Blue Ridge Technology

New Threat to Microsoft Teams We’re constantly warning about the threats of phishing schemes and other similar attacks, and for good reason — they still remain the most common way that cyberattacks and other digital threats originate. Well, we wish this post were different, but instead it’s just a little bit worse: now the threat could be coming from inside the house. Here’s what we mean, and what to watch out for. New Threat: Attackers Sending Messages Within Microsoft Teams The new threat, first identified by Sophos and reported on in Security Week , is an attack that uses Microsoft Teams. The threat actors who got caught using this attack exploited a vulnerability in Microsoft Teams — more specifically, in one of its default configurations. Millions of companies rely on these default configurations, so we’d say it’s a pretty big vulnerability! The Scam’s Architecture Here’s how the scam played out. First, the bad guys sent a ton of spammy messages through Microsoft Teams. These wer...

Windows Hello gets a new look and improved security Ever heard of Windows Hello? Whether it sounds like a brand-new (or let’s be honest, kind of made-up) product or it’s something your business is already using, Microsoft is making important changes to Windows Hello. Businesses should be aware of these changes, and many should consider adopting Windows Hello for increased security and smoother day-to-day operations. Here’s what to know. What Is Windows Hello? Before we get into what’s new, here’s an introduction (or a refresher). Windows Hello is an authentication protocol from Microsoft that uses one of several different types of authentication to log users in to systems and accounts. The most significant thing setting Windows Hello apart from older login systems is that it skips the traditional password entirely: users supply their username and are then asked for an authentication factor like: A fingerprint A face scan / facial recognition A random PIN If that last option sounds a lo...

Text Messages Aren’t Secure A new warning from the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in December 2024 is making waves and causing many businesses to re-evaluate a central aspect of their cybersecurity strategy. This new warning somewhat invalidates advice we’ve given on this blog before, so we think it’s important to get the word out to our clients and readers. Here’s what the FBI and CISA are warning about — and what the implications might look like for your business. The Warning: Stop Texting The tl;dr of the FBI’s warning is this: stop texting . (At least, stop texting anything you don’t want going public.) If this sounds a little familiar, don’t tune out yet: yes, various government agencies have issued similar warnings in the past, but this one’s different. In the past, the warning was pretty general: text messages aren’t all that secure, so it’s possible that they could be intercepted if someone had the right technology and enough motivation. Th...

IT Systems End of Life When you think about the technology powering your business, how does it make you feel? Are you confident? Excited? Mystified? Nervous? Terrified? (Maybe a mix of all of the above?) Many business leaders are confident about their IT right now — but really nervous about what comes next. Here’s what you need to know about a recent report about future readiness, plus what to watch for in your own business. A Concerning Report on Future Readiness A recent report from Kyndryl revealed quite a bit about what today’s business leaders are thinking about technology — and the results were pretty dismal. Much of the concern comes down to how well businesses are doing at being future-ready. In other words, are they making IT decisions today that prepare them for the next few years and beyond, or are they stuck in the present? Here are some of the findings in this survey of more than 3,200 business leaders: 90% think their current IT systems are in great shape, performing wel...

New Year’s Resolutions It may be hard to believe, but the year is over, and 2025 is here! As we jump into the next year, many of us are thinking through New Year’s resolutions at home: maybe this is the year to cut back, to get fit, to start saving, or to finally master that hobby or language. We aren’t much help when it comes to those kinds of resolutions. But as you’re taking stock at home, right now is the perfect time to think through your business. What’s going well? What goals did you achieve during the previous year? And what needs to change heading into the new year? To help get the ball rolling, here are 3 top business resolutions for the new year — changes that businesses like yours might benefit from making. #1: Cybersecurity Audit and Upgrades First up is making this the year that you conduct a cybersecurity audit — and implement any hardware/software upgrades or process changes revealed through the process. Small businesses get hit every single day by cyberattac...

Heads up: there’s another security threat that could be lurking around your business. And even though it’s almost Christmas, today we’re talking about the undead — undead accounts , that is. Keep reading to learn about zombie accounts: what they are, how they come to be, and how they could threaten your business. Zombie Accounts: What Are They? Zombie accounts are network accounts (login credentials) that are active in your systems but that don’t belong to any current user. We call them “zombie accounts” because they're, well, undead. Like TV zombies, they should be dead, but no one went and made sure they really were dead. And now these accounts are bumbling around your network, just waiting for some enterprising bad guy to come along, resuscitate them, and find a way to hurt your business. Why Are Zombie Accounts a Thing? So far these zombie accounts sound like bad news, and they are. So why do they exist at all? Well, there are lots of ways to end up with zombie accounts, but b...

These days, most of us are more flexible than we’ve ever been in how and where we work. As our devices have gotten smarter, faster, more connected, and more portable, it’s now possible to pull out a phone, tablet, or laptop just about anywhere and take care of business. If you do mobile work, then you should know about a fantastic new feature that Microsoft is finally bringing to Windows PCs: Handoff. The Trouble with Mobile Work It’s great that we can whip out any device and get started on work from anywhere. But we’ve all been in situations where we start a task on our phones (maybe something as simple as replying to an email) and then quickly realize that a mobile device isn’t going to cut it. So what happens when you start some business task on a mobile device, only to realize you need a full keyboard or some app that’s only on your work PC? Right now, if you’re like most mobile workers, you probably share the file, attach it to an email, open your PC, open your email, download the...