How the tech giant is testing your wit with its latest security feature April 1, 2024: If you use Microsoft products, you may have noticed a new challenge when you try to log in to your account. Instead of the usual code or notification, you are presented with a...
SpireTech Company News and Tips
Windows
Windows 10 End of Life Approaches, Upgrade Sooner Rather than Later
Windows 10 is approaching its end of life on October 14, 2025. Microsoft will stop releasing security patches after that date. Many clients have already upgraded to Windows 11 through the self-update mechanism provided by Microsoft or have purchased new assets and had...
QR Codes are being used in Phishing Attacks
QR codes are being used to deliver phishing links. In a phishing campaign estimated to have launched in May 2023, threat actors utilize QR codes to redirect users to a harmful location. This campaign targets someone’s Microsoft credentials and asks them to...
Microsoft to enforce number matching in Authenticator app. Updated May 2023.
From the Microsoft Blog. Beginning May 8, 2023, Microsoft will start enforcing number matching for all users who have MFA enabled on their Microsoft 365 account. Number matching in authentication procedures refers to displaying a number on one device (typically a...
Changes coming to Microsoft in 2023 and beyond
Downloads to stop for Windows 10 Windows 10, originally released July 2015, is officially entering its twilight age. Microsoft plans to stop selling Windows 10 Home and Pro downloads after January 31, 2023. This will be applied to its product pages and stores....
Microsoft patches a zero-day vulnerability from October
In an update released December 2022, Microsoft patched a zero-day vulnerability that was exploited. A zero-day vulnerability refers to potential weak points in an update that could be exploited the day it is released. The fear is that someone could learn to exploit...
Phishing Education: two case studies and tips
Continuous phishing education is important to anyone who uses the Internet. So, pretty much everyone. A "successful" phishing campaign can lead to the loss of sensitive data, personal information distributed, or extortion. People know not to click on spam messages, or...
Year-end checklist for small businesses
Be aware and be prepared! Whether you’re beginning to start a small business, or you are a fellow small business owner looking for guidance, please enjoy our checklist to help you through some year-end planning. IT Checklist Backup dataThe best way to ensure your...
SpireTech exiting hosting business to focus on Managed IT Services
Celebrating our 29th year in business, SpireTech has been making some moves. We are exiting our long-established hosting and datacenter businesses to focus exclusively on Managed Services and Microsoft 365 moving forward. Effective October 4,...
TikTok Hack Breaks Accounts
There was an exploitation available in the Android version of TikTok that would have allowed hackers to effectively take and shut down a user’s account with one click. This bug was present in just the Android version of the app. Luckily, the issue was found and...