Spectra Networks

10/14/2026

🌐 𝐃𝐍𝐒 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐛𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬.

When you click a link, your device uses DNS to find the website. DNS filtering checks the address against known phishing, malware and scam sites. If it finds a match, it blocks the page.

It can protect company computers inside and outside the office, depending on how it is set up.

It will not catch every dangerous site, and legitimate pages can occasionally be blocked. Your IT provider should review the reports, handle exceptions and check that every managed device is covered.

Want to know whether your business already uses DNS filtering? Ask us to check.

10/13/2026

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐭-𝐨𝐟-𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧. 📫

“I’m in Spain until October 18. Contact Sarah about the Anderson acquisition” tells strangers where you are, when you will return, a coworker’s name and a confidential project.

People outside your company only need to know that you are unavailable, when you will reply and how to contact the business if the matter is urgent.

Use a separate, more detailed reply for coworkers if your email system supports it.

10/13/2026

A successful cyberattack isn't the end of the story. Your response determines the outcome.

When an organization discovers a compromise, every minute matters. Containment, secure communications, forensic preservation, compliance requirements, and recovery all play critical roles in minimizing business disruption.

Our latest blog breaks down the 5 essential steps businesses should follow after identifying a breach.

Read more:
https://www.spectranets.com/r/Trg

What do you consider the most challenging part of incident response: containment, communication, or recovery?

Learn how to contain threats, assess damage, meet compliance requirements, and recover safely with our guide.

10/12/2026

⚠️ 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐑𝐎𝐖! ⚠️

October 13th, 2026 is the end of support date for Office 2021.

After that date, Word, Excel and Outlook will continue to open, but Microsoft will stop providing security updates, bug fixes and technical support.

Because the software keeps working, it can remain on company computers for months or years after support ends.

Any new security problems found in Office 2021 may be left unfixed. Not sure whether Office 2021 is still in use? Ask us to check, and we'll talk you through the replacement options.

10/11/2026

Photos and documents can store hidden information that is not visible when you open the file. 👀

A photo may include the GPS location where it was taken, and the device used to take it.

Word, Excel and PowerPoint files may contain the author’s name, company
information, comments and tracked changes. PDFs can contain details about who created them and which software was used.

𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝.

Microsoft Office includes a Document Inspector for finding hidden information. For photos on Windows, open the file’s Properties and check the Details section.

Inspect the exact version you are about to send.

10/10/2026

Researchers found thousands of digital keys to Amazon cloud accounts exposed online. 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝. 🚨

Businesses use Amazon Web Services, or AWS, to store data and run software. Apps use access keys to connect to the data and systems stored there.

𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 who gets one of those keys may be able to access the company’s AWS account.

Researchers checked 10,616 exposed keys that contained everything needed to gain access. They found that 88% still worked. Hundreds provided full administrative access.

👉 Removing the file containing a leaked key is not enough. The key itself needs to be disabled or replaced.

Ask your developers and software providers how these keys are stored, checked for exposure and replaced.

Using AWS but unsure how your access keys are managed? Contact us and we’ll help you review them.

More than 9,300 Amazon Web Services (AWS) access keys publicly exposed between August 2022 and August 2026 are still active and valid.

10/09/2026

Scammers look through LinkedIn for new employees and people who work in finance, payroll and IT. 🔎

A new-job post gives them a person’s name and role. A job advert may reveal which software the company uses. Project updates can disclose client names, suppliers and travel plans.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐜𝐨𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫.

Ask employees not to post screenshots, staff badges, unannounced client names, supplier changes or travel plans before or during a trip.

Search for your company’s name and review what its employees, job adverts and public posts reveal!

10/09/2026

🔓 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓!, 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤.

That kind of password can be cracked in under a second. Seriously.

Even if you add a symbol, a capital letter, and a number, it’s still incredibly weak. A strong password needs to be long, kind of random, and hard for anyone to guess. Try something like SunnyGr8Banana%Swim2025.

It doesn’t have to make perfect sense, just make it long and weird enough that no one else would ever think of it. Now once you have that, whatever you do… don’t use it on all your accounts.

In fact, you shouldn’t repeat the same password twice. One account, one unique password. That’s the rule you should follow. And that means you’ll probably end up with 10–15 passwords across your business — passwords you won’t be able to remember (and shouldn’t even try to).

Instead, use a password manager. You just remember the master password and let it handle the rest. You’ll finally be able to give up on sticky notes and Excel files on your desktop called “Passwords” (𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵).

If you want help setting one up, let us know. It doesn’t take long and makes life way
easier.

10/08/2026

Technical debt doesn't always start with technology. Often, it starts with capacity constraints.

When IT leaders are consumed by operational firefighting, organizations risk delayed modernization efforts, increased security exposure, and long-term infrastructure inefficiencies.

Our newest article explores the operational indicators that suggest your IT department may benefit from managed services support.

Read the full article: 🔗 https://www.spectranets.com/r/Fad

Which metric do you consider the strongest indicator of IT team overload: ticket volume, project backlog, patch compliance, or employee turnover?

Signs like constant firefighting, delayed projects, and rising turnover are clear indicators that your IT team is overwhelmed & struggling to keep pace.

10/08/2026

Who controls the main admin account for your accounting software, CRM and file storage?

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐢𝐭. Don’t tie it to one employee’s personal email address or phone number.

▶️ The main account uses a company-owned email address.
▶️ At least two trusted people have admin access.
▶️ Billing and recovery details are current.
▶️ You can still access the service when an employee leaves.

Not sure who owns your critical accounts? Ask us to check them with you.