Adkinsio, 2nd Floor, Chestnut House, 24 North Street, Rugby (2026)

31/01/2026

Here’s a rare piece of positive cyber security news (and it’s still so early in the year) 🎉

According to recent data, only 23% of ransomware victims are now paying attackers.

That’s the lowest level ever recorded.

Even in attacks where criminals skip encryption and only steal data (a tactic called data exfiltration), just 19% of victims paid in Q3 2025.

For years, cyber criminals relied on fear, pressure and poor backups to force businesses into paying.

But things are changing.

Fast.

Average ransom payments have dropped by 66%, and median payments by 65%.

That means attackers are making far less money… and the entire ransomware business model is starting to wobble.

This really is great news.

But why is it happening?

Because more businesses now have strong backups, response plans, and better cyber hygiene.

They’re not panicking the way they used to.

They’re more prepared.

And when people don’t panic, they don’t pay.

I love to hear this.

But don’t get me wrong, it’s impossible to stop every attack.

What you can do, is limit the damage so recovery is possible without negotiating with criminals.

Every business that refuses to pay effectively removes oxygen from the ransomware ecosystem.

And collectively, it’s working 🥳

💭 Is your recovery strategy robust enough to make you confident not paying a ransom? (If you’re not sure, get in touch and I can help)

30/01/2026

Want to get things done faster at work? Here’s a secret Windows shortcut…

28/01/2026

Could you guess what most businesses don’t even realise is a risk?

No?

Ok, I’ll tell you.

It’s the everyday smart devices sitting quietly on your network.

Anything connected to the internet counts as an IoT device (Internet of Things).

Printers, door entry systems, thermostats, CCTV cameras, card readers, even vending machines.

And according to research, almost half (48.2%) of connections coming from IoT devices originate from devices labelled high-risk.

Another 4% come from critical-risk devices.

That’s… not great 😬

Why does the risk exist?

Many IoT devices are poorly secured by design.

They aren’t updated regularly.

Some use old communication methods.

And most businesses plug them straight into the same network as their main IT systems 😱

That creates what’s called a flat network. Everything connected, no separation. So, if a hacker breaks into one vulnerable device, they can move sideways into more important systems.

This is known as lateral movement, and it’s exactly how many modern breaches start.

The solution isn’t to remove IoT devices. You probably need most of them.

The best thing is to segment the network, so these devices live in their own safe area, separate from your core business systems.

Add proper access controls, monitor all connected devices, and you massively reduce the attack surface.

IoT can make business smoother and smarter. But only if it’s set up safely.

📡 Take a moment to think. How many smart devices are connected to your network right now?

27/01/2026

You’ve adopted Copilot in your business. You know the potential benefits are huge.

But is your team as enthusiastic about using it as you are?

This new feature will tell you…

26/01/2026

January is a funny month in cyber security.

Every year, we see a spike in new passwords being created… and a surprising number of them follow the same familiar patterns.

Think seasons… months… events… things that feel easy to remember.

A huge new analysis of 800 million leaked passwords found that hundreds of thousands of them were built around predictable themes. Including seasonal words and simple variations with numbers or symbols.

On the surface, some of these passwords look clever.

But modern password-cracking tools don’t see them as clever at all.

They see them as predictable.

And predictability is gold for attackers.

When a password is leaked in one breach, even something unrelated like a shopping site or old forum, attackers immediately test it against work accounts.

If the password is based on a common theme, their tools spot it in seconds.

And it’s not because people are careless.

It’s because remembering dozens of unique, complex passwords is impossible for any human being.

So, our brains reach for something simple, seasonal, or emotional. Totally understandable… just not very secure.

The easiest fix?

A password manager.

It creates strong random passwords and remembers them for you. No more patterns. No more guessing. No more using the same root word everywhere.

If you’ve been meaning to review your security this year, this is a great place to start.

🔐 How many passwords do you think you’re using right now?

25/01/2026

AI’s for more than writing posts or creating images.

It’s quietly transforming how businesses work. Saving time, improving communication, and even strengthening security.

The smartest companies aren’t asking if they should use AI… they’re asking how.

These are some of the practical, real-world ways AI can make your business faster, smarter, and safer…

24/01/2026

Tool overload is quietly draining your team’s productivity.

Have you ever opened your laptop, ready to work, but then spent the next ten minutes clicking around different apps trying to remember where something lives?

Your team have 😅

A recent study confirmed what many of us have suspected for years: The average creative professional now uses 14 different digital tools every day.

And honestly? That’s wild.

All those tabs…

All those logins…

All those “hang on, where did we save that version?” moments…

They add up. Big time.

In fact, it’s estimated that better organisation could give each person 1.5 extra days of productive time every month.

Every. Month.

Imagine giving every member of your team an extra day and a half without hiring anyone new. Not bad, right?

Here’s the real problem: We keep adding tools, but we rarely step back and ask whether the whole system still makes sense.

Even AI, which many creatives now use, doesn’t magically fix the chaos. When every tool stores information differently, even smart assistants can’t keep track of the full picture.

The result?

People waste time searching for files, chasing versions, or trying to remember which app does what. And very little actual work gets done. It’s “busy”, but not productive.

And the really bad news is, it’s not just those in creative fields struggling with this.

The solution isn’t “more tools”.

It’s fewer, better-organised tools. And systems that reduce friction, not increase it.

If your team has been complaining about feeling stretched, scattered or overloaded… this might be why.

🧠 How many apps do you switch between in an average morning? Is it time you reviewed the tools your team are using?

23/01/2026

Microsoft Edge is making another big change.

If you or your team rely on the little Sidebar app list for quick multitasking, this one might sting a bit 😬

In test versions of Edge, Microsoft has started showing a new message: “We’re simplifying Edge. New apps can no longer be added, and the quick access list will be removed gradually.”

What does that mean?

The Sidebar, that panel where you could pin apps, emails, websites, notes, calendars, shopping tools, and more, is being retired.

Why?

Because Microsoft wants to give Copilot more room in the browser.

Yep. The “simplified” version of Edge has more AI, not less.

For years, many people loved the Sidebar because it let you keep something open on the side without breaking your focus. You could read an article and check email at the same time. Or browse the web while keeping notes handy.

It wasn’t intrusive, and you could show or hide it whenever you wanted.

But now, as Edge becomes more and more AI-driven, the Sidebar is getting squeezed out.

Microsoft doesn’t want anything competing with the Copilot panel. Which now appears in the toolbar, in the right-click menu, in the address bar, on the New Tab Page, and even inside the MSN feed.

If you try to escape Copilot… it pops up again somewhere else 👻

So officially, the Sidebar is going away to “reduce clutter”.

Unofficially? It seems like Microsoft wants Edge to be “the” AI browser. And anything not related to Copilot is getting gently pushed aside.

This change will matter most to people who used the Sidebar for productivity shortcuts. The ones who kept Outlook open there. Or their CRM. Or quick-reference tools.

Losing that could make multitasking feel a bit clunkier.

Of course, Copilot is becoming more capable… but for many day-to-day tasks, the Sidebar was faster and more predictable.

Personally, I’m going to miss it.

👉 How about you? Do you use the Edge Sidebar, or are you happy to let Copilot take over the space?

21/01/2026

Seeing text you didn’t type? It could be a Windows setting. Here’s how to fix it…

20/01/2026

Here’s something you might not know about ransomware gangs…

They don’t just break in and start smashing things.

The smarter ones test your system first, like burglars checking which windows are easiest to pry open.

And a new ransomware called Kraken takes this to a whole new level 🐙

Researchers have discovered that Kraken benchmarks your PC before it attacks.

Can you believe it? It runs a test to see how fast it can encrypt your data without being noticed.

It creates a fake file…

Encrypts it…

Times how long it takes…

Then deletes it like nothing happened.

If your system is fast enough, Kraken goes all-in and encrypts everything 👾

If your system is slower, it chooses a “lighter” attack that still destroys your files.

But in a way that keeps your computer running smoothly so you don’t realise what’s happening until it’s too late.

It’s frighteningly smart.

Once Kraken decides its strategy, it gets to work:

⚠️ It deletes backup copies
⚠️ Disables recovery tools
⚠️ Wipes the Recycle Bin
⚠️ Stops virtual machines
⚠️ Clears logs so there’s no evidence

When it’s finished, your files are renamed with a .zpsc extension and you’re left with a ransom note saying: “You was hacked.”

In one case, the demand was $1 million in Bitcoin.

Yes, really 💸

Kraken also spreads aggressively. Attackers have:

🦹‍♂️ Broken in through vulnerable systems exposed to the internet
🦹‍♂️ Stolen admin passwords
🦹‍♂️ Used Remote Desktop to move around
🦹 Set up hidden tunnels to stay inside the network
🦹‍♂️ Jumped from server to server until they hit everything worth stealing

And once it’s everywhere, the encryption starts.

So, what can your business do about threats like this?

The honest answer: It’s all about the basics. Not flashy tools. Not magic buttons. Simply a consistent, well-managed approach to security:

✔ Strong backups (and test them)
✔ Good access controls
✔ Keep software patched
✔ Limit what’s exposed to the internet
✔ Use multi-factor authentication
✔ Monitor unusual activity
✔ And make sure your security software and ransomware protection is up to date

Ransomware keeps getting smarter. The only way to keep up is to make your business harder to break and faster to recover.

🤔 If your business was hit by ransomware tomorrow, how confident are you that you could recover without paying?

19/01/2026

Has your business embraced AI? Or do employees feel worried or even judged for using it?

If you want to benefit from everything AI can offer, you need to give your team a confidence boost. Here’s how…

18/01/2026

AI is about to become a much bigger part of Windows 11.

No, not as a chatbot or a helper you open when you feel like it, but as something that can quietly do work for you in the background.

Microsoft is calling this the move toward an “agentic OS”, and we’ve finally got a clearer picture of what that means.

In a recent Windows 11 preview, a setting for “experimental agentic features” appeared. It’s early, it’s developer-only, and it’s not polished yet… but it shows where things are heading.

AI “agents” will be small, specialised digital assistants built directly into Windows.

Each one will be able to take on a task and complete it without you micromanaging it.

For example:

🤖 Need a folder full of photos sorted, cleaned up, and de-duplicated? An AI agent could handle it.

🤖 Need a simple website generated from text you’ve already written? Another agent could do that.

🤖 Need routine admin or filing tasks taken off your plate? That’s the direction this is going.

But the interesting part for businesses is how Microsoft plans to keep this safe.

Every agent gets its own account inside Windows, totally separate from yours.

It can only access the files, folders, or apps you explicitly allow.

It works in a “boxed-off” workspace that can’t wander around your PC.

You can check logs, monitor what it did, and revoke access at any time.

In other words, agents won’t just roam around your computer “being helpful” (I doubt anyone thinks that’s a great idea). They operate on strict permissions, run in parallel to your work, and stay isolated from the rest of Windows. Security first, usefulness second.

That’s the theory, anyway.

Microsoft is saying all the right things about protecting businesses from new risks. Things like cross-prompt attacks, misuse of app permissions, or the agent misunderstanding a task.

But if Microsoft gets this right this could be a genuine productivity shift for businesses.

Imagine a PC that doesn’t just run your work… but also quietly helps with the boring bits. Tidying files. Preparing content. Fetching information. Handling repetitive admin tasks so your team can stay focused on the work that matters.

It’s still early. It’s still experimental.

🤔 I’d love to know… would you trust an AI agent to quietly do tasks on your business PC, or does the idea make you nervous?

Adkinsio

31/01/2026

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