Blue Ridge Technology

This is the latest trend in phishing attacks If you use Microsoft Outlook as your email service at work, you’ve probably noticed a weird quirk it has. Most of the time, if an email has an image in it, Outlook automatically blocks that image from loading. It tends to make fancy emails look broken, and it’s easy to bypass (usually you can load the images in just a click or two). Have you ever wondered what this image blocking business was all about? Turns out Microsoft has a good reason to do this. And the attack they’re trying to protect against is on the rise again. Here’s what you need to know about how seemingly innocent images can be used to attack your company and steal your data. Why Outlook Blocks Images So why does Outlook block those images? Well, it’s not just trying to ruin the look of every single marketing email you receive. It’s trying to keep you safe. There are two main ways that images could do damage: tracking pixels and bad links. Tracking pixels Images in email can d...

Browse with confidence: Microsoft Edge’s security boost If your organization uses PCs, chances are someone (maybe even everyone) is using Microsoft Edge. That’s the new default web browser in Windows 10 and 11, so unless you’ve opted for something else (like Chrome or Firefox), you’re probably using it. Microsoft has made two recent changes to Edge that we think you need to know about. One of them is a very good thing, while the other? Let’s just say we’re turning that one off around here. Here’s what you need to know. The Good: Microsoft Edge’s Enhanced Security Mode First up is something we’re excited about: Microsoft Edge now has an enhanced security mode that we think is perfect for most businesses. This new enhancement is still being rolled out and tested, so you might not see it yet. But if and when you do, we think turning it on makes a whole lot of sense. This new security mode puts in place extra protections and adapts dynamically based on your browsing habits. If you’re on l...

RIP Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 Is Almost Dead. Here’s What You Need to Know. Microsoft recently announced that two of its most popular business products, Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2, are reaching end-of-life status. That’s a big deal if you’re still using Windows Server 2012 anywhere in your business. In today’s post we’ll explain what this end of support announcement means, what the implications are for your team, and what you need to do in the next couple of months. Windows Server 2012 Reaching End of Support: What It Means First up, what does this announcement mean? Simply put: on October 10, 2023, Microsoft will no longer support Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012 R2. That means that if something goes wrong, Microsoft will not help you anymore. Of course, servers running this OS went out of warranty years ago—so what we’re really talking about is if something goes wrong in the OS itself . Every piece of software and operating system has fla...