Blue Ridge Technology

A new report claims that malware attacks are once again on the rise in 2024. This type of attack seems like it used to be all we talked about, but in recent years, it was dwarfed in popularity and frequency by phishing scams. Since the threat level of malware is rising, it's time to talk about it again. Here's what you need to know about malware attacks: what they are, why they matter, and what's different this time around. What Is Malware? Malware is a portmanteau of “malicious” and “software,” which pretty much explains the game: malware is software that runs on your computer just like any other software you would use, only this particular subset of software is malicious, dangerous, and usually installed without your consent or awareness. What Can Malware Do? All sorts of nasty things. Malware has the ability to do a wide range of things to your computer. It can act as a keylogger, which means recording every keystroke you make and sending that data back to the bad guys...

There’s a new, ultra-sneaky type of phishing attack on the rise. These attacks are harder than most to spot, and we’ve seen an absolutely massive spike in recent weeks, with as many as five million of these fraudulent emails reaching unsuspecting email inboxes every single day. This new attack is called SubdoMailing. In this week’s post we’ll explain what these attacks are, how they work, why they’re so hard to spot, and as always how to keep your business safe. What Is SubdoMailing? On one level SubdoMailing is simple: these attacks work in the same way as your everyday run of the mill phishing attacks. You get an email that urges you to click a button or link and take some action. The email looks like it’s from a brand you trust, like your bank or a popular business vendor (like Microsoft or DocuSign). But it’s not: it’s really from scammers who set up a lookalike site in an effort to steal your information. You click the link and attempt to log into the service, and that’s it — now ...

Earlier this year a new type of Wi-Fi showed up on the block. It’s better, faster, and flashier than other Wi-Fi standards, but what exactly is a Wi-Fi standard? And what is Wi-Fi 7 exactly? Most importantly, does your business need to upgrade to it? We’ve got answers to all these questions in this week’s post. What Is Wi-Fi 7? Wi-Fi 7 is the newest Wi-Fi standard, also known as IEEE 802.11be. It’s the seventh generation of Wi-Fi and was just formally launched in January 2024 as Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7™ from the Wi-Fi Alliance®. It promises to bring substantially higher speeds, better connectivity, and all sorts of other benefits compared to the last generation (Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e), like lower latency, support for using multiple simultaneous bands, and seamless support for a new National Security & Emergency Preparedness (NSEP) service. There are tons of other really technical updates and upgrades over previous generations of Wi-Fi, including better use of a wider set of frequencies a...

New reports suggest that the cyber attacks threatening businesses like yours are getting smarter, stronger, and faster. Advances in cheap computing power, AI, and even hacking techniques themselves mean today’s cyber criminals are accomplishing more with less and doing so using some tactics that are downright frightening. Much of the research stems from the CrowdStrike 2024 Global Threat Report , a wide-ranging report with tons of observations and takeaways. Here’s what you need to know about the latest research — and how to keep your business as safe as possible. Breakout Times Are Getting Faster The first big takeaway was how much shorter breakout times became year over year. Breakout time is how long it takes a cyber attacker to move from the initial point of entry to some other system or area. In other words, it’s how long it takes between when the thief picks the lock (“I got in!”) and when the thief moves into the next room and starts stealing stuff (“I found something worth stea...

Today’s business gets done on devices, and for most of us, that means a work PC. Whether it’s a laptop, a desktop, or a 2-in-1, chances are you spend a decent chunk of your workday hammering away on a keyboard, getting work done. Even though our computers are central to our work, the fact is they don’t always work like we want them to. Many professionals can relate to the experience of dealing with a slow, unreliable PC, one that takes a while to start and frequently gets stuck as it tries to load the software you need to use. One option is replacement: every computer has a useful life that will end, after all. But before you go replacing your business’s fleet of PCs, it’s a good idea to do some troubleshooting to make sure they actually need to be replaced. Try these 3 troubleshooting strategies that can help your PC zoom back to life. If these don’t do the trick,then it really might be time to replace. (We can help with that, too.) Step 1: Restart Your Computer We know, we know — you...