Tag Archives: software

Do you really need to abandon Windows 7?

The warnings have been dire – YOU MUST UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 10! Is that really true? Are Microsoft, computer manufacturers, and computer resellers just making it all up? Let’s rewind a bit. Every operating system has an expiration date. After many stays of execution, Windows XP was finally dropped from support in June of 2014. […]

Support for Windows 7 is nearing the end

windows 7 logo

Windows 7 has been a very successful operating system since its release on October 22nd, 2009. Most users skipped over Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, finding Windows 7 to be trustworthy and reliable. But after a great 10-year run, Microsoft is calling it quits and support for Windows 7 is nearing the end. Everyone needs […]

Spectre & Meltdown Response

1/24/2018 Update: Intel has validated our “wait & see” strategy with their updated response to this issue. They are now recommending that users refrain from installing the previously released updates due to reported issues that need to be investigated. Here is their statement: We have now identified the root cause of the reboot issue impacting […]

Lessons learned from the Target PCI Breach

More information has been trickling out regarding the massive Target PCI breach that took place during the 2013 Christmas shopping season. Forensic researchers first learned that hackers penetrated Target’s network by means of a business transaction portal. It appears that Fazio Mechanical Services was the source. Fazio is a Pittsburgh-area nationwide mechanical contractor that services […]

Defend Against the CryptoLocker Virus

The “CryptoLocker” virus has been making a great deal of noise lately. Though we at Thom Infotech have not personally encountered it, we know others who have. We’ve written this post to help you to understand and defend against the CryptoLocker virus. What is it? CryptoLocker is an insidious twist on the all-too-familiar virus or […]

179 Reasons to Upgrade Before January 2014

As of this writing there are roughly four useble business weeks left in the current year.  As 2013 winds down, businesses should consider performing needed upgrades sooner rather than later. At the risk of creating a lengthy blog post I’m planning to provide 179 reasons to upgrade before January 2014. First, we should discuss the […]

WordPress now offers automatic updates

There is welcome news for web developers this week as WordPress now offers automatic updates to the uber-popular web development platform. Starting out as a blogging tool, WordPress has morphed into a full website development ecosystem. Like many, this author has embraced WordPress due to its simplicity, flexibility, and easy search engine optimization. The importance […]

Goodbye Windows XP

It’s nearly time to say goodbye Windows XP. This past April marked the one year count-down to the eventual discontinuation of support for the venerable operating system (technically on April 8, 2014). What does this mean to you? In short, it’s high time you moved on and adopted Windows 7 or Windows 8. Windows XP […]

Oracle closes critical Java vulnerability

Oracle announced today the release of updates for Java versions 5, 6, and 7 to patch a critical java vulnerability actively being exploiting in the wild. The patches were reportedly slated for release in April but the timetable was pushed up in response to a recent report demonstrating the active exploit. This further prolongs the […]

Anti-virus software alone is not enough

“Anti-virus software alone is not enough”… so says the number one antivirus provider Symantec in this post. A rather stunning admission I would say, and something many in the security industry have known for quite some time. The admission comes on the heels of the successful infiltration of the New York Times by Chinese hackers […]