Month: September 2018

With a range of technology continuing to encompass upgrades and versions improving on previous ones, there are constantly new ways for people to improve their Wi-Fi speed. Considering the most recent developments, the below provides instructions for minimizing obstacles to your connection speed while optimizing it as much as possible.

Watch this great video from Steve Dotto below.

How Can I Use A Speed Test For Optimization?

Speed tests can be helpful to locate problems and potential in your Wi-Fi network. The two most fundamentally concerning or relevant aspects of your connection are the speeds by which it can upload or download data. This can affect aspects of your operations including:

• How quickly you can send large files in your business
• How quickly manual or automatic updates take to download
• Media and a range of aspects of web browser speeds
• Computer, internet of things (IoT) devices, and cloud file transfers
• File attachments in emails
• Sending live video streams
• Uploading media such as images

Running a speed test allows you to view measurements of the ping, or the effective response time of the Wi-Fi connection, which is measured in milliseconds. Users naturally want to have a low number for their measurement. Many free speed tests are available online, such as Speedtest.net recommended by LinkSys, created and maintained by OOKLA, an online metrics business. The test offered through their organization has over eight billion tests of experience, and functions by using sample uploads and downloads analyzed through their program.

Before starting a test, users are recommended to ensure that their connection is maintained in a normal manner so that the reading is accurate. For example, if multiple family members are using hotspots, streaming, using online gaming, using downloads, etc., it is recommended that the user wait until the use of service ends so that ideal testing conditions are established. Additionally, users are recommended to ensure their router or routers are not obstructed in some way.

After testing, if you are not satisfied with the results, you can take some actions in an attempt to make improvements. You could also consider upgrading your router or changing Wi-Fi providers. Purchasing a superior router can also give you better security as you browse. Some users, especially those in large offices or homes use a range extender to improve performance.

Other options include resetting your router, then retesting to ensure that the low speed observed wasn’t simply random or a ‘fluke.’ Next, you can attempt to transfer your router or routers to a more open area of your building to be sure that electronics or building materials weren’t responsible for a reduced signal strength causing the speed drop.

Beyond this, check to see if your modem is outdated. If you have a dual-band router, you can enter into its settings to see if you can increase a common 2.4 GHz frequency set to a 5 GHz one, which will reduce signal congestion. Lastly, you can compare your ethernet to your Wi-Fi connection with an ethernet cable to determine the extent that your speeds are due to your internet service provider (ISP) or a device. Your ISP may not actually be providing the speeds that they advertise. If you determine that the ISP is the culprit here, contact them and explain that you’ve checked to make sure that your slow speeds are not due to any other thing and insist on them taking action on their end.

In addition to the link provided above, NetSpot recommends users consider their speed app or one of four others listed on their website: Wifiner, Network Speed Test, LAN Speed Test, or Google Speed Test. Click the link for details regarding these tests and other relevant information.

How Can I Begin To Take Steps To Increase Robustness And Reliability?

Beyond the basic steps listed here, you can begin to take more involved steps to optimize your connection. Firstly, you can update the firmware of your router. There may be a new version that has been created since your last install. Firmware updates are important because they involve better security or other speed related upgrades that can improve your service. The administration page of your router’s firmware generally has access to this.

In addition to building material interference and excessive use bogging, you may be experiencing interference from other devices you use. Home telephones, Bluetooth speakers, microwaves, baby monitors, and other devices, according to USA Today, can affect a Wi-Fi network. Creating a ‘heat’ map of potential issues using an application such as HeatMapper could assist you with finding them. You can also attempt to change the channel you established for your router, or use network settings and rules to limit the bandwidth or accessibility of other users to reduce their capacity to affect your speed.

The Quality of Service (QoS) feature available in some routers can also potentially help, as it allows users to prioritize their traffic in accordance to the nature of the information that is transferred in the process. Applications that are sensitive to latency, such as Skype, streamed media, and online games can have higher prioritization than other types of activity; this can be addressed for better results in practical use.

How Can I Further Optimize My Router?

Beyond changing the settings and updating the firmware, you can upgrade. If you navigate to the settings feature of your existing firmware, you should be able to enter into “Advanced Settings” and access channels. Changing the channel to a ‘clear’ one that no one else is using can help. LifeWire has more channel-related recommendations.

How Can I Use A Powerline Or Wi-Fi Signal Strength Increaser?

Wi-Fi extenders, which are devices made specifically for the purpose of improving your wireless power, can also be a worthwhile investment. According to TechRadar, such devices have been increasingly useful in helping people experience greater improvements to their network capacities. Relatively inexpensive, they significantly increase coverage without the extent of installation or restructuring required in implementing new network cables. The most effective use of them is their placement in areas where the signal in the network has been observed as weak. Specific devices that TechRadar recommends for this use include:

• Netgear’s AC1200 EX6150 and EX6200 models
• D-Link’s DAP-1520 Dual Band Range Extender model
• TP-Link’s RE350 AC1200 model
• Linksys’ RE6500 AC1200 and Velop models
• D-Link’s DAP-1320 N300 and DAP-1650 AC1200 models
• Trendnet’s 1200 AV2 model

How Can I Make The Most Of The Netgear Genie Program?

Netgear Genie is a desktop application program that can be configured to manage home routers for the purposes of:

• Network speed tests
• Live parent controls
• SSID and password changes
• Guest network controls
• Viewing a connected device map

Most of these help users do what has already been discussed here more easily. The network map feature shows when connections are problematic.

What Should I Do?

Use these recommendations as a basic guideline. While you may not need to upgrade your hardware or even your software, it’s likely that you can take some action to increase your Wi-Fi performance.

Improvements in technology have led to increased connectivity with improvements in security, but have also involved unique vulnerabilities and potential for hackers to access a wide range of information. Particularly problematic to businesses is the potential for a phisher to represent a part of the organization, or a supplier with a business connection to it, as they request organizational information or even funding.

What Are Current Major Risks?

Business managers and employees run the risk of being phished from their work accounts while seemingly doing normal business, only to find that they inadvertently provided company funds or information that could be used to damage the company’s systems or even their reputation. This creates new demand for organizational and network security processes and defenses, with phishing, internet-of-things (IoT) security, and general WPA2 hacking being among the greatest current threats to major organizations, small businesses, and individuals alike.

Phishing internally can lead to thousands or even millions of dollars accidentally provided or outright stolen after the critical information is inadvertently provided. An individual can create an email using some phishing technique to hide, mask, or otherwise misrepresent their actual identity while claiming to be an active member, supplier, or some other legitimate affiliate of the organization. The recipient may receive a SharePoint document link that is hyperlinked to malware capable of hacking or damaging system software, and while being directed to a login screen or invoice to request funds or sensitive information to be further misused.

Hackers have the potential to work around even the most advanced anti-phishing filters, using tactics such as reducing the triggering text to a font size of zero to avoid detection. This allows them to pass the filters with how the data is read while displaying apparently legitimate communications and requests to an organizational manager or employee.

According to the Business Owner’s Guide to Technology, these instances have been common. The reporters cited two recent instances of tens of thousands of dollars being accidentally sent amid a phishing campaign. This campaign went beyond the fake login screen to record credentials in attempts to involve phony invoices as well. There have been cases where millions of dollars were lost through a similar approach.

Another major risk that organizations have, amid a false sense of security, is the size of their network in their maintained IoT. While it has become common for tablet devices, personal laptops, mobile phones, and other devices to be used within a business network for increased internet connectivity and email, it is also becoming more common for hackers to use their own devices to access information. This can potentially be done internally or externally, creating a demand for increased security or upgrading beyond vulnerabilities in the WPA2 security protocol. This issue follows along the lines of phishing potentials in terms of general security vulnerabilities that are the greatest threat to large businesses, small businesses, and individuals alike.

WPA2 hacking, in general, has become more effective, as the protocol itself has been upgraded and developed for security vulnerabilities realized to demand a completely new protocol, WPA3.

Inc. explained that hackers may very well have preferences for businesses, due to the probability that at least some bit of usable information can be recorded from the network. While managers and even network administrators may assume that the most recent mainstream releases of security software and protocol recommendations are enough to protect them, hackers continue to work against these, demanding that upgrades and software that have yet to become mainstream be implemented. This, therefore, demands ongoing research and dedication to optimizing network security.

What Other Specific Recommendations Are There For General Risks?

Beyond general best practices and the issues listed above, experts continue to make recommendations for the optimization of security. To optimize defenses against phishing, a combination of proactive awareness campaigns of recent threats and optimizing the use of available security features is all experts can recommend avoiding inadvertent user cooperation.

To optimize defenses against WPA2 hacking, if transfer to the now-available WPA3 is not possible or deemed sufficiently feasible, minimizing network accessibility to essential job functions or requirements only for all users, while maximizing all relevant security, is recommended. Multi-step user authentications can help against both phishing and hacking attempts.

Other issues are not as commonplace or severe, but are still regarded as important. Network owners are advised to watch out for privilege escalations, which hackers may use in an attempt to gain increasing access to information once they have breached the network to any extent. Maintaining control though rootkit detection is also recommended, as are methods to scan activities and ‘backdoors’ for forms of malware left by hackers who may have been able to remove their event logs before installing their own backdoor access.

As a final measure, taking extra steps to ensure that all employees are actually operating in compliance with security protocols is recommended, as many organizational managers may not even be aware of the extent of shortcuts or vulnerabilities they effectively allow for the sake of convenience. Purple Griffon is one online source that has compiled additional details regarding these potential threats and recommended protective actions.

What’s Most Important?

• Ensuring compliance and best practices against phishing
• Advanced anti-phishing protection (ATP) or related software
• Network security optimization or WPA3 integration
• Remaining current with news, research, and developments

As convenient as our interconnected world has become, it has also made us vulnerable to an attack from hackers wanting to make a quick buck. Internet pirates are targeting defenseless networks with the sole purpose of hijacking our personal devices for use in their criminal activity.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is changing how we live our day-to-day lives both in our personal lives at home and our professional time at work. From a doctor’s visit, installing a home security system, and paying our utility services, we have to adjust to this new way of functioning to make sure our information is safe from attack. A recent Gartner (the world’s leading research and advisory company), survey states that 20 percent of individuals and businesses have had one or more IoT-based attacks in the past three years.

What Exactly is the Internet of Things (IoT)?

The “Internet of things” (IoT) has quickly become a buzzword thrown around in the business world and independent of it. It has the potential to influence how we live at home and also how we operate in the workplace. Because of the complexities that surround the Internet of Things, let’s try to break it down to a simple understanding.

The Internet of Things is the concept of linking a device with the Internet or another device. What this means to you is that the IoT encompasses a lot of the stuff you already use each day: cell phones, TVs, laptops, microwaves, etc. Also, as each day passes by, we are encountering the IoT in the basic gadgets we have relied on for years: coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, and refrigerators. If you are flying on a passenger plane, the jet engine of an airplane is being operated and maintained through the use of the IoT. Gartner claims that by 2020 there will be an estimated 26 billion connected devices in use.

How Does the IoT Impact Me?

With so many devices connected to the internet, it’s easy to understand why the IoT is such a hot topic in our world today. With the IoT, security is an issue that is oftentimes immediately included in the conversation; and rightly so. With all these devices connected together and vulnerable to hackers, what can you do as a consumer to make sure that your information is safe? Will someone actually be able to hack into your microwave and obtain access to your whole network? The IoT also opens up homes and businesses to security threats unimagined even ten years ago.

Can My Smart Appliances Really Give Away My Information?

Kellyane Conway, former Trump spokesperson was quoted in an interview with the Bergen Record in 2017 that microwaves can be used as spy cameras by government agencies. She said this concerning allegations from President Trump that President Obama wiretapped the Trump campaign. Although microwaves don’t seem to have these spying capabilities yet, we do know that televisions do. In CIA documents released by Wikileaks, it came to light that some models of Samsung televisions were hacked by the CIA so that they could eavesdrop on conversations taking place in households the CIA deemed suspicious.

Television companies have also admitted that Smart TVs have the power to spy on the users watching habits as a way to help the manufacturer understand how to better reach their consumer base.

How Can I Protect Myself From Cyberattacks Launched Through The Internet Of Things?

What can you do to protect yourself when using all these new smart devices? Here are some strategies you can implement to keep your family and business safe:

• Do your due diligence in selecting trustworthy vendors when purchasing new smart devices. Purchasing something as simple as a baby monitor with smart technology, means ensuring the device is from a retailer that has a proven reputation. You are more likely to find that they have better security in place.
• When feasible, secure your devices. Also make sure your software is updated, and you are properly using filters and firewalls. Train your family members and employees on good internet habits and how to detect phishing scams on websites and through email. When possible, always use a second layer of password protection.
• Make sure the network you use is designed correctly so as not to send out data without your expressed consent. Keep your passwords protected and diverse to avoid hackers who look for patterns in your network.
• For an extra layer of protection, consider using a virtual private network (VPN) on your router which adds a firewall to inward traffic. A VPN prevent attacks that attempt to permeate your network.
• Employ Network Segregation in both your home and business. Network segregation splits one Network into two local networks (LANs) keeping the unsafe computers in one Network and moving the computers that you want to protect to a separate secured Network. Network segregation can be accomplished by using two Entry Level Cable/DSL Routers.

Experts agree that the legal sector is not really on the cutting edge when it comes to adopting the latest technology trends. In fact, with the long-standing history of traditional values, it is rare to see widespread use of information technology (IT) in the industry. Even in current years, many law firms prefer to stick with hard copies (paper-based) including books, letters, and legal journals. However, as technology advances, this trend may be a contributing factor in keeping the “slow wheels of justice” at the reduced pace for which it is known.

Fortunately, it is evident that the benefits of legal IT technology outweigh the detriments. In fact, it is equally apparent that implementing the deployment of information technology is possible without disrupting the business. That is key to a successful transformation.

What Prompts Hesitation in the Legal Industry?

In the 2016 State of Digital Transformation Report, Brian Solis and the Altimeter Group conducted a survey of 500 executives. The general consensus was that the main issues included the following:

• Dangers to breached data
• Unsure of return on investment (ROI) to justify the value of increased IT
• Risk management compliance
• Managing potential legal complications
• Resources required for all employees at the office

An additional challenge law firms face is the necessary functionality of the space. In other words, digital upgrades would need to be implemented and perhaps piloted while the regular business continues on. No law firm these days can afford to just close its doors for a few months. These time constraints make it difficult for IT to be introduced and utilized in the legal sector.

Law offices often have a somewhat conservative approach to change, a lack of collaboration, and a tendency to be “set in their ways.” Also, many practices are partner-owned and operated, making the financial risk more personal than it would be for corporations. Lawyers are more likely to take a “wait and see” approach to adding cutting-edge technology.

Why Are the Trends Changing?

Although change is rarely immediate, an increasing number of law firms are acknowledging the need to modernize. Adapting to the digital age is gradual for many attorneys. Perhaps they’re dragging their feet for a few good reasons:

• The extreme amount of paper-based processes means the legal firm might spend years working to move all records to digital formats.
• Since the legal sector exchanges large amounts of data and information with many individuals and organizations, their technology upgrade could be a pain point for staff, clients, attorneys and even third-party vendors.
• Generally, legal professionals are intelligent, educated, and highly skilled. This means the move to embracing new technology should be an easy one. However, they may be reluctant to take that first step.

Perhaps a gradient approach, using a pilot group would help initiate the process. With a small team of informed individuals, the steps to introducing stronger legal IT to the remainder of the office would be much smoother.

How Would This Work?

It would likely require a process of educating the potential users about the benefits of digital technology. This would focus on how much time and money it would save. Explain how this advancement could be accomplished without disrupting the day-to-day business.

Furthermore, the top IT Directors or CIOs should understand how the evolution of their existing method of delivery would save money. It would also allow them to provide better service.

Additionally, by moving away from a paper-based system and using an automated self-service portal for IT support, legal professionals can avoid calling a support engineer when something goes wrong. Users can learn from tutorials and self-help articles to fix devices themselves. As law staff become more familiar with the equipment, they develop confidence to interact with new services and equipment. They learn modern skills and a willingness to experiment with what digitalization can do for them.

At the same time, it frees up IT engineers as law staff benefit from learning how to interact with new services. As the law firm moves forward embracing technology, they become open to further changes in the future for a more connected workforce. It has to start somewhere.

What Would Come Next?

A possible next step would be to employ a chatbot, such as Tawkto, which allows legal professionals to communicate with one another, as well as their clients. This enables real-time communication to occur at any time. By engaging their clients outside of scheduled hours, attorneys provide a more satisfying experience.

This would also help law firms that switch to charging their clients based on successful final results, rather than by billable hour. Since they aren’t being paid by the hour, it makes sense to maximize their time. Digital approaches to communication streamline this process.

In Conclusion

With a sector that is known for preferring a traditional, more conservative operation, it is even more important to take a gradual, phased approach. The right IT Director can plan accordingly to ensure the comfortable adaptation to increasing legal technology. Though the legal team may never be as adept as the IT technicians themselves, this will help the entire law office, as they attempt to improve their digital resources. With the best legal IT tools, the law office should be able to provide better services for their clients and improve their bottom line.

What’s PhishPoint?

Phishing attacks are attempts to get e-mail recipients to provide sensitive information that can be used by the sender, generally presented as the authority of some account or business. They request that recipients provide information that could be misused for some type of illegal practical gain of the sender. An example of this would be a fake email from PayPal requesting that the reader verify their bank information to address some kind of update or security risk. These phony requests will result in the fraudulent use of the user’s info.

SharePoint or PhishPoint attacks are a specific kind of phishing attack that involves SharePoint users being targeted by hackers using malware to misuse information, or otherwise induce undesirable consequences to unsuspecting and vulnerable users. PhishPoint attacks are not unique in that they still involve the basic attempts of hackers to deceive the consumer. They are designed to make someone believe that the sender is a representative of a viable organization. They pretend to be approaching the consumer for valid and honest reasons. They are intended to seem genuine.

PhishPoint attacks target SharePoint users and OneDrive accounts in an attempt to get vital personal information from the user. If the recipient clicks on the bad link, they open the door to malicious software or malware that steals the user’s information. The user’s system is infiltrated through malicious HTML and URLs that can steal banking information or spread malware as described.

Victims of this form of attack may also experience an impersonation of a standard access request to business documents stored within OneDrive accounts. These may then be stolen through hacking codes. Sometimes access is made possible through a fake Office 365 login redirection.

What Are Examples Of Vulnerabilities And Demands?

Illegal logins have been reported through this form of attack in increasing numbers in recent times, as hackers continue to find new ways to penetrate the best security efforts at Microsoft. Secant Technologies explained that business documents used in OneDrive should be protected by a combination of software and general best practices in addressing third-party or spam email requests. Users should be skeptical of redirections to login screens that have any unusual or seemingly unofficial characteristics. It takes a keen eye to spot them.

Although firewalls and antivirus software may fully recognize and detect phishing scams, they are simply not enough to stop phishing scams from being successful. A new report shows that users are the weak link when it comes to internet security. A careless employee may click on an email attachment that downloads a destructive virus or ransomware. This will cause chaos in any organization. Eventually, companies pay out thousands of dollars to cyber thieves.

Cloud or email security can do little to eliminate phishing scams; it takes educating users on what to look for. While senders should be able to recognize spam or otherwise unofficial emails, they simply get busy and don’t pay enough attention.

PhishPoint campaigns of this nature may be detected and blocked within a matter of days or even hours, but any transmission of sensitive information during this time can still result in major consequences to individual users or the entire organization that they represent.

According to Security Affairs, approximately 10% of office users were affected by attempts to induce a PhishPoint attack within the two weeks of observation included in their assessment. This showed the extent that hackers are able to reach out to users in mass campaigns. While security developments such as ATP and Safe Links have been improved to reduce vulnerabilities, the basic nature of these attacks makes them dangerous. Many aspects of general security are left up to the individual user.

Office 365 currently involves yearly subscriptions with packages that can be upgraded to include ATP, Safe Links, and other security features. These will reduce vulnerabilities and increase security to avoid many forms of hacking, but cannot eliminate all forms of attack.

Office 365 security measures currently are capable of scanning links or URLs included in HTML code or the bodies of emails. They attempt to match recognized threats that have been added to blacklists, but they cannot prevent users from carelessly clicking on a malicious link.

Using baseStriker attack techniques, malicious links can be disguised. This technology is able to split a URL so that security software does not detect it as being malicious.

According to Avanan, hackers have been increasingly taking advantage of SharePoint files in phishing campaigns. Advanced security such as ATP and Safe Links can be beneficial but other layers of security protection are recommended. Office 365 contains excellent online security protection, but cybercriminals consistently search for ways to bypass it.

Secant Technologies provides more information regarding common practices and recommendations for overall safety or protection from phishing campaigns.

What’s The Bottom Line? What Should My Business Do?

• Learn more about the basic nature of phishing campaigns and protection.
• Use email addresses with the best protection.
• Install the strong protection features and update or upgrade as is determined most beneficial.
• Regularly train employees on how to spot phony emails and phishing campaigns.
• Hire IT consultants to audit your network and computing resources and recommend improvements.