05Nov 2020 by nathan

In an emergency, use the mobile hotspot on your phone to get Internet for your office

CTC NEWS, Tech news
With the recent bad weather that moved through the southeast from Tropical Storm Zeta, we and a number of our customers, were without Internet for an extended period of time. We and many of our customers depended on our Internet connection for things like email, Point of Sale (POS) systems, etc., so the Internet outage was crippling. In some cases, the ISP has a wireless backup option but a) there was an additional monthly cost and b) it wasn't immediately available. As a work around at our office, we built a small device (based on our Network Ninja) that connected a mobile phone and our firewall and, using the phone's mobile hotspot, got the office Internet access for all of our computers and VoIP phones. It worked very well and,…
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15Oct 2020 by nathan

October 2020 News & Updates

CTC NEWS, Industry News, Monthly Newsletters, Tech news
Executive Summary The US Treasury Department released an interesting advisory earlier this month suggesting they were prepared to file civil charges against the victims of ransomware who pay the ransom and anyone offering material support.Microsoft released patches for 87 vulnerabilities this month, making it the first month in 8 with less than 100 (and the first in 5 with less than 120).Twelve of this months patches address vulnerabilities considered by Microsoft to be critical.Adobe released a patch for a critical vulnerability in Flash Player that affects Windows, Apple / Mac, Linux and ChromeOS. Microsoft releases regular updates the second Tuesday of each month, often referred to as ‘Patch Tuesday’. These updates are categorized as Low, Moderate, Important or Critical. Details on the categories are available here. The updates can include…
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07Oct 2020 by nathan

Interesting advisory from the Treasury Dept. regarding ransomware

CTC NEWS, Industry News, Tech news
If you are a potential ransomware victim, an insurance company who provides ransomware protection, an IT Services provider or financial institution who may provide services to a ransomware victim, the latest advisory from the U. S. Treasury Department suggesting that you may be subject to civil penalties if you pay, recommend paying or facilitate the payment of a ransom may be worth a read. The U.S. Department of the Treasure's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) released an advisory on 1 October 2020 that suggests that it can and may pursue civil penalties against victims of ransomware who pay the ransom as well as third parties who recommend or facilitate ransomware payments. I've linked the advisory below and have copy / pasted some of the pertinent sections of the advisory…
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03Sep 2020 by nathan
Closed Monday, 7 September 2020 for Labor Day

Closed Monday, 7 September 2020 for Labor Day

CTC NEWS
We will be closed on Monday, 7 September 2020 to enjoy the Labor Day holiday with friends, family and loved ones and will reopen during normal business hours on Tuesday, 8 September 2020.  Emergency support will be available for our commercial clients.  If you need emergency support on Monday, simply include the word 'emergency' in the subject of your email to help@ctc.co or by noting it in your voicemail at 770.386.8900.
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25Aug 2020 by nathan

Join us in welcoming our newest team member!

CTC NEWS
Please join us in welcoming the newest addition to the Cyber Tech Cafe Team, Jeremy Bean.  Jeremy has an extensive background in IT, getting his start as one of the original "Double Agents" with the Geek Squad and then after several years moving into a helpdesk role with a manufacturing company.  Over the next ten years, Jeremy worked his way up to Systems Admin and ultimately IT Director when the company was purchased and his position moved out of state.  At that point, Jeremy and a partner started an IT Consulting firm where they provided a number of services including IT Support, servicing the small to medium business market.  With the pandemic and subsequent market downturn, Jeremy's partner took a full time position with a large company and Jeremy began…
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14Jul 2020 by nathan

Excellent articles / video series from the FTC on protecting Small Business from Cyber Threats

CTC NEWS, Industry News, Tech news
The FTC has released an excellent (and short) video series highlighting some excellent information to help small businesses better understand cyber threats and steps they can take to protect themselves. The videos all relatively short (I believe the longest so far is around four minutes +/-) and the concepts are simple (but not easy). If you own, manage or work for a small business, this is an excellent resource and definitely one that I would recommend checking out. US CERT ArticleFTC ArticleFCC Video Series Are you a small to medium sized business looking to leverage technology and enable your business and workforce to work smarter and more efficiently? Do you already have computers, servers, firewalls, VPNs or other technology that you're not taking full advantage of? Are you looking for…
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03Jul 2020 by nathan

Happy Independence Day

CTC NEWS
From all of us at Cyber Tech Cafe to all of you and yours, we hope you have a happy Independence Day.God Bless you and yours and God Bless the United States of America.
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