This is … bad! Especially if email addresses were part of the data accessed (and that's highly likely). Even though the passwords were encrypted, it's often not hard for hackers to decrypt a number of them. If they do – they'll have millions of email addresses and passwords to try in all sorts of places. Breaches like this are why using the same password all over is bad – one place gets breached and hackers can possibly access all sorts of things.

Adobe breach THIRTEEN times worse than thought, 38 million users affected
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
Adobe originally estimated that the breach affected around 2.9 million users. As it turns out the number is actually 38 million, with the information taken including Adobe IDs, encrypted passwords,…

For any of our clients looking for a redundant external disk array for backing up large amounts of data (video, pictures, PDF files, etc) – this is a fantastic price ($298) on the Drobo Mini. What makes this device unique is if one of the HDs in it fails, your data is still intact and accessible. You supply the HDs.

Drobo Mini 4-bay Storage Array, Thunderbolt/USB 3.0
www.amazon.com
Mini in size only. It's a Drobo, so by definition it's easy-to-use. Now it's also the fastest portable storage array. Along with the power of BeyondRAID, delivering all the power and flexibility of the Drobo 5D, in a miniaturized package. Made of a cutting-edge metallic carbon fiber with a soft-t…

Own a small business and want a professionally managed online ad campaign? Give us a call at IT Xpress – official Google Ad partners!

https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn2/1116430_591533938_465167810_s.jpg

Mike Baptiste
Whenever a box from Google Partners shows up, it's never ordinary… The back of the tag says "Great holiday campaigns come from knowing what the spirit of the season is all about. Gather your team, take a break and then your pumpkin into something special." #googlepartnerpumpkins Coolest program ever. Own a small business and want a professionally managed online ad campaign? Give us a call at IT Xpress – official Google Ad partners!

If they succeed in doing this – integrating off the shelf hardware into a solid point of sales system – it could save small business owners thousands. Point of Sale software and hardware is expensive. If a $35 Raspberry Pi can integrate simple things like receipt printers, cash drawers, and scanners into their already solid software… When you consider ONE touch screen POS terminal costs like $2000 and an Android tablet costs.. $200.

OpenSource your Shop !
www.indiegogo.com
Run your shop with Open Source Software and affordable hardware! Help us perfect OpenERP's Point of sale hardware support.

Broken Laptop Screen? We can repair it! Often for under $200. Even laptops with older CCFL backlighting can be repaired with bright new LED backlit screens (which improve battery life!). Call us with the brand and model number for a quote. If your laptop is old and not worth repairing? We can still usually get the data off of it for you!

Virus infections like this are becoming more and more common. You may get rid of the virus, but once your files are encrypted – the data is gone forever unless you pay for the key. Your best defense is a computer that is regularly updated, configured securely, and data that is backed up offsite. Our My ITXpert clients get all of this – starting at $99/year. http://www.myitxpert.biz/

CryptoLocker ransomware – see how it works, learn about prevention, cleanup and recovery
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
This article explains how the CryptoLocker ransomware works, including a short video showing you what it does. The article tells you about prevention, cleanup, and recovery, and explains how to …

At IT Xpress, we utilize Soluto as part of our My ITXpert service (http://myitxpert.biz/) to make sure our client's computers stay up to date and secure!

Timeline Photos
Oracle has released a critical patch update to Java, fixing 51 vulnerability issues, 12 of which are critical and can be used by hackers to take full control of a PC.
Since 75% of our users have Java installed on their browsers, we’ve made a quick, one-click link to update Java on all devices – http://bit.ly/16RaczA

Stay safe!

Don’t have a Soluto account yet? Start your free trial now at www.soluto.com

One of the stranger changes in Windows 8.1 – they turn off Libraries by default. Here is how to get them back…

How to Bring Libraries Back in Windows 8.1
lifehacker.com
Microsoft made a strange change in Windows 8.1–Libraries, a very useful feature, is missing from the File Explorer's sidebar. Here's how to bring it back.

If you use Windows 8 – you probably should give Windows 8.1 a try (its a free upgrade). They've made a series of enhancements to make it easier to use. You'll get a Start Button, but no menu (our My ITXpert clients get a fully functional Win8 start menu! http://myitxpert.biz/), the ability to boot straight into the desktop, and more. It's an easy update via the Win8 App Store, but it's BIG (over 3GB) so expect the download to take a while!

The Five Best New Features in Windows 8.1
gizmo.do
Microsoft set Windows 8.1 upon the world today, and with it a host of improvements large and small. You check out our full review here, but in the meantime, here's a look at our favorite new features.

Oracle has released a huge patch set for their products, including 51 fixes for Java – 12 of which allow remote access. If you see a permission popup for 'jucheck' or see an orange square near your clock – click them to get the update. Want to force check for it? Click Start -> Control Panel -> Java. In the Update tab, click the 'Check Now' button to check for the latest version. Our My ITXpert customers will see the update pushed out soon! Want to take the worry out of maintaining your PC? Sign up today! http://myitxpert.biz/

Oracle drops shedload of CRITICAL vuln-busting Java patches
www.theregister.co.uk
Sysadmins, look away – Oracle's biz suites have more holes than a Swiss cheese

What if your PC could boot in under a minute thanks to a straightforward upgrade? Seagate's 'hybrid' hard drives combine the lightning fast speed of a 'Solid State Drive' with the storage capacity of a normal hard drive. A recent customer saw their boot time drop from 3 minutes to 45 seconds!!! Applications start MUCH faster. And unlike solid state drives, which require Windows 7 or higher, these hybrid drives work with ANY operating system, even Windows XP! IT Xpress can do this upgrade for you, often the same day! Drop your system off before 10AM and we'll usually have the upgrade complete by 4PM! (Call first to check on drive availability). This is not a 'reinstall'. Your programs, settings, and data stay the same!

See the difference an SSHD can make for your computer! SSHD Upgrades cost $99 plus the cost of the drive. At current prices:

Laptops: 500GB – $198, 1TB – $248 (plus tax)
Desktops: 1TB – $224, 2TB – $278 (plus tax)

Actual prices may vary as drive prices do.

Like if you wish your computer booted in under a minute and share with your friends!

Our new laptop service wall is complete! This will allow us to service up to 16 laptops at once, all from a central console. Many thanks to Jarrett Cheek for all his carpentry work! We're very excited about this new addition to our facility!

Mebane Autumn Fest THIS SATURDAY!!! Don't miss it!

Timeline Photos
Share! Share! Share!
The event of the year is almost here!
We are only 1 week away from the Mebane Autumn Fest Antiques and Art on The Street!

Yesterday was patch Tuesday, so expect your PC to beg to be restarted soon if it hasn't already. LOTs of fixed including a big Internet Explorer vulnerability.

Microsoft's Patch Tuesday is out – and the answer is, "YES, they FIXED IT!"
nakedsecurity.sophos.com
The "big one," plus six other remote code execution holes, plus an information disclosure bug.