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Ferrum Technology Services has been serving the Elgin area since 2007, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Facebook Users Need to Be Aware of Phishing Scams

Facebook Users Need to Be Aware of Phishing Scams

Using email to trick users is something that hackers have done for ages, but they usually find themselves tucked away in the spam folder where they belong, or blocked entirely by enterprise-level content filters. Hackers, however, are a crafty lot, and they have discovered ways to break through these measures through the use of a surprising third party: social media websites.

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Cybersecurity Will Get More Dicey in 2022

Cybersecurity Will Get More Dicey in 2022

All businesses must make securing their infrastructures and reinforcing cybersecurity practices a priority, especially as we move into the new year. This is a concept that involves securing the network, infrastructure, and data from the countless threats out there. Here are three of the most important issues to keep in mind when building your cybersecurity strategy for the new year.

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Are Ethical Hackers the New Defense Against Cybercrime for Small Businesses?

Are Ethical Hackers the New Defense Against Cybercrime for Small Businesses?

While considering cybercrime, it’s very easy to slip into a dichotomy: hackers are bad, while not-hackers are good. Like most things in life, however, the truth is that there is a spectrum to cybercrime. Let’s take a few moments to consider a few different types of hackers, and the hats that their roles determine they wear.

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ALERT: Log4j is the Worst Cybersecurity News in a Long Time

ALERT: Log4j is the Worst Cybersecurity News in a Long Time

Have you heard of Log4j? If we asked you a week ago, you almost certainly did not. Now it is dominating headlines as one of the largest cybersecurity risks we’ve ever known, and your business needs to act immediately to make sure you aren’t at risk.

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Sometimes Open-Source Software Causes Problems

Sometimes Open-Source Software Causes Problems

Some businesses struggle to obtain the appropriate software solutions, especially if they are on a budget. Some even choose to take advantage of free, open-source software simply because it helps their bottom line. There are some benefits to using open-source software, but there are also dangers involved.

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Choosing How to Protect Your Business Doesn’t Have to Be a Hard Decision

Choosing How to Protect Your Business Doesn’t Have to Be a Hard Decision

Businesses often prioritize different parts of their operations. Some focus on security while others focus on business continuity, even though both are absolutely critical to the long-term success of organizations. This issue is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, something which has forced some organizations to opt for one over the other.

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IoT Attacks Are Making Network Security Difficult

IoT Attacks Are Making Network Security Difficult

There are a lot of “smart” devices out there—over 35 billion and counting—and more and more are being connected to the Internet all the time. These endpoints, often called the Internet of Things, are known as vulnerabilities to hackers, as most devices don’t offer the type of comprehensive security that they need to keep from being problematic. What might surprise you, however, is that the primary exploit comes from devices that ironically are thought of as security devices: The ones found in a smart home.

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Scammers Targeting Amazon Users

Scammers Targeting Amazon Users

It’s the holiday season, and with it comes a multitude of hackers trying to cash in on everyone’s online purchases. These phishing scams always increase when the holiday season comes around, so it’s best to stay vigilant so that you don’t give yourself the gift of sadness this year. One such threat is already here, and it’s voice spoofing of Amazon orders.

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4 Tools Any Business Can Use to Improve Security

4 Tools Any Business Can Use to Improve Security

Network security is not the easiest thing to implement for your business, and you definitely need someone trained in this topic to be the one behind the wheel. Thankfully, the correct solutions can make this much easier to pull off. Here are some of the best and most important security solutions you should be considering for your organization.

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Identifying Errors in Phishing Emails can Save Your Bacon

Identifying Errors in Phishing Emails can Save Your Bacon

Phishing scams have been around for a long time, and they have only grown more convincing and more dangerous. Some businesses can’t even tell the difference between phishing scams and legitimate messages! How can your organization take the fight to phishing emails? It all starts with knowing what to look out for.

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U.S. Government Taking Steps Toward Protecting Data

U.S. Government Taking Steps Toward Protecting Data

Do you remember the series of high-profile infrastructure attacks that occurred not so long ago this year? Well, now the United States government is taking matters into its own hands by ordering the patching of various vulnerabilities in affected systems. It’s a massive effort to thwart hackers and other cyberthreats from taking root in vulnerable systems.

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Using Smart Technology in Your Business Might Not Be So Smart

Using Smart Technology in Your Business Might Not Be So Smart

Smart devices have enabled individuals and businesses to push the limits of connectivity, allowing them to have unprecedented amounts of control over their offices and homes. People can turn down their thermostats or lock the front door with the click of a button, as well as control how much power their homes consume. However, security is a pain point for these types of connected devices.

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VPNs Are Under Attack. Here’s What You Need to Know

VPNs Are Under Attack. Here’s What You Need to Know

With the massive shift toward remote and hybrid work, many companies have implemented virtual private networks to facilitate a more secure working environment for their employees. However, as is the case with these shifts, cybersecurity threats also respond in kind. How are hackers attempting to exploit virtual private networks, and what can you do about it?

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What to Do If Your Network is Hijacked by Ransomware

What to Do If Your Network is Hijacked by Ransomware

It’s one thing to avoid ransomware entirely, but what does a business do when it’s already within its walls? Today we are going to discuss how your business can recover from a ransomware attack, as well as measures and solutions you can implement to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.

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What is an NFT and Why Does it Exist?

What is an NFT and Why Does it Exist?

Cryptoassets have been on the rise, and with it has come the term “NFT.” But what is an NFT, and why does it matter what it is for a small business like yourself? Let’s examine this concept in a bit greater detail through the use of a hypothetical situation.

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You Need to Consider These Remote Policies

You Need to Consider These Remote Policies

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is still in full swing, and while many companies buckled under the pressure put on them to maintain operations, others have managed to adapt through the use of remote technology solutions. Businesses have put into place policies surrounding this remote technology, many of which are both helpful and harmful.

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Tip of the Week: Build Up Your IT Like an Enterprise

Tip of the Week: Build Up Your IT Like an Enterprise

The primary difference between an enterprise and a small or medium-sized business is simply how big it is. Due to this size, many of the tools used by enterprises are so powerful and dynamic that they can easily be used by businesses much smaller. Let’s take a look at what some of these technologies and processes are.

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Strong Cybersecurity Training Can Pay Major Dividends

Strong Cybersecurity Training Can Pay Major Dividends

At the heart of it, cybersecurity preparedness is a team effort, not necessarily a singular one. Everyone must be aware of and engaged in cybersecurity best practices. As such, training is a necessity. To help you ensure that your cybersecurity training is as effective as possible, we’ve put together a couple of curriculum design tips and tricks to keep in mind.

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Microsoft Dealing with Major Data Leak

Microsoft Dealing with Major Data Leak

Incorrect configurations on your infrastructure’s hardware are surprisingly easy mistakes to make, and even worse, they can have severe security ramifications if they are not discovered promptly. It can happen to anyone, as evidenced by a recent data leak. One of the most popular software developers out there, Microsoft, made a pretty nasty blunder with one particular setting that led to a huge data leak that could have exposed millions of records.

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Self-Healing Networks on the Horizon

Self-Healing Networks on the Horizon

These days, if you are not taking cybersecurity seriously, then you are waiting for something bad to happen that could potentially destroy your business for good. While the number of threats out there has increased significantly over the past couple of decades, so too has the number of powerful security options out there. In fact, one way that you can leverage these solutions to your advantage is to use “self-healing” security software, the concept for which is pretty neat.

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