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Macro Systems Blog

Macro Systems has been serving the Metro Washington, DC area since 1997, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

Be Aware of the Inherent Security Risks of Smart Devices

Be Aware of the Inherent Security Risks of Smart Devices

There has recently been a general fascination with smart devices in the home and the office. These Internet of Things-powered appliances can help add to the convenience of rote tasks and other everyday activities, but is it actually a good idea to use them? Unless you’ve taken the proper precautions, maybe not.

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Tips to Better Secure Personal Information

Tips to Better Secure Personal Information

Personal information is very, very valuable, especially in this increasingly digital modern day and age. This makes it incredibly imperative that you are doing everything you can to protect it in your business, whether it is your own or belongs to somebody else. Listed below are a few tips to help you better protect the data you’re responsible for.

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How an Access Management Policy Can Help Your Business

How an Access Management Policy Can Help Your Business

As you manage your business, there is a lot that you’re going to have to oversee - including how much access your employees have to the data you have gathered and generated throughout your operations. An access management policy can help you to accomplish this. Listed below is a review of a critical features you need to include in your strategy.

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Reminder: Windows 7 Retires January 14th!

Reminder: Windows 7 Retires January 14th!

Microsoft is retiring two of its most popular operating systems in just over a week; this shouldn’t be news at this point. Microsoft has frequently been reminding Windows 7 users that they need to upgrade before January 14 - including running a major campaign to do so - but there are still a quarter of all desktop users that haven’t upgraded yet.

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The Largest Cybersecurity Concerns For 2020

The Largest Cybersecurity Concerns For 2020

Cybersecurity should always be a matter of great importance for a business, especially since cyber criminals are always evolving their tactics. As a result, it pays to keep an eye on the horizon for the next looming threats. Let's take a look at some few threats that cybersecurity professionals say that businesses should be concerned about in the near future.

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How to Control What Google Knows About You

How to Control What Google Knows About You

Almost everyone utilizes Google in some way or another; the search engine is, by far, the most common way people get answers and find content online. Google currently handles about 90% of search queries, while the second and third place goes to Yahoo and Bing, who share just below 5% of the search market share.

Google curates the search results on the fly based on a lot of variables including where you are located, what type of device you are on, and your online surfing habits. This means Google is gathering a lot of information about how we use the web to give us a better experience. Below is a look at how you can control what Google knows about you to better protect your privacy.

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How to Enhance Your Password Practices

How to Enhance Your Password Practices

Passwords can be irritating. However, they are also incredibly imperative to your organization's overall security strategy. We’ve all heard the suggestions on how to create secure passwords; as it turns out, there is more to modern security then that. Let’s explore a few options to help you create useful passwords, and take a look why passwords are only the beginning. 

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Different Types and Motivations of Hackers

Different Types and Motivations of Hackers

Most people's perception of hackers comes via what they see in modern pop culture … but does this perception match up to a hacker in real life? Alas, pop culture doesn’t always differentiate between different hacker types and their motivations very well.

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The Imperative Role Automation Plays in Cybersecurity

The Imperative Role Automation Plays in Cybersecurity

Automation is sometimes misinterpreted as being bothersome or as an unreliable addition to business. It’s not about replacing people's jobs with machines, it’s about getting more done with the people you have. Having an attitude that doubts technology and believes nothing can replace human processing can put you at a disadvantage compared to your competitors.

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What You Need to Know about Two-Factor Authentication

What You Need to Know about Two-Factor Authentication

There are hackers out there whose sole purpose is to infiltrate businesses and pilfer data, money, and the trust people have in their technology. One method to help keep your things secure is by relying on two-factor authentication. Let's take a closer look at 2FA below.

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Steps To Take Control Over Your Facebook Account

Steps To Take Control Over Your Facebook Account

Facebook is a large part of daily life for many people. There are more than two billion active users; if you select any 4 random human beings from anywhere in the world, at least one of them likely logged into Facebook today. 

It’s imperative to know that you still have control over your information, so in this blog we’re going to look at a few ways you can take control over your online identity on the world’s largest social network.

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The Threat of URL Manipulation

The Threat of URL Manipulation

Chances are that you know what a URL is, but if you don't: it is the address of a website. It usually starts with “http//:” or “https://” and directs the Internet browser on where the user would like to surf. What you need to always be aware of is that these days a threat can be created by manipulating the URL. 

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2 Rare Microsoft Patches

2 Rare Microsoft Patches

To keep your organization's network secure from threats your software working effectively, patching the software it uses is absolutely imperative. The reason is that the threat landscape is constantly evolving. Recently, Microsoft announced that they have released an emergency out-of-band security update to fix two security issues, an atypical act for the software giant. 

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The Future of Cybersecurity

The Future of Cybersecurity

How worried are you with your organization's cybersecurity? When you envision your business in the future, do you see yourself constantly fighting cyberattacks, or paying ransom? Hopefully not, but what if cybersecurity turns into one of the hardest parts to maintaining a steady business? Below is a look into the future and hypothesize what your organization may need to do to defend against cybercriminals. 

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How to Avoid Mobile Device Threats

How to Avoid Mobile Device Threats

If you were tasked with looking up a phone number, calling a business, and navigating a new-to-you area, would you be able to without your smartphone? For some of us the answer will still be yes, but for a majority of us the answer is no. Smartphones have swiftly transitioned from a calling device to one of our most valuable tools. Shopping, navigating, video streaming, and an incredible amount of other capabilities are all at the palm of your hand. 

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The History of Cybersecurity

The History of Cybersecurity

The way a company approaches its network security is a very important consideration - especially to a company that is planning to have a future. This has contributed to cybersecurity becoming a multi-hundred-billion-dollar per year industry. In its short history, cybersecurity has had a significant impact on businesses, so it would be useful to go through some of the highlights of its deployment.

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Should Big Tech Be Restrained?

Should Big Tech Be Restrained?

The big tech companies have influence. These organizations, which include Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook, have been in the spotlight more and more as the argument of data privacy has increased and become louder. Public sentiment is starting to blow back on their business model--and since, Yahoo, once the principal name in Internet-based services, was broken up and sold to Verizon for cents on the dollar after being at the center of the largest data breach in recorded history--there have been rumblings that there has to be something done to defend the public from major publicly-traded technology organizations that use individual’s data in ways that some deem unethical.

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How can Your Business Overcome Bad Password Practices?

How can Your Business Overcome Bad Password Practices?

Do you have different passwords for all of your accounts? Are these passwords adequately complex? Chances are you have used a repeating password at some point. Remembering 25 different logins for 25 different applications is hard enough, so it’s not surprising that most people will use the same password for many applications. Bad password practices are all too ordinary. How can you fix this issue?

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Cybercrime is Becoming More 'Accessible' Everyday

Cybercrime is Becoming More 'Accessible' Everyday

There’s a reason that cybercrime is so common these days: it is no longer reserved for those with substantial programming knowledge to profit from. Now, according to a report by Deloitte entitled Black Market Ecosystem: Estimating the Cost of “Pwnership”, there is a complete economy built around easily accessible hacking tools that don’t require specialized knowledge to be utilized. 

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Be Ready for an Increase in Ransomware Attacks

Be Ready for an Increase in Ransomware Attacks

There have been less Ransomware attacks in both 2018 and thus far in 2019 when compared to 2017. Alas, recent events have made it more likely that this trend will reverse in the near future. Why is that? Simple: some municipalities have set a precedent of paying up.

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