The coolest Chrome feature no one knows about€¦ · The Cast feature is now built directly into every updated version of the Chrome. Just click the three stacked lines that act

The coolest Chrome feature no one knows about

Everything is wirelessly connected nowadays. If you can purchase a refrigerator that sends you a

message when your vegetables are going bad, why can’t you stream the audio and video of your

phone or desktop to your TV? It turns out you can, and Google just made it a whole lot easier. Let’s

take a closer look at how Google Chrome is working to connect all your audio/visual hardware

together with Chromecast.

In its earliest stages, ‘Casting’ allowed users to stream a device’s screen to a TV with a Chromecast

wireless adapter plugged into the HDMI port. Soon after, Google released a second, updated model

that added the possibility of connecting to audio-only devices via stereo cable and faster internal

hardware to improve streaming to both TVs and stereo systems.

Regardless of which model you had previous to last month’s update, individual apps needed to

include Casting functionality, and even Google’s own Chrome browser required downloading and

installing an extension before users could get the most out of the service. As an industry leader in

user experience and design, the engineers at Google knew this had to be fixed. Their solution was a

no-brainer, and may even be sitting in your browser this very moment.

The Cast feature is now built directly into every updated version of the Chrome. Just click the three

stacked lines that act as Chrome’s File menu and select Cast halfway down the menu. Click the

arrow to the right of ‘Cast to’ and choose desktop, followed by which Chromecast device you would

like to broadcast, and voilà -- your computer’s desktop will be duplicated on your Chromecast-

enabled TV.

Assuming you’re currently connected to a trusted wireless network, we invite you to give it a try right

here and now. If you’re confused about why we would suggest such a thing when you haven’t had a

chance to go out and buy the necessary hardware adapter, that’s because several big-name TV

brands are now installing this functionality directly into their televisions. You may have had this

feature all along without even knowing it!

Once you’ve mastered casting your screens and audio wirelessly, why not check out all the apps

Google has highlighted specifically for this Chrome feature? From NFL streaming to slideshow

production, the Play Store has everything you’re looking for to step up your casting game.

It’s amazing how something so useful and so accessible could go relatively unnoticed for so long.

There are tons of wonderful and exciting features lurking around, even in software as ordinary as

your internet browser.

New security patches for VMware machines

While virtualization still has a host of security advantages over its localized counterparts, it isn’t

exempt from the attention of cyber attackers. Most recently, one of the industry’s leading software

vendors, VMware, was forced to release a patch for a critical vulnerability that allowed

underprivileged users to attain access to administrative rights. Let’s dive deeper into exactly what

this means and what you need to do.

Since its first software release in 2001, VMware has remained the leading provider of virtualization

platforms, with most sources estimating double-digit leads in market share over the nearest

competitor. By creating virtual environments stored on a network server or in a cloud environment,

the company has given their clients the ability to create workstations, software, and even networks

that can be utilized remotely. Fast forward to today, and VMware is working overtime to maintain its

reputation by preempting software security vulnerabilities.

Obviously, when delivering any kind of specialized privileges over a network, adequate protection is

of the utmost concern. In this case, two services for managing mobile clouds (vIDM and vRealize)

were found to be vulnerable to exploits wherein users with minimal rights could cheat their way into

full administrative privileges.

The security team at VMware elaborated that when executed in just one of the two services, this flaw

would not be considered critical. However, when combined, it could pose an imminent threat to the

security of your cloud infrastructure. To amend this oversight, ask your managed services provider or

IT staff to update vIDM and vRealize to their most recent versions (2.7 and 7.1, respectively) as

soon as possible. If this can’t be achieved in a realistic time frame, blocking port 40002 would act as

a temporary workaround.

Sufficient security requires by-the-minute responses to the latest breaches and exploits. By

partnering with us, you’ll never need to worry about checking in regarding patches or breaches you

read about in the news. Instead, you’ll be hearing about them from us when we come around to

install the updates. Choose the safe option -- contact us today with any of your virtualization needs

or questions.

How Fantom is haunting unsuspecting users The heart of a lady is not easily won; a man can’t rely on his looks or wallet to make a girl fall head

over heels. He must charm his way into her heart. Let’s say that a computer user is the woman, and

that ransomware, the man, is the dreamboat that has worked his way through all the woman’s

defenses. How? He looked the part. This is how ransomware weasels its way into IT -- because it

doesn’t seem to pose a threat. Beware of Fantom, the most recently detected ransomware that is a

master at deception.

Very little is known as to how Fantom is distributed. As for the method of deployment, cybercriminals

plant the file onto the target’s computer via spam email or exploit kits. Fantom-infected files are

named criticalupdate01.exe; they utilize a “Windows Security Update” to prompt targets into running

the file.

After activation, the ransomware starts by locking the user’s screen while displaying fake Windows

Update graphics, complete with a fully-functioning percentage-based loading timer that mirrors the

original Windows Update screen. However, beneath this pleasant facade, Fantom is encrypting your

files right before your eyes. Luckily, the temporary lock screen is removable before it reaches 100% -

- simply press CTRL+F4. Unfortunately, the encryption process remains intact.

The MalwareHunterTeam states, “The ransomware uses classic ransomware encryption by locking

files using an AES-128 key and then encrypting this key with a dual RSA key, with the private key

stored on the crook's server, and a public key left on the user's PC.”

In order to retrieve the private key to unlock your files, you must contact the perpetrators by email.

The email address is listed in the ransom note that appears after the process of encryption is

complete. Fantom displays ransom notes in the form of HTML and TXT files, while changing the

user’s desktop with a custom screenshot that lists the contact details. Lastly, after completing all its

operations, Fantom cleans after itself by running two batch scripts wiping all the installation files

clean.

Ransomware isn’t new, but the ways that cybercriminals utilize them are. Who would’ve thought that

the ever so familiar Windows Update window has fallen prey to malicious intent? Pretend that you’re

the Little Red Riding Hood and that the wolf is the ransomware that cybercriminals have disguised

as your grandmother. They no longer wait to trap you, instead, they wait for you to walk straight into

one instead.

The issue of ransomware is as extensive as it is meticulous. If you have any questions about

Fantom or would like to request more information, feel free to get in touch with us! Give us a call or

send us an email. Our dedicated staff are more than happy to help.

O365: Ignore all email messages in a conversation

Ignore Conversation eliminates all emails related to the conversation that you select, and moves future

messages in the conversation directly to your Deleted Items folder.

A Conversation is also known as an email thread. A Conversation is the complete set of email messages

from the first message through all responses. The messages of a Conversation have the same subject.

For example, when you send a message to someone and then they reply a Conversation results. In many

Conversations, there might be many replies back and forth. Multiple people might reply to different

messages in the Conversation.

1. In the message list, click the conversation or any message within the conversation that

you want to ignore.

2. Click Home.

3. In the Delete group, click Ignore.

If you are working from an open message, click Message, and then in the Delete group,

click Ignore.

4. Click Ignore Conversation.

NOTE: The Ignore Conversation command in step 4 appears in the Ignore Conversation dialog box.

This dialog box doesn’t appear if you previously selected the Don’t show this message again check

box.

To stop ignoring a conversation, do the following:

NOTE: You can only recover an ignored conversation if it is still available in the Deleted Items folder.

1. In the Deleted Items folder, click the conversation that you want to recover, or any

message within that conversation. By default, the Deleted Items folder is arranged by

date. To change to Conversation view, click Arrange By, and then click Conversation.

2. Click Home.

3. In the Delete group, click Ignore.

4. Click Stop Ignoring Conversation.

The conversation is moved back to your Inbox. Future messages are delivered to

your Inbox.

NOTE: The Stop Ignoring Conversation command in step 4 appears in the Stop Ignoring

Conversation dialog box. This dialog box doesn’t appear if you previously selected the Don’t show

this message again check box.

Tech Tip Provided by:

Chris Sznitka, Level 2 Technician

Center for Computer Resources, LLC