Technology Advisor Blog

Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 and the time to start planning is now.  We work with a lot of local businesses in the Boston area, and one of the things we hear a lot is - later!  It's always a little stressful to think about making a change, and when your "to do" list is long, this is easy to put on the back burner.  Delaying your Windows 11 upgrade will only add risk and stress later, so get started now!

If you have a relatively new system, you probably won't need to purchase a new computer - you'll likely be able to just do a software update, which keeps costs a lot lower. When you're on Windows 11, you won't need another upgrade for many years (but security updates along the way are always important).

Are you sharing too much information in your Out of Office message?  One of our core values at Ekaru is being "Friendly and Helpful".  In that spirit, I used to include a lot of information in my Out of Office Auto-Reply... because I wanted to be friendly and helpful! 

Penetration testing (or pen testing for short) is a proactive way to protect your business from cyberattacks. It simulates real-world attacks to identify vulnerabilities before cybercriminals can exploit them. For small businesses, often working with limited security resources, pen testing is a critical tool to uncover hidden risks, meet compliance requirements, and strengthen defenses.

Your business data and customer information need strong protection to maintain trust and meet compliance standards. Modern automated tools make professional security testing both accessible and cost-effective for smaller companies. Through regular testing, you can build a clear roadmap to strengthen your defenses and stay ahead of emerging threats.

It’s Summertime!!! You know what that means, our accumulated PTO is finally put to use to enjoy the outdoors and travel. For some, people travel is local, while others travel internationally for an adventure like no other. While traveling, your cellphone is your most prized possession, capturing memories, laughs and a focal point into monitoring your social media and other necessities.

Although many of us have learned how to recognize scams, bad actors remain persistent and continue to send various fraudulent messages to our devices. Most of the time, they don’t care if the scam attempts are obvious or sophisticated, their main intention is to fatigue you to the point of becoming flustered and making a rushed decision to trick you. Some scams are isolated incidents, some are nationally present happening to your friends, family and coworkers.

Over the weekend, I received a text message on my personal cell phone from a ‘First Name-Last Name-###@RandomOrganization.org’. 
The first thing I noticed right away was how detailed, long, and grammatically formatted the text was upon viewing. Usually, a lot of scam messages feel urgent. They’re trying to create an emotional response, utilizing that heightened state to influence victims to their CTA of malicious links. Mimicking an automated promotional SMS message businesses provide for their patrons that sign up to receive a discount. Seeing the message’s length, it is possible it can come off as legit before reading the contents within.
The second factor I noticed was the message coming from a random organization, stated within the message that they were from the Massachusetts Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). These two did not match and that was my first indicator that this was a smishing attempt using the DMV to take aback trick anyone receiving the message. While I may have known the first indicators as someone new to cybersecurity but practices good cybersecurity hygiene, let’s continue the remaining text to dissect how to further identify this smishing attempt.

Before social media and the responsibility of maintaining multiple accounts, folks tended to keep their passwords written down on paper, stored in what they considered a safe place, or saved into their phone. These are dangerous cybersecurity risks being practiced and they need to be addressed promptly.
The problem is passwords are often weak, reused or exposed in personal data breaches that are out of your control. In the last decade, we have been introduced to Password Managers and following right after, Multi-Factor Authentications (MFA). Both provide thorough measures to protect users’ information and safety. As an effect, this shield has caused bad actors to get creative and find other tactics to infiltrate your systems.
We’re going to go over what MFA is and why it matters to implement for your small business and in personal life or really, anywhere it’s available!

Have you ever been hooked to a phishing attempt? Did you know that phishing is involved in 70% of breaches? Whether it’s an email, phone call, or text message, these are some of the common ways bad actors use to obtain your personal and financial information for malicious gain. Phishing emails were introduced into our lives decade(s) ago and have grown increasingly creative and sophisticated with native language use and perfect grammar.

Before AI consumed our media on a daily basis, spoofing would often impersonate important figures in our lives with the malicious intent of sending misinformation for money and spreading malware. Now with AI, it has become even harder to identify these attempts to protect our friends and loved ones from the headache known as cybercrime.

By this weekend, we will be halfway through 2025. It’s mind-boggling how quickly the year passes by when you take a moment to reflect. But also, how scammers can consistently create powerful, malicious tools using AI in high volumes.

You've got mail!  You see the notification - someone just filled out your website's contact form.  Your heart skips.  Could it be a new client?  As soon as you read the inquiry, your smile begins to fade as you realize it's just another bot selling you something (or worse!).

Whether it's your email or website, contact forms are a vital part to any form of communication. It’s a great opportunity for potential leads and clients to get into contact to ask questions, get to know your business, and request products and services. While it is great to have an outlet for communication for existing and potential clients, spam messages aren’t too far behind. When spam messages begin to flood your inbox with messages that are irrelevant, contain bots and even posing security risks, it makes guiding through contact form submissions a time consuming effort. Contact form spam can cost you and your business time, security and potentially missed opportunities.