By -- 2016-04-27 in Blog


You’re all familiar with sites that require you to log in with a username and password, then require you to enter a separate code that they send to a registered cell or email address. Did you know that you can set that up yourself to protect your Yahoo! Account? We previously taught you how to protect your Google accounts such as YouTube, Gmail, and Google Docs. It’s easy, just follow the steps in this article and never worry about someone hacking your Google accounts.

Confused or not sure you’ve done it right? Contact our engineers at Optfinity and we can ensure you and you’re devices are always kept safe and secure. Already a client? Then you’re already taken care of!

By -- 2016-04-22 in Blog

Did you know that Facebook and Twitter have geolocators which can tell people where you are, when you’re there, and where you’ve been? For many, this is an amazing feature and makes tagging your recent vacation photos a breeze. But for some unlucky few, its makes them targets for mischief and sometimes even crime.

By leaving your geotagging on, it can be akin to a big sign on your home advertising to criminals that no one is home, inviting them to break-in. There are ways to disable this feature for Facebook and Twitter, both for all posts, or just specifically on a post-by-post case.

Also, while we as adults may find this to be just another scare tactic, this might be very dangerous for your child as every post may tell a criminal just where your child is at all times. Read the article for details on how to maintain peace of mind in the event that these problems pose a risk to your well-being. And if you have more questions or concerns, or are still not 100% sure you’ve got yourself covered, contact the experts here at Optfinity and we’ll be glad to assist you with your devices and tweets.

By -- 2016-04-19 in Blog

You may have read the many articles we have posted referencing ransomwares that have been infecting computers worldwide. Well good news is there is a temporary fix so long as the hackers haven’t patched the hole that the solution exploits. A researcher has developed a tool that allows victims infected with the Petya ransomware to unlock their files for free.

The solution may be one where you need a professional to assist you with as the directions are pretty tech heavy and may be too complicated for most users. To quote Lawrence Abrams, a computer security expert at Bleeping Computer: “To use Leostone’s decryption tool you will need attach the Petya affected drive to another computer and extract specific data from it. The data that needs to be extracted is 512-bytes starting at sector 55 (0x37h) with an offset of 0 and the 8 byte nonce from sector 54 (0x36) offset: 33 (0x21). This data then needs to be converted to Base64 encoding and used on the https://petya-pay-no-ransom.herokuapp.com/ site to generate the key.”

This is why having a proficient and efficient tech company on your side and at the ready is important so you don’t have to spend time finding help when disaster strikes. Contact Optfinity today to see how we can mitigate these problems before they happen.

By -- 2016-04-19 in Blog

Just as the title suggests, uninstall QuickTime for Windows immediately! To clarify, this is QuickTime installed on your PC, not your Apple computer. Why? Because Apple is no longer supporting this software for Windows and will no longer be pushing out updates to maintain its safety, security and integrity.

There are two existing vulnerabilities right now with the software which risks your device being hacked or victimized by malware. Additionally, there are no longer good reasons to keep the software as most sites utilize HTML5, a web-standard, for video and audio playback.

This threat is so serious, the US Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) has even issued a warning regarding this issue. Those running QuickTime on their Windows machines should click on the “Start” icon, go to “Control Panel” > “Programs” > “Programs and Features,” select “QuickTime Player,” and hit “Uninstall.”

If you still have questions, or are not sure how to complete this process, contact us at Optfinity and we’ll gladly help secure your systems!

By -- 2016-04-15 in Blog

Did you know that Microsoft regularly issues its patches and updates on the second Tuesday of every month? With a few exceptions regarding large or emergency issues needing patches, this is when you should be looking to update your computer systems. This last patch date, Microsoft had 31 separate vulnerabilities it needed to fix.

One of these fixes was a bug named Badlock. It was so bad that it garnered its own website and logo. System Admins were on the lookout and eagerly waiting for this fix which affected both Windows and Samba.

So why are we telling you about all of this? Because while companies without IT support sometimes struggle to ensure all their laptops, desktops, and other gadgets are patched, we here at Optfinity do all that for our clients. Keeping our clients up-to-date with everything they need is one way we ensure our clients never have to worry about being a victim of hackers or bugs. Not currently a client with us yet? Contact us and we’ll stop in for a free assessment so you’ll know exactly where you and your company stand with regards to your technology needs.

By -- 2016-04-14 in OptfinITy News

Do you or your company have mobile apps? When was the last time you tested it for flaws, holes, or other vulnerabilities? If you haven’t, you’re not alone. Even very large companies such as Dominos have failed this test.

In this article, a security consultant from the UK stumbled upon a pretty big bug in Dominos’ ordering process. Because their payments were processed on the client side instead of the server side, he was able to change the values of the payment codes and pay for his pizza using a fake credit card number.

Not to worry, this computer guru was an honest man and not only notified Dominos, but also paid for his pizza when it arrived. But don’t think all hackers who stumble across a bug in your system will be this magnanimous. So be sure that your website and apps are as infallible as possible by testing them thoroughly. Not sure how to do this or where to start? Then it’s a good time to contact the experts at Optfinity!

By -- 2016-04-13 in Blog

Adobe currently has a vulnerability, known as CVE-2016-1019, which could potentially allow hackers to take control of your systems. Rest assured, there is a patch in place which you should download immediately to mitigate the problem. This is also a good time to remind you that you should be constantly downloading and running all updates and patches officially pushed out from the providers themselves. These updates are not just for Windows users, but for Adobe Flash Player for Macintosh, Linux and ChromeOS as well.

If a hacker does manage to exploit your system through this vulnerability, it could open you up to the Cerber ransomware problem we have mentioned before. So if you don’t want to have to pay someone thousands of dollars to get your data back, be sure to update your system, or at the very least enable “Click to Play” which stops Flash from automatically playing unless you specifically give it permission.

If you’re still confused or have any more concerns or questions, now is a good time to give us a call and we will be more than happy to ensure that you, your company, and all your data are safe and secure. We will even do a free assessment so you can know beforehand if you’re vulnerable to dangerous hackers. Click here to read more details in Adobe’s latest security bulletin.

By -- 2016-04-12 in Blog

WordPress just announced that all of their users hosting their sites on their servers now have access to force the use of HTTPS for free. As WordPress pointed out in a blog, “strong encryption protects our users in various ways, including defending against surveillance of content and communications, cookie theft, account hijacking, and other web security flaws.”

Aside from the various security and privacy benefits in sending and receiving information to and from your website, you might find your site ranked higher as Google recently announced it would be giving precedence to HTTPS-enabled sites.

To clarify, this only affects those hosting on wordpress.com, not wordpress.org. If you’re not sure what this means or you want to secure your site but are not sure how to and are not a wordpress user, contact Optfinity and we can help to secure your website as well as ensure you have a backup system in place. For more on this topic read the full article here.

By -- 2016-04-4 in OptfinITy News

So you’re working hard throughout the day when all of a sudden your computer screen goes blank, turns blue, or just shuts down altogether. If this problem is becoming more frequent than you’d like, consider these 5 tips from this article before going out and buying a new computer.

1) Corrupted System Registry Files: The best way to rule this possibility in or out is by running a Windows registry cleaning program. Such programs scan your Windows registry for problems then automatically make repairs.

2) Disorganized Files: By running a defragmentation once every few months, you may be able to keep those pesky computer crashes at bay.

3) Malicious Software: Download and run malware or adware programs which regularly scan your computer for the presence of these problems and also guard against them. There are many free versions, so consider these before paying for one.

4) Too Little Available Memory: If it appears that your available memory is low, you can use a PC cleanup program to remove unnecessary files; such programs remove things like temporary Internet files and other file debris that can suck away much-needed memory.

5) Overheating: Sometimes, the fan on your computer wears down and doesn’t work as efficiently; other times, it’s just not able to handle the work that your computer has to do. In either case, buying a bigger, better fan isn’t very expensive.

If you’ve gone through all these tips and your computer is still crashing, it may be time for a new computer. Don’t forget that, just like your car, regular care and maintenance from the beginning will help prolong the health and life of your tech gadgets. So don’t wait till there’s a problem before you do many of these tips. Contact us here at Optfinity if you need more advice, are still experiencing problems, want help on buying new gadgets, or just want a free assessment.

P.s. Don’t forget to periodically save your work throughout the day so that you don’t lose all your work in the event of a crash.

By -- 2016-03-23 in Blog

Most of us have our banking institution’s app downloaded onto our mobile phones, tablets, and other devices in order to simplify our banking experience and lesson our time in the branch or at an ATM. But did you know that these apps might be the cause of someone stealing your personal information?

Our friends at the Dell SonicWall Threats Research Team have discovered a malware attached to some banking apps that gets downloaded to your device along with the banking app. Once infected, this malicious app can steal your credit card and banking account information.

Read the full article for examples, pictures, screenshots, and more details on what to look out for and how to protect yourself. Thankfully, only certain banking institutions are affected for the moment, and the Research Team has listed them in their article; however, this does not mean to sit on your laurels if your bank is not on the list. Keep a wary eye out anytime you’re downloading apps and be sure you know what you’re saying “yes” to.

If you or your company have found yourselves to be victims of these attacks or you would like to protect your work-related equipment, contact us right away. All of our clients are safe and protected with our services and experts at the ready.