Verizon or Comcast, and what are you willing to pay? Streaming aside, you can pay a hefty monthly fee for cable boxes capable of delivering programming and recorded shows to multiple TVs in your home. You can reduce your monthly outlay by replacing the cable boxes with a cable card that can work with four or six TVs, depending on the card. You’ll give up On Demand programming and on-screen caller ID (if you have a landline through your provider), but that may better fit your needs.

We can review your internet-connection needs for business or home and help you match equipment options to fit your budget. We can do the installation and setup – or walk you through the process and then use remote technology to help you with the setup. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for an appointment.