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

Fake IT Calls and Email Floods Used in Sophisticated 3AM Ransomware Attack

May 25, 2025 by Edward Silha

Silhouetted hacker at a keyboard with fake IT call and email alert graphics on screenThe crew behind the 3AM strain of ransomware has been hitting companies using a familiar playbook: flood the target with junk emails, follow up with a fake IT call, and convince someone to hand over remote access. It’s not new, but it still works. Probably more than it should.

This kind of attack was first seen with the Black Basta gang, then picked up by FIN7. Thanks to leaked chat logs and shared templates, it’s now being copied by others. Sophos tracked 55 attacks between November and January that used the same tactics, tied to two different threat actor groups. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: 3AM ransomware, cybersecurity breach, data exfiltration, email bombing, PowerShell attack, QEMU, Quick Assist, social engineering, Sophos, spoofed IT calls

Google’s New AI Mode Reshapes Search, Ready or Not

May 22, 2025 by Edward Silha

Google search interface displaying AI Mode with conversational results and data summariesGoogle is moving full steam ahead with AI integration in Search, whether users are ready for it or not. After a rocky debut last year, its AI Overviews have returned with a new feature in tow: AI Mode. Live for U.S. users following the company’s 2025 I/O event, this new tab aims to radically alter how people interact with search results.

AI Mode introduces a more conversational interface that mimics tools like ChatGPT. It’s built to handle layered, complex queries, parsing out multiple topics and drawing on a wide range of sources to deliver synthesized answers. The system uses what Google calls a “query fan-out” approach—breaking a question into parts, running simultaneous searches, and stitching the findings together into one long-form reply. Answers include sources and are presented with summaries, sometimes even visual data. [Read more…]

Filed Under: AI, Blog, Tech In General Tagged With: AI agents, AI in search, AI Mode, chatbot search, Deep Search, Gemini 2.5, generative AI, Google I/O 2025, Google Search, Google Shopping Graph

Siri’s AI Smarts Are Stuck in Development Hell

May 19, 2025 by Edward Silha

Cartoon-style illustration showing frustrated Apple engineers and a sad Siri character on a smartphone screen, highlighting delays and bugs in Apple's AI assistant development, with a bold headline reading “Siri’s AI Smarts Are Stuck in Development Hell.”Apple’s next-gen Siri isn’t arriving at WWDC 2025—and likely won’t be ready for quite a while. Despite splashy ads last year teasing a major AI overhaul, the promised upgrade remains stuck in development.

Internally, Apple’s AI efforts have been chaotic. Senior leadership, including Software Engineering head Craig Federighi, initially saw little value in chasing generative AI. That changed only after ChatGPT’s release in late 2022. Executives quickly shifted gears, hoping to pack iOS 18 with AI-driven tools. [Read more…]

Filed Under: AI, Blog, Programming, Tech In General Tagged With: AI assistant, Apple, Apple ChatGPT integration, Craig Federighi, generative AI, iOS 18, John Giannandrea, OpenAI, Siri, Siri upgrade, WWDC 2025

Microsoft Extends Office Security Updates on Windows 10 Through 2028

May 18, 2025 by Edward Silha

Laptop screen displaying Microsoft Office apps on a Windows 10 desktopMicrosoft will continue rolling out security updates for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 until October 2028, extending support three years past the operating system’s planned end-of-life.

The change follows the company’s earlier position, announced in January, that Office apps would stop receiving updates on Windows 10 starting in October 2025. At the time, Microsoft urged users to upgrade to Windows 11 to maintain access to updated versions of Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 tools.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Tech In General Tagged With: end-of-life support, ESU program, extended security updates, Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Office 365, security patches, software updates, Windows 10, Windows 11

Microsoft OneDrive Update Prompts Security Fears Over Personal Account Syncing on Work Devices

May 9, 2025 by Edward Silha

FT BLOG OneDrive Personal SyncMicrosoft is quietly pushing out a OneDrive update that’s catching IT departments off guard. A new feature prompts users—by default—to connect their personal OneDrive accounts to corporate machines. No setup needed. The feature just appears and offers a quick, seamless sync between personal and business storage.

Here’s the obvious problem: once files from a corporate machine end up in a personal OneDrive account, they’re basically outside the company’s control. No logging. No tracking. No oversight. That means sensitive information could be moved or shared in ways the organization can’t monitor—and probably wouldn’t approve of. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Cybersecurity Tagged With: cloud storage, corporate devices, data exfiltration, data security, DisablePersonalSync, enterprise IT, IT policy, Microsoft, OneDrive, personal sync

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 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 © 2025 — Forward Technologies • All rights reserved. • Privacy Policy •