There are several reasons why crime can flourish on the Internet, but the major contributor is by far the anonymity that the web offers. In particular, the anonymity browser Tor offers criminals the means to go about their duties in a way which has the least chance of being compromised by law enforcement. These black markets are often only capable of being accessed through Tor, for fear of being discovered and taken down. However, not all online black markets are protected like this, and not all illegal online black markets prioritize sustainability. There are many underground black markets in North America that will sell to anyone, regardless of whether or not they?re seasoned criminals. This blatant disregard for their own continuity is dangerous for both its users and those orchestrating the sales. Many of these underground black market sites can be found on what?s called the ?Surface Web,? which is the Internet that is seen by the average user, and is accessible to anyone. Users can access these sites by knowing what to search for, and this ease-of-use allows the industry to grow exorbitantly. From Trend Micro via TechRepublic, here?s a chart detailing what the online crime market is primarily used for. As expected, drugs are a major component of the online cybercrime industry, with stolen data dumps and crimeware coming in second and third. What?s most disturbing is that there are online plots for arms manufacturing and even assassinations, which makes the online black market an exceptionally dangerous entity. The common consensus is that the North American underground can be considered a ?glass tank.? It works great for its intended purpose, but the transparency and lack of sustainability make it susceptible to shattering at any given moment. Trend Micro reports that the life cycle of most black market sites is very short. The sites could be available one moment, and gone the next. The lesson to be learned here is that cyber criminals are extremely resourceful and slippery, and will use any and all means at their disposal to turn a profit without a second thought. This is why it?s so challenging to protect your business from hackers and other online threats. Especially considering how anyone can purchase code over the Internet to exploit vulnerabilities, data dumps, and other sensitive credentials, business owners need to realize that there?s a market for their sensitive data, and that it needs to be protected at all costs. White Mountain IT Services can help your business handle these threats by outfitting your network with the latest and greatest security solutions on the market. Our technicians can answer any questions you might have about firewalls, antiviruses, content blocking, and spam filtering solutions that are necessary for the average SMB. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

Keep in mind that some touchpads are more prone to difficulties than others. Some devices will have better quality or more calibrated touchpads, and if your device has been bothering you and preventing you from getting work done, reach out to us. We might be able to offer you our assistance. What?s Your Hand Placement Like?If you?re having problems with your touchpad, perhaps the way you use it might be an issue. If you?re not careful, it?s easy for your hand to brush against it as you type, which might make the cursor jump around and mess up your document. If you have large hands, you probably know all too well about this problem. If you?re sitting in a strange position, like on a hammock or a couch, you might also experience a similar effect. You can usually fix this problem just by changing your hand placement, but if the problem continues, you might need the attention of a professional. Can You Remember the Last Time You Cleaned Your Touchpad?It?s natural for your hands to accumulate particulates that will undoubtedly find their way onto your touchpad. Skin, oil, dirt, and other particles collect on your touchpad, making it difficult to use. Plus, if you consider the fact that keyboards are less sanitary than toilet seats, you really do have a reason to clean it once in a while to ensure proper hygiene and functionality. Wiping your touchpad down can help the touchpad read your finger strokes, and may resolve problems with how it works. Are You Using Other External Input Devices?If you?re using an external input device like a wireless mouse, graphics tablet, or a keyboard, you might be experiencing problems with your touchpad. Sometimes, depending on the device, even having a laptop plugged into an electric outlet or a docking station can cause complications with your laptop?s touchpad. Before assuming the worst, try unplugging your external hardware and see if your touchpad returns to normal. Have You Updated Your Drivers?If you?re using an older laptop, you might need to update the driver that controls the touchpad interface. Check with your laptop?s manufacturer to see if you?re using the latest drivers. You can do so by visiting the manufacturer?s website, calling their support hotline, or giving White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800. Replace the TouchpadIf these troubleshooting tips don?t help your touchpad return to normal, you might need to simply replace your touchpad. However, this process shouldn?t be attempted by just anyone. White Mountain IT Services?s professional technicians can handle this job for you, as well as troubleshoot other computer-related issues and annoyances that might be complicating your user experience. Bonus Tip: Just Use a Wireless MouseIf you don?t like your clumsy touchpad, you can avoid using it further by switching to a wireless mouse. If your laptop supports Bluetooth, there are several options available for your wireless mouse. Even if it doesn?t support Bluetooth, you can just use one that connects via wireless USB. Are you experiencing annoying touchpad issues? Simply try these troubleshooting tips and see how you fare. For more great tips, be sure to subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.

The main problem presented by Windows 10?s automatic installation is that businesses that may plan on implementing Windows 10 in the future are still making sure that the new operating system is compatible with their legacy software. Upgrading without first consulting a proper IT technician can result in your legacy applications becoming inaccessible, and if they?re crucial to the success of your business, you?ll quickly fall behind and be forced to endure crippling downtime and headaches. ComputerWorld goes into detail concerning some of the claims of Windows 10 automatic updates and installations, many of which seem to be due to users opting into automatically installing Windows Updates, as well as having recommended updates being installed as if they were considered critical updates. The reasoning is simple; since Windows 10?s installer is delivered via Windows Updates, it will naturally run on the users? machines if it?s set to do so. Granted, most of the problems associated with automatic Windows 10 updates seems to be the inability to refuse the updates, rather than the fact that the OS is automatically getting installed. Others seem to be stuck in an upgrade loop of sorts, which doesn?t allow them to decline the upgrade to Windows 10. There?s even some skepticism that this is part of Microsoft?s plan to get all Windows users on Windows 10 as soon as possible, but we don?t buy into this train of thought. If users are careful enough to view the optional upgrade options, they can keep Windows 10 off of their PC indefinitely if they want to. Although, as technology professionals, we will always advocate for using the latest tech solutions on the market once it?s deemed stable and proficient. There are ways to remove the Windows 10 update from the Windows Update registry, but it?s not recommended that you do so without the help of a trusted technician. Besides, if you don?t want to use Windows 10, maybe you should consider why you don?t want to update. If it?s because of legacy applications, there are plenty of options that allow you to continue taking advantage of them, like virtualization, while still having the option of updating your operating systems. The important thing to remember is that your business can?t risk the chances of having Windows 10 unexpectedly install on your machine. If you?re unsure of how upgrading to Windows 10 will affect your business infrastructure, you need to take every precaution to make sure that an upgrade won?t break your workflow, whether you intend to upgrade or not. It?s recommended that you contact White Mountain IT Services and allow our trusted tech professionals to walk you through the process of Windows 10 adoption. We can assess your network for any discrepancies and help you move toward Windows 10 in an educated fashion, minimizing complications and allowing for maximum efficiency. To learn more, give us a call at (603) 889-0800.

This mischievous app can be found on Google Play and is called S.M.T.H. (Send Me to Heaven). However, iOS users won?t find this app in the App Store. Apple has banned the app, claiming that it was ?encouraging behavior that could result in damage to the user?s device.? Banning this app was probably the right move by Apple, as evidenced by an interview in WIRED of the app?s creator, Petr Svarovsky, where he admitted that ?he had hoped to have people shatter as many iPhones as possible.? What is his problem with iPhones? For Svarovsky, he?s one of many people who are tired of mobile devices used to flaunt wealth. As he explained to WIRED, ?The original idea was to have very expensive gadgets, which people in certain societies buy just to show off, and to get them to throw it.? One can only wonder if this expert-level trolling tactic would work for other expensive, status-symbol items, like perhaps smart TVs and luxury cars? How Does the S.M.T.H. Work?It?s ridiculous how simple this app is. Basically, all one has to do is toss their phone high up into the air and when it lands (safely) into your hands, it will tell you how high the throw was. As seen in this tutorial video: For most smartphone owners, it will take more than one throw to critically drop their phone, which is why the app provides plenty of motivation for users to keep on throwing by posting their throws to scoreboards. These leaderboards include; World Top 10, Week Top 10, Day Top 10, Local Top 10 (national) and Facebook Friends lists. As you can image, this app has claimed the innocent lives of many smartphones, earning it the infamous title, ?the last game your phone will ever play.? Although to be fair, if you?re unconcerned about the longevity of your smartphone, this app can actually make for a fun and exhilarating game where one will go to new heights in order to break their old record. Take it from these guys who creatively use rubber bands and blankets to launch their phone as high as they possibly can. What do you think about S.M.T.H.? Does it seem like an exciting new use for your smartphone? Are you going to give it a try, or perhaps recommend it to a friend as an April Fool?s Day joke? Share with us your thoughts and high score (well, maybe not) in the comments!

When you send a file to the Recycle Bin and select ?Empty Recycle Bin,? your file is deleted and it?s gone for good, right? Even though it seems like this is the case, the real story of what happens to deleted data is a bit more complicated. Actually, your deleted files are still on your PC and it takes additional measures to truly delete them. Granted, you will have to go through a lot of trouble in order to access one of these ?deleted? files, however, the fact that the file is still accessible should be enough to raise some eyebrows. Now, we?re not accusing you of trying to delete anything incriminating, but if you did, know that just selecting ?Empty Recycle Bin? isn?t enough to get you off the hook. Actually, law enforcement officials and detectives know this full well, which is why you?ll often see them carting off computers from a crime scene. Part of the reason of why this is, comes from the fact that dragging one file to a new location, like the Recycle Bin, or even another file folder, doesn?t move every single piece of data associated with that file to the desired folder. Instead, it just redirects the computer as to where to access the data, which can often be scattered across several different places on the physical hard drive. TechQuickie explains how this works: The way your operating system knows where to find all the pieces [of your data] is… through the reference to it on the Master File Table. So back to deleting stuff, removing a file from the Recycle Bin, only removes the Master File Table reference that points to the pieces that make up that file puzzle, and registers that space that it used to take up as ?empty.? This gives the operating system permission to write over it, but that does not mean that, right after you clean out your Recycle Bin, that the file is gone. Not by a long shot. Going back to our example of deleting an incriminating file, if a criminal were to delete the evidence off of their PC and then immediately go out and commit the associated crime without having done any additional activity on their PC, then that information is still on their PC and has yet to be written over. Detectives have special programs, allowing them to access and piece together these deleted-yet-still-present files which are still scattered across a hard drive. Using this same logic, this is why it?s so crucial that you get your hard drive in the hands of an IT professional like the techs at White Mountain IT Services as soon as you experience data loss. Depending on how bad of a disaster you just experienced, we might be able to use these same tools that detectives use in order to piece together files that you feared were gone for good. Of course, we can?t make any guarantees, depending on the nature of the disaster. A much better way to recover data after a disaster is to revert to a recent backed up copy. This is why routinely backing up your company?s data is so important, and why we recommend that every organization backs up their files using a Backup and Disaster Recovery solution. It?s the guaranteed way to recover […]