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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.

3 Reasons Why it Makes Sense to Outsource Your Email Management

3 Reasons Why it Makes Sense to Outsource Your Email Management

How many emails does your organization receive every day? Chances are that you can’t find time in your day-to-day operations to maintain and manage your email solution as well as you’d like, and in a world where threats to your organization’s network lurk around every corner, you can never be too careful. How can you make sure that you’re taking proper care of your business’s email infrastructure, without sacrificing the time and manpower required to do so?

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Social Media: The Most Effective Tool for Phishing Scams

Social Media: The Most Effective Tool for Phishing Scams

One thing that both fishing and phishing have in common is the use of lures. With the right lure, the chance of successfully catching the target improves. When it comes to the digital lures seen in phishing scams, research shows that social media is the most effective.

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The Carnage from the Sony Hack Continues with Leaked Corporate Emails

b2ap3_thumbnail_sony_email_hacking_400.jpgA couple of big names stand out when it comes to hacking attacks, but the recent Sony hack has really taken the cake. The GOP, who call themselves the “Guardians of Peace,” have exposed a ton of details to the public, including the company’s budget, their plans for layoffs, and 3,800 employee Social Security numbers. Now, they’ve released even more information; this time, it’s leaked personal emails, and judging from the content of them, Sony never wanted them to see the light of day.

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New Study Shows Passwords Can, In Fact, be Remembered

b2ap3_thumbnail_people_remember_passwords_400.jpgWe see a lot of password-bashing these days, and some people have lost faith in them as a security measure. But, unfortunately, a lot of the blame for this lies in human memory. We just don’t pick passwords that are strong enough. In fact, a mind-numbing one in 20 people still use “password” to keep their information safe.

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Is Your Favorite Search Engine Showing You Malicious Websites?

b2ap3_thumbnail_search_malware_400.jpgMost search engines are pretty good at keeping malicious websites out of your search results, but just like any other piece of software on your computer, some search engines do a better job of keeping these threats out of your immediate access. According to TV-Test, a German independent testing lab, there’s a huge difference between the security of the world’s top search engines, like Bing and Google.

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Cyberattacks Can Have Physical Consequences

b2ap3_thumbnail_physical_problems_for_hacks_400.jpgBusiness owners primarily concentrate more on the digital effects of hacking rather than the physical side of it. After all, hacking some code through a network can’t harm you or anybody else in the real world, right? Wrong. As shown by a recent hack in Germany, ignoring network security can be a dangerous gambit.

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Lizard Squad DDoS Attacks Lead to Internet Outages in Sweden, and More

b2ap3_thumbnail_ddos_lizard_squad_400.jpgIn the past, we’ve been known to go into detail about threats, vulnerabilities, and how to protect your business while online. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks aren’t new in the technology world, but notorious hacking group Lizard Squad has somehow managed to take out Internet service for much of Sweden with a faulty DDoS attack; an unprecedented feat, especially for a ragtag group of irate gamers.

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Tip of the Week: How to Safely Shop Online

b2ap3_thumbnail_safe_holiday_shopping_400.jpgThe holiday shopping season is upon us and more people are choosing to shop from the comforts of their home PC or mobile device rather than fight the crowds. Shopping online is super convenient, but it’s not without the risk of identity theft. The best way to protect your digital shopping cart from hackers is to know how to safely shop online. We’ll show you how.

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HIPAA Protects Patient Privacy

b2ap3_thumbnail_hipaa_protects_you_400.jpgThis subject isn’t very interesting outside of hospital administrators… or for hospital administrators, but there’s no denying that healthcare is one of the most important industries in our society today; and one that is having a technology overhaul at present. The influx of cheaper and more powerful technology is surely going to be a driving force for healthcare in the 21st century. Under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH), the United States government has followed the lead of other Western nations in forcing entities to upgrade their healthcare practice’s information technology for the betterment of patients, insurers, and health care providers.

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Microsoft Fixes Vulnerability Going All the Way Back to Windows 95

b2ap3_thumbnail_vulverability_fixed_400.jpgWell, better late than never.
This is to be said of Microsoft after they recently patched a security flaw that’s come with every generation of its operating systems going all the way back to Windows 95.

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How Will Future Technologies Change Two-Factor Authentication?

b2ap3_thumbnail_two_factor_authentication_400.jpgIn these times, passwords are losing their effectiveness. Hackers can now input millions of passwords every second to crack your code. Even now, professionals are working on new solutions which can jumpstart online security. While using a password is still an ideal choice, there are plenty of other options that are being discussed in the two-factor authentication field.

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The PC on Haunted Hill

b2ap3_thumbnail_pc_on_haunted_hill_400.jpgOur minds often attribute unexplained phenomena with hauntings from ghosts. Most of the time, there's a perfectly good scientific explanation for what's going on. If you ever see your computer's cursor move on its own, your PC isn't haunted. Although, you might prefer a haunting to what's really happening; a hacker is probably stealing your data. Now that's scary!

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Sandworm: Russian Cyber Espionage Campaign Uncovered After 5 Years

b2ap3_thumbnail_sandworms_400.jpgA new threat, dubbed Sandworm by iSight Partners, has been discovered. It is a cyber espionage campaign dating back to at least 2009, and is said to be based in Russia. Sandworm uses a previously undiscovered zero-day vulnerability in Windows operating systems to steal information from government leaders and organizations.

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“Zero Trust” Network Security: Only Trust Data as Far as You Can Throw It!

b2ap3_thumbnail_zero_trust_400.jpgWhen it feels like everybody is out to get you, there's only one way to survive: Trust nobody. You may not have too many physical enemies ready to jump you, but there's an army of hackers wanting to breach your company's database. One of the securest ways to keep your company's information safe is to implement a "zero trust" network security model.

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The End of an Era: the Harkonnen Hacking Operation is Over

b2ap3_thumbnail_harkonnen_hackers_400.jpgFor the past 12 years, the Harkonnen Operation has plagued Europe. The malware campaign, operating scams in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria since 2002, has finally ended, but that doesn't change the fact that it may be the most long-lived malware to have existed. What kept security firms from discovering these attacks and preventing them for so long?

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au·dit/ noun/: a systematic review or assessment of something

b2ap3_thumbnail_it_audit_400.jpgAre you confident that your company's network is 100 percent secure? The best way to answer "yes" to this question is with a network audit. This is a technical procedure where IT professionals analyze every nook and cranny of your system, looking for every possible vulnerability. No matter what the situation is with your company's IT management, a network audit is worth doing.

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New Security Threat: Don’t Get Jacked While Juicing!

b2ap3_thumbnail_usb_security_tips_400.jpgHackers today are trying every approach possible to steal your device's data, including the hijacking of public USB ports. This technique is known as "juice jacking," and with this new threat, you should think twice about charging your device using a public USB charging kiosk, or even the USB port on a friend's computer.

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The Legendary Router Malware

b2ap3_thumbnail_router_protection_400.jpgWhen diagnosing your computer's security problems, it should be noted that malware is not always located on the PC itself. A lot of the time, problems could be occurring in a number of different operating systems and browsers, making it difficult to diagnose the cause. A recent study by Ronald Kaplan and Dylan Kaplan proved that malware can be located not only on your computer and devices, but even on your wireless router.

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Sun Tzu Says, Protect Your IT Network!

b2ap3_thumbnail_sun_tzu_it_provider_400.jpgThe art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected.
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

The ancient Chinese military general Sun Tzu might have been around long before the Internet was a thing, but he sure knew how to make an impression on the world. In his extremely influential book on ancient Chinese warfare, The Art of War, he says that "every battle is won before it's ever fought." This applies to protecting your IT network, too.

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The Dangerous Consequences of Posting Pics, and 3 Steps You Can Take to Protect Yourself

b2ap3_thumbnail_protect_your_likeness_400.jpgToday, almost everybody has an Internet-connected camera in their pocket. A crazy amount of photos are posted online. In fact, Facebook alone claims to have over 250 billion photos, with 350 million user images posted every day. All of these pictures are fun, but how do you ensure that only the people you want to see your photos are seeing them?

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