AANDCP IT Solutions

Local IT Solutions

  • macOS Monterey 12.3 is now available

    The latest release of macOS Monterey is now available for download. Release notes can be found here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/macos-release-notes/macos-12_3-release-notes

  • macOS Catalina is Coming

    While there is still no official release date for Catalina, macOS 10.15 is coming soon. There are plenty of new features and enhancements included in Catalina; for more information, check out Apple page: https://www.apple.com/macos/catalina/features/ However, there are also some significant changes coming, including the end of 32-bit applications, and support for 32-bit applications. This has…

  • Firewall Deployments for Small Business

    Over the past year, we have been working with a number of small businesses around Tasmania rolling out improved internet security solutions using Fortinet’s FortiGate next-generation firewall appliances (NGFW). The FortiGate suite of hardware firewall solutions utilises purpose-built security processors and threat intelligence security services from FortiGuard labs to deliver top-rated protection and high performance including…

  • LaCie 2Big Network 2 Data Recovery – An Update

    So, after working on the LaCie recovery nearly 4 years, I quickly jotted up some notes in case anyone else ran into the same troubles I did. Well… I am happy (or sad) to say they did… an anonymous web tech nerd emailed me over the weekend, thanking me for the original article and offering…

  • Removing Adobe AIR properly from macOS

    I have been doing a bunch of FortiGate deployments and finally decided to enroll my instance of FortiClient on my daily driver to my firewall at home. Upon doing so, I did a vulnerability scan just out of interest. The only issue identified was Adobe AIR. Now, like most people, I haven’t been using Adobe…

  • IKEv2 VPN on macOS and iOS

    I have been working on an improved and more stable VPN option for macOS users since the demise of PPtP. My personal preference is for an improved firewall experience using UTM appliances like FortiGate and then leveraging SSLVPN, as it seems to work from a large majority of locations and internet connection types. However, the…

  • MacRansom: ransomware as a service

    From Fortinet’s recent blog post: Many Mac OS users might assume that their computer is exempt from things like ransomware attacks and think that their system is somehow essentially “secure.” It is true that it’s less likely for a Mac OS user to be attacked or infected by malware than a Windows user, but this has nothing to…

  • Deployment of WiFi at a Residential College

    AANDCP IT Solutions was engaged by a local residential college  to assist them in developing a set of requirements for a campus-wide deployment of WiFi to upgrade the IT experience for more than 200 residents and staff living and working on campus. We scoped the requirements, worked with the local IT industry to solicit responses, helped…

  • WordPress Brute Force Amplification Attacks Against XMLRPC

    Brute Force attacks are one of the oldest and most common types of attacks that we still see on the Internet today. If you have a server online, it’s most likely being hit right now. It could be via protocols like SSH or FTP, and if it’s a web server, via web-based brute force attempts…

  • Google is changing… mobile-friendly sites

    Mobility is king… and Google is changing along with the way we use the web. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/17/google-search-update_n_7085642.html It’s probably the most significant change that Google Inc. has ever made to its mobile search rankings, according to Matt McGee, editor-in-chief for Search Engine Land, a trade publication that follows every tweak that the company makes to its…

  • Synology DSM 5.1 Update 3 is now available

    The latest version of DSM, Synology’s amazing web-based NAS OS is now available for download using automatic update (if you have enabled) or from their site. The security update notes can be found here: https://www.synology.com/en-us/support/security/SAMBA This update includes the fix for the recently discovered SAMBA vulnerability, as well as previous fixes for GHOST, and number of…

  • MikroTik Certifications

    I have just completed a week long course with Tridigital and DuxTel on MikroTik routers, and have now completed the MTCNA and MTCRE certifications. #1407NA348 #1407RE077  

  • LaCie 2Big Network 2 Data Recovery

    While working on-site with a customer, I was attempting to upgrade the firmware in the LaCie 2Big Network 2 NAS. These units have a bit of a reputation for issues after upgrading the firmware, and this one was no exception. After applying the update, the web interface displayed a messages along the lines of “completion…

  • WordPress Hosting Providers still vulnerable to HeartBleed

    From the Wordfence Blog: One week after HeartBleed, 1% of WordPress sites we tested running SSL are still vulnerable http://www.wordfence.com/blog/2014/04/one-week-after-heartbleed-1-of-wordpress-sites-running-ssl-are-still-vulnerable/

  • WordPress 3.9 Is Out

    The latest build of the awesome CMS WordPress is now available. If you have a modern hosting solution and are running one of the newer builds of WordPress, the update should be automatic for your site. Make sure you check all of your plugins for compatibility and ensure that they are also up-to-date. More information…