Internet | The Apheus Blog

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

2Aug

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

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...

21Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

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 ...

Microsoft Outlook is Crashing and Won’t Even Load when Asked to Launch into Safe Mode

15Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Internet

Microsoft Outlook is Crashing and Won’t Even Load when Asked to Launch into Safe Mode

Microsoft is actively investigating this problem and will hopefully have a fix for this problem in the very near future. This afternoon on July 15, 2020, Apheus became aware of a problem some users were experiencing when trying to open Outlook. The problem seems to come from a faulty update in Microsoft Office 365. Utilizing the Microsoft forums, we were quickly able to determine that there was indeed an active problem with Microsoft Outlook. From what we have seen, when trying to load Outlook, the app immediately crashes with no recourse. When trying to reopen the app, it prompts the user to start in safe mode, which immediately crashes. Again, there is no recourse or remediation available. We attempted to perform a fix by reinstalling the Office software, which DID NOT fix the...

15Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Is TikTok Really All That Dangerous?

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, July 14, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. I wouldn't be surprised if you told me you that you haven't heard of the TikTok app... at least until recently. TikTok has made plenty of news lately as the United States government has put the social media app in its cross hairs. TikTok is owned by a company called ByteDance, which is based in China. Over the last year or so, TikTok has taken the social media landscape by storm. It's extremely popular with young people and the app has been downloaded more than 2 billion times. There's always been some controversy swirling around TikTok because of its younger user base and the fact that the parent company is based in China. Citing national security,...

Should You Buy One of Those Cheap, High-Capacity USB Flash Drives? Probably Not

3Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Computers, Internet

Should You Buy One of Those Cheap, High-Capacity USB Flash Drives? Probably Not

One of my good friends recently purchased a pair of thumb drives he saw advertised in a Facebook ad. The deal was for two 2 TB USB 3.0 flash drives for an amazingly low price of just $15. That's right, a whopping 4TB of storage for just $15. Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Keep reading... The first clue that something was wrong was the packaging. The package the flash drives came in said: "USB Cable" not "USB Thumb Drive" or "USB Flash Drive" or anything remotely similar. This made my friend suspicious enough that he brought them to me one Sunday afternoon for a closer inspection. Another big clue was the price. If you take a look at reputable brands, not one offers a drive at that low price point. In fact, PNY offers a 1 TB flash drive for $200. The largest SanDisk flas...

Fact-Checking Stuff You Find on Social Media

2Jul

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Fact-Checking Stuff You Find on Social Media

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 30, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. If you're on social media, I'm sure you've seen plenty of posts that might, or at least should, raise an eyebrow. It's OK to question what you see, especially if you're unfamiliar with the source. Or even if you are familiar with the source, you should take a moment to ponder if the information you're seeing is biased. Whether it's a meme, a pseudo-news article, or a video, you should spend a little bit of time researching the subject. Don't just share it and assume the information you're sharing is accurate. In many cases, there may be a hint of truth to the post in an effort to get you to believe it. That's been the basis of Russian interfe...

16Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Should You Be Concerned About Online Privacy?

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. When I talk to people about online privacy, they're usually shocked to hear that they are the product. This usually leads to the question, "What do you mean that I'm a product?" There are tons of free services available online. The most common are ones you've already heard of and are probably using right now - Google and Facebook. These services are free to use. But you have to question yourself this question - how do these companies make money if they're free? The answer is simple. You are the product. These companies make money by collecting personal information about your digital life. They collect everything they can about you - your geographic ...

9Jun

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

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...

12May

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

Debunking 5G Conspiracy Theories and How 5G Will Actually Benefit Users

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, May 12, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. There are a number of conspiracy theories floating around the internet these days. A year ago, people were claiming that 5G causes cancer, even though the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) have determined that there is no connection between brain cancer and mobile phone usage. Of course that won't stop the conspiracy theorists from making that claim. In fact, some people are so terrified of 5G towers in the United Kingdom, that they've actually starting setting them on fire. The fear comes from yet another conspiracy theory linking 5G technology with the spread of the coronavirus. Again, that claim is ...

6May

By Bob BarcusNo Comments

Internet, Tech Talk

E-Learning for Adults During the Pandemic

Tech Talk show notes for Tuesday, May 6, 2020. Listen live Tuesday mornings on WTCA FM 106.1 and AM 1050 in Plymouth, Indiana. E-learning is nothing new. In fact, it's been around for decades in one form or another. It's only come to the forefront now that millions of school children are stuck at home during the global pandemic. But e-learning is just for kids, right? Wrong! There are a number of e-learning opportunities for adults. It doesn't matter if you're a student, a business professional, or a retiree. Many of these resources are available for free or at low cost. In fact, you could earn a degree entirely online, if you so desire. Here are a few of my favorite resources for learning online: Udemy offers a broad range of courses primarily geared towards business and ...