Microsoft Office 2010 for students could be cheaper than you think

It’s that time of year again… School is starting up as I write this… This means many people are buying notebook and desktop computers for their school-bound children and many are paying full retail price for Microsoft Office 2010. It doesn’t have to be that way.  Microsoft has a special that lets students who purchase Microsoft Office 2010 Home & …

Security consultancy advises enterprise clients to steer clear of adopting large numbers of Macs

An article in The Register states, “Beware of Macs in enterprise” due to the findings by iSec Partners who claim large numbers of Macs are “in many ways more vulnerable than recent versions of Windows.” The vulnerability they specifically mention is the DHX authentication scheme which is easy to compromise and apparently “trivial to force OS X server to resort …

Secure IT Alert: Microsoft to unleash a ration of updates in August Patch Tuesday….

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Friday, August 5th, 2011 Tired of boring Tuesdays? Feeling deprived by Microsoft? Well, coming this Patch Tuesday, something to make every Microsoft user smile!  Updates! You read that right, Microsoft has updates galore coming your way!  They cover every current version of the Microsoft Operating system including the almost forgotten Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, …

Tampering with network equipment can be hazardous to your health…

  “Tampering with this network equipment may result in an ass whoopin’ you’ll never forget”…  Makes me laugh every time I see it!   I bet every IT professional would love to see this sticker on every server room door.  How much money would be saved on computer, network & server service, repair or support, especially if someone actually was …

Is there an Apple Mac battery pack explosion risk from a possible exploit?

Could your Apple Mac Macbook, Macbook Pro or Macbook Air be a ticking timebomb? According to one researcher, yes. An interesting article over on PHYSORG.com states that a researcher with Accuvant Labs will be demonstrating an exploit on current Mac models that could result in a battery pack actually exploding if the vulnerability is leveraged by hackers. It seems that …

Considering Storage, IP Surveillance, Security, Wireless or Switching for your business? Thought about D-Link?

Everyone is familiar with Cisco products, but not everyone may realize there are alternatives which can affect your bottom line drastically while providing an identical feature set and experience. D-Link is a leader in the field and their products can often times go head-to-head with Cisco. D-Link offers: Wireless network equipment, like access points, managed wireless switches for large scale …

Secure IT Alert: CERT Issues Security Recommendations to Prevent Cyber Intrusions

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Wednesday, July 21st, 2011 The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team has issued their recommendations for protection against network intrusions.  I have included the entire document below, but the most current version of the document can be found here.  Please keep in mind that these recommendations are not related to any one platform. These are …

Computer theft can be reduced dramatically with simple & inexpensive devices #SRMC

Last week I wrote about hard drive encryption which could protect your data in the event your notebook, desktop or even a server were to be stolen…  Odd that I mentioned one particular organization, Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, which had suffered two computer losses as of the date of that posting, because yesterday found SRMC back in the news with the …

Did you secure your Wi-Fi acess point yet?

Last week I was discussing RIAA letters to people who had supposedly downloaded music illegally and it turned out it was neighbors using their wifi connection. I wonder if anyone was paying attention?  If you did not secure your wireless access point after that, then maybe THIS will encourage you to do so… A dispute with neighbors turned ugly back …

Secure IT Alert: Windows Critical Updates Address Wireless Bluetooth Attack & More

Homeland Secure IT Alert for Tuesday, July 12, 2011 If you are running any current version of Windows, then Microsoft has something you want, and need. Today’s “Patch Tuesday” brings a correction to a Bluetooth vulnerability that would permit an attacker to gain complete control over your machine. Here’s the rundown from the Watchguard Security Center: Severity: High 12 July, …