High Value Tech

Secure the device. Control the configuration. Protect the business.

MicrosoftIntune EndpointSecurity DataPrivacy ManagedIT ITSecurity BusinessTechnology

🔐 YOUR WINDOWS 11 DEVICES MAY BE SHARING MORE THAN YOU REALIZE.

When businesses think about cybersecurity, the conversation usually starts with antivirus, firewalls, MFA and backups.

But there’s another piece that often gets overlooked:

Privacy and telemetry.

A recently highlighted Windows feature known as the Global Device Identifier (GDID) can provide applications with a unique identifier associated with a Windows device.

And while that might sound like a small technical detail, from an IT governance perspective it raises a much bigger question:

Do you actually know what your company computers are configured to share?

Windows 11 includes numerous privacy, diagnostic, telemetry and application permissions that organizations should be reviewing instead of simply accepting whatever settings came configured on the computer.

For businesses managing multiple Windows devices, security shouldn’t depend on someone manually changing settings on every PC.

A properly managed environment should include:

🔒 Standardized Windows security policies
💻 Centrally managed endpoints
🛡️ Microsoft Intune configuration policies
📊 Controlled diagnostic & telemetry settings
🔑 Application permission management
⚙️ Security baselines
🚨 Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
🔄 Patch & vulnerability management
📋 Regular configuration reviews

And one important warning:

Don’t start running random PowerShell scripts from the internet on company computers just because they promise to “disable tracking.”

Third-party scripts can be useful, but businesses should understand exactly what a script changes, validate the source, test it, and determine whether those changes could affect security, applications, updates or device management.

The bigger conversation isn’t:

“How do I turn everything off?”

It’s:

“How do I make sure every device in my organization is configured intentionally, securely and consistently?”

That’s the difference between simply owning computers and actually managing your technology environment.

At High-Value Tech (HVT), we help businesses manage and secure Windows environments with Microsoft 365, Intune, endpoint security, monitoring, patch management and standardized security policies.

Secure the device. Control the configuration. Protect the business.

At High-Value Tech (HVT), we help businesses secure Microsoft 365 environments through identity protection, endpoint security, managed cybersecurity, monitoring, and practical security policies built around how your organization actually operates.

Your Microsoft 365 environment contains far more than email.

Protect it like the business-critical system it is.

Phishing MFA BusinessSecurity ManagedIT IdentitySecurity CyberAwareness

🚨 MFA IS IMPORTANT BUT MFA ALONE ISN’T ENOUGH.

A widespread phishing campaign is actively targeting Microsoft 365 accounts, and this one should get the attention of any business using Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, or OneDrive.

Attackers are using Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) phishing to place themselves between employees and the legitimate Microsoft login process.

The employee receives what looks like a normal voicemail notification, follows the link, enters their Microsoft 365 credentials and completes MFA.

Everything appears normal.

But behind the scenes, the attacker captures the authentication session and can gain access to the account even though MFA was successfully completed.

And they aren’t necessarily making obvious changes once they’re inside.

Researchers observed attackers quietly maintaining compromised sessions, searching Microsoft 365 environments for employees connected to payroll, HR, finance and administration, and collecting emails involving:

💰 Payroll
🏦 Banking information
🧾 Invoices & payments
📄 Benefits
📂 Internal business documents

The campaign has reportedly targeted hundreds of organizations across industries including healthcare, manufacturing, education, government and professional services. (The Hacker News)

What does this mean for businesses?

Simply telling employees, “We have MFA, so we’re protected,” isn’t a complete cybersecurity strategy anymore.

Businesses should be layering Microsoft 365 security with:

🔐 Phishing-resistant authentication
🛡️ Conditional Access policies
💻 Managed and compliant device requirements
📊 Sign-in and identity monitoring
🚨 Detection of suspicious session activity
📧 Advanced email security
👥 Employee phishing awareness training
⚡ Rapid account/session revocation when compromise is suspected

Cybersecurity isn’t about one security product.

It’s about building layers so that when one control fails, another one is there to stop the attack.

At High-Value Tech (HVT), we help businesses secure Microsoft 365 environments through identity protection, endpoint security, managed cybersecurity, monitoring, and practical security policies built around how your organization actually operates.

Your Microsoft 365 environment contains far more than email.

Protect it like the business-critical system it is.

We help you get more value from every IT decision - without added complexity. With coordinated nationwide service, local technicians, and complete IT management, we protect your budget while improving security, reliability, and productivity. Ready for predictable costs and IT that just works? Learn more: www.highvaluetech.com 🔒💼

We stop downtime before it disrupts your day. With 24/7 monitoring and a standardized service model, we catch small issues early so your team stays productive, secure, and predictable. Count on HVT to take ownership, reduce risk, and deliver reliable IT support-so you can focus on running your business. Learn how we protect your operations: www.highvaluetech.com 💼🔒⚙️

Ready to reduce interruptions? Contact us today.

Critical Infrastructure Is Under Attack And Every Business Should Be Paying Attention.

More than 30 community water systems across Minnesota were targeted in a coordinated cyberattack against their operational technology (OT) the systems responsible for controlling real-world infrastructure like pumps, valves, and treatment processes. While there have been no reports of unsafe drinking water, several utilities were forced into manual operations as investigators continue to determine who was behind the attacks.

This wasn’t an attack on email.

It wasn’t ransomware on office computers.

It was an attack designed to disrupt physical operations.

The takeaway for every business is simple:

🔹 IT and Operational Technology (OT) are no longer separate security conversations.
🔹 Manufacturing, healthcare, utilities, logistics, cannabis, and any business with connected equipment are increasingly becoming targets.
🔹 Firewalls alone aren’t enough continuous monitoring, network segmentation, MFA, secure remote access, and incident response planning are now essential.

At High Value Tech Consulting, we help organizations secure both traditional IT environments and the critical systems that keep their business running.

Because cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting data anymore.

It’s about protecting operations.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about buying the right technology it’s about maintaining it before attackers take advantage.

ITSecurity ManagedIT MSP ThreatManagement VulnerabilityManagement SmallBusinessIT

🚨 Cisco Firewall Administrators Don’t Wait to Patch This One.

Cisco has disclosed an actively exploited zero-day vulnerability (CVE-2026-20316) affecting Cisco Secure Firewall Management Center (FMC). The flaw involves static credentials that could allow an unauthenticated attacker to gain access to vulnerable management systems and potentially expose sensitive security data. Cisco has confirmed exploitation is already occurring in the wild. (SecurityWeek)

If your organization manages Cisco Secure Firewalls, now is the time to:

✅ Identify any Cisco FMC instances in your environment
✅ Upgrade immediately to Cisco’s fixed software release
✅ Review administrative accounts and access logs for suspicious activity
✅ Limit management interface exposure to trusted networks only
✅ Validate your backup and incident response procedures

Your firewall is designed to protect your business but if the management platform is compromised, attackers may gain valuable insight into your security infrastructure.

At High Value Tech Consulting, we help businesses stay ahead of emerging threats through proactive vulnerability management, security assessments, and managed cybersecurity services.

Cybersecurity isn’t just about buying the right technology it’s about maintaining it before attackers take advantage.

High Value Tech LLC: Small-Medium Business IT consulting tailored for your growth. From managed IT services to strategic IT consulting, we help St. Louis businesses run securely and efficiently. Explore our services and get a free consultation today: https://www.highvaluetech.com

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