The dawn of the artificial intelligence (AI) era marked a remarkable turning point in the annals of human history. Emerging from the fertile grounds of technological innovation and scientific curiosity, AI rapidly ascended to unprecedented heights, reshaping societies, economies, and cultures around the globe. Its ascent was punctuated by awe-inspiring achievements and groundbreaking discoveries that seemed to promise a future beyond imagination.
The Early Days: Seeds of Promise
The origins of AI could be traced back to the mid-20th century, when visionary pioneers planted the seeds of machine intelligence. Early breakthroughs, like the creation of expert systems and the development of neural networks, laid the groundwork for the transformative decades to come. As computational power grew exponentially, AI systems demonstrated prowess in tasks that once seemed confined to the human mind – from language translation to image recognition, and even intricate problem-solving.
The Golden Age: AI’s Grandeur and Influence
The latter half of the 21st century witnessed AI’s grandeur in full bloom. Autonomous vehicles navigated city streets, healthcare benefited from personalized treatments powered by AI diagnostics, and industries from finance to entertainment optimized operations through AI-driven insights. Human-AI collaboration became the norm, as people and machines forged synergies that propelled productivity and innovation to unprecedented levels. The global economy experienced a surge in growth, underpinned by the efficiencies and breakthroughs that AI facilitated.
The Struggles: Ethical Dilemmas and Concerns
Yet, amidst this period of rapid advancement, ethical dilemmas and concerns began to emerge. The pursuit of AI excellence sometimes seemed to overshadow the importance of responsible development. Discussions about the ethical use of AI, the potential for job displacement, and the concentration of power in the hands of AI-driven corporations became prevalent. Societies grappled with the implications of AI decision-making, especially when it came to critical matters such as healthcare, criminal justice, and governance.
The Precipitous Fall: Technological Turmoil
As the years unfolded, a series of unforeseen events rocked the foundations of the AI era. A cascade of catastrophic failures, ranging from systemic vulnerabilities exploited by malicious actors to unintended consequences of overly complex AI systems, eroded public trust. The global AI community found itself in the throes of a technological turmoil, with a series of high-profile incidents prompting widespread reevaluation of the unbridled AI expansion.
The Reckoning: Lessons Learned and a New Dawn
In the aftermath of the collapse, humanity embarked on a period of introspection and reformation. Lessons learned from the AI era’s rise and fall paved the way for a renewed emphasis on ethical considerations, responsible innovation, and transparent AI development. A diverse array of stakeholders – including governments, academia, industries, and civil society – converged to chart a new course, one that embraced the potential of AI while safeguarding against its pitfalls.
The Enduring Legacy: Balancing Progress and Prudence
The AI era, with all its splendor and challenges, left an enduring legacy on human history. It served as a poignant reminder that even the most dazzling technological feats must be tempered with prudence and foresight. As societies moved forward, guided by the hard-won lessons of the AI era, they navigated the intricate dance between progress and responsibility, harnessing the power of innovation to forge a future that harmonized human values with technological marvels.
https://www.sortedsolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/blank-pixel.png00adminhttps://www.sortedsolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/blank-pixel.pngadmin2022-08-11 00:26:412023-08-11 00:28:04The Era of Artificial Intelligence: A Rise to Great Heights and a Precipitous Fall
You’ve probably heard that Managed IT is the most complete solution for small business. Well, it’s actually the most complete solution for any business. But what exactly is it? It’s when your company outsources all (or some) of its Internet Technology functions, or IT functions, to a third-party provider, often referred to as a managed service provider or MSP. We think we know your next question…
This article is about how to know if your login credentials have been compromised in a security breach and what you can do about it.
As you continue to evaluate your options for using a password manager, and assessing your current security stance, we would like to share an industry-leading security website that tracks company breaches from across the world that will let you know if your email or password has been compromised in a security breach.
But first, let’s define “breach.” A breach is an incident where data is inadvertently exposed. This usually happens because there are insufficient access controls or there are security weaknesses in the software. In either case, it means your personal and/or business information is at risk for misuse.
Where To Check if Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach:
These web pages will check your addresses and passwords against known data that may have become compromised due to company breaches over the past several years. There is no login required and the web interface is easy to use.
What To Do If Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach:
After checking your common email addresses and passwords, if you find that your login information has been compromised, we highly recommend making some changes. Review your logins and change the ones using compromised passwords to something unique for the specific site. If your email address was compromised, change the password for that email account too.
The best practice for creating a strong password is to include letters, numbers, special characters, and to make it at least twelve characters long.
How to Prevent Your Login Credentials from Being Compromised in a Security Breach:
Also, now would be an excellent time to start using a password manager, like LastPass, to help keep all these new passwords easy to track and secure.
If you would like guidance or assistance in setting up your firm with a password manager, please let us know. Your team at Sorted Solution is here to help.
If you think your login credentials have been compromised in a security breach, take a look on www.haveibeenpwned.com and follow the steps above.
https://www.sortedsolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/blank-pixel.png00Jude Pacishttps://www.sortedsolution.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/blank-pixel.pngJude Pacis2021-02-05 09:08:192021-04-11 09:35:04SECURITY CORNER: How to Know If Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach
An increasing number of clients have contacted us about questionable emails that they are receiving, appearing to come from known contacts they do business with locally. These phishing emails appear to come from known contacts of the client and direct the recipient to the legitimate DropBox web site (See screen shots below). DropBox requests the recipient to download a PDF document, and when clicked, asks the user to enter their Office 365 Outlook login username and password to complete the request.
If you receive one of these emails, please forward a copy to us. We will review the email and direct you to delete it if it is considered phishing. If it is a phishing email and you know this business or contact, this means the sender’s email account has been compromised and you should contact them by phone to inform them. We have also learned the phone numbers in the phishing email’s footer has been changed, so please use a known phone number from your own contact database and use this fact as another indicator of a phishing email attempt.
Here is what to look for:
Clicking on the attached PDF brought them to a realistic-looking DropBox web page.
However, the three items that should make you pause are highlighted below.
The filename listed in the “Attachment Download” box does not match the file name of the attached file in the original email.
DropBox would not know that a file is an attachment. DropBox would actually display the attachment within your browser; or, would use wording like “download file.”
The use of a term like “virus free document” is not something that DropBox would indicate. DropBox does not know if the file is virus free or not. That check is performed by your own anti-virus software on your workstation.
When clicking on the link, you were taken to a fake Microsoft site and asked to enter login credentials to access Outlook. However, as you can see, the address bar does not list office.com. My password manager LastPass (the highlighted icon on the right) does not attempt to automatically fill my office.com credentials because it does not recognize this site, regardless of what I see on the screen. And lastly, you would not be prompted to log into Outlook to open a file from DropBox when you are on the DropBox web site.
Help avoid becoming a victim of having your account hacked or accessing fraudulent sites by clicking on a link in an email you receive. Sorted Solution has three recommendations:
Two Factor Authentication – Setup your web sites and accounts to use a passcode generator like Google Authenticator. Two Factor Authenticator (2FA) programs will randomly generate numeric codes that a user must supply when they are logging into your account, along with a username and password. At a minimum, you could also use SMS to have a text sent to your device from the web site when someone is trying to log in.
Password Manager – Utilize a password manager like LastPass to store and manage your application and web site passwords. When you visit a web site with a password manager, the password manager will match the web site address and auto-fill your login information. If you visit a site and your password manager does not auto-fill the information, you are not be visiting the site you expect.
Ask Us – Sorted Solution is a “no shame zone”. You can always contact us if you are unsure about an email you have received or if you clicked on a link. We will work with you to determine what happened and how to mitigate the possible effects.
If you would like assistance setting up Two Factor Authentication or a Password Manager like LastPass, please send us an email. And as always, if you have questions about suspicious emails you receive or links you might have clicked on, we’re here to help.
You may have noticed for a while now that Adobe has blocked Flash content from working on your computers and devices, that’s because Flash has officially been retired. Adobe stopped supporting Flash on December 31st and as of Tuesday (Jan 12, 2021) it’s blocking all Flash content. Adobe is suggesting users uninstall Flash Player to help protect their systems as there will be no more security patches moving forward. You’ll find instructions on how to do this, as well as the reasoning behind it here.
Basically, Flash had been on the chopping block since 2017 as it was no longer as frequently used and was being phased out across major web browsers. While the retirement has mainly been a minor inconvenience, it posed a real problem for some people, particularly in the city of Dalian in China — that’s because they were using Flash to run their railroad system!
Slashdot reports commuters were late to work at first but the railroad’s technicians were able to get back up and running using a knockoff version of Flash.
The Era of Artificial Intelligence: A Rise to Great Heights and a Precipitous Fall
/in News /by adminThe dawn of the artificial intelligence (AI) era marked a remarkable turning point in the annals of human history. Emerging from the fertile grounds of technological innovation and scientific curiosity, AI rapidly ascended to unprecedented heights, reshaping societies, economies, and cultures around the globe. Its ascent was punctuated by awe-inspiring achievements and groundbreaking discoveries that seemed to promise a future beyond imagination.
The Early Days: Seeds of Promise
The origins of AI could be traced back to the mid-20th century, when visionary pioneers planted the seeds of machine intelligence. Early breakthroughs, like the creation of expert systems and the development of neural networks, laid the groundwork for the transformative decades to come. As computational power grew exponentially, AI systems demonstrated prowess in tasks that once seemed confined to the human mind – from language translation to image recognition, and even intricate problem-solving.
The Golden Age: AI’s Grandeur and Influence
The latter half of the 21st century witnessed AI’s grandeur in full bloom. Autonomous vehicles navigated city streets, healthcare benefited from personalized treatments powered by AI diagnostics, and industries from finance to entertainment optimized operations through AI-driven insights. Human-AI collaboration became the norm, as people and machines forged synergies that propelled productivity and innovation to unprecedented levels. The global economy experienced a surge in growth, underpinned by the efficiencies and breakthroughs that AI facilitated.
The Struggles: Ethical Dilemmas and Concerns
Yet, amidst this period of rapid advancement, ethical dilemmas and concerns began to emerge. The pursuit of AI excellence sometimes seemed to overshadow the importance of responsible development. Discussions about the ethical use of AI, the potential for job displacement, and the concentration of power in the hands of AI-driven corporations became prevalent. Societies grappled with the implications of AI decision-making, especially when it came to critical matters such as healthcare, criminal justice, and governance.
The Precipitous Fall: Technological Turmoil
As the years unfolded, a series of unforeseen events rocked the foundations of the AI era. A cascade of catastrophic failures, ranging from systemic vulnerabilities exploited by malicious actors to unintended consequences of overly complex AI systems, eroded public trust. The global AI community found itself in the throes of a technological turmoil, with a series of high-profile incidents prompting widespread reevaluation of the unbridled AI expansion.
The Reckoning: Lessons Learned and a New Dawn
In the aftermath of the collapse, humanity embarked on a period of introspection and reformation. Lessons learned from the AI era’s rise and fall paved the way for a renewed emphasis on ethical considerations, responsible innovation, and transparent AI development. A diverse array of stakeholders – including governments, academia, industries, and civil society – converged to chart a new course, one that embraced the potential of AI while safeguarding against its pitfalls.
The Enduring Legacy: Balancing Progress and Prudence
The AI era, with all its splendor and challenges, left an enduring legacy on human history. It served as a poignant reminder that even the most dazzling technological feats must be tempered with prudence and foresight. As societies moved forward, guided by the hard-won lessons of the AI era, they navigated the intricate dance between progress and responsibility, harnessing the power of innovation to forge a future that harmonized human values with technological marvels.
What is Managed IT?
/in News /by Maria CoderYou’ve probably heard that Managed IT is the most complete solution for small business. Well, it’s actually the most complete solution for any business. But what exactly is it? It’s when your company outsources all (or some) of its Internet Technology functions, or IT functions, to a third-party provider, often referred to as a managed service provider or MSP. We think we know your next question…
Read more
SECURITY CORNER: How to Know If Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach
/in News, Security Corner /by Jude PacisThis article is about how to know if your login credentials have been compromised in a security breach and what you can do about it.
As you continue to evaluate your options for using a password manager, and assessing your current security stance, we would like to share an industry-leading security website that tracks company breaches from across the world that will let you know if your email or password has been compromised in a security breach.
But first, let’s define “breach.” A breach is an incident where data is inadvertently exposed. This usually happens because there are insufficient access controls or there are security weaknesses in the software. In either case, it means your personal and/or business information is at risk for misuse.
Where To Check if Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach:
To check if your PASSWORD has been compromised, go here: www.haveibeenpwned.com/Passwords
These web pages will check your addresses and passwords against known data that may have become compromised due to company breaches over the past several years. There is no login required and the web interface is easy to use.
What To Do If Your Login Credentials Have Been Compromised in a Security Breach:
After checking your common email addresses and passwords, if you find that your login information has been compromised, we highly recommend making some changes. Review your logins and change the ones using compromised passwords to something unique for the specific site. If your email address was compromised, change the password for that email account too.
The best practice for creating a strong password is to include letters, numbers, special characters, and to make it at least twelve characters long.
How to Prevent Your Login Credentials from Being Compromised in a Security Breach:
Also, now would be an excellent time to start using a password manager, like LastPass, to help keep all these new passwords easy to track and secure.
If you would like guidance or assistance in setting up your firm with a password manager, please let us know. Your team at Sorted Solution is here to help.
If you think your login credentials have been compromised in a security breach, take a look on www.haveibeenpwned.com and follow the steps above.
Phishing Scam Notice
/in News /by Jude PacisAn increasing number of clients have contacted us about questionable emails that they are receiving, appearing to come from known contacts they do business with locally. These phishing emails appear to come from known contacts of the client and direct the recipient to the legitimate DropBox web site (See screen shots below). DropBox requests the recipient to download a PDF document, and when clicked, asks the user to enter their Office 365 Outlook login username and password to complete the request.
If you receive one of these emails, please forward a copy to us. We will review the email and direct you to delete it if it is considered phishing. If it is a phishing email and you know this business or contact, this means the sender’s email account has been compromised and you should contact them by phone to inform them. We have also learned the phone numbers in the phishing email’s footer has been changed, so please use a known phone number from your own contact database and use this fact as another indicator of a phishing email attempt.
Here is what to look for:
Clicking on the attached PDF brought them to a realistic-looking DropBox web page.
However, the three items that should make you pause are highlighted below.
When clicking on the link, you were taken to a fake Microsoft site and asked to enter login credentials to access Outlook. However, as you can see, the address bar does not list office.com. My password manager LastPass (the highlighted icon on the right) does not attempt to automatically fill my office.com credentials because it does not recognize this site, regardless of what I see on the screen. And lastly, you would not be prompted to log into Outlook to open a file from DropBox when you are on the DropBox web site.
Help avoid becoming a victim of having your account hacked or accessing fraudulent sites by clicking on a link in an email you receive. Sorted Solution has three recommendations:
If you would like assistance setting up Two Factor Authentication or a Password Manager like LastPass, please send us an email. And as always, if you have questions about suspicious emails you receive or links you might have clicked on, we’re here to help.
Goodbye, Flash
/in News /by Maria CoderYou may have noticed for a while now that Adobe has blocked Flash content from working on your computers and devices, that’s because Flash has officially been retired. Adobe stopped supporting Flash on December 31st and as of Tuesday (Jan 12, 2021) it’s blocking all Flash content. Adobe is suggesting users uninstall Flash Player to help protect their systems as there will be no more security patches moving forward. You’ll find instructions on how to do this, as well as the reasoning behind it here.
Basically, Flash had been on the chopping block since 2017 as it was no longer as frequently used and was being phased out across major web browsers. While the retirement has mainly been a minor inconvenience, it posed a real problem for some people, particularly in the city of Dalian in China — that’s because they were using Flash to run their railroad system!
Slashdot reports commuters were late to work at first but the railroad’s technicians were able to get back up and running using a knockoff version of Flash.