Ransomware – Not Petya – What You Can Do

UPDATE – This malware has now come to be considered a Cyberweapon, and not Ransomware, in that it appears the intent was never to restore victims’ data. Please, if you are infected, do not attempt to pay – your data will not be restored. If you’re following the news you may have heard that a really nasty ransomware worm has … Read More

It’s that time again…

Yep, time to change those passwords again. Don’t worry, you’re probably not in trouble yet, but the sooner you make sure you are secure, the better. Here’s a tech-crunch article with the details. Those Russians… Joshua RussellJosh is the President and CEO of Russell Browning Group Consultants, LLC. He is a social and business entrepreneur, an IT Director, and a … Read More

Got Heartbleed?

You’ve heard about the “heartbleed” bug by now. Concerned? If you’ve taken my advice and started using LastPass as your password manager, you’ve got nothing to worry about, since LastPass encrypts your data before transferring it. If you haven’t, might I suggest you take this opportunity to start using LastPass? Head over to their website and take the “LastPass Security … Read More

Multi-factor Authentication’s New Home

Internet Security

I’m a bit of a security enthusiast, and when it comes to keeping my online accounts secure, I jump on every chance I get to use Multi-factor authentication. The idea is your account is not only secured by something you know, your password, but also by something you have. In most cases, probably your phone. I use Google’s excellent Authenticator … Read More

Sending Secret Messages

Lockify Logo

You need to share a password or other sensitive information with a client, but they don’t use lastpass. Here’s a good way to handle the situation: Lockify lets you send encrypted messages via unique links. You can secure the message even further with a password or secret question – and you have the option to have the message expire after a certain … Read More

For the Cracked

You log on to Facebook, and see twelve messages from your friends saying, “Hey, did you just send me a link about weight loss pills??” Yep, your account has been cracked. The main reason accounts get “hacked” is that their passwords are easy to steal. Maybe you left your account logged in and someone hijacked it, or maybe you’ve logged … Read More

Some Free IT Advice

I get a lot of questions from people whose PCs are running slowly, wondering if I can get their system working for them again. Within seconds of booting up the computer, it’s pretty clear the poor machine is riddled with malware, spyware, and viruses. A little digging almost always yields the same results: toolbars, free “system security scanners,” loads of out-of-date … Read More