An Introduction to the Router It?s been nearly 50 years since the router was developed. Today?s router technology has matured to become an integral component in all types of communications. From data to voice to video, the router is a core piece of technology for almost everyone. The first router was developed by BBN in the late 1960s. Called the Interface Message Processor, it was built for use on the ARPAnet, which was an early predecessor of the Internet. It was quickly improved upon and in 1981, Bill Yeager, of the Stanford Knowledge System Laboratory, developed the code behind the first multiple-protocol router. Interest in Yeager?s concept led Len Bosack and Sandy Lerner to develop the first Local Area Network (LAN) and in 1984 the pair launched Cisco Systems, which is currently the largest networking company in the world. What Is a Router? The simplest definition of a router is: a device that acts as a tunnel to the other devices on a network, supplying them with the means to communicate with each other. Today, most routers have wireless capabilities allowing this to be done without connecting the machines to the router. Despite being called a wireless router, there are typically two wires that will always be connected to it. One is obviously the power cord, while the second comes from the modem. The modem, of course, is the piece of hardware that allows connection to the Internet. How Does It Work? Once all the wires are connected, your router will emit a signal that usually travels between 90 and 300 meters; it is device-dependent. When you connect a device to a Wi-Fi connection, the signal is sent from the router. Many products, including smartphones, laptops, and tablets have Wi-Fi connections built in, but more than that, these days a lot of consumer goods now come with connectivity. Internet of Things devices continue to grow in number, so when picking a router, you?ll likely have to take that into account. Options and Features Like every other piece of technology, the more features and options a router has, the better it is. Here are a few options and features that modern routers have aboard that can make a difference for your data dissemination and protection. Dual-band Wi-Fi – Today most wireless routers have dual-band Wi-Fi, since the traditional 2.4GHz frequency is used in so many places that it can be a problem. Today?s routers come with both 2.4 and 5GHz. Wireless On/Off Toggle – There may be times when you have to disable your Wi-Fi network (i.e. troubleshooting interference) and having a dedicated on/off button can come in handy. Detachable antennas – Many routers come without visible antennas, instead opting for internal antennae. Sometimes you need more range, however. That?s why buying one with detachable antennas give you more flexibility and signal coverage. IPv6 Support – The Internet?s supply of IPv4 addresses has been exhausted, so having support for IPv6 sites is mandatory if you plan on keeping your router for any length of time. If you are looking for help with your organization’s wireless network, start by calling the IT professionals at White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

You should work toward centralization of your company?s IT assets as swiftly as possible, as it can provide your organization with enhanced accessibility and flexibility. If your business? assets are all located in the same place, you might be surprised at how many possibilities are opened up, including the ability to access data anytime, anywhere, on any device. Most businesses think of centralization as hosting company assets in one location where they can be accessed at any given point. For a lot of companies, this means implementing cloud computing of some sort. This includes taking your assets and moving them into a virtual environment, where they can be accessed by anyone who needs them. Examples of cloud computing include the following: Constant accessibility: If you host applications in the cloud, you?re allowing for simplified access by approved individuals. This also means that you?ll be able to access these solutions on any connected device, providing on-the-go access for your busier employees. User-based access: Your employees have different roles and responsibilities, and with these come varying degrees of data security clearance. You need to limit access to specific data depending on the user?s role. This keeps your employees from accessing data that they?re not supposed to. Security: If all of your data is located in the same place, it becomes easier to protect. This security also needs to extend to any devices that have access to this data. If you can control security, your business can utilize centralized IT assets with minimal risk. If your business wants to take full advantage of centralized IT, we recommend reaching out to White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800. We can consult you on any number of technology topics and help you maintain your infrastructure.

The basic gist of this law is that U.S. officials and others involved with them could potentially obtain digital information that isn?t hosted on their home turf. This law garnered overwhelming support from both the U.S. Department of Justice and major technology companies, prompting Congress to push it through. What Does This Mean? At a glance, this law represents a significant loss for the individual. It?s now easier than ever before to conduct criminal and civil investigations. Part of this law also allows for access to personal information and communication as well. Prior to the passing of this law, foreign governments would have to go through the proper channels in order to access information from U.S.-based technology companies. Naturally, these companies wouldn?t necessarily consent so easily. Due to the multitude of nations that the United States deals with on a regular basis, before submitting to a request for information from a foreign entity, there would be much thought put into factors such as records of human rights abuses and other pressures placed on the company to make the decision. As a member of the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, or MLAT, the United States is hesitant to provide any information that could place human lives at risk, but the CLOUD Act can potentially shake these responsibilities up. In the wake of this new law, the executive branch of the United States government will be able to control who this information is shared with, as well as who it?s not shared with. At the helm of such decisions are U.S. President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Data can now effectively be used as bargaining chips by the executive branch. Consequently, there has been a lot of power placed in the hands of appointees that haven?t necessarily been directly elected to positions of authority. The United States and other law enforcement agencies around the globe will have powerful new ways to seize data for any express purpose. Therefore, the average user?s private messages via email or social media can now be confiscated and looked upon without a search warrant. This puts the personal information of so many users right in the crosshairs of people who now have a legal right to view it. Below is a short explanation for what changes the CLOUD Act will bring about: Enable foreign police to collect and wiretap people?s interpersonal communications without obtaining a warrant to do so. Allows foreign nations to demand records saved and stored by American companies. Allows the U.S. President to enter ?executive agreements? designed to help foreign police agencies obtain data regardless of that regime?s human rights record. Allows foreign police to obtain and collect data without notifying the party. Gives U.S. police the right to grab data anyplace, no matter where it is stored. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been a particular opponent of this new law. They issued a public statement that decreed it a ?dangerous expansion of police snooping? and that it would ?erode privacy protections around the globe.? They go on to state: ?Legislation to protect the privacy of technology users from government snooping has long been overdue in the United States, but the CLOUD Act does the opposite, and privileges law enforcement at the expense of the people?s privacy. EFF strongly opposes the bill.? Clearly […]

Password The old standby of authentication, a well-thought-out password can be an extremely effective security measure, but a password with little effort put into it can just as easily be a considerable security risk. Despite this, a password (or its cousin, the passphrase) can be the strongest security measure available for your mobile device. However, there is one major shortcoming to the password, in that it very quickly becomes tedious and inconvenient to enter each time your phone needs to be accessed. Pattern Lock Another option that many elect to use is the pattern lock, which allows the phone to be accessed only when the correct pattern is traced out on a three-by-three square. This natural and intuitive lock becomes a very quick way to access a phone once the user becomes accustomed to it, and if all nine dots are used in the pattern, provides close to 400,000 possible access codes. Unfortunately, the pattern lock falls short in a few ways. First, many people elect to use shapes that are easily guessed out of simplicity and convenience, and it is fairly simple for someone to simply watch one?s hand to ascertain the pattern they?re using. PIN Number Like a password, a PIN number is a relatively strong form of authentication, as the typical 4-digit option has over 10 thousand potential combinations. While this would admittedly be very difficult to remember, an Android device can be secured by a 16-digit PIN, boosting the number of potential codes to 10 quadrillion. However, there is a shortcoming to the PIN number, as many people may succumb to the temptation of, again, making an oversimplified PIN number that could potentially be guessed quite easily. Fingerprint Scanner This unlock method has quickly become the preferred method to access a mobile device, and for good reason: not only is it secure enough to be trustworthy, it?s also quite fast. However, even this method has its weaknesses. For instance, the fingerprint scanner itself isn?t always positioned in the most convenient place on the phone itself. Furthermore, gloves make this method impossible to use. Facial Recognition/Iris Scanning/Intelligent Scan The way things are going, it is likely that this will soon become the preferred method of authenticating your identity to access a phone. However, in their current states, these methods just aren?t quite secure enough to safely authenticate things like purchases and other financial tasks with 100 percent confidence, although things are getting better as far as that goes. Smart Lock – Other Security Measures Many phones now also offer security features that rely on alternative forms of authentication. On-body detection keeps the device unlocked whenever it is being carried – regardless of who is carrying it. You can also teach a device to ?trust? certain places, devices, and faces. Another option is to use the Google Assistant to unlock your phone by saying ?Okay Google.? However, these features don?t serve your security very well, and are primarily for the sake of convenience. So Which is Best? The generally accepted school of thought is that, until face and iris scanning is more widely available and some of the wrinkles are ironed out, a fingerprint scan with a PIN or password backup is the safest route to take. Regardless, any form of authentication measure is better than nothing, so […]

You might be wondering how it?s even possible that Google?s quality control manages to miss so many of these apps. Here?s how. How These Apps Make it to the Play Store It?s clear that Google understands just how important security is, so it?s a bit concerning that malware can find its way to the Play Store. Still, this doesn?t mean that it?s easy for threats to do so, as hackers still have to meet Google?s standards in order to post their content on it. Malware developers, however, have found ways to sneak their apps past the automated security that Google implements. They do this by uploading an app that initially has no malicious intent, and can therefore circumvent the security of the Play Store. Once the app has been downloaded, it reaches out to a third-party server that then proceeds to install malware directly to the device. This is the process that many malicious applications use to sneak past Google?s security. How to Spot the Fakes Google has taken a stand against malicious and fraudulent apps on the Play Store, but measures like Google Play Protect aren?t nearly enough. Vigilance is one of the best ways to keep your business secure from fake apps. If you ever find yourself needing to install an app in the future, be sure to check this list to make sure that the app is actually legitimate first. Name, description, and other details: The first sign that an app isn?t legitimate will be its name or description. Malicious applications have traditionally tried to replicate original applications as often as they can, laughing in the face of Google Play?s impersonation policy. Sometimes these apps aren?t caught and pulled immediately, so you have to be extra careful to read the description. Often times, impersonated apps will have descriptions written in broken English. This is why the description is the best indicator that an application is legitimate. Check the reviews: The Google Play Store lets users leave reviews, and you can use these reviews as a way to identify dangerous applications. However, a fake application could also be subject to fake reviews, which might make it difficult to identify the good from the bad. Either way, any negative reviews might give you the chance to reconsider your choice to download the app anyway, so if it?s a bad apple in the barrel, you?ll be saving yourself some stress anyway./ The Developer: Is the app really from the developer that it claims to be from? If it?s a well-known application, you should be able to tell who developed it, but you might need to put on the brakes and take a closer look before downloading a business application. If it?s from an unknown developer with no history, think twice before downloading it. Number of downloads: How popular is the app that you want to download? If it?s been downloaded billions of times, it?s probably more legitimate than one with hundreds, thousands, or even millions of downloads. How many fake apps have you come across on Google Play or the Amazon App Store? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more technology tips and tricks.