The Greater Seattle Area IT Experts

What is Nanotechnology?
If you break up the word nanotechnology, the prefix nano usually indicates “one billionth,” and is derived from the Latin nanus, or “dwarf.” However, as the word “technology” is not a unit of measure, nano indicates that the subject (in this case, technology) is measured on a scale of nanometers. For reference, a strand of DNA is about two nanometers in diameter, and in the time it takes a man to lift a razor to his face to shave, his facial hair will grow about one nanometer. It is now accepted that nanotechnology specifically refers to technology that is sized between one and one hundred nanometers.

Nanotechnology operates on a different version of physics than the world as you experience it does. As a result, vast changes can result based on seemingly unrelated or insignificant stimuli.

Why This Technology Isn’t Everywhere
In 2017, Dr. George Tulevski, a researcher at IBM’s TJ Watson Research Laboratory, delivered a TED Talk on nanotechnology and the challenges it faces. According to Tulevski, nanotechnology has slowed where progress and advancement are concerned since its heyday in the 1980s.

However, Tulevski says that there is a solution to this problem that all scientific indicators point to - the use of carbon nanotubes. As Tulevski puts it, these nanoscopic tubes constructed of carbon could potentially improve computer performance by ten. However, using these tubes to create a computer chip would require the careful arrangement of billions to create a single chip.

The Potential Solution, and Other Applications
Clearly, this is a problem. Yet, by leveraging chemistry, nanoparticles can be arranged into circuits that generate a much better final product.

Of course, while computing is the application that Tulevski is focused on, there are many other technological and practical benefits that nanotechnology can grant us. From improved medicine delivery and improved fuel production to improved electronics and cleaner natural resources, nanotechnology is poised to create some truly impactful advancements in everyday life.

Can you think of any ways that nanotechnology could benefit the systems and solutions we have today? Share your thoughts in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to our blog!

What Are Cookies?
To put it simply, cookies are samples of information that a website will store on your computer in text format. This allows for easier access to particular information. It basically stores this information in name-value pairs to detect if you have ever accessed this website before. It will then personalize your experience using the information collected. These cookies are removed when the browser window closes but can be designed so that they linger much longer.

Cookies allow a website to essentially “remember” that you are logged in, but they also allow you to retain certain settings without them defaulting to the standard after leaving the browser. Cookies also allow the browser to store information about your browsing habits, which is why Amazon and other ecommerce sites might be suggesting all kinds of different products to you every time you load up the page.

How Dangerous is This?
At a glance, it might seem like these cookies are somewhat dangerous, but this isn’t necessarily true. All of this data can only be viewed by the website that delivers them, which means that the data from Website A can’t see the data from Website B. If any of these websites are malicious in nature, they wouldn’t be able to access the information stored by any other website.

Sometimes cookies aren’t used with the intent of helping you, though. Just like the above case of Amazon suggesting searches for you, other websites might also have ads urging you to make a purchase. This is due to an advertisement cookie that stores data for what you have demonstrated an interest in, and it can be found on any website that uses that particular brand of advertising, like Google AdWords for example.

Clearing Cookies
If you want to remove cookies that your browser has collected, you can start by using the Clear Private Data tool. This will also delete any saved login credentials that you have accumulated, though. You can still whitelist specific websites, if you wish, for the cookies that you don’t want to delete.

What are some tech terms that you’d like us to define? Let us know in the comments.

The culprits behind the attack, the hacker group SamSam, are known for meticulously selecting targets that they are fairly confident will pay up when faced with a ransomware attack. Even the mayor of Atlanta was intimidated enough by the attack as to compare it to a kidnapping or hostage situation. Access to important data, files, and applications hung in the balance, and the downtime caused by this incident led to considerable trouble for countless government officials and citizens. Technology has become such an integral part of running governments and businesses that even the slightest issue could have echoing repercussions, so you can imagine the shock and horror in the wake of this ransomware attack.

Even more horrific is the ransom demanded by the hackers that exceeded $51,000 in Bitcoin. Ransomware is known for locking down files and waiting for a payment from the victims before unlocking them. This particular strain of ransomware replaces the names of all affected files with the phrase “I’m sorry” and demands that the ransom be paid in a week.

By working with the technicians at Dell SecureWorks, Atlanta is back on its feet, but not without suffering considerably from the ransomware attack. It’s not clear if Atlanta will pay up for the release of its data, and confidentiality agreements mean that Dell SecureWorks will not reveal any information about their relationship to the attack. But one thing is painfully clear in the wake of such destruction: trying to pay the problem away can be just the beginning of ransomware issues.

For example, if you pay a ransomware developer for the safe return of your files, you might be funding further attacks on other victims. This is counter-productive to the security-minded culture of the business environment. Instead, it’s better to take preventative measures such as implementing data backup and disaster recovery, as well as identifying threats before they have a chance to become a problem. If you are ever struck by a ransomware attack, it’s better to reach out to an IT provider before committing to any payments to hackers. It’s better to try just about any alternative before investing in something that isn’t even a guaranteed fix.

To improve network security and enable preventative solutions, reach out to Digital Seattle. Our trained and trusted technicians will work toward ensuring your network is airtight. To learn more, reach out to us at (206) 709-9556.