Author Archive

TeqTips #6: VPN!

Kevin explains what a VPN is and why you need it. Working from remote is great. Public WiFi is so convenient. But the information you share over public networks is at risk from hackers and others on the Internet. How do you protect yourself when remote? VPN!! [embed]https://youtu.be/wVWBzSq8kJU[/embed]

TeqTips #5: Passwords! Part 2

We're back with Part 2 of Passwords! TeqTips. Creating a strong password you can remember is a pain in the neck. Here's a simple trick to create unique, strong, difficult to guess, but easy to remember passwords. Come back for part 3, where we unveil our favorite password managers and...

TeqTips #4: Passwords!

For today's #TeqTip, we're introducing a new series covering one of the most popular topics at our Help Desk: Passwords. What is a good password? How do I keep them safe? How do I keep track of the millions of passwords I need for my bank, wifi, streaming services, social...

TeqTip #3: What is MFA

We all have passwords to protect our computers, bank accounts, email, and virtually everything we have access to online. But IT professionals all agree that passwords are not enough and are fundamentally flawed. That is why "multi-factor authentication" (MFA) is all the rage. What is it, and why do you...

TeqTip #2: Email Spoofing

We've all received them. You know, that email that *looks* like it came from your boss asking you to either purchase Amazon gift cards or to change their direct deposit information? Did they get hacked? What should you do? In this installment, Matt explains how email spoofing can be detected...

TeqTips #1: Fixing Fast Startup

In our first TeqTip topic, Kevin shows you how to fix a common Windows reboot issue. Have you ever be told to "restart your computer" when you were having trouble with a program or app? There is a hidden setting in Windows that is intended to speed up the reboot...

Teqworks at St. Charles Scarecrow Festival

We're born and raised in St. Charles, so how could we not show off our creativity at the annual St. Charles Scarecrow Festival in Lincoln Park?  We couldn't pass this up, so come out and see what we have built.  We can't wait to see you! Come visit TeqMan at...

Top Tips to Detect Phishing Scams

Sending emails plays a key role in a company’s business operations, with 86% of professionals preferring email as their primary means of business communication. Because they're so heavily relied upon, email accounts are common targets for cybercriminals. Using a method called phishing, these attacks are disguised as run-of-the-mill, regular emails,...

Part IV: Next Generation Threats

Next Generation threats, by comparison, do not use conventional methods to reach your electronic assets.  They can disguise themselves as trusted traffic.  They can use legitimate programs – like Outlook or Adobe Acrobat – to run rules to manipulate data on the computer or server.  Next Generation threats can use...

Part III: Conventional Threats

This is part III of our cyber security blog series. Here we cover what is considered a Conventional Threat. For decades, we've all become familiar with the ways we protect from viruses, spam, adware, trojans, and other malware we refer to as conventional threats.  Comparative to new threats like phishing...