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Bob YoungThe scams can be very convincing. This client is college educated, owns a business employing several dozen people, and has homes in two different states. A couple of years ago he was duped by one of those pop-ups that said, “Your computer is infected! Call Microsoft for assistance at 1-800-xxx-xxxx.” He called the number and the person who answered said, “Microsoft Technical Assistance, how may I help you?” Before it was all over, his credit card had been charged – twice! – for a total of $459.00.Two years later, they are still calling him, trying to get more money! He told me about their most recent attempt on June 13.He’s been a client of mine since 2011. I maintain his business computers and his family’s personal computers. A couple of years ago when he saw the pop-up which led to his computer being infected by the fake tech support company, he told me, “I thought about calling you instead of the number on the screen, but it seemed so urgent, and it really looked like it was from Microsoft, so I decided to call them.”The thing that strikes me the most about this story is the brazenness of the cybercriminals. They keep coming back, and have no fear of arrest or prosecution.It’s up to you to be cautious.<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/callmeifyouneedme" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#callmeifyouneedme</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/fifonetworks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fifonetworks</a><a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/cybersecurity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#cybersecurity</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/onsitesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#onsitesupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/remotesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#remotesupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/techsupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techsupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/helpdesk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#helpdesk</a>

Bob YoungDon’t be embarrassed about your server room. I’m talking to small business owners and the IT employees who love working there.The reality for a lot of small businesses and retail locations is that there is no server room. There’s one server on the floor next to the shift manager’s desk, or up on a shelf in a supply closet. One bar that’s a client of mine has the Internet Gateway, the firewall, a switch, and a server in the attic crawl space. I have to climb up a ladder and go through a hatch in the ceiling to get to it.If the business is a little larger and has an in-house IT person, the server room is often still a multi-purpose room that happens to have a couple of racks in it. The Ethernet cables go up and out through a hole in the corner of a ceiling tile in the drop ceiling.Every time I visit one of these locations for the first time, the IT person or business owner apologizes to me and feels like they’re somehow not living up to my expectations. But really, this is pretty normal.Your equipment isn’t generating enough heat to need additional air conditioning. You’re making enough money to run the business and cover payroll every month, but it’s not like you have a safe full of excess cash begging you to spend it on antistatic flooring.So please, relax. Whatever you’ve got, I’ve seen worse. It’s not as bad as you think. (Well, unless you’ve got mouse droppings inside the server case, and rats have chewed the insulation off your Ethernet cables – then you’re getting close to the bottom end of what I’ve had to deal with).I’ll fix what you’ve got so you’re up and running again, and I’ll make some recommendations for ways we can make your network less prone to another failure. It’s your business. You know your budget and your needs. You decide how much we do from there.<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/callmeifyouneedme" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#callmeifyouneedme</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/fifonetworks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fifonetworks</a><a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/onsitesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#onsitesupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/remotesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#remotesupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/techsupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#techsupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/helpdesk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#helpdesk</a>

Bob YoungHelp Desk workers: protect your users’ privacy. Notepad tabs expose information. Here’s a (temporary) solution.BACKGROUND: Yesterday I was installing a new instance of QuickBooks remotely on a CPA’s computer. They were in front of their computer for the installation, and we were in real-time communication via telephone. At one point I opened Notepad on their computer to make some quick temporary notes. Oops! It’s Windows 11, and they had several tabs open in Notepad. (If you’re not familiar with it yet, the newest version of Notepad has tabs. If you have unsaved data in one or more tabs, those tabs are preserved, and the next time you open Notepad, they’re all there).THE PROBLEM: The information in the top tab is immediately visible. For all I know, that note may have included the Social Security number of a client. Maybe it was just a recipe for chocolate chip cookies – the point is, I have no way of knowing whether I’m opening sensitive information or not.THE (TEMPORARY) SOLUTION: I did some research last night to see if there’s a way to open a new instance of Notepad, so I don’t see the client’s unsaved work. As near as I can tell, opening a new instance with no other instance open isn’t possible. Please comment if you know a way to do it! So, my solution – use Wordpad instead of Notepad on client computers with Windows 11.WordPad doesn’t immediately show up in the All Programs menu, but it’s easy to open. To open it, click Start, and begin typing "wordpad." When the app appears as the auto-complete option (along about “wordp…”), press Enter. WordPad opens much faster than Word, and it also protects the privacy of the user’s Recent Files list.Why is this solution temporary? Because Microsoft is in the process of discontinuing WordPad. It won’t be available much longer.If you know a way to open a clean instance of Notepad on a client’s computer without previous access to its settings, please let me know. I want to preserve the privacy of my clients’ information.<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/callmeifyouneedme" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#callmeifyouneedme</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/fifonetworks" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fifonetworks</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/helpdesk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#helpdesk</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/remotesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#remotesupport</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/onsitesupport" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#onsitesupport</a>

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