Comcast Users

We are getting word of widespread Comcast outages across the country causing internet latency and total outages. The link below shows outages in our Local Schaumburg area.
https://istheservicedown.com/problems/comcast-xfinity/schaumburg-cook-county-illinois-united-states

The link below is the Comcast outage map, and it looks like there is a very large outage in Washing DC area. This might be the root cause of why there are issues in our area. Usually if a large area goes down, this effects DNS and Routing of internet packets at other locations around the US.

http://downdetector.com/status/comcast-xfinity/map/

We will keep you up-to-date as the day progresses.

Some concerning news has surfaced about Facebook allowing your private information to be used by third-party violators, like Cambridge Analytics, who gained access to more than 50 million Facebook users' data back in 2014. The good news is, there are precautions that you can take to protect your personal data.

Disable Location Services on Your Mobile Device

When you grant companies access to your location data, they can track where you are going and where you have been, including your most frequently visited places. Unlink Third-Party Apps You have probably signed up for an app using Facebook. If you feel the app is questionable, remove it. Whenever you download a new app, make sure to turn off third-party access.

Limit Sharing Settings

Use the down arrow in the top right corner to go to Settings > Privacy and limit who can see posts, send you friend requests, and more (*cough* friends only *cough*).

Remove Personal Info & Restrict Ad Preferences

Use the question mark in the top right corner to go to “Privacy Check Up,” where you can edit and delete information previously shared. Isn’t it weird how Facebook will pop up an ad for a pair of shoes you were just looking at? To stop this, go to your ad preferences so they can no longer advertise by your actions, relationships, or any of the categories that Facebook has selected for you.

Finally, You Can Delete Your Facebook. Oh, the horror!

Use the down arrow in the top right corner to go to Settings > General > Manage Account, then “Deactivate your account.”

Links Technology was proud to be a part of the 2018 IAPD/ IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference on January 18 and 19 in Chicago! This year we really stepped up our game with our Chipping Challenge. The game was a huge hit! For every golf ball made the attendee was entered to win an Amazon Echo. We are pleased to announce the winner of the Amazon Echo was Keith Williams from Palatine Park District! Even though we could only have one big winner, everyone who participated walked away with a Links travel toothbrush, microfiber, & plenty of candy!

Links Technology is grateful to have had the opportunity to showcase our design, marketing, and technology services at 2018 IAPD/ IPRA Soaring to New Heights Conference. When meeting with attendees, the Links Design Team could share their website designs of other Park Districts and the IT Support Team was able to listen to attendees’ needs & provide Networking and IT Security solutions for their organizations.

As a family-run, veteran-owned company, we understand what is important to agencies, residents and vendors like few others can, and this conference supplied plenty of opportunities to speak with customers after hours at fun social events. It was great to get to know the Park District attendees and other vendors even more. The Links team hit the dance floors as well, making friends and connections throughout!

A big thank you to IAPD/IPRA for hosting yet another amazing conference experience and giving us the opportunity to showcase at it! The Links Technology team is looking forward to participating again in 2019!

Netflix has been hit by a massive phishing attack campaign.

Subscribers are being targeted, telling them that their account is about to be canceled with a very official-looking, personalized, fake email. The customers are asked to update their account information to avoid suspension which results in their personal and credit card information being stolen by the hackers.

The email typically has the subject line of: “Your suspension notification”. In the email, subscribers find a link that, when clicked, takes them to a fake Netflix log-in page to give their information and credit card number. The phishing attack was fist detected on Sunday, November 5th and is targeting almost 110 million Netflix subscribers. The fake site includes Netflix’s logo as well as images of  popular Netflix shows like “The Crown” and “House of Cards” which make the site seem legitimate.

Don't fall for the scam!

Never click on links in any email unless you know you initiated it being sent to you via the real Netflix website. You account data is safe and it is safe to use Netflix, but if you give up your information this easily, your data and money are as good as gone!

The ongoing legal dispute between Snopes and Proper Media is now causing some major financial issues.

After Proper Media completely cut off Snopes’ online advertisements, Snopes has been losing a lot of money. They have always been a free online source, which means they rely on their advertisements to create revenue and bring in income to keep them running successfully.

For the first time in history, Snopes has reached out to their online community by creating a GoFundMe page to help them fund their company and employees.

Both companies will be appearing in court on August 4^th. For more background of this story, check out this article from New York times.

The 10^th Annual Links Technology Cup golf outing is right around the corner! On August 9^th, teams of four will compete for the Links Cup. 

Tickets can be purchased for $165 per golfer, which includes food and beverages at almost every hole, a steak dinner provided by Chandler’s Chophouse, and 18 holes of golf.

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Schaumburg Park Foundation.

For more information on the Cup visit, http://www.schaumburgparkfoundation.org/links-cup.

Yesterday there were multiple reports of yet another massive ransomware cyber-attack affecting several European countries. The name of this dangerous and crippling computer virus is "Petya", a variant of last month's "WannaCry" virus.

Security experts have also reported that the initial infection vector is email-based and some security threat researchers have been able to narrow it down to a fake resume email scam delivered via attachment. Once the attachment is opened, not only does it infect the host, but it also starts to spread inside the affected organization. Therefore, please be vigilant and exercise caution when clicking on links or opening files in emails from suspicious or unknown sources.

If you start to see popup’s or unfamiliar images on your computer screen, do not click on anything. IMMEDIATELY POWER OFF YOUR COMPUTER BY PRESSING THE POWER BUTTON FOR AT LEAST 4 SECONDS and then contact Links Technology Support.

These Ransomware attacks can be avoided, if users are careful when opening emails, and PC’s are kept up-to-date with Windows updates. If anyone has any questions on Ransomware or are unsure if their PC is up-to-date, please contact the Support Helpdesk for assistance. 

For more information on Petya ransomware, refer to the following link:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/28/petya-ransomware-cyberattack-explained-how-to-tell-if-youre-at-risk-or-been-attacked.html

With great honor, we are excited to announce that Links Technology Solutions, Inc. has been verified by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs CVE as a Veteran-Owned Small Business. With our very own Brian Burke (President and CEO) being an U.S. Veteran, we will continue to serve America though ownership of our small business.

Links Technology presented an informative presentation at the SBA Leadership Luncheon with an interactive game show themed thriller, which demonstrated how easily a phone could be hacked and the importance of IT Security.

Links shared how hacks, attacks, and viruses along with internal mistakes or deliberate misuse of network systems could bring any business to a halt. At Links, we work as a partner in finding and developing the right relationship with your team and your systems so that we seamlessly integrate into your business IT services without disruption along with keeping ahead of danger.

Learn More About IT Security

Remember the W-2 scam trying to trick payroll and human resource officials into disclosing employee names, social security numbers, and income information?

Well, it's that time of year, and the IRS has renewed their alert. So be on the lookout for unusual requests, even if seemingly from your CEO!

More from the IRS

Here are a couple of example emails: