Issue 21

POST

Welcome to POST by ResTech Solutions

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Every week we will bring you new content covering recent events and news related to technology, Microsoft, Apple, Google, tips & tricks, useful information, and more! To read the full articles in our newsletters you can either click on the image or article headline. We've had a great response each week to our newsletter and we've been hard at work to bring you even more great information this week. Please let us know what you've enjoyed thus far about our newsletter. To see past issues click on the archives link above.

Why the name POST? In the world of computers POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is the action computers take when they are first powered on to check their basic functionality prior to loading the operating system. We decided to take this same concept and to provide you with useful technology information at the beginning of your week to help get you started. POST is also a term associated with news as well and we felt this was an appropriate and fitting name.

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News

Cloudflare wants to kill the CAPTCHA

Image from ZDNet

What is CAPTCHA? When you go to a website and you need to take some action you are also usually prompted to verify that you are not a robot. Sometime you are then presented with a series of images to select from based on a prompt. This is a CAPTCHA. Here is a more detailed definitions from TechTerms.

Learn more about who Cloudflare is.

Why is this important? For the average user it is the annoyance and inconvenience of using a CAPTCHA. How many times have you used one and had to start over because you didn't pass the test the first or even the second time? With the new authentication method proposed the time it takes to validate will be significantly reduced and will also better protect your identity as they only want to know that you are human but not which human.

This push for change is in its very early stages but will soon provide a better experience and will hopefully even lead to a move away from using passwords.

Cyber Security

Microsoft's new security feature locks hackers out with GPS

With all the recent major security breaches, such as Solar Winds, Microsoft is adding a new security measure to help protect identity and access control for organizations. This is being done using GPS. In short when a user is logging into a system or application a business can further restrict access by having the user share their location via a mobile app using GPS. This would be used in addition to existing multi-factor authentication methods and will help reduce hackers in other countries from bypassing existing two-factor authentication.

This will be a boon to security for many organizations and may even bring some piece of mind to users and businesses alike. However organizations will have to use Microsoft's Azure AD cloud service to enable this feature.

Ransomware’s Dangerous New Trick Is Double-Encrypting Your Data

Image from Wired

By now many people are aware of and know what ransomware is and the havoc a ransomware attack can bring. Now some ransomware is double-encrypting data.

“Even in a standard single-encryption ransomware case, recovery is often an absolute nightmare,” Callow says. “But we are seeing this double-encryption tactic often enough that we feel it’s something organizations should be aware of when considering their response."

This is a serious threat. Last week we attended a conference where there was a major focus on cybersecurity and ransomware. The current situation is a very serious threat to businesses. We are now seeing many state and local governments enacting legislation requiring measures to protect and defend against the many cybersecurity threats that are out there. Businesses can no longer just sit on the sidelines and do nothing, action must be taken.

Lets schedule some time to review your current cybersecurity practices and see how we can help you improve upon them and implement new policies and solutions.

Microsoft

Your Microsoft Account: 5 Things Every Windows User Should Know

Image from MUO

If you are a Windows and/or Microsoft 365 user than the chances are extremely high that you have a Microsoft account. It is now required by Microsoft to have a Microsoft account to use nearly all of their products and services. The linked article primarily covers personal Microsoft accounts. The article covers the following items:

How to Create a New Microsoft Account
How to Change, Add, or Remove the Email Address or Phone Number for Your Microsoft Account
How to Add a Device to Your Microsoft Account
How to Find Your Microsoft Account
How to Reopen a Closed Microsoft Account

If you have a work or organization based Microsoft account you will need to get with your system administrator for any account issues as these accounts are managed by the organization.

Windows

Delete These Windows Files and Folders to Free Up Disk Space

Image from MUO

If you find that you are running out of available disk space (free space) on your hard drive then this linked article will help guide you how to remove files that may not be needed on your Windows computer.

Always be cautious when deleting files on your system, especially when accessing system folders. Once a file is deleted there is always a change it cannot be recovered. If you are unsure if something is safe to delete, you run into an issue, or just want help to free up space on your system then reach out and we will be glad to help.

Windows 10 Optional Features: A Quick Guide to the Best Extras You May Want

Image from MUO

When you get a new Windows system you will begin to setup all of your features and configure the OS to function just how you like. What you may not be aware of is there are several other optional features that are disabled/not installed by default. The linked article will tell you what each feature is and will show you how to enable the optional features.

Tips & Tricks

How To Speed Up Internet Using CMD (Command Prompt Fix)?

What is the Windows Command Prompt? Here is a definition from TechTerms.

When you are having internet issues knowing some basic troubleshooting steps will be a big time saver. Knowing some basic CMD commands can help when you run into an issue. Check out the linked article for some of these commands with descriptions and some additional basic troubleshooting steps.

If you are unsure about running a command or not comfortable then please reach out for assistance. It is possible to make things worse if a command is not run properly.

27 Useful Windows Command Prompt Tricks You Might Not Know

In addition to helping with internet speeds/connections the Command Prompt can do many other things. Caution is advised when running commands in the Command Prompt. Check out the linked article for a detailed list of some useful commands.

Useful Information

How to Avoid Those Infuriating Cookie Pop-Ups

Image from Wired

With the increased focus on user privacy you have likely seen many sites not prompt you about their use of cookies and asking for your permissions.

What is a cookie? Here is a definition from TechTerms.

Just clicking yes on these prompts almost defeats the purpose of the sites asking unless you like to be tracked online. Some cookies are actually beneficial but you should always review the permissions and only allow what you are comfortable with. Though with that being said some sites may not follow the allowed permissions and still track you, and some browsers already killed tracking technology in their browsers. Your other option is to disable or turn off cookies.

Check out the linked article for more information and to learn how to disable cookies. This is part of a broader scope of increase online privacy/protection for users.

FAQ of the Week

What Happens If You Turn Your PC Off During a Windows Update?

Image from MUO

Each week we will address a frequently asked question. This week we are looking at what happens if you turn off your computer during a Windows update.

Generally you want to avoid doing this if you can. Newer versions of Windows has a built in process to help reduce the chances of a complete failure during an update process but if core files are being updated when the system is powered off the changes of corruption is much higher. Regardless of what happens there are way to recover but some cases all that can be done would be to recover your files and reload Windows.

With the more modern architecture of Windows the chances of corruption to the system are less than previous version of Windows. Check out the linked article for full details and an explanation of the update process. Knowing this information can help you make a more informed and confident decision the next time you run into an issue during a Windows update.

We are also here to help with any update issues, reach out and we will be glad to assist.