Chicago IT Support & Cyber Security | Forward Technologies

Chicago-based Forward Technologies delivers IT support and cyber security to businesses in the Chicago area and nationwide.

  • Home
  • Services
    • Outsourced IT Support
    • DMARC Email Security
    • Development
      • Web Development & Facelifts
      • CustomView: Plugin for WordPress
    • Data Recovery Service
    • PPC Marketing Services
    • SEO Services
  • Email Security
    • SPF Basics
    • DKIM Basics
    • DMARC Basics
    • Email Security Consulting
  • Data Recovery Service
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

DMARC in 2025: What’s Working, What’s Failing, and What Comes Next

June 12, 2025 by Edward Silha

Visual representation of email authentication flow highlighting DMARC enforcement and policy alignmentEmail authentication continues to improve, but DMARC is still widely misunderstood and often misused. The number of domains publishing DMARC records has grown steadily since 2023, especially in industries like finance, education, and healthcare. However, a large percentage of those domains are not enforcing any policy, which means spoofing and phishing attacks are still a serious concern.

Adoption is up, but enforcement remains low. Estimates show that while more than 30 percent of domains have added DMARC over the past two years, fewer than a third are using policies like quarantine or reject. Most records are set to “none,” which enables monitoring but provides no actual protection against domain impersonation. It’s a good first step, but without enforcement, DMARC doesn’t prevent malicious email from being delivered. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: cybersecurity 2025, DKIM, DMARC, DNS configuration, domain spoofing, email authentication, email security, Forward Technologies, phishing protection, secure email, SPF

Microsoft Plugs One Secure Boot Flaw While Leaving Another Wide Open

June 11, 2025 by Edward Silha

A cartoon-style illustration of a worried programmer sitting at a desk with a laptop that has a red padlock icon. Behind him, a menacing robot labeled "VULNERABILITIES" holds two scrolls marked "EXPLOIT." A yellow "SECURE BOOT" sign with a padlock and boot icon hangs on the wall, symbolizing compromised device security. The background is a textured purple.Security researchers have identified two major exploits in the Secure Boot system, both capable of sidestepping one of the most important protections on modern PCs. Microsoft has issued a patch for one of them. The other remains untouched, even as it offers attackers a nearly universal method to bypass security during the startup process.

This week’s patch from Microsoft addresses a vulnerability known as CVE-2025-3052. It impacts over 50 manufacturers whose systems rely on Linux modules to support boot processes. The flaw allows someone with physical access to a device to disable Secure Boot entirely. Once that’s done, they can install malware that loads before the operating system starts. The attack is particularly concerning because it’s stealthy and persistent, and in cases where a hacker already has administrative access, it can be triggered remotely. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: Binarly, bootloader exploit, CVE-2025-3052, CVE-2025-47827, cybersecurity, DBX blocklist, digital signatures, DT Research, Eclypsium, firmware security, GRUB, IGEL, Linux kernel, malware, Microsoft, operating system security, Secure Boot, UEFI

OpenAI Slams Judge’s ChatGPT Log Order, Cites Massive Privacy Risk

June 6, 2025 by Edward Silha

Tug-of-war illustration symbolizing ChatGPT privacy conflict between users and copyright enforcers.OpenAI Faces Pressure to Store All ChatGPT Conversations

A recent court order threatens ChatGPT privacy by forcing OpenAI to keep every user chat. That includes messages deleted by users and data from businesses using OpenAI’s API. The case stems from a lawsuit brought by major publishers, including The New York Times, who claim OpenAI may be erasing evidence of copyright violations. [Read more…]

Filed Under: AI, Blog Tagged With: AI compliance, API data, artificial intelligence, ChatGPT, ChatGPT privacy, copyright lawsuit, court order, data retention, Judge Ona Wang, OpenAI, privacy concerns, temporary chat, user data

Hackers Pose as IT Support to Breach Salesforce, Steal Corporate Data, and Demand Ransom

June 4, 2025 by Edward Silha

Illustration of hacker posing as IT support to access Salesforce dataHackers posing as IT support are targeting employees at large companies to sneak into their Salesforce systems and steal data. They start with a phone call, pretending to help with a routine issue. The real goal? To get the employee to connect to a fake version of Salesforce’s Data Loader tool. Once that happens, the attackers can quietly grab sensitive company data.

Google’s Threat Intelligence Group has been tracking the group behind this, known as UNC6040. Their method depends on trust—posing as helpful support staff and guiding employees through what feels like a normal setup process. Because the tool is something many employees already use, it doesn’t seem suspicious. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: CRM security, cybersecurity, data breach, data extortion, Google Threat Intelligence Group, Microsoft 365, Mullvad, Okta, phishing, ransomware, Salesforce, ShinyHunters, UNC6040, voice phishing, Workplace

Gmail Mobile Is Auto-Summarizing Your Emails, No Permission Needed

May 30, 2025 by Edward Silha

Gmail mobile app displaying AI-generated email summary using GeminiGmail users on Android and iOS are about to see a lot more AI, whether they ask for it or not. Google has started rolling out a new update that automatically generates summaries for emails in the mobile app. The summaries, powered by Gemini, will show up at the top of the message view—no tapping required.

Previously, users had to opt in by pressing a “Summarize this email” button. That’s gone. Now, Gmail will decide when a summary might be useful and insert it without prompting. Google hasn’t said exactly what criteria it uses to trigger a summary, but the company hints it’s targeting long messages or email threads with multiple replies. In practice, it’s likely going to be a low bar. Google’s been eager to boost user engagement with its AI tools across its entire product line. [Read more…]

Filed Under: AI, Blog, Tech In General Tagged With: AI, AI in email, Android, artificial intelligence, email automation, email summaries, Gemini, generative AI, Gmail, Gmail settings, Gmail update, Google, Google AI Premium, iOS, mobile apps, privacy settings, Smart Compose, smart features, Smart Reply, tech news, Workspace

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • Next Page »

Social Media

  • Facebook
  • GitHub
  • LinkedIn
  • Periscope
  • Twitter

Forward Technologies
747 N LaSalle
STE 500B
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 715-7806

Copyright © 2026 — Forward Technologies • All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy •