The latest multi-factor authentication (MFA) issue left users of Azure and Microsoft Office 365 unable to login to their accounts on Monday 21st, causing widespread disruption to businesses in Europe, Asia, and some parts of the US. What Happened? According to reports by Azure, the root cause was a European-based database, reaching operation threshold with requests from MFA servers.  This led to latency and timeouts, and an attempt to re-route traffic through North America caused the extra traffic to block servers. Finally Rectified After lasting from 4.39 am to the evening in the UK, the problem was finally rectified.  According [...]

On Monday, the Microsoft Skype blog announced that Skype calling is now available on Amazon Alexa devices using a simple voice command and that Alexa customers can now call most landlines and mobiles internationally using Skype, as well as benefitting from 200 free minutes of Skype to call 34 countries. Can Already Make Calls Many Amazon Echo / Echo Plus and Echo Dot users may already be used to making calls via their Echo. Last year, Alexa-to-Alexa calls from compatible devices were enabled e.g. calling another Echo from your Echo by saying “Call (John's) Echo”.  Also, Echo Connect combined with a [...]

Mozilla’s latest update for its Firefox Quantum browser includes the Firefox Monitor 2.0 security tool, which can tell you whether a site you’re visiting has suffered a security breach in the last 12 months and whether your details have been leaked online. Developed in Partnership with HIBP Back in June, the Mozilla blog detailed how it was testing the Firefox Monitor tool which was being developed in partnership with HaveIBeenPwned.com (HIBP), a service run by Troy Hunt, described by Mozilla as “one of the most renowned and respected security experts and bloggers in the world”.  At the time of testing, it [...]

We all use apps on a daily basis, but if you’d like to know which apps are the most useful for small business, here is a list of the top 25 that could help you: Go to: https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/small-business/20-apps-small-business-owners/

The results of a new survey by consumer watchdog ‘Which?’ has revealed the UK’s best and worst online retailers, according to the experiences of 10,000 Which? members over 6 months. Homebase, Red Face…In a Bad Place Unfortunately for Homebase, which is currently undergoing a restructuring that will involve 42 store closures, their online store was ranked lowest with a score of 55%.  The low score was mainly due to users saying that navigation was difficult and that the online shop didn’t always provide up-to-date information. Near The Bottom Other companies just ahead of Homebase, but still near the bottom of [...]

Apple Inc is reported to be offering free repairs / replacements for problems relating to screen touch issues on the iPhone X and data loss and storage drive failures in 13-inch MacBook Pro computers. iPhone X Problems The offer of free fixes in the iPhone X handset, which was only released last November and was superseded by the iPhone XS (and XR) in September, relate to user complaints that that their phones were making unprompted, random clicking noises, or simply stopped responding. Apple has put the problems of intermittently not responding / reacting when it wasn’t touched down to problems with [...]

Data storage solutions company Seagate Technology (Seagate), and IBM are reported to be working together and using blockchain and advanced cryptographic product identification technology to reduce disk-drive product counterfeiting. What’s The Problem? The problem for Seagate and other manufacturers, integrators, and business partners is the problem of counterfeit hard disk drives (HDDs) being made available for sale online.  For example, these are usually sub-standard counterfeit drives, or old drives that have been re-labelled with false claims of higher speed and greater capacity. The scale of the counterfeiting problem faced by electronics companies is illustrated by International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition figures which [...]

It has been reported that the UK Home Office will soon be using biometric facial recognition technology in a smartphone app to match a user’s selfie against the image read from a user’s passport chip as a means of self-service identity verification for UK border control. Dutch & UK Technology The self-service identity verification ‘enrolment service’ system uses biometric facial recognition technology that was developed in partnership with WorldReach Software, and immigration and border management company, with support from (Dutch) contactless document firm ReadID. Flashmark By iProov Flashmark technology, which will be used provide the biometric matching of a user’s [...]

An employee at a vehicle accident repair centre who stole the data of customers and passed it to a company that made nuisance phone calls has been jailed for 6 months following an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Used Former Co-Worker’s Login To Company Computer The employee of Nationwide Accident Repair Services, Mustafa Kasim, used a former co-workers' login details to access software on the company computer system (Audatex) that was used to estimate repair costs.  The software also stored the personal data (names and phone numbers) of the owners of the vehicles, and it was the personal [...]

In a creative and fun step, the latest update to Microsoft Windows now means that you can achieve maximum personalisation in your written communications by using the ‘Microsoft Font Maker’ to turn your handwriting into a font that you can install and use on your computer. Here’s how (N.B. It works best with a digital pen and tablet): Download Microsoft Font Maker: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/microsoft-font-maker/9n9209f8s3vc?activetab=pivot:overviewtab Either click the pen icon on the taskbar or manually enter the Settings > Devices > Pen & Windows Ink. Launch Font Maker, and write each letter in each box as shown. On the next page, write 3 [...]