Monthly Archives: August 2021

The Nation Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) is a government organisation that advises on how to stay secure online.

The NSCS has published a Cyber Aware article, which has been in the press and on TV recently. The government lists six main steps for best practice on how to stay safe online, which correlate with our recommendations from earlier this year: Advice on working from home and PWC business leaders survey on remote working.

The NSCS says can improve your cyber security by taking these six actions:

1. Use a strong and separate password for your online accounts (eg email)
   Passwords should be strong, with a mix of letters and numbers. Different passwords should be used across accounts.
2. Create strong passwords using three random words
   A recommendation to remember passwords is to use three different words, for example WhiteCurtainPhone. Using a mix of words makes it personal to you and harder for hackers to guess. Numbers and special characters can be added to strengthen passwords even more.
3. Save your passwords in your browser
   Allowing browsers such as Chrome or Edge to save your passwords helps keep them secure and can be used across devices if you logged into that browser.
4. Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA)
   A 2019 report from Microsoft concluded that 2FA, aka multi-factor authentication (MFA), blocks 99.9% of automated attacks. 2FA asks for more information to prove your identity, such as a code that gets sent to your phone or use of an authentication app.
5. Regularly run updates
   Out-of-date software, apps, and operating systems are vulnerable and susceptible to attacks.
6. Back up your data
   Creating a backup of recent data is extremely important to keep data safe. If any data is lost or deleted it can be easily recoverable if backed up. Data can be backed up via a physical drive or via the Cloud online. Please see more about our Computer Backup, Cloud Backup and Custom Backup services.

You can get a tailored compliance ‘to do’ list for your business or to discuss best practices to keep your organisation safe online, please contact us.

Microsoft’s Windows 11 is the latest version of their operating system, expected in October 2021 with upgrades rolling out in 2022. However, there appear to be some issues with some of its requirements.

1. Unlike previous Windows versions, Windows 11 will be available via an online update only, which means creating installers will likely be more difficult, e.g. for troubleshooting or repair purposes. A new machine with Windows 11 will likely have a special troubleshooting mode (like the old Safe Mode) but it remains to be clarified how this will work on upgraded machines and self-built devices.
2. Microsoft are forcing Home users to log in a Microsoft account, whereas before this could be avoided with a local account. Whilst this is good for backing up settings and recovering your login, it means that you must have a Microsoft account and Microsoft will get your personal information and data as a matter of course.
3. Perhaps the most questionable requirement is that all mobile devices (i.e. laptops but not desktop PCs) will be required to have a forward-facing webcam from 1 January 2023. Furthermore, the webcam should have at least a High-Definition resolution and needs to support auto white-balance and auto exposure. We assume this is for facial recognition for logging in, but making this an unavoidable requirement is concerning for those who don’t wish to use such features.
4. Another security requirement is that a TPM (version 2.0) module needs to be enabled on all devices. Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) are dedicated processors for hardware encryption purposes like BitLocker and Windows Hello, which is good for security. However, not all machines come with TPM 2.0 chips installed, and although it is possible to edit firmware settings to enable this isn’t easy to do. Due to this, the price of TPM 2.0 chips has increased substantially, it was noted that these chips have gone from ~£18 to ~£75.

If we ignore the hardware requirements and privacy implications for a moment, Windows 11 does give a higher level of security – it has been shown to reduce malware by 60% on tested devices.

Microsoft has yet to release its PC Health Check application, which will allow users to check the compatibility of their machine for Windows 11.

Microsoft announced that Windows 11 should be ready to ship with new machines and be available for download in October 2021. However, as most existing machines aren’t prepared for all the new requirements, it is likely that upgrades for Windows 10 devices will be rolled out later, e.g. first quarter of 2022.

Upgrade to Windows 10 Pro from Windows Home available now.

We are pleased to be able to offer the ability to upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Pro. This one-off cost for the license upgrade will enable home machines to be used in a business environment, and significantly enable compatibility with Microsoft 365 Premium.

Why upgrade to Windows 10 Pro? Windows 10 Pro includes:

• Microsoft’s Windows encryption software, Bitlocker. This adds an extra layer of security as it encrypts all files stored on your device’s drive(s).
• Defender Endpoint Security which allows the monitoring of security settings on PCs, for centralised control and compliance.
• Access to Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) to enable compatibility with Microsoft 365 Premium, centralised accounts and control, automated setups, and much more.
• Capability for virtual environments on your machine bringing higher security and management over tasks and applications – including Remote Desktop Connection, Hyper-V, Windows Defender Application Guard, and Windows Sandbox.

We are offering Windows 10 Pro upgrades for £49.99+VAT per machine, which usually has a retail price starting from £99.99+VAT. Please contact us for more information or to purchase Windows 10 Pro at a discounted price.