An article by Norton…pretty interesting. Don’t fall for it, be privy to what is “click-bait”. Videos and articles that are passed on Social Media with a “survey” you need to take before you view the highly desired content (which usually doesn’t even exist!) Read the article, and be smart! https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-5-ways-you-didnt-know-you-could-get-a-virus-malware-or-your-social-account-hacked.html
Ransomeware is everywhere now. If you don’t want your phone encrypted and locked up waiting for your payment, watch this, and then… DO IT! 🙂 (because I love you all…)
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/simple-steps-that-help-you-avoid-ransomware-on-android/
As of today, there is little regulation governing “hobbyists” …all the regulations govern commercial and government use, but hobbyists can do pretty much anything. Here is an EXTREMELY interesting video:
The discouraging answer is: They have FULL power, to do anything they want, and you can’t stop them, turn them off, or block them from your house. Through your router, they have access to everything that is connected to it. (If you are like me, that is everything in  your house) You are definitely going to want to watch this video. It is VERY enlightening. (and kind of scary really) If you heard about the router botnets that were recently shut down, well they started back up again. (The info on the router botnets are here: ROUTER BOTNET ATTACKS )  But here is the video you will really want to watch if you want to be security aware:
Yes, it’s true. Even though support ended long ago for the longest Windows operating system in history so far, Windows XP, Microsoft determined it was in their better judgment to put out a patch that protects against the “WannaCry” self-replicating malware. They deserve to be applauded for recognizing there are still many businesses using Windows XP (against all recommendations) If you want to READ MORE: …
Today, a major WordPress revision was released, along with many of the top plugins, and almost all the built-in themes, and probably some of the other ones. I know I was busy doing updates and backups all day long today, making sure all my client’s sites are current and secure, and also that the updates didn’t break them, so yes, testing also. But I always look forward to any new features that may come with the new releases. This update came with some great new widget updates, the text widget is especially nice, with a lot of the formatting no longer requiring HTML tags…you can even click to add hyperlinks now. It’s pretty nice. The major updates usually are. But for security reasons  you should always do them anyway. If you want to read up on all of it, you can read HERE  But I recommend just getting it.
OMG…I got so angry when I read this story about how Steve Girard of Gorham got threatened by the FAA. Steve has a full time job, but when he started playing with his new 3 lb. drone, and got pretty good at taking some pictures with it, and decided to sell them for a few dollars on his website, big brother, the FAA came in bullying him and threatened him with pulling down his site. You just HAVE to not only read this story, but also listen to audio recording they left on his voicemail. This shit just totally pisses me off!! Please share this story everywhere you can, and let the government know that it’s not nice to mess with the “little guy” …just because you can. It’s just not right.
If you want to go straight to the audio, that link is HERE, (but it’s also in the story above if you follow that link)
And since that article was a little old, I was curious. what exactly “is” the law ‘CURRENTLY’ and where do hobbyists stand? Well I did a little research for you. I found a case where the FAA tried to make another guy “register” his “unmanned aircraft” (really? It’s a toy for God’s sake!) …and the outcome. If you are a drone hobbyist, you are definitely going to want to read the outcome of that case. (I won’t spoil it for you, so please read the whole document, it’s not that long)
According to TechRepublic, Intel is releasing a new beast of a processor chip. It’s an 18 core, 36 thread processor, and that’s all the specs they have on it currently. Amazingly, even though they don’t even know the clock speed yet, they do seem to have set the price, which is roughly 2 grand; Yes, a $2,000 processor. They are calling it the first “teraflop speed” chip. …Well, I had to go look up that word, because I wasn’t familiar with it. So apparently, “teraflop” is equal to “a unit of computing speed equal to one million million (1012) floating-point operations per second.” (Google)
They do have some specs on some of the other lower “relatives” of the same i9-????XE (which stands for “Extreme Edition”) processors, (which aren’t “XE” but rather “X” processors) for example, the i9-7900X (not XE) runs at clock speed 3.3ghz, has 10 cores and 20 threads, draws 140 watts power, and supports 128Gb of Four channel DDR4-2666 RAM/memory. But currently, the i9-7980″XE” is the first in the “XE” category.
The “core X” series of processors (i7-????X, i9-7900X) runs on the X299 chipset, which supports up to 14 USB ports, 10 of which can be USB 3.0.; No PCI, but to 24 lanes PCI-E (x1, x2, x4) , and supports the new Intel Optane Memory. Intel® Optane™ memory is a revolutionary new class of non-volatile memory that sits in between system memory and storage to accelerate system performance and responsiveness. When combined with the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology Driver, it seamlessly manages multiple tiers of storage while presenting one virtual drive to the OS, ensuring that data frequently used resides on the fastest tier of storage. Intel® Optane™ memory requires specific hardware and software configuration. Visit www.intel.com/OptaneMemory for configuration requirements.
Artificial Intelligence is getting scary smart, and Google is the running. (of course) Their AI platform is integrated into playing the Game of “GO” which is the oriental version of chess really…and highly regarded strategic game in many circles. Google’s computerized version of the game, named AlphaGO, took on 5 top players AT ONCE and came out victorious. Even the best chess games, up to now, have been beatable by the champs…but soon, the computers will always win. (which takes the fun out of playing really) …but it does say something for AI. Anyway, you can read the article about the match-up here:Â Artificial Intelligence is getting scary smart!
This is just a courtesy post. WordPress 4.7.5 which is a security release, is out today. And with all the new crazy malware and ransomware out on the internet spreading like crazy right now, you need all the security you can get, so go update right away, and stay safe! https://wordpress.org/news/2017/05/wordpress-4-7-5/
I received an email today, reporting that many cases of scammers spoofing caller ID’s for SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON have been reported. Edison would like people to be aware of this information:
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We have recently experienced an increase in reports of caller ID spoofing, a practice in which special phone equipment falsifies information on your caller ID display. Calls may appear to be from SCE, when in reality the caller has no association with SCE and may try to sell you products, collect personal information or say your electric bill is past due when it’s not.
Common red flag warnings related to spoofed phone calls:
Tips to help protect yourself from caller ID spoofing scammers:
Please know that we take your privacy seriously and make every effort to protect your information. For additional red flag warnings and tips to protect yourself, please visit sce.com/scamalert.
If you believe you are the recipient of a spoofing call, contact SCE Information Governance at csinfogov@sce.com.
Being Mother’s Day, the thought has crossed my mind. But I haven’t put a purchase option up on the website yet, though it’s in the works right now. But in the meantime, if you need to give someone the gift of I.T. service, whether it’s a $50 discount (or some other amount), or a complete repair, or even website (or a deposit on one.) You can purchase it as a gift and give it to someone else. Just go to the contact page and reach out to me (or message me on one of the social network pages) and I’ll set something up personally for you.
And for all you hard working mother’s out there like me, let me wish you all a stress free, work free, pain free, Mother’s Day!! 🙂
Wow, I missed this one. I’m so sorry…I try to get this kind of information out there, and I usually run across this kind of stuff, but I missed this one. It was first discovered after Algeria’s position in our “Top Attacking Countries” list moved from 60 to position 24 practically overnight. When people started looking at why, the vulnerability was discovered in certain home routers from certain ISPs. The ISPs affected in the U.S. from what I can tell, is Comcast Cable, and Time Warner Cable. (not Verizon or Frontier) But, seeing how I am reporting late, the botnet has been shut down in the last 48 hours (they think) …but if you want the information on that botnet, and how they accessed HOME ROUTERS, read the article HERE (and the ones from the links inside the article, they have important information also!) Oh, I forget, you can check your own router HERE
Everything I.T. just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. So go find those eggs, or go get ready for church, or whatever it is that you do to celebrate the day! And be blessed today! We will not be around in the morning, but we will be back later on in the afternoon if you want to text, chat, email, or call. Remember, we are here to help! 🙂
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