LANtek

09/03/2026

You Google something like "download Zoom" or your bank's login page, and the first result is a paid ad. It looks right, with the same logo and a similar web address. You click it, and you're on a fake site that either installs malware or steals your login.
This is called malvertising. Criminals buy ads that impersonate popular software and brands, and because it's the top result, plenty of people click it without checking. Google removes these when it catches them, but new ones go up all the time.
When you search for software or a login page, skip the ads at the top and click the real result below, or better, type the address you already know straight into the browser. Only download software from the company's official website, never from an ad or a random "download" site. And an ad blocker on your team's browsers cuts a lot of this off before it shows up.
If someone does download something off a search ad, treat that machine as suspect and get your IT provider to check it.

09/02/2026

Most security effort goes into keeping attackers out of your network, but a stranger walking into your office can do a lot of damage too. They can plug a device into a spare network port, walk out with a laptop, photograph what's on desks, or sit down at an unlocked computer.
The easiest way in is called tailgating: someone follows an employee through a door that locks behind them, often carrying a box or a coffee so they look like they belong. Most people hold the door open to be polite.
Get your team comfortable saying a friendly "hi, can I help you?" to anyone they don't recognize, rather than assuming someone else invited them. Have visitors sign in and get walked to where they're going, not left to wander. And make it normal to lock your screen whenever you step away from your desk, even for a minute.
None of this costs anything. It just needs your team to feel okay questioning a face they don't recognize.

09/01/2026

A lot of malware still arrives as an email attachment someone opens without thinking. These are the file types to be wary of:
▶️ Program files: .exe, .scr, .msi. These run software the moment you open them. No normal invoice or document is one of these.
▶️ Scripts: .js, .vbs, .bat, .cmd, .ps1. Same story, they run commands on your computer.
▶️ Office files that ask you to "enable content" or "enable macros." Macros are little programs inside a document, and a classic way to deliver malware. If one asks you to turn them on, don't.
▶️ Disk images like .iso or .img. Almost nobody sends a normal file this way, but attackers use it to slip malware past filters.
If an attachment is unexpected, even from someone you know, check with them through another channel before opening it, because their account might be hacked. And ask your IT provider to block the riskiest file types at the email gateway, so they never reach an inbox.

09/01/2026

The wild Linksys blends in with its surroundings so the predatory NetAdmin can’t track it down...I'm sure this probably went in as a "temporary fix" :)

08/31/2026

Most teams have logins they share, the company Instagram, a supplier portal, a tool only the business pays for once. And they usually share them badly: a spreadsheet, a group chat, or one password everybody just knows.
You can't see who used it, you can't change it without telling everyone, and when someone leaves, that password walks out the door with them.
A password manager solves this. Set it up like this:
1. Pick a password manager that supports shared vaults or folders. 1Password, Bitwarden, and Keeper all do this on their business plans.
2. Put your shared logins into a shared vault instead of a spreadsheet or a chat.
3. Give each person access to the vault through their own account. They can use the logins without ever seeing the password itself.
4. When someone leaves, remove their access and they instantly lose all of it, with no password to change.
Nobody has to know or type the shared passwords anymore, so there's nothing to leak in a chat or leave on a sticky note.

08/30/2026

One of the most expensive scams for small businesses looks completely routine: an email from a supplier saying their bank details have changed, and to send future payments to a new account.
You update the details, pay the next invoice, and the money goes straight to a criminal. The email might be a convincing fake, or it might genuinely come from your supplier's address because their email account was hacked.
Never change a supplier's bank details based on an email or a phone call alone. Before you change anything, call the supplier on a number you already have, not one from the email, and confirm the request with them directly.
Make it a standing policy for whoever handles your payments: any change to bank details gets verified by phone first, every time, including when it's urgent.

08/28/2026

People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, according to the FTC. That's someone pretending to be your bank, a supplier, a government agency, or your boss, to get you to move money or hand over information.
The FTC's June 2026 report found imposter scams were behind nearly one in three fraud reports. Business impersonators alone accounted for close to a billion dollars, and government impersonators another $920 million. A lot of them start the same way: an urgent alert, often looking like it's from your bank, telling you your money's at risk and you need to move it right now to keep it safe.
For a business, the version that hurts is someone impersonating a supplier, a bank, or you, aimed at whoever handles the money. Don't act on any message that comes to you out of the blue. If your "bank," a "supplier," or the "tax office" pressures you to pay or share details, stop and contact them yourself, using a number you already have, not one from the message.
Anything urgent about money is worth slowing down to check.
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/06/ftc-data-show-people-reported-losing-3-point-5-billion-imposter-scams-2025

New data from the Federal Trade Commission reveal that people reported losing a staggering $3.5 billion to imposter scams in 2025, with reported losses increasing nearly three times since 2020.

08/27/2026

Awesome event this morning at the university. It was great getting to connect with all the students and staff and we had so much fun with the putting green. This was a very well organized and run event!!

Verkada Connect-Tek

08/27/2026

Your domain name, the yourbusiness.com behind your website and email, sits in an account at a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap. If someone gets into that account, they can point your website wherever they want, take over your email, and lock you out of your own name.
Lock it down:
▶️ Put a strong, unique password and MFA on your registrar account.
▶️ Turn on the domain lock (sometimes called a transfer lock or registrar lock). It stops your domain from being transferred away without you approving it.
▶️ Make sure the email address on the account is one you control and is itself secured. If that inbox gets hacked, someone can reset the registrar login.
▶️ Set the domain to auto-renew, and keep a card on file that won't expire. Businesses lose domains every year just by forgetting to renew.
If you're not sure who has access to your domain account, or whether MFA is even on, that's worth finding out this week.

08/26/2026

There's a scam where a criminal takes over your phone number, and once they have it, they can get into a lot of your accounts.
It's called SIM swapping. The attacker calls your mobile carrier, pretends to be you, and convinces them to move your number to a SIM card they control. Now your calls and texts go to them instead of you. That includes the security codes banks and other services text you, so they can reset your passwords and get into your accounts.
The main thing that stops it is a PIN on your mobile account. Every major carrier lets you set one, and then nobody can move your number without it. Call your carrier or check your account settings and turn it on.
It also helps to move your two-factor codes off text messages where you can. An authenticator app or a security key can't be hijacked by taking over your number, so use those for your important accounts.
And if your phone suddenly loses signal for no reason and stays dead while everyone around you is fine, call your carrier from another phone straight away. That's often the first sign someone's stealing your number.