Secure IT Alert: Microsoft Unleashes a Slew of Updates for Windows & Windows Server & IIS FTP

Secure IT Alert for Wednesday, February 9th, 2011 The February 2011 Patch Tuesday was not boring…   Updates include something for everyone.  Basically every current Microsoft Windows OS version was addressed. The big one was the IE Update that fixed four code execution holes in the popular web browser. In addition to fixing thumbnail and font vulnerabilities which mainly affect …

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Safe Browsing from Public Wi-Fi Hotspots is possible with a VPN

WSPA’s Amy Wood (@TVAmy) had a great segment on last night (2011-02-07) in which she had Doug Cone (@nullvariable) a local web/graphics “devsigner” discussing the dangers of using public Wi-Fi. You can find that story here. He demonstrated a tool which allows even the most novice of “hackers” to see a list of others who are using any given open …

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Google Chrome Browser Continues to Gain Ground in the Browser Wars

Are you still using Internet Explorer? The majority of people are that hit our website and most others that track this information, but, as you can see from the graph on the right, alternative browsers are gaining ground. Microsoft Internet Explorer, like it or not, is the de facto “standard” that web sites and web applications are built to support. …

The End Is Near! All IPv4 Addresses Now Spoken For

We knew the day was coming, and today we learned that it was sooner than later. IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority), the organization that manages IP addresses and domain allocations has assigned two IPv4 address blocks to APNIC (The Asian-Pacific Network Information Centre), which in turn has caused a provision in the IANA rules to go into affect, releasing the …

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Secure IT Alert: Microsoft Investigating Potential Security Threat to Windows OS

Secure IT Alert for Monday, January 31, 2011 Microsoft has announced in Security Advisory 2501696 that they are investigating a potential vulnerability that may exist in ALL current supported editions of Microsoft Windows (Including Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP and Server 2003). In fact, the only version that may not be affected would be the Server Core installations. According …

Trend Micro Worry-Free 7.0 Business Security Patch Build 1396 Released

If you are running Trend Micro Worry-Free Business Security 7.0, then you should have received an update notification that reads like this:   A new patch has been released: “WFBS 7.0 Critical Patch Build 1396”. To view the readme and get the install package:     1.   Visit the Trend Micro Download Center from the Small Business tab on the Trend …

WatchGuard XCS 9.1 Update 2 With Spam & Data Loss Prevention Enhancements

Re-posted direct from the WatchGuard announcement: WatchGuard is very pleased to announce the release of WatchGuard XCS version 9.1 Update 2 for all XCS Extensible Content Security appliances. WatchGuard XCS 9.1 Update 2 includes significant enhancements to our award-winning WatchGuard XCS Extensible Content Security solutions. This release includes enhancements in spam protection, management and reporting, as well as data loss …

Greenville & Upstate Computer Repair Nightmares?

Today, while talking with a client, I was reminded how different Homeland Secure IT is from some of the other PC service companies. This client told me how much money she had spent at one repair facility and her problem was not taken care of at all. She initially took her computer in for a diagnoses of an issue, which …

Google’s Chrome Browser is Becoming Better for Business all the Time

I normally don’t weigh in on the browser wars, as each browser has its own place. For instance, there simply is no replacement for Microsoft Internet Explorer if you want near 100% compatibility with every site in the world. Obviously, each alternate browser has a strong point, such as speed, or installation size, or security, but each browser also has downsides that sometimes …

WatchGuard XCS 370 Awarded CRN Product of the Year in Security Appliance Category

One of our security partners, WatchGuard, was just awarded the CRN’s “Security Appliance Product of the Year” for their XCS 370 series device! Here’s the press statement: WatchGuard XCS 370 Security Appliance Wins in CRN’s 2010 Products of the Year SEATTLE – January 11, 2011. WatchGuard® Technologies, a global leader of business security solutions, today announced that the company won …