Spark Hollow

How to Stay Safe from Scams and Malware on Facebook – Spark Hollow

At last count, Facebook has clocked up over 2.7 billion users, which makes the platform more attractive than ever for scammers and hackers. Here's how to stay safe on Facebook.

sparkhollow.com 05 Feb Category: Residential How to Stay Safe from Scams and Malware on Facebook At last count, Facebook has clocked up over 2.7 billion users, which makes the platform more attractive than ever for scammers and hackers. While you may be logging in to share your latest family photos or catch up w....

Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.

If you think that Internet is out of reach where you are, there are ways to make it happen.

With the help of - a rural winery is no longer suffering from slow speeds (under 5Mbps). Damon's clients are now zooming at over 300Mbps

Full Story > https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vinter-minter-winery-wifi-damon-john-hoxworth/

Very excited about a potential new project! While still in a feasibility study, we received an encouraging phone call from a regional manager with the local broadband provider - he loves what we're trying to do! What are we trying to do? Deliver new broadband Internet access to our rural office and as many as eight additional homes immediately around our office - homes where the local ISP will not deliver service. We're going to be a bunch of happy people soon! Everyone coming together for a common cause, THIS is community. More to come as this develops.

Top Five Cloud Advantages for Small Business – Spark Hollow

We've done the research for you and identified five ways small business in particular benefits from making the move to the cloud.

sparkhollow.com 29 Jan Category: Business Posted by cmonaghan76 Top Five Cloud Advantages for Small Business Cloud technology has created a revolution for small business, changing the way you store, share and backup files. While ‘the cloud’ is often hard to understand because it’s neither in the sky or in a s...

An Explanation of the Meltdown/Spectre Bugs for a Non-Technical Audience

What everyone needs to know about the Meltdown/Spectre bugs. http://bit.ly/2EMvWkp

blog.cloudflare.com Last week the news of two significant computer bugs was announced. They've been dubbed Meltdown and Spectre and they take advantage of very technical systems that modern CPUs have implemented to make computers extremely fast.

Welcome Pinnacle Performance Physical Therapy to the Spark Hollow family! So glad that we were able to get you back up and running this morning. Looking forward to supporting all your technology needs!

Don't fall victim to phishing scams.

If you are in the shopping mode, an email that appears to be from a legitimate retailer might be difficult to resist. If the deal looks too good to be true, or the link in the email or attachment to the text seems suspicious, do not click on it!

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIP #3

Be cautious when charging.

Avoid connecting your mobile device to any computer or charging station that you do not control, such as a charging station at an airport terminal or a shared computer at a library. Connecting a mobile device to a computer using a USB cable can allow software running on that computer to interact with the phone in ways that a user may not anticipate. As a result, a malicious computer could gain access to your sensitive data or install new software.

Alternative? Carry a portable battery-powered charging device.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIP #2

Turn off Bluetooth when not in use.

Bluetooth-enabled accessories can be helpful, such as earpieces for hands-free talking and external keyboards for ease of typing. When these devices are not in use, turn off the Bluetooth setting on your phone. Cyber criminals have the capability to pair with your phone's open Bluetooth connection when you are not using it and steal personal information.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL TIP #1

Do not use public Wi-Fi networks.

Avoid using open Wi-Fi networks to conduct personal business, bank, or shop online. Open Wi-Fi networks at places such as airports, coffee shops, and other public locations present an opportunity for attackers to intercept sensitive information that you would provide to complete an online transaction.

If you simply must check your bank balance or make an online purchase while you are traveling, turn off your device's Wi-Fi connection and use your mobile device's cellular data Internet connection instead of making the transaction over an unsecure Wi-Fi network.

Or, ask us about how we can help you set up a VPN for secure communications over a wifi connection.

The Best Password Managers

If you’re not using a password manager, start now. A password manager makes you less vulnerable online by generating strong random passwords, syncing them securely across your browsers and devices so they’re easily accessible everywhere, and filling them in automatically when needed.

thewirecutter.com After 15 hours of research and testing, we believe that LastPass is the best password manager for most people.

Beautiful TN sunset while installing 650’ of aerial single-mode fiber optic cable for Valley Mine Service.

How a Tiny Error Caused Internet Outages Across the US

Looks like Level 3 won the Internet misconfiguration award today.

wired.com A simple misconfiguration spiraled into outages for internet service providers and large internet platforms around the US.

We take pride in our work. This is a small system in one of our clients' buildings still pending commissioning. Regardless of size, your network equipment and wiring (and phones, and cameras) should be highly organized and logical. Now their system is easier to maintain, has room for future growth, and gives flexibility for changing business needs.

Apple Releases Multiple Security Updates

Apple has released security updates for many of their products. As usual, update your software. If you're on support with Spark Hollow, we have you covered.

- Cloud for Windows 7.1
- iOS 11.1
- iTunes 12.7.1 for Windows
- macOS High Sierra 10.13.1
- macOS Security Update 2017-001 Sierra
- macOS Security Update 2017-004 El Capitan
- Safari 11.1
- tvOS 11.1
- watchOS 4.1

us-cert.gov Apple has released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. A remote attacker could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.US-CERT encourages users and administrators to review Apple security pages for the following products and apply the...

Google Releases Security Update for Chrome

It's time to update your Google Chrome installations.

us-cert.gov Google has released Chrome version 62.0.3202.75 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. This version addresses a vulnerability that an attacker could exploit to cause a denial-of-service condition.US-CERT encourages users and administrators to review the Chrome Releases page and apply the necessary update.

OEM Underground Mining Parts, Equipment, Engineering

We welcome Valley Mine Service of Speedwell, TN as a Spark Hollow customer. VMS is receiving a network overhaul including fiber optic links, private WiFi, and a hardened firewall - giving them an excellent launchpad for their continued growth.

valleymineservice.com Committed to engineering, manufacturing and distributing of coal mining parts, Valley Mine Service Inc provides a superior alternative to traditional aftermarket channels by combining quality that meets or exceeds OEM specifications with competitive pricing and excellent customer service.

Guy Pulls Amazing Prank On Neighbor Using Their Unprotected WiFi Printer

A funny reminder to secure your wireless devices and especially your wireless network. Have you patched your wifi access points against the WPA2 vulnerability released earlier this week?

distractify.com Distractify is a leading entertainment company in the mobile era.

Apple confirms KRACK Wi-Fi WPA-2 attack vector patched in iOS, tvOS, watchOS, macOS betas - General Discussion Discussions on AppleInsider Forums

Good news for most Apple users, but if you're using an AirPort device for WiFi, there is not yet word on a patch for the WPA2 attack.

forums.appleinsider.com AppleInsider has learned that Apple has rectified the "KRACK Attack" Wi-Fi WPA-2 exploit in "recent" macOS, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS betas -- but was unable to confirm that a patch is coming for the AirPort series of routers.

Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.

To our customers on support and Unifi WiFi, we are updating your systems and you are protected from the WPA2 encryption failure.

Firmware Update 3.9.3.7537 includes security patch for the WPA2 vulnerability called More info > ubnt.link/2yOiD3X

Update Every Device -- This KRACK Hack Kills Your Wi-Fi Privacy

WiFi security is broken! Both your devices AND your router need updated to fix this vulnerability. Some of you may have old routers which have no chance of a firmware upgrade to remedy this problem. Let us know if you need some help with this.

forbes.com Time to update your Wi-Fi router and devices as major vulnerability lands.

Watch Out! Difficult-to-Detect Phishing Attack Can Steal Your Apple ID Password

Be vigilant. This phishing attack can be difficult to discern.

thehackernews.com This Difficult-to-Detect Phishing Attack Can Easily Steal Your Apple ID Password