Windows 10 uses what?s called a Windows Spotlight feature to show you ads on your lock screen. You can find the setting for Windows Spotlight in the Personalization settings. Chances are that if you are using the default settings suggested by Windows 10, these ads are enabled. Thankfully, you can easily switch them off for good in just a few steps. To get started, open up the Settings app, either by going through the Start menu or searching for Settings in the search bar/Cortana field at the bottom of the screen. Then, click Personalization. You?ll see several options for changing your background image, altering the color of the operating system, setting themes, and changing the appearance of your Start menu. You want to click on Lock screen. Once you?ve selected Lock screen, you?ll see a preview of what your lock screen will look like. Windows will also display options for how you want your lock screen to look. You?ll see Windows spotlight among the options, which is responsible for showing the ads. If you want to remove the ads, click something like Picture or Slideshow, which will present a more personal, ad-free appearance on your PC. By selecting either Pictures or Slideshow, Microsoft will no longer shamelessly push ads to your lock screen. We recommend that you choose a background that reminds you of a nice, safe place; perhaps somewhere you want to go to for a vacation, or something that reminds you of home. Pick something that you?re passionate about that can have a positive influence on your workday. One last note: consider turning off the Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen slider. This helps to make sure that annoying ads don?t find their way onto your lock screen. Or, if you don?t mind the ads, you can provide feedback to Microsoft for how to better suit your specific needs. Actually, if you want really great tips, tricks, fun facts, and more, why not just subscribe to our blog? To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

One of the latest vulnerabilities in open-source software can be found in 7zip, a file archiver and decompresser. 7zip has been found to have several security vulnerabilities which have software developers rushing to fix their products. The damage done extends far beyond 7zip, reaching both people who use 7zip itself, and developers who have used the technology in the creation of their own tools and software. There are two vulnerabilities, which were discovered by Cisco?s Security Intelligence and Research Group, Talos. In particular, the security report focuses on the fact that these types of vulnerabilities most drastically affect antivirus software programs and others which host compressed or encrypted files. The real issue that comes from these 7zip vulnerabilities is how widespread the software is used; for example, many companies may be using software which supports 7zip without realizing it. ZDNet explains in full detail: ?The first vulnerability, CVE-2016-2335, is an out-of-bounds security flaw caused by the way 7zip handles Universal Disk Format (UDF) files. When partition maps are scanned to find objects within the file system, there is a lack of proper checking which can cause a read-out-of-bounds problem. If exploited, cyber attackers could use the vulnerability to execute code remotely.? ?The second security flaw, CVE-2016-2234, is an exploitable heap overflow vulnerability found within the Archive::NHfs::CHandler::ExtractZlibFile method functionality of 7zip. In the software’s HFS+ system, files can be stored in a compressed format using zlib, and depending on the size of the data, this information may be stored in blocks.? In Simple English: These recently discovered vulnerabilities could be executed by hackers to gain control over your device and data. Also of note is that this technology should be a reminder of what happens when an open-source software that?s used in many places across the Internet becomes vulnerable. While it?s definitely not as scary as Heartbleed, the vulnerability in OpenSSL that struck in April of 2014 that allowed for the theft of encrypted information, these vulnerabilities in 7zip could have been much worse. Thanks to the efforts of Talos and the 7zip developers, the vulnerabilities have been patched and are available in the latest version of 7zip, V.16.00. Keep in mind that previous versions are still vulnerable to the aforementioned issues and should be updated as soon as possible. This also goes for any software that your company uses that takes advantage of 7zip. For more information on the latest security vulnerabilities, as well as information on how to protect your organization from potential threats, reach out to us at (603) 889-0800.

This past January, Microsoft stopped supporting all versions of Internet Explorer that aren?t the current version: Internet Explorer 11. This means that there are many unsupported web browsers that are lacking patches and security updates, including Internet Explorer 7, 8, 9, and 10. Half of the PCs that currently run Windows XP are still running Internet Explorer 7 and 8, which is a recipe for disaster. To determine what version of Internet Explorer you are running, open up the browser and go under Help and look for an option called About Internet Explorer. Some versions of IE don?t have a help menu. If you don?t see it, look for a Gear Icon. Researchers at Duo Security discovered these statistics following an analysis of over two million devices. In particular, those who are running Windows XP were the main culprits for running older versions of Internet Explorer. Naturally, the combination of these two pieces of unsupported software practically begs hackers to target these systems. It was also found by Duo Security that 72 percent of Java and 60 percent of versions of Flash are also out of date on user devices, both of which can potentially open up even more outlets for attacks by hackers. It?s a testament to how end-users will handle their technology; if they don?t perceive an immediate threat, they will often put off upgrading software for the sake of convenience. This is a disaster waiting to happen, and it?s your responsibility as the business owner to ensure that you?re not putting your business?s workstations, servers, and other components, in harm?s way. While keeping your business?s critical technology infrastructure up-to-date with the latest security patches and updates is a challenge, it?s still a necessary struggle. You can?t allow a single workstation or server to put the integrity of your organization?s infrastructure on the line. You shouldn?t let the same old technology hold you back from achieving greatness with your IT infrastructure. The good news is that it doesn?t have to be a struggle. With White Mountain IT Services at your side, upgrading your technology is as easy as can be. We can thoroughly assess your business?s specific needs, and consult you on how best to move forward with your technology upgrade. The important thing to keep in mind is that you should always approach tech upgrades with caution. The last thing you want is to make a drastic change to your infrastructure, and render it obsolete. White Mountain IT Services can remotely monitor and maintain your business?s critical systems, administering patches and security updates without the need for a costly on-site visit. This saves you money in the long run, and you won?t have to worry about missing an important update for your solutions. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

We?ve put together a list of easy ways that you can mitigate the risks associated with oversharing your personal information on the Internet: Mind what you post: You need to understand that there is some information that?s not supposed to be shared on the Internet. A fairly obvious example of this is personal information like Social Security numbers; if someone shared their Social Security number online, and a fraudster got ahold of it, they could easily steal the identity and perform who knows what with it. Other information that shouldn?t be shared includes birthdays, home addresses, phone numbers, and so on. Even something as simple as your dog?s name could be used to crack a potential security question for an online banking account. Basically, you should keep your personal life off the Internet; otherwise, you?re inviting disaster. Side note: You may trust your privacy settings and your contacts, but you should still be conservative about posting your agenda and your physical address online. Never announce when your home will be empty on social media. Doing so could lead to uninvited guests while you?re vacationing in Tahiti. Limit your employment details: Sites like LinkedIn can help you work on your professional networking, but they also provide identity thieves with a treasure trove of personal information. Unless you?re actively seeking employment, it?s a good idea to include only information that?s absolutely necessary. It should be just enough to get people to view your profile, and information on how they can get in touch with you. Take advantage of privacy settings to maximize your personal security. Perform an online audit: The Internet is a huge place. Your information could be, quite literally, in a thousand different locations. Friends and contacts of yours could post information about where you are and what you?re doing. Plus, information could exist outside the realm of your social media accounts, lingering in online databases, waiting to be picked up by hackers or other thieves. Perform a social media audit: This is often called a ?friend purge,? where you go through your social media contacts and remove those whom you have fallen out of contact with, or those who you simply don?t know. Ask yourself if you would let your social media contacts into your home, or share intimate details about your life with them. Chances are that the majority of them don?t need access to your full account and information. Social media can be a great way to connect with people, but you need to take your personal security into your own hands. If you don?t, who will? For more information about how to stay safe online, keep tabs on our blog; or, call White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800.

Microsoft has a certain way of handling support for their software. For five years following the release of a software or operating system, Microsoft provides what?s known as ?mainstream support,? where they accept requests for new features and fixes for key issues. After mainstream support ends, the product enters an ?extended support,? period, where all warranties end, and the only thing provided to the solutions are key security fixes. Once extended support ends, a product reaches its ?end of life,? where Microsoft cuts off support completely. This also means that your systems will no longer be patched for critical security flaws. Below, we?ve listed all of the Microsoft products that will be reaching their end of support date on July 10th and July 12th, 2016. If your organization is still taking advantage of any of these solutions, it?s important that you consider upgrading to a more recent version of the software, or to an entirely different solution. Failing to do so will place your important business systems at risk. Service Packs Reaching End of Support Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2013 Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 Service Pack 2 Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Business Intelligence Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Developer Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Core Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Standard Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Web Microsoft System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1 Microsoft System Center 2012 Endpoint Protection Service Pack 1 Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Configuration Manager Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection for Linux Microsoft System Center 2012 R2 Endpoint Protection for Mac Products Moving from Mainstream to Extended SupportProducts marked with * expire on July 10th, 2016, rather than July 12th, 2016. * Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Headquarters 2.0 * Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System Store Operations 2.0 Microsoft Project Server 2010 Microsoft Dynamics SL 2011 Microsoft SQL Server Compact 4.0 Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 Premium Windows MultiPoint Server 2011 Standard Products Moving to End of Support Microsoft ActiveSync 4.2 Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Developer Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Enterprise Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Branch Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Developer Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Enterprise Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 R2 Standard Edition Microsoft BizTalk Server 2006 Standard Edition Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Developer Edition Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Enterprise Edition Microsoft Commerce Server 2007 Standard Edition Microsoft Connected Services Framework Billing Standard Business Event 3.0 Microsoft Connected Services Framework Order Handling Standard Business Event 3.0 Microsoft Connected Services Framework Server 3.0 Microsoft Connected Services Framework Standard Server 3.0 Microsoft Connected Services Framework Standard Server with Standard Business Events 3.0 Microsoft Visual J# Version 2.0 Redistributable Package Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Team Foundation Server Is your business still using any of these technologies or services? If so, contact White Mountain IT Services at (603) 889-0800. We?ll work with you to ensure that your systems aren?t left unsupported. Doing so is a liability that your business shouldn?t have to deal with.