BEI Blog

Most users are aware that their browsers offer a “secure” browsing experience. Google Chrome has Incognito mode, Microsoft’s Edge browser allows you to surf the Internet “InPrivate,” and Apple’s Safari offers Private Browsing as well. The trouble is, these “secure” browsing options aren’t actually all that secure. For today’s tip, we’ll discuss ways to actually keep your Internet browsing private.

Not-So-Private Browsing
While any of these options will prevent your browser’s history from tracking your online activity, they will not stop your Internet Service Provider, AKA, your ISP. Your ISP is capable of delivering records of all websites that were visited in a certain time frame, including any websites visited while using your browser’s ‘private’ functionality.

Plus, and perhaps for some, most alarmingly, the websites you visit under Incognito mode or with InPrivate activated also know that you visited. It doesn’t even matter if you accessed the website without logging in to any accounts. Your path is still left unprotected, leaving your activity vulnerable to someone who knows where to look.

It’s also worth mentioning that your employer can still see what you are doing. Just because your browser isn’t tracking your activity in Incognito mode, doesn’t mean your company network isn’t tracking you. If you are a business owner and want to ensure better productivity, you can still set up a content filter on your network without it being debunked by this common browser setting.

When it all comes down to it, in order to be truly private during your browsing, you need a specialized solution to help you: a VPN.

Virtual Private Browsing
By using a Virtual Private Network, the connection between your system and your destination online is hidden, allowing you to choose where it appears you are browsing from. This means that, if you wished, you could appear to be browsing from a suburb of New York City, while you could actually be an entire country (or ocean) away.

By hiding your connection under a layer of encryption, a VPN can provide your business with the privacy it needs to ensure its success and safety.

For assistance in implementing a VPN for your business’ browsing needs, reach out to BEI at (844) BIZ-EDGE.

Spam: it’s something that just about every computer user has heard of, and knows is bad. However, how much do you really know about spam? For today’s Tech Term, we’ll slice into the different types of spam, as well as some theories as to where the term itself originated.

Why is It Called “Spam?”
There are a few different schools of thought as to why the term ‘spam’ was attributed to the junk messages that annoy and infuriate so many users, waste millions of dollars a year, never mind their propensity to spread malware and viruses. One theory attributes the term to the University of Southern California’s computer lab group, who were inspired by the canned lunch meat’s characteristics to name the annoying messages after it (I guess it put a bad taste in their mouth).

Another, more generally accepted theory, is that the name ‘spam’ comes from the infamously repetitive Monty Python song. The idea here is simply that the song and the messages have much in common, both being highly repetitive and offering little real value.

The Origins of Spam
It isn’t agreed upon where exactly the messages we now refer to as “spam” first originated. On March 31st, 1993, a Usenet user named Richard Depew accidentally posted 200 or so duplicate messages to a newsgroup. After another user referred to these messages as spam, Depew used the term in his apology.

Another theory is that “spam” originated in multi-user dungeons, or MUDs, which were an advanced form of chat room, thusly named due to many similarities to the role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons. Users, or MUDers, would flood different aspects of the chat room with unwanted content. In 1990, MUDers used the word spam as they discussed its origins as a term for the junk messages that we so easily recognize today.

Two more theories involve the Bitnet Relay, a chat system from the 1980s, and another in the TRS-80, with the Monty Python song again being used as an annoyance to users.

Types of Spam
There are a few different kinds of spam out there to deal with.

Email Spam - Possibly the most recognizable form of spam, spam emails are the unwanted junk messages that clog up an inbox. Fortunately, there are more regulations being put into place to prevent spam from reaching inboxes, as well as improved preventative measures being incorporated into email software as well.

Texting Spam - Very similar to email spam, texting spam is unwanted text messages received from a business. Emergency messages don’t count as spam, according to the law. Just as it applies to email spam, the CAN-SPAM act also applies to text spam.

Comment Spam - Spam isn’t restricted to messaging. Comment spam is the term for those comments that pop up in response to your content that have nothing to do with the topic you’re discussing, or even a subject related to your industry.

Spam is no laughing matter. Reach out to BEI for solutions to help deal with it. Call us (844) BIZ-EDGE today.

The applications on a mobile device allow us to use that device in a number of ways, from productivity, to entertainment, to networking. However, despite the efforts of Google to keep out the riff raff, the Google Play Store has plenty of malware available to download in the guise of a desired app. Today, we’ll review a few tricks to help you spot them before pressing ‘Install.’

First, it may help to know how these fraudulent and malicious apps make it on the Play Store in the first place.

How These Apps Make it On the Play Store
It should go without saying that Google understands the importance of security, so it isn’t as though it is necessarily easy for malware to make it into the Play Store’s catalogue. However, in response to Google’s stringent standards, malware developers have gotten clever and devised a simple means of sneaking past the automated security. Instead of attempting to upload an app with malware already incorporated, these applications initially hold no real threats internally and, as a result, are able to pass by the Play Store’s security unhindered. However, once these apps are downloaded and installed on a user’s phone, they reach out to a third-party server and download the malware directly. Many malicious apps are added in this fashion, although many still sneak in full loaded and ready to go.

Spotting Fakes
While Google has made efforts to fight back against malicious and fraudulent apps with technologies like Google Play Protect, the thing that will keep you the most safe and secure is good, old-fashioned vigilance. When you decide to install an app in the future, refer to the following list to make sure that it is a legitimate, trustworthy addition to your device.

Name, Description, and More - The first signs that an app isn’t legitimate can be found in its name and description. Many malicious apps will mimic the name of the original application as closely as they can, skirting Google Play’s impersonation policy that would allow the original developers to complain and have the copycat pulled.

It is also important that you read the description. Many impersonated apps will feature broken English, or might seem to be written by a bot. The description is the best representation that a developer will have for their app, so a legitimate app will generally have carefully crafted and proofed copy. You should also double-check the images of the app that the developer provides to ensure that similar issues are not present there, either.

Checking the Reviews - One of the biggest benefits that the Google Play Store offers a user is the fact that these users can leave reviews. These reviews can often help indicate that an application is problematic. Granted, a fake app is often accompanied by fake reviews that sing its praises. However, looking at the negative reviews might provide some insight into whether or not the app is worth the download - and if the app is actually a disguised threat, someone else might have called it out to warn others.

Who Developed It? - Similar to seeking issues in the name and description, you should always check to ensure that an app was developed by exactly who it should have been. If the app is a well-known one, it should be pretty clear who it was that developed it, but some common sense may also be necessary. Would you expect the latest need-to-have business application to be developed by a reputable and recognizable company, or by someone who goes by “Super Developer2?”

To be especially certain, you can also check what else that “Super Developer2” has created by clicking on their name in the listing. Does the list of apps that they’ve developed make sense? This is another effective litmus test to base your decision upon.

Download Count - This factor will vary based on how common the particular app you’re trying to download is, but the most common apps have been downloaded billions of times. Therefore, if you’re looking to download a popular app, download counts in the hundreds, thousands, or even millions are low, and are likely fraudulent.

Your Windows computer has all kinds of different settings that let it connect to different networks. While this might not seem like major difference, it could have a drastic effect on your organization’s cybersecurity. This week’s tip is dedicated to helping you make sure that your network profile is as secure as possible.

What’s a Network Profile?
Every time a Windows 10 device connects to a new network, you’ll be asked if it should be discovered by other devices that are connected to the network. If you choose “Yes,” the network will be set to Private. If you choose “No,” it will be set to Public.

Private and Public settings are referred to the type of network that your device connects to, as well as what kind of security the device is responsible for. If you are connected to a company network, as well as all of its security measures and other users who collaborate, you’ll want to make sure it’s a Private network setting. If it’s a public device that is “publicly” accessible, you’ll be placed at more risk of a hacking attack.

Changing the Network Profile
Windows 10 provides your organization a few ways to change your device’s network profile. You can use the built-in Settings application to do this.

From the Start menu, access the Settings application. Next, you have to go to Network and Internet. Select the kind of connection that your device will be connected to from the left panel menu. If you are using a physical network connection, choose Ethernet. If you’re using a wireless router to access the network wirelessly, click on Wi-Fi. Once you’ve done this, click on Network in the right panel. You can choose to select either a Public or a Private network profile here.

Domain Networks
Enterprise workstations can also take advantage of a third network profile--the domain network option. Only a network administrator can set its use, making it distinctly different from the traditional Private or Public profiles. It can only be set, and accessed, while the device is in the workplace itself.

Does your business need a hand with managing its network settings? Give BEI a call at (844) BIZ-EDGE.

If you need to make something very clear about a document, adding a watermark to it is an excellent route to take. Microsoft Word 2016 (if you have Office 365, this applies too) makes it especially easy to do so. For this week’s tip, we’ll review the process of adding a watermark to your Word documents.