How safe is Google Docs?

Launched in 2012, Google’s trio of services - Google Drive, Google Docs & Google Sheets - are a popular way for businesses to carry out their work online.

Google Drive acts a cloud storage service, Google Docs as an alternative to Microsoft Word and Google Sheets as an alternative to Microsoft Excel.

Among the perks of these services is the ability for multiple users to edit their work in real time. This means that from a business perspective you can have various different people working on a document and making changes that will be reflected instantly.  Because of the easy to use nature of Google’s apps, more and more businesses are becoming reliant on their services, storing lots of important and sometimes sensitive information along the way. But, exactly how safe is it to rely to on these services?

Microsoft fixes a record number of security flaws this month

Microsoft has released its biggest patch update ever including 18 patches, with 9 classed as ‘critical’ and a further 9 classed as ‘important’.

Microsoft’s latest bumper package of patches comes after a quiet start to the year in terms of updates, with no patches released in February at all. However, this latest update includes fixes for a reported 135 different vulnerabilities across Windows operating systems from Vista to Windows 10.

3 password mistakes that make it easy for hackers

In terms of defending your business online, your password is one of your first lines of defence. Whether it’s for encrypted files on your computer, access to your company’s social media networks or for your online banking credentials, it’s incredibly important that you make your passwords as difficult and off-putting to hackers as possible.

#1 - You’re password is too easy to guess
This is the first and most common mistake that people tend to make with their passwords. While using the name of your dog or your favourite football team might have been an acceptable password in the past, it’s now far too easy to guess. A hacker simply needs to look at your Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts to gain an idea of who you are, what interests you have and which people are important to you.  Even if your social media profiles aren’t directly associated with your business they are usually simple enough to track down.

Why an offline backup could save your business from ruin

Ransomware attacks were a huge talking point in 2016 with many businesses and individuals forced to pay up after hackers compromised their data and locked them out of their computers with a digital ransom note.

The advice from the majority of IT professionals encourages victims of Ransomware attacks to never pay up to hackers in the event of an attack. But it can be a very difficult decision to make to refuse payment when your entire business is on the line, which is why many Ransomware victims decide to pay their ransom. However, there are no guarantees that you will be given your data back and the hacker may simply destroy your data, ask you for more money, or both!

1bn Yahoo users’ information stolen in biggest breach ever

Internet giant Yahoo announced this week that it had discovered over 1bn of its users’ accounts had been compromised following a historical hack three years ago.

Yahoo has announced that they have discovered a historical hack from August 2013 which surpasses their own previously set record of 500 million accounts, set only months earlier in September. This is an act that they claimed had been conducted by an ‘unnamed’ government.

Watch out for ‘Locky’ Ransomware spreading via social media

Reports are coming in of dangerous Ransomware beginning to spread through social media networks.

Users have reported receiving suspicious JPEG files in personal messages through social media networks like Facebook & LinkedIn which contain Ransomware.

Sent via personal messages, these image files trigger an automatic download when clicked on. This downloaded file contains Ransomware.

This particular strain of Ransomware known as ‘Locky’ is activated as soon as the unsuspecting victim clicks on the downloaded image. As soon as this happens they find that all of their files on their computer have become encrypted and are no longer accessible.

Warning: your Google Chrome browser might be an imposter!

A report by security researchers MalwareBytes has identified a dangerous new form of Adware which masquerades as the Google Chrome Browser.

The Google Chrome copycat named ‘eFast Browser’ is a form of Adware which replicates the look and feel of Chrome to trick users into thinking they are using the official thing.

Upon installation, eFast attempts to delete Chrome, removing desktop and taskbar shortcuts and replacing them with its own, which look similar.