Team Discovery

In clarification on the future of .eu domain names as the United Kingdom proceeds to leave the European Union. Once the UK leaves the EU, individuals who own a .eu domain with an address in the UK will no longer meet the eligibility requirements. While the domain community is saddened by this news, the European Commission has decided against grandfathering the 300,000 .eu domains registered to a United Kingdom country code. Please note that the following also applies to GI, or Gibraltar country codes. However, there are a few options as to how this will proceed, and what your options are should you wish to hold onto your .eu domains. While no one is sure how Brexit will pan out, EURid (the registry that manages the .eu top-level domain and its variants) have provided three scenarios on how the transition will occur: 1. Hard Brexit: The UK leaves the EU with no deal on 12 April 2019. 2. Soft Brexit: The UK leaves the EU on or after 31 December 2020, following a planned transitional period. 3. Soft Brexit with .eu Provisions: The UK leaves the EU with a planned transitional period, and the deal includes provisions for .eu domains. See below for a full explanation of what each of these scenarios will most likely mean for your .eu domain names: Option 1: Hard Brexit If the UK leaves the EU on 12 April 2019 without reaching a withdrawal agreement, EURid will immediately cease new registrations or transfers using a UK country code. EURid will then begin to contact existing .eu domain registrations using UK country codes to allow registrants the opportunity to supply an EU physical address. On 30 May 2019, EURid will officially lock the registry to prevent new registrations, renewals, and transfers without an EU address. Owners of .eu domain names should update their contact information with an EU address as soon as possible to avoid disruption. Option 2: Soft Brexit If the UK plans to leave the EU after 30 December 2020, a plan similar to the Hard Brexit plan will occur with extended timelines for updating EU information. You will still need to provide additional details before 2 March 2021 when the registry is officially locked. More details will be revealed if Option 2 is set in motion. Option 3: Soft Brexit with .eu Provisions  If a Soft Brexit including .eu provisions should occur, EURis (the advisory body for the potential impacts of the changing accord between the UK and EU) would abandon the first two options and instead follow the transition plan allowed in the provision. More information will become available if Option 3 is set in motion. We are aware that this information does not contain all of the answers, however, we are dedicated to providing you with whatever information we receive in the following weeks and months. To prepare for .eu changes, feel free to take the following actions to avoid domain disruption: 1. If registering new .eu domains, be sure to provide an EU physical address. 2. Update accounts where possible to meet .eu eligibility as soon as possible. 3. Be sure to check your inbox for additional .eu domain information. 4. Get in touch with Team Discovery Ltd if you need to discuss further. Read the full article

The Metropolitan Police Service is launching a new campaign to raise awareness of online shopping fraud, a crime costing Londoners more than £8 million a year. A series of digital banner advertisements are being run online, including on some of the biggest online auction sites, which prompt shoppers to think carefully before rushing to make any bank transfers outside of the safeguards of the official websites. It is the first time the Met has run a campaign targeting shoppers online and it is being launched in response to a recent increase in online shopping fraud, which accounts for about 25 per cent of all reports of fraud in London. In the last financial year, there were 6,879 reports of online shopping fraud in London, an increase of 946 – or 14 per cent – on the previous year. The average loss to each victim is about £1,200, lower than other types of fraud. But the total loss to victims in London from online shopping fraud was £8.3 million in the last financial year. The Met’s campaign aims to educate shoppers about some of the warning signs of online scammers and the messages are targeted to people who have recently searched for items, such as mobile phones and cars, which are commonly used by fraudulent sellers. Figures from June 2017 show mobile phones were the item offered for sale in 23 per cent of online fraud reports in London, resulting in a financial loss to victims of £21,327. In the same month, Londoners lost almost £131,000 after being tricked into paying for vehicles offered for sale by fraudsters. The online advertising campaign will run until the end of September and will then be reviewed ahead of a second phase, which will run in the lead up to Christmas. Detective Chief Inspector Gary Miles, of the Met’s Operation Fraud and Linked Crime Online (Falcon), said:"The purpose of this campaign is to educate online buyers about how to safely use the internet to shop. The most important piece of advice is not to be pressured into making a quick bank transfer for a special deal. It can always be tempting to pay a bargain price for items such as mobile phones or cars, but, you may end up paying money for a product that does not even exist. “While the monetary value of many online shopping frauds may be relatively low, some of them can be thousands of pounds. This can be devastating for victims. “The Met is working with online shopping sites to identify fraudulent sellers and this prevention campaign is supported with enforcement activity when the fraud is reported to us. “ Copyright source: http://news.met.police.uk/news/campaign-to-tackle-online-shopping-fraud-316253 Read the full article

It is an often-heard view that macOS computers don’t need antivirus protection. Whilst it is certainly true that the population of macOS malware is tiny compared to that for Windows and Android, there have been instances of macOS malware getting into the wild. Moreover, Apple Mac security needs to be considered in the wider context of other types of attacks. This 2018 report from AV-Comparatives might make you think again.  Read the full article

Action Fraud is issuing a warning as reports show that fraudsters are registering domain names to look like they belong to UK university email addresses. UK and European supply companies are being defrauded out of vast sums of money as a result of this. Fraudsters imitating one university’s address lead to a total victim loss of over £350,000. How the fraud works This type of fraud, known as European distribution fraud, happens when a company from overseas (usually from Europe) delivers products to the UK, but isn’t paid for the goods or the cost of shipping. Fraudsters are registering domains that are similar to genuine university domains such as xxxxacu-uk.org, xxxxuk-ac.org and xxxacu.co.uk. These domains are used to contact suppliers and order high value goods such as IT equipment and pharmaceutical chemicals in the university’s name. Suppliers will receive an email claiming to be from a university, requesting a quotation for goods on extended payment terms. Once the quotation has been provided, a purchase order is emailed to the supplier that is similar to a real university purchase order. The purchase order typically instructs delivery to an address, which may or may not be affiliated with the university. The items are then received by the criminals before being moved on, however no payment is received by the supplier. Director of Action Fraud, Pauline Smith, said: “This type of fraud can have a serious impact on businesses. This is why it’s so important to spot the signs and carry out all the necessary checks, such as verifying the order and checking any documents for poor spelling and grammar. “We know that there is a lack of reporting by affected companies and without this vital intelligence, a true picture of EDF cannot be reflected. “If you or your business has been a victim, report it to Action Fraud.” Protect your business against European distribution fraud Ensure that you verify and corroborate all order requests from new customers. Use telephone numbers or email addresses found on the retailers website – do not use the details given on the suspicious email for verification purposes. If the order request is from a new contact at an organisation that’s an existing customer, verify the request through an established contact to make sure it is legitimate. Check any documents for poor spelling and grammar – this is often a sign that fraudsters are at work. Every Report Matters – if you have been a victim of fraud or cyber crime, report it to Action Fraud online or by calling 0300 123 2040. Source: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/news/fraudsters-spoof-university-email-addresses-jul18 Read the full article

We think it would be interesting to see how UK users rank their trust in 13 mediums that were included in the US survey.  Perhaps you might like to express your trust preference in our survey below on our website - you can drag the bars to reflect your preferences (NOTE: if you are on a mobile phone use the left side of the screen to drag the survey up and down and use the middle of the screen to drag your preferences). We will publish the results of trust survey once we have sufficient responses.  Thank you for taking part in what will be an interesting survey for many of our customers and business partners who are spending money on online advertising and other mediums. Read the full article

The importance of HTTPS and SSL certificates cannot be emphasised enough. If your website still runs on HTTP, it is highly recommended that you update as soon as possible (preferably before July 2018!). There are many recognisable brand names who offer these secure SSL certificates for a fee, and if you’re selling online, it’s definitely worth paying the (relatively low) price to get one… …but, for everyone else, there are free options available. The most highly endorsed is Let’s Encrypt. This free service is sponsored by Chrome, Mozilla, Shopify and Yoast, amongst name after name of digital giants. HTTPS is now easier and cheaper than it has ever been, and will improve on-site performance, visibility as well as inspiring confidence in an increasingly cautious digital world. There has never been a more important time to migrate! What do you think of HTTPS? Is your site already secure? Leave a comment or send us a message and we’ll get back to you as soon Read the full article

Data Protection/Cyber Security is a mindset and here are the 10 actions points to consider: Check if you need to register for DPA - https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/register/self-assessment/ – have you renewed if is previously registered Consent is at the heart of GDPR (and PECR) - check your consents in every aspect of your business – do you need to update and ask for more consent – see guidelines at https://ico.org.uk/media/about-the-ico/consultations/2013551/draft-gdpr-consent-guidance-for-consultation-201703.pdf and https://ico.org.uk/media/for-organisations/documents/1555/direct-marketing-guidance.pdf Take the Cyber Essentials Questionnaire and get registered if you are a small business - https://www.cyberaware.gov.uk/cyberessentials/#questionnaire Have you a reliable backup process and have you tested it – is it disconnected from a live system after backup (so it can’t be encrypted in you get encrypting malware) Register on https://haveibeenpwned.com/ to check if your email address has been hacked and placed on hacker sites – which can be used for identity fraud (see BLOG article https://www.teamdiscovery.eu/identity-theft/) – check credit agency records to ensure there are no fraudulent accounts in your name as a result Have you changed your passwords recently – do you have a safe method to remember them? Have you a robust anti-virus product installed on all your devices (Windows, MAC, Android) – see av-test.org for reports on major AV suppliers – do you have a safe method to block malware infected emails before they reach the desktop (cloud based email scanning)? Have you latest software updates on all your devices – have you upgraded to Windows 10 if you are a windows user (Windows 7 is no longer updated) Have you coached yourself/staff on what to look for in malware infected emails and websites – consider adopting https://stopthinkconnect.org/ into your everyday online life Are you Using Microsoft Office Trust Centre to put attachments into protected mode before opening (which can allow malware to execute). Team Discovery Ltd is a website management company helping clients grow their business through robust secure websites, search engine marketing and safe online experiences.   Click to Post

Anyone who is labouring under this mis-apprehension that data protection fines for website security breaches are only for big companies should think again! It emerged on 27th June 2017 that the Information Commissioner's Office has issued a fine of £60,000 to a Berkshire based company,Boomerang Video Ltd , for failing to take basic steps to prevent its website from being hacked. Over 26,000 customer records were exposed to the hackers, when they struck in 2014. The fine should send a clear message to all businesses that hold information about their customers. The thing is, in 12-months' time, the fine could be significantly higher, as GDPR will then be in force! An investigation by the ICO found Berkshire-based Boomerang Video Ltd failed to take basic website security steps to stop its website being attacked. Sally Anne Poole, ICO enforcement manager, said: “Regardless of your size, if you are a business that handles personal information then data protection laws apply to you. “If a company is subject to a cyber attack and we find they haven’t taken steps to protect people’s personal information in line with the law, they could face a fine from the ICO. And under the new General Data Protection Legislation (GDPR) coming into force next year, those fines could be a lot higher.” She added: “Boomerang Video failed to take basic steps to protect its customers’ information from cyber attackers. Had it done so, it could have prevented this attack and protected the personal details of more than 26,000 of its customers.” The video game rental firm’s website was subject to a cyber attack in 2014 in which 26,331 customer details could be accessed. The attacker used a common technique known as SQL injection to access the data. The ICO’s investigation found: Boomerang Video failed to carry out regular penetration testing on its website that should have detected errors The firm failed to ensure the password for the account on the Wordpress section of its website was sufficiently complex Boomerang Video had some information stored unencrypted and that which was encrypted could be accessed because it failed to keep the decryption key secure Encrypted cardholder details and CVV numbers were held on the web server for longer than necessary Ms Poole said: “For no good reason Boomerang Video appears to have overlooked the need to ensure it had robust measures in place to prevent this from happening. “I hope businesses learn from today’s fine and check that they are doing all they can to look after the customer information in their care.” Read the full article here. If you are concerned about GDPR and website security talk to Team Discovery.  We built robust websites that are kept up to date with all latest plugins and patches. Click to Post

The Little Book of Cyber Scams.PDF, 8.8 MB Source:  https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/about-us/publications-and-documents/little-book-cyber-scams/  Click to Post

Search engine optimisation is like canvasing votes in an election to promote your business. Our individual votes do not have a big impact but when lots of people vote for one candidate then those votes make an important difference to whether that candidate is first past the post. Team Discovery's business is about helping clients win online votes to ensure they are first past the post when the algorithms of the un-elected arbitrator, Google, responds to a search request.  In one sense a Google search is like counting the votes in the hours after the election but takes places in micro seconds. The critical aspect of the Google election is that it is the content and phrases with the most relevance and votes will win the online election for that query.  A Google search is truly an election by content and votes. Many people claim that online votes (commonly known as backlinks) no longer matter.  That is similar to saying that votes do not matter in an election. Search Engine Optimisation is about understanding and implementing the 200 plus search policies that help win votes for your business. Do you know anyone who needs votes for their business? No matter how you vote in any election, vote for your business by talking to Team Discovery about the online elections that could deliver new opportunities to your business. Get in touch if you think we can promote your business to improve your chances of being first past the post in the Google election. Peter Gaskin, Team Discovery Click to Post

Team Discovery is pleased to launch a new peer-to-peer lending website for our client “Alternative Finance Business Loans (AFBL)”…. Website URL: https://www.alternativefinance.loans/ Many of our own clients may benefit from the P2P lending services of AFBL.  AFBL say on their website.... It is interesting to note that since 2010 P2P funding has allowed businesses to bypasses the banks and borrow money directly from individuals. Businesses get the funding they need, and lenders get a better rate than leaving their money in the bank. In between the borrower and the lender stands the P2P platform which facilitate the provision of loans to businesses and property developers, through a network of investors who decide the quantum of their bid and the interest rate. Because each loan is structured as a term loan with a fixed monthly repayment, interest costs can be predicted with certainty; there is no exposure to market fluctuations. The platform handle the collection and distribution of loans and repayments. Borrowers not only receive funds that they would not be able to obtain from high street banks but often at more favourable rates. Funds can also be obtained quite quickly. Funds can be used for growing the business, working capital, buying an asset or developing a property. Typically deals have the following features: Term loans up to five years Loans for any purpose Interest rates are fixed (typically 8% - 13%) Monthly repayments of Capital and Interest Borrowers are established businesses Security in the form of Fixed and Floating Charges over company assets and/or Personal Guarantees No penalty for early repayment Website URL: https://www.alternativefinance.loans/. Click to Post

The advertisement represents Google's revenue. Ads are how Google makes money within search. Anything not highlighted has made it into the results using at least some search engine optimisation, including clean technical structure, optimised on-page content, and links. If you want to more know about how to get your product or service into these results, talk to Team Discovery. Click to Post