Tag: Tech Talk

Ransomware Attacks Shift to Mid-Sized Targets
Computers, Tech News, Tech Talk

Ransomware Attacks Shift to Mid-Sized Targets

The latest Coveware research has been posted with some startling trends in ransomware attacks for the third quarter of 2021. There were numerous takeaways collected from the data and many of them paint a dangerous picture of things to come. As the government begins a serious crackdown on attacks against large corporations, the focus of attackers has shifted to smaller and mid-sized targets. The government's reaction has been attributed to the massive Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack. The focus towards smaller targets can be seen in the median ransomware payment of $71,674, which is a 52.2% increase since the second quarter of this year. The average ransomware payment of $139,739 is essentially unchanged. This is attributed to a smaller number of larger ransomware payments, but a...
Music and the Mac
Computers, Tech News, Tech Talk

Music and the Mac

The latest Apple event was clearly focused on two things - music and the Mac. In fact, that's exactly what Apple's Tim Cook said right from the get-go. It was also quite nostalgic to hear a traditional Mac startup sound mixed in at the beginning. Audio Stuff Apple has created a new Apple Music subscription called Voice Plan for $4.99/month. This will be the cheapest plan available to access Apple's music library.New colors for the Home Pod Mini in yellow, orange, and blue, priced at $99. All of the colors look fantastic.The third generation of AirPods is being released with spatial audio for $179. Lots of new features in these AirPods. MacBook Pro Apple is calling the new MacBook Pro a "beast of a machine" with an impressive set of specs and features. MacBook Pro has th...
Facebook Down! Facebook Down!
Internet, Tech News, Tech Talk

Facebook Down! Facebook Down!

Users around the world probably noticed the massive Facebook outage on Monday, October 4, 2021. If you're a regular user of Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, or Oculus, then you were probably affected. There were many rumors circulating around the Internet as to what was causing the problem. Everything from an expired domain to a hacker attack was blamed for the outage, but ultimately, indications were pointing to a DNS error due to improper BGP routing. What are DNS and BGP? DNS is short for Domain Name System (or Domain Name Server) and is the method by which domains (like facebook.com) are translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. DNS basically works like a directory, pointing domain names to the IP addresses of servers on the Internet. When DNS fails, traf...
Apple Security Updates and Event Announcements
Tech News, Tech Talk

Apple Security Updates and Event Announcements

On Monday, September 13, 2021, Apple issued an urgent update for its devices to fix two security vulnerabilities. The patch fixed two issues. The first was CoreGraphics, in which a PDF could execute malicious code on a device. The second problem was with WebKit, which could lead to malicious code on a website exploiting a device. Apple admits that both problems have been actively exploited. Both of these problems do not require any interaction from the user, which is a serious vulnerability (also known as a zero-click attack). Apple has recommended that everyone update their devices immediately to fix the vulnerability. In response, the company has issued iOS 14.8, macOS Big Sur 11.6, and watchOS 7.6.2. Apple Event Announcements Following on the heels of the unexpected securi...
I Know You’re Listening…
Tech Talk

I Know You’re Listening…

Do you have a computer problem or maybe just a general technology question? Call in the Tech Talk show every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am on WTCA in Plymouth. We have your answers. Listen live on FM 106.1, AM 1050, or online at am1050.com. I know you're listening, so give us a call! The phone number is 574-936-4096. Plus, stay tuned at the end of the show for your chance to win a gift card from our prize wheel.
Tech Headlines for Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Computers, Internet, Tech News, Tech Talk

Tech Headlines for Tuesday, August 11, 2020

You can listen to Tech Talk on WTCA AM 1050 and FM 106.1 in Plymouth, Indiana, every Tuesday morning at 8:30 am. Join Bob and Rusty and they discuss the latest technology news and whatever else comes to mind. Toshiba Leaves Laptop Business Toshiba had been in the laptop business for over 30 years, but they sold the majority of their business to Sharp in 2018. In an announcement on August 4th, Toshiba said that the remaining shares of their personal computer business have been transferred to Sharp and the deal brings an end to their PC business. The renamed division is called Dynabook. Questions Surround Trump's TikTok Ban Trump gave Chinese company ByteDance 45 days to sell off their TikTok app and U.S. business or face an internet blockade from the federal government. Cit...
Ransomware is Still a Threat and Even the Big Guys Can Get Hit
Computers, Internet, Tech Talk

Ransomware is Still a Threat and Even the Big Guys Can Get Hit

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, July 28, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. Sorry for the late post, but this past week has been a busy one! Usually, I try to get my Tech Talk info on the blog information posted the same day, but sometimes work gets in the way. Go figure! But I digress. On the show this week I talked about how Garmin got hit with a ransomware attack. Garmin is well-known for its GPS devices, but they also make a broad assortment of other tech items, particularly wearables. Last weekend, the ransomware attack took down some of Garmin's services and impacted an unknown number of customers. Thankfully, Garmin says that they don't believe any of their customer data was compromised. So when a multi-million doll...
Problems Online? You’re Not Alone.
Internet, Tech Talk

Problems Online? You’re Not Alone.

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the internet is a fragile place. I don't know how the internet even works. It's just magical. I may jest, but there's a hint of truth to how I feel. The last week gave me a couple of good reasons to feel that way. Two major incidents occurred that really shows how one small problem can quickly escalate into a global crisis. Outlook Update Cripples Users As I explained in a blog post last week, Microsoft pushed out an update that crippled their own Outlook app. This was a major headache for me, especially since there weren't any immediate clues as to what was happening. Thankfully, Microsoft's own forums ...
Internet, Tech Talk

Dealing with Unruly Email and How to Declutter Your Inbox

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. Email is a great thing, right? Well, probably not if you're dealing with a huge amount of email subscriptions, junk, and spam. Your inbox can quickly become a repository of unwanted emails, but there are ways to prevent this from happening. And if it does happen, there are ways to fix the problem. Don't Subscribe One of the easiest ways to keep your in box free and clear of clutter is to simply not subscribe to mailing lists. Carefully read any online forms before you fill them out. Most of the time, there will be a box or other notification that will tell you if you will be subscribed to a particular mailing list. If you don't want to get on a mailing l...
Computers, Tech Talk

Troubleshooting a Computer Problem Isn’t Always Successful

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 2, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. One of the sad truths about computer repair is that we can't fix every problem. Sometimes we fail to even identify the problem. It can be frustrating for the end user, but can be even more frustrating for the IT guy. We're not infallible and we are quite human. Most experienced computer gurus have a set of tools and procedures that we utilize to troubleshoot a computer hardware problem. Some arsenals are quite extravagant, while others (like myself) utilize a pretty basic set of tools. The procedures we use for diagnosing a problem change depending upon the situation (or at least they should). I'm going to highlight a few of the common things ...