Neal | Prairie IT Services Corp.
@therealneal.bsky.social
Chicago based owner of Prairie IT Services Corp. supporting small businesses with IT consulting, managed services, phones, Internet services, networking, servers, and more. I love nature and growing native plants and food in our small backyard.
Fake and malicious versions of KeePass distributed "through Bing advertisements that promoted fake software sites." Ultimately, the attack led to ransomeware.
Fake KeePass password manager leads to ESXi ransomware attack
Threat actors have been distributing trojanized versions of the KeePass password manager for at least eight months to install Cobalt Strike beacons, steal credentials, and ultimately, deploy ransomwar...
www.bleepingcomputer.com
May 22, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Fake and malicious versions of KeePass distributed "through Bing advertisements that promoted fake software sites." Ultimately, the attack led to ransomeware.
You might receive money from a class action lawsuit. Per class action website “confidential or private communications were allegedly obtained by Apple and/or shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation.”https://www.lopezvoiceassistantsettlement.com/home
Lopez Voice Assistant Settlement
If you owned or purchased a Siri-enabled device and experienced an unintended Siri activation during a confidential or private communication between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you shoul...
www.lopezvoiceassistantsettlement.com
May 10, 2025 at 1:10 AM
You might receive money from a class action lawsuit. Per class action website “confidential or private communications were allegedly obtained by Apple and/or shared with third parties as a result of an unintended Siri activation.”https://www.lopezvoiceassistantsettlement.com/home
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 24H2 to computers (unless your organization is blocking the upgrade). New features include AI, of course, WiFi 7, native 7-zip compatibility, streamlined file explorer and more.
Microsoft: Windows 11 24H2 now ready to rollout to everyone
Microsoft announced over the weekend that the Windows 11 24H2 update is ready to roll out to all compatible PCs, excluding those with safeguard holds.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
May 6, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Microsoft is rolling out Windows 24H2 to computers (unless your organization is blocking the upgrade). New features include AI, of course, WiFi 7, native 7-zip compatibility, streamlined file explorer and more.
Bluesky to verify notable and authentic accounts.
May 2, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Bluesky to verify notable and authentic accounts.
Zoom is having a service outage. Per Verge the issue started today around 3pm Eastern. You might see bad gateway error.
Zoom is down
Break time.
www.theverge.com
April 16, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Zoom is having a service outage. Per Verge the issue started today around 3pm Eastern. You might see bad gateway error.
It’s not just me or my Internet connection. Spotify is down in Europe and part or all of US.
Spotify is down
It’s not just you.
www.theverge.com
April 16, 2025 at 2:14 PM
It’s not just me or my Internet connection. Spotify is down in Europe and part or all of US.
Microsoft might change BSOD from blue to black. Innovation?
March 31, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Microsoft might change BSOD from blue to black. Innovation?
I understand the privacy and security considerations but I did enjoy knowing where Elon’s jet traveled.
Elon Musk and Taylor Swift can now hide details of their private jets
Elon Musk and Taylor Swift can now hide details of their private jets
Private jets are getting even more private.
buff.ly
March 31, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I understand the privacy and security considerations but I did enjoy knowing where Elon’s jet traveled.
Microsoft removing method for bypassing requirement for MS online account when setting up new computer.
New Windows 11 build makes mandatory Microsoft Account sign-in even more mandatory
“Bypassnro” is an easy MS Account workaround for Home and Pro Windows editions.
arstechnica.com
March 28, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Microsoft removing method for bypassing requirement for MS online account when setting up new computer.
The @microsoft365.microsoft.com outage this weekend is causing headaches this morning! The outage is forced some @apple iPhone users to re-authenticate their emails in the Mail app. Many employees are having difficulty with the process and it's challenging to talk them thru.
Microsoft links recent Microsoft 365 outage to buggy update
Microsoft says a coding issue is behind a now-resolved Microsoft 365 outage over the weekend that affected Outlook and Exchange Online authentication.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
March 3, 2025 at 6:09 PM
The @microsoft365.microsoft.com outage this weekend is causing headaches this morning! The outage is forced some @apple iPhone users to re-authenticate their emails in the Mail app. Many employees are having difficulty with the process and it's challenging to talk them thru.
Free Office desktop apps but permanent display ads, occasional video ads and no local file storage. Files are stored in OneDrive online only. I think the last requirement is a deal breaker for most people.
Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads
Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads
The free Office apps have started appearing in select countries
buff.ly
February 25, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Free Office desktop apps but permanent display ads, occasional video ads and no local file storage. Files are stored in OneDrive online only. I think the last requirement is a deal breaker for most people.
Estimates range from 220 billion to 800 billion lines of COBOL code still in use today. The language excels at data manipulation and batch processing. However deficiencies in standardized storing of dates resulted in the use of May 18, 1875 as a placeholder at the SSA.
If COBOL is so problematic, why does the US government still use it?
If you've gotten cash from an ATM, you've interacted with a COBOL-based system. Here's why this old programming language will probably outlive us all.
www.zdnet.com
February 24, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Estimates range from 220 billion to 800 billion lines of COBOL code still in use today. The language excels at data manipulation and batch processing. However deficiencies in standardized storing of dates resulted in the use of May 18, 1875 as a placeholder at the SSA.
Might be a security issue, no?
Citizen Lab released a report that highlights three serious security issues in the RedNote app, including that the app retrieves uploaded user content in a way that allows anyone else on your network, at your ISP, or organizations like the NSA, to see everything you look at and upload to RedNote.
Crimson Memo: Analyzing the Privacy Impact of Xianghongshu AKA Red Note
Early in January 2025 it seemed like TikTok was on the verge of being banned by the U.S. government. In reaction to this imminent ban, several million people in the United States signed up for a diffe...
www.eff.org
February 19, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Might be a security issue, no?
What happens to online accounts when you die?
What happens to your online accounts when you die? — Digital Seams
A few months ago, I heard of a work acquaintance's death via his company's social media. Shocking and abrupt - I had just met up with him (let’s call him George) for the first time. We joked over beer...
digitalseams.com
February 13, 2025 at 3:39 PM
What happens to online accounts when you die?
Please update your Apple devices as soon as possible.
Apple has released emergency security updates to patch a zero-day vulnerability that the company says was exploited in targeted and "extremely sophisticated" attacks.
www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/apple/a...
www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/apple/a...
Apple fixes zero-day exploited in 'extremely sophisticated' attacks
Apple has released emergency security updates to patch a zero-day vulnerability that the company says was exploited in targeted and "extremely sophisticated" attacks.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
February 11, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Please update your Apple devices as soon as possible.
Flaw in 7-zip application. Update to latest version ASAP.
February 5, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Flaw in 7-zip application. Update to latest version ASAP.
Reposted by Neal | Prairie IT Services Corp.
I plugged an Nvidia RTX 5090 into a gaming handheld
I plugged an Nvidia RTX 5090 into a gaming handheld
The power of Oculink.
buff.ly
February 4, 2025 at 8:40 PM
I plugged an Nvidia RTX 5090 into a gaming handheld
Glad Microsoft is implementing technology into the Edge browser to block "scareware" websites. Scareware sites can be intimidating and generate occasional support tickets from employees who are genuinely concerned for their systems.
Microsoft Launches Preview of Scam-Hunting 'Scareware Blocker' Tool -- Redmond Channel Partner
First announced at last November's Ignite event, Microsoft's new so-called Scareware Blocker is now available as a public preview.
rcpmag.com
February 4, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Glad Microsoft is implementing technology into the Edge browser to block "scareware" websites. Scareware sites can be intimidating and generate occasional support tickets from employees who are genuinely concerned for their systems.
DeepSeek databases containing sensitive data are publicly exposed.
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup known for its DeepSeek-R1 LLM model, has publicly exposed two databases containing sensitive user and operational information.
DeepSeek AI exposed databases with user chat history, API keys
DeepSeek, the Chinese AI startup known for its DeepSeek-R1 LLM model, has publicly exposed two databases containing sensitive user and operational information.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
January 30, 2025 at 4:27 PM
DeepSeek databases containing sensitive data are publicly exposed.
Reposted by Neal | Prairie IT Services Corp.
If you are considering downloading DeepSeek, please read this first and share with others
You don’t owner your data. They keep it even if you delete and worse ..
You don’t owner your data. They keep it even if you delete and worse ..
You should read DeepSeek terms and conditions before you download the app:
-DeepSeek retains user data even after account is deleted
-The app has the right to monitor and process user inputs and outputs, including the collection of sensitive or strategic information.1/
-DeepSeek retains user data even after account is deleted
-The app has the right to monitor and process user inputs and outputs, including the collection of sensitive or strategic information.1/
January 29, 2025 at 7:21 PM
If you are considering downloading DeepSeek, please read this first and share with others
You don’t owner your data. They keep it even if you delete and worse ..
You don’t owner your data. They keep it even if you delete and worse ..
AI businesses ingested data from the web and trained their language models which in turn responded to queries from DeepSeek allowing their new model to be trained. Master trained the apprentice.
OpenAI furious DeepSeek might have stolen all the data OpenAI stole from us
🔗 www.404media.co/openai-furio...
🔗 www.404media.co/openai-furio...
January 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
AI businesses ingested data from the web and trained their language models which in turn responded to queries from DeepSeek allowing their new model to be trained. Master trained the apprentice.
Interesting article about tarpitting AI bots from obtaining data from websites. “Once trapped, the (AI) crawlers can be fed gibberish data, aka Markov babble, which is designed to poison AI models.”
January 28, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Interesting article about tarpitting AI bots from obtaining data from websites. “Once trapped, the (AI) crawlers can be fed gibberish data, aka Markov babble, which is designed to poison AI models.”
Latest version of BlueSky adds Video tab as app moves to capitalize on short form videos.
Bluesky adds video to user profiles | TechCrunch
Social network Bluesky is doubling down on video. After it added a new TikTok-like custom video feed last week in the wake of the U.S. ban on the popular
techcrunch.com
January 27, 2025 at 6:57 PM
Latest version of BlueSky adds Video tab as app moves to capitalize on short form videos.
I read many angry posts on Facebook about suddenly following Pres Trump on their social media. The POTUS account, which transitions with a new administration, was updated to reflect the new President.
Meta courted Trump. Now comes the backlash from Facebook, Instagram users.
If you were surprised to see yourself suddenly following President Donald Trump on Instagram and Facebook this week, it’s not because Meta forced you to, the social media company says.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 23, 2025 at 7:53 PM
I read many angry posts on Facebook about suddenly following Pres Trump on their social media. The POTUS account, which transitions with a new administration, was updated to reflect the new President.
Update your QNAP storage devices.
QNAP has fixed six rsync vulnerabilities that could let attackers gain remote code execution on unpatched Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices.
QNAP fixes six Rsync vulnerabilities in NAS backup, recovery app
QNAP has fixed six rsync vulnerabilities that could let attackers gain remote code execution on unpatched Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices.
www.bleepingcomputer.com
January 23, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Update your QNAP storage devices.