ServoPlex I.T.

11/02/2026

📱 Term of the Week: SIM Swapping

Simply Put:
SIM swapping is when a criminal poses as you to your phone carrier and gets your number moved to a SIM card they control. A SIM card is the small chip that ties a phone number to a device. Once the number moves, your calls and text messages go to the criminal’s phone.

⚠️ Why it Matters:
Many accounts send a verification code by text message, and whoever holds your number receives it. That code can reset a password or approve a login. Ask your carrier whether it offers a number lock or transfer PIN, and use an authenticator app instead of text codes where a service allows it.

How We Protect Clients:
🔹 Set up multi-factor authentication with an authenticator app where a service supports it, so codes do not travel by text message
🔹 Document account recovery details and manage passwords in one place, so a phone number is not the only way back into an account
🔹 Review which business accounts rely on text message codes and flag the ones worth changing

This week, call your phone carrier and ask what protection it offers against number transfers.

10/30/2026

📎 Microsoft Teams will soon let administrators choose which file types get blocked.

Attackers use workplace chat to deliver malware because Teams messages can bypass email security tools. Microsoft already blocks some risky file types automatically. In November 2026, Microsoft plans to let administrators build their own custom list of blocked file extensions.

Ask whoever manages your Microsoft 365 which file types your team actually needs, so your list is ready when the setting arrives.

📖 See five more steps that protect your team from malicious attachments:
https://www.servoplex.com/2026/10/14/microsoft-teams-adds-new-file-blocking-controls/

10/29/2026

🔄 Why do my computers need updates so often?

Updates interrupt your day, and the timing is rarely good. The reason behind them is simple.

Software is built by people, and mistakes get found after release. Some of those mistakes are security holes, and once a vendor publishes a fix, the hole is public knowledge. Attackers read the same announcements and start looking for computers that haven’t installed the fix yet.

So an update does two jobs:
🔹 Closes security holes the vendor has found
🔹 Fixes bugs that cause crashes and slowdowns
🔹 Adds features and keeps older programs working with newer ones

The security fixes matter most. A computer that skips updates for months still works, but it carries known holes that anyone can look up.

What helps:
🔹 Set updates to run outside work hours, such as overnight or at lunch.
🔹 Restart when your computer asks. Many updates don’t finish until it restarts.
🔹 Make sure phones, printers, and the office router get updates too, not only computers.
🔹 Check for old equipment that no longer gets any updates from its maker. That is the one to replace.

This week, look at how many of your computers have a restart waiting. If it’s more than a few, updates aren’t finishing.

Want to speak with a specialist? Call or visit our website to schedule a time to talk.

10/26/2026

🍯 Term of the Week: Honeypot

Simply Put:
A honeypot is a decoy computer or system built to look valuable to an intruder. It holds no real business data. Nothing legitimate has a reason to connect to it, so any contact is a signal, and defenders can watch and log what the intruder does.

⚠️ Why it Matters:
An intruder who goes unnoticed on a network has time to look around. A honeypot shows how that looks when someone is watching, and the same idea applies to any office: the sooner unusual activity is flagged, the sooner someone can act. Ask your IT provider how unusual activity on your network gets noticed and who is told.

How We Protect Clients:
🔹 Review network activity for unusual connections and sign-in attempts
🔹 Keep systems patched so the real machines are harder to get into
🔹 Separate sensitive systems from everyday ones on the network, so an intruder who gets in sees less

This week, ask who at your company would be told if something unusual showed up on your network. Let us protect your business: https://www.servoplex.com/contact-us/

ServoPlex serves the business community in the Knoxville area, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

10/23/2026

✈️ The friendly “airline support” reply to your travel complaint could come from a scammer.

Check Point researchers found thousands of fake airline support accounts. They copy real logos, use names like “Help Desk,” and answer public complaints fast. Then they move the chat to a direct message or WhatsApp, where the requests for credit card details begin.

Before you share payment information, confirm you are talking to the airline’s verified account or its official website.

📖 See how to spot a fake support account, and what to do if one impersonates your business:
https://www.servoplex.com/2026/10/10/fake-airline-support-puts-credit-cards-at-risk/

Travelers are never shy about sharing their bad experiences with airlines on social media. Facebook, X, Threads, and TikTok are full of posts from frustrated travelers seeking help from the airline.

10/21/2026

🧾 What is cyber insurance and does my business need it?

Cyber insurance is a policy that helps pay for costs after a cyber incident, such as a ransomware attack or a stolen email password. If your agent has brought it up, you’re hearing it for a reason.

What a policy can cover varies by insurer. Common items include:
🔹 Recovery work, such as restoring systems and data
🔹 Lost income while systems are down
🔹 Legal help and customer notification
🔹 Payments to a criminal who has taken your data
🔹 Costs from fraudulent payment requests

Most policies also ask for proof that you have basic protections in place. At application or renewal, an insurer may ask whether you use:
🔹 Multi-factor authentication (MFA) on email and remote access
🔹 Backups, and whether anyone has tested restoring them
🔹 Security software on every computer
🔹 Regular security updates
🔹 Employee training on phishing

If you answer yes to something, expect to be able to show it. The questions are specific, and the answers can affect your price and what the policy covers.

Whether your business needs a policy depends on the information you hold, how long you could operate without your systems, and what your contracts require. Your insurance agent can explain the exact terms, limits, and exclusions in a policy. We can tell you which of the protections above you already have and which are missing.

Before your next renewal, ask your agent for a copy of the security questions on your application. Then check each answer against what is true today.

Want to speak with a specialist? Call 865-245-9090 or follow the link to schedule a time to talk: https://www.servoplex.com/contact-us/

ServoPlex serves the business community in the Knoxville area, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

10/20/2026

🚪 Term of the Week: Tailgating (Piggybacking)

Simply Put:
Tailgating, also called piggybacking, is when someone follows an authorized person through a secured door without using their own badge, key, or code. The authorized person is usually just being polite and holds the door. The result is a stranger inside your office whom no one has checked.

⚠️ Why it Matters:
Once inside, a visitor can get to unlocked computers, open network jacks, printers, and paperwork on desks. A badge reader or keypad only works when every person uses it. The simplest fix is a habit: ask “Can I help you find someone?” and walk the visitor to the front desk.

How We Protect Clients:
🔹 Set computers to lock automatically when idle and require a sign-in to unlock
🔹 Secure network ports and wireless access so an unknown device cannot join the office network
🔹 Keep passwords and access details documented in one managed place, so they do not end up on sticky notes near a desk

This week, notice who holds the door at your office and who gets asked to check in. Let us help your business: https://www.servoplex.com/contact-us/

ServoPlex serves the business community in the Knoxville area, providing IT Support such as technical helpdesk support, computer support, and consulting to small and medium-sized businesses.

10/16/2026

📞 The “IT support” call asking you to update your login could come from an attacker.

Microsoft Security Research has tracked a phishing campaign since May 2026 that starts with a phone call from someone posing as IT. The caller calls an authentication change urgent, then texts a link to a page that looks like a Microsoft sign-in. Once inside, the attacker can add their own sign-in method and reach files in SharePoint, OneDrive, and Exchange.

Give your team one trusted way to confirm any unexpected IT request before they act on it.

📖 See the five steps Microsoft recommends for protecting your cloud accounts:
https://www.servoplex.com/2026/10/09/microsoft-cloud-accounts-targeted-in-complex-phishing-campaign/

Are your establishment’s Microsoft cloud accounts as secure as they seem? A recent phishing operation shows how threat actors can exploit authentication workflows to access sensitive business data.

10/14/2026

🔒 Do I need a password manager for my team?

Yes, if more than one person at your company signs in to anything.

A password manager is an app that creates a long, unique password for every account and fills it in for you. Your team remembers one strong password, and the app handles the rest.

Here’s what it replaces:
🔹 Passwords on sticky notes under the keyboard
🔹 One password reused for email, banking, and software
🔹 A shared spreadsheet named “passwords”
🔹 Logins texted to a new hire
🔹 Passwords saved in a notes app on a personal phone

Reuse is the one that matters most. When one website leaks a password, attackers try it on email and other accounts. A unique password for each account keeps one leak to one account.

A better habit looks like this:

1) Pick one password manager for the whole company.

2) Move shared logins into it, then delete the spreadsheet and throw out the sticky notes.

3) Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the password manager and for email.

4) When someone leaves, remove their access in one place.

This week, count the places your team keeps passwords. If the answer is more than one, start there.

Want to speak with a specialist? Call 865-245-9090 or follow the link to schedule a time to talk: https://www.servoplex.com/contact-us/

10/12/2026

📲 Term of the Week: MFA Fatigue (Push Bombing)

Simply Put:
MFA Fatigue, also called Push Bombing, happens after an attacker already has a stolen password. Instead of stopping there, they use it to trigger a flood of multi-factor authentication approval requests on the victim's phone, over and over, hoping the person eventually taps "approve" just to make the notifications stop.

⚠️ Why it Matters:
Multi-factor authentication is one of the strongest defenses against stolen passwords, but this technique doesn't try to break it, it tries to wear the person down. A single tap of frustration or confusion is all it takes to hand an attacker access, even when every other security layer worked exactly as intended.

This tactic has shown up in real, high-profile breaches, including incidents where attackers used stolen credentials paired with a wave of push notifications to get past MFA at major companies. It's a reminder that MFA works best when people also know what a legitimate prompt should look like.

How We Protect Clients:
🔹 Monitor client accounts around the clock for unusual authentication activity
🔹 Configure MFA methods that require a code or number match instead of a simple approve or deny tap
🔹 Educate employees to never approve an MFA request they didn't personally trigger
🔹 Set up alerts for repeated or unusual login attempts
🔹 Include authentication practices in regular security reviews

At ServoPlex, we treat an unexpected approval request the same way we'd treat someone knocking on the wrong door, worth stopping to ask why before letting it in. Let us protect your business: https://www.servoplex.com/contact-us/