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For many people, the vision of a world of driverless cars represents a commuter’s utopia, and for good reason. Commuting is costly, not only in terms of time and money but in terms of stress-related illnesses. Despite the fact that people have adapted to hurtling through space at 70 miles per hour while avoiding a potentially deadly crash, traffic is anything but relaxing. Just the idea of a car expertly programmed to detect and respond instantly to hazardous road conditions and the erratic behavior of all those other drivers is enough to lower a commuter’s blood pressure considerably. (Our own driving is, of course, always impeccable.) Driverless cars could also make it possible for people to give one another the increasingly rare gift of their undivided attention while traveling.

Any dream of utopia contains within it the potential for the creation of a nightmarish dystopia, and a world of driverless cars is no exception. The number of deaths and injuries resulting from crashes caused by human error could be greatly reduced. However, the number of deaths and injuries caused by deliberate human actions, such as hacking the computer systems of driverless cars, could increase. It isn’t hard to imagine the horror of a driverless car being hijacked and used to drive into a crowded building or cause a multi-car pile-up on a busy interstate highway. One article describes an experiment in which hackers demonstrated, under controlled conditions, how just such a scenario would be possible.

Security Vulnerabilities

IT experts are the first line of defense of our collective vision of a driverless utopia. Recently, the Cloud Security Alliance published a detailed report identifying 20 potential cyber-security threats to connected vehicle systems, including driverless cars. Many of those threats are vulnerabilities caused by the very things that have helped make commutes if not more enjoyable, at least more bearable. Those potential security loopholes include onboard diagnostic ports used for vehicle maintenance, USB ports, Wi-fi, Bluetooth, and entertainment devices that utilize internet connectivity.

Electronic vehicles depend on a CAN (Controller Area Network) message bus that allows communication between devices. The CAN bus was designed as a closed network without security features. According to the report, “An unauthorized party that gains access to the bus can block legitimate messages and transmit illegitimate ones.” Keyless entry systems and the Amazon Echo, which can start a vehicle remotely, also present potential security concerns. That’s why the group recommends that separate CAN buses be used for critical safety features such as braking and lane detection systems.

Precautionary Measures

Brian Russell, the chairman of the alliance’s IoT Working Group, stresses the importance of developing operational designs that “incorporate security throughout the development”. He also recommends using the Department of Transportation’s Connected Vehicle Reference Implementation Architecture as a design guide. Its protocols apply security measures to the enterprise, functional, physical and communications elements of connected driverless systems. Vehicles communicate with one another using both established infrastructure and a DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication). The DSRC assigns each message a digital certificate which prevents tampering. To keep out intruders, third party devices should only access a vehicle’s Bluetooth system using the mutual recognition and authentication of Bluetooth Low Energy.

In addition to high-tech security measures being designed and implemented, societies will require a whole new set of laws to successfully integrate driverless technology. That doesn’t just include traffic and insurance laws, but privacy laws. The amount of personal information collected by driverless technology is rivaled only by the amount collected by Facebook. Like Facebook, those who wish to utilize driverless technology may have to sign agreements too lengthy and complicated to read and understand without the expert assistance of a legal professional. In 2015, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Toyota Motor Corp., Ford Motor Co., and General Motors LLC, alleging fraud, false advertising, and violations of consumer protection laws. While the district court dismissed the complaint, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) has filed a brief requesting that the dismissal is reversed.

It Takes a Global IT Village

Creating a commuter’s utopia in which drivers can enjoy all the benefits of driverless technology is an achievable goal. With the right security measures, it will become possible for elderly to retain their travel independence and for the young to increase theirs. Parents will be able to spend less time chauffeuring and more time parenting. Workers will be able to spend less energy commuting and more time and energy to enjoy the fruits of their labors. The phrases “fighting traffic” and “road rage” will disappear from our daily lexicon, making room for more interesting, and pleasant, topics of conversation.

IT professionals worldwide are working overtime to make a world of driverless cars a dream come true. The internet has revealed the degree to which we are all interconnected. That connectivity has the potential to significantly improve the quality of our lives. It also has the potential to expose us to greater danger. That’s why programmers and app developers, whether employed by a private enterprise or governmental organizations, must work together to prevent that dream from becoming a nightmare.

When someone thinks of spam they typically think of unsolicited bulk commercial email they receive in their inbox. However, the concept of spam started a little earlier than you might think. How far back? How does 1864 sound? Spam in 1864 you say? Yes, in the form of a telegraph, advertising a local dentistry actually. The Telegraph was so much news that the local paper even reprinted the telegraph that was sent to many households, further propagating the message.

More recently, people consider the first spam email coming out of Digital Equipment in 1978 which went to a total of 393 people promoting their latest computer model. You can thank a Monty Python sketch based on a cafe that only served the canned spiced ham SPAM for the origin of the name. Another early spammer was the lawyers Canter and Siegel posting their “Green Card Lottery” message to USENET, a shared messaging system.

What does all this have to do with today? You don’t want to be known as a spammer. There are three ways to attack the spam problem. First off, you don’t want your marketing emails to be classified as spam. Secondly, you don’t want your mail server to be abused where someone sends spam through your hardware. While this wasn’t sent to you directly, your hardware could be blacklisted, thus affecting your own emails. Lastly, you don’t want your employees to respond to spam. There are ways to filter this at the mail server to prevent them from seeing the messages, or at least classify messages as fishy before their opened. Our company InfiNet Solutions can help you to protect your business from being labeled a bad apple in the email business.

Starting with the most important avenue, ensuring your marketing messages get through, there are some best practices to know about. For starters, don’t just send emails directly to your clients. Putting everyone’s email in the “To:” field of a message is bound to cause problems when someone does a reply-all. If you absolutely have to send a message to LOTS of people, it is better to use the BCC (for blind carbon copy) field of a message. Better yet, rely on a mailing list management package like that offered by Constant Contact. Typically, you don’t want to add people to the mailing list yourself. Instead, people should opt-in. More importantly, with each message you send, there should be unsubscribed instructions.

Protecting your mail server is not an easy task. There are some simple steps you can do like requiring that users are authenticated before sending a message, but someone can just spoof the email headers to make it appear messages came through your server. To best protect your server, in 2012 DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance was introduced. Combined with the earlier introduced SPF, Sender Policy Framework, this makes sure that any messages appearing to come from your mail server actually came from your mail server. InfiNet Solutions can help you keep up with the latest ways to protect your email servers and thus getting your marketing messages through.

Lastly, it is important to look at the inbound side of spam. With all the talk of Russians hacking servers and the release of inappropriate celebrity photos, most of these attempts are triggered by phishing attacks of targets. You still need to worry about viruses being sent through email, but phishing involves fraudsters sending what look like real emails in the attempt to reveal personal information like passwords and bank account info. You don’t want your employees giving away the farm so that others can then get into your company network or your employees worried about identity theft. InfiNet Solutions can help protect your mail servers from letting these unsolicited emails through.

Contact us at [email protected] or (402) 895--5777 to learn more about how we can help you.

Need a fast Windows screenshot? We’ll show you how to do it!

Do you need to take a quick Windows screenshot for work or fun, but can’t figure out how to do it? Don’t worry: Our guide will show you just how it’s done.

Copy the Screen for Posts

Traditionally, the “Print Screen” option is the quickest way to take an easy screenshot that you can use later on as desired. The only problem here is that these days Print Screen looks a little different based on what type of keyboard you may have. These steps may not all be available on some keyboards, especially more compact keyboards or non-Windows keyboards.

First, look at the top rows of buttons on your keyboard. Look for a button that says “PrtScn” or “Print Scr” or any other abbreviation (it may also be lurking around the Ctrl key, there are several places that they appear. If there’s a dedicated key, all you have to press it. This will instantly copy a snapshot of the screen. You can then go into any document and paste the screenshot wherever space is available.

Note that sometimes this feature is on a dual-purpose key, and you may have to access it by pressing the Ctrl or Fn key at the same time.

Automatically Save Screenshot as File

Let’s say that you don’t want to just copy a screenshot for pasting, but that you actually want to save a screenshot as its own photo file. In that case, you may need a combination of buttons. If your keyboard has both a Print Screen button and a Windows logo key, you can press them both at the same time: This will usually take a screenshot and then automatically save it as a separate file, typically in the desktop or its own screenshots folder.

Of course, it’s not always that simple. If you have a Windows key, an Fn key, and a Ctrl key, you may need to push some combination of these keys along with the Print Screen key to create an automatic save. A little bit of experimentation may be in order, but if you’re using a built-in keyboard (like on a laptop) then you can probably look up the best method.

Choose a Single Window as a Screenshot

This is a common case in many of today’s larger screens, where you have several windows open at the same time but only want to take a screenshot of one window, not the whole screen. There’s a way to do this, too: Click on the window you want to copy so that it’s highlight. Then press the Print Screen key and the Alt key at the same time. If your keyboard has an Fn key, you have to press Print Screen, Alt, and Fn at the same time to get this to work.

“Snipping” Screenshots

Windows also lets you select a particular area of the screen through a dedicated screenshot tool called the Snipping Tool. It’s not as fast as other methods, but it is very effective. Just type in “snipping tool” into your Windows search box and it will bring up the right link to select. This opens up a small bar that allows you to create a “New” screenshot and change the shape of the shot. You can then drag your mouse to create whatever size you need.

Looking for more information on how to use Windows 10? Remember to take a look at InfiNet Solutions’s Wisdom Wednesday series for continued advice. If our Omaha readers have any further questions or need help figuring out a problem, contact InfiNet Solutions at (402) 895--5777 and [email protected].

Give your customers something sweet – and update your IT services!

Since June is the official National Candy Month, we are going to spend some time talking about sweet things – and we’re going to start by talking about how to sweeten the buying experiences for your customers via IT services. Many companies assume – understandably – that IT services are mostly a background/backroom consideration, something that the client actually isn’t involved in. But everything in business is connected, and today’s latest advanced services connected to customers in all new ways. Is it time you increased your value offering with some of these treats?

Data Security is Important, and Customers Know It

Data breaches tend to make a lot of splashy headlines, and customers are passionately concerned about the security of their private data: Much of any company’s reputation relies on data security, especially these days when an online buying option is common to most industries. That data security that you are investing in isn’t just for compliance or making lawyers happy or avoiding a hacking attempt that disrupts business. It’s about showing the customers you understand and care what happens to their personal information – where it is stored, how it is used, and how it is encrypted. Don’t be afraid to boast about your security upgrades! They are a benefit to your customers, too.

Immediate Contact Options Will Answer Questions Fast

The ability to immediately post a message in a Facebook Group, or open a chat box on a company website, or shoot a colleague a quick question over Yammer, should not be underestimated. Customers appreciate when their questions are answered quickly: They don’t like to hang around listening to on-hold music, or trying to search through a new website, or needed to send an email they aren’t sure anyone will ever read. Fortunately, today’s services provide ways to communicate much more directly and to find experts instantly when required. When customers get such a speedy, full response, they become much more invested.

Don’t Do Mobile? Do Mobile

Today’s buyers are a mobile bunch – there’s no getting around or denying it. More searching is done on mobile devices than desktops. Google’s new SEO approach ranks pages by how well they do on mobile devices before considering desktops. It’s time to embrace mobile.

We understand that investing in an optimized website, app, mobile data protection, and all the rest of it may seem like a weighty undertaking: However, it’s all one package. You need the security, and the optimization process, and the mobile data storage strategy, to make it all work together. That’s why it’s all right to bring in external IT services to help set up and manage mobile services. Your on-the-go customers will appreciate it.

CRM Can Make Customers Feel Special Again

How long has it been since you overhauled your CRM systems? Maybe it’s time for an upgrade that automatically tracks customer loyalty points and discounts, can send out recommendations for specific products based on behavior, and never forgets to email customer surveys, newsletters, or other significant bits of information. Automation is just one of the tricks that the latest CRM solutions can offer – they are also compatible with a vast array of apps and platforms that you may already be using, so don’t hesitate to improve CRM if the time has come!

Faster Upgrades for More Capabilities (and Scalability)

IT services have a significant benefit over hardware like servers: They are far, far easier to upgrade. Have you been wanting to upgrade your IT capabilities for a while, but haven’t reached a point where you are ready to replace hardware yet? It may be time to switch to cloud-based IT services that receive automatic updates and are easy to customize and upgrade as your business grows…so that your customers don’t get left behind.

The Power of Simplification

Finally, think about giving your customers a treat by making things simpler. Many of today’s IT services are more about making things less confusing rather than adding new abilities. That means slimming down websites, cleaning up inter-office platforms, reducing the number of tools and formats you use, and overall making everything more minimalistic. Customers, short on time and tried of complex interfaces, tend to love these sorts of changes.

Is something else on your list to deliver to customers? Let us know what it is! InfiNet Solutions can help your Omaha company achieve its systems goals: Let us know how to help at [email protected] or give us a call to ask about services at (402) 895--5777.