Linksys EA4500 Fails with Error 502 Bad Gateway at Console

So I was managing a Linksys EA4500 Router that was reporting "bad gateway" error 502 when attempting to access its console via a browser.

Multiple resets didn't resolve the problem. A firmware upgrade, however, did.

1. Check the back of the router for it's Hardware Version. It's next to the serial number and model number. If there is no version information, you're on Hardware Version 1.

2. Download the latest firmware image for the router. Do note the hardware version.

3. Unplug the WAN (Internet) port on the router.

4. Connect to the router with a physical cable on one of its standard Ethernet ports (not the WAN/Internet port).

5. Open a browser and browse to: http://myrouter.local

6. If that doesn't work, browse to the router's IP address.

7. The "bad gateway" should now be resolved. You're at Console Login. Login to the router. 

8. Go to the Connectivity section and manually update the firmware with the file you downloaded.

9. After firmware application and reboot, you should be able to plug the WAN port back in and browse to console normally.

That should solve the issue.

R

Small Businesses At Increasing Risk of Cybercrime

This week, the US Office of Personnel Management admitted that over 5.6 million fingerprint records were stolen in a hack perpetrated earlier in the year; that's significantly larger than what they first imagined was 1.1 million compromised records.

If your head is reeling from the enormity of such a breech, and if you somehow figure that only large corporations or government systems are the target of serious hacks, think again. Recent reports show that small/micro businesses aren't doing enough to protect themselves, either.

Phishing attacks, credit card fraud, virus infections, data compromises; malware, espionage, password compromises, shareware exploits. Sage recently released a good infographic claiming that up to 90-percent of data breaches impact small firms, and that 30-percent of businesses under 250 employees are the intended targets of cyberattacks; 1 in 5 small businesses fall victim to cybercrime every year, and 60-percent of those affected businesses go out of business.

“Half way through 2015 and cyber risks continue at an alarming rate. The criminals continue to become more sophisticated and have quick ‘go to market’ capabilities ... ”

— Carolyn Schrader, Cyber Security Group, Inc.

The bottom line is that thinking about information system security isn't just for the enterprise: it's something every mom and pop shop should be doing, too. We can't fool ourselves. Larger corporations may provide a more inciting, data-rich environment, but the reality is that small businesses don't secure their systems in the way corporations would, which makes them easier targets. They don't have the talent or expertise to understand the safeguards they're implementing, let alone verify their suitability and functionality.

And if we somehow believe that free software downloaded from the Internet will solve our problems, we should probably think again. Every small business owner or manager should be finding a trusted cybersecurity partner. Mickler & Associates, Inc. - a computer security consultancy in Vancouver, WA - is uniquely positioned to help small businesses improve their security posture and audit their safeguards. Learn more about how we could help you today.

R

Dear Microsoft: Why I Can't Recommend You

Dear Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella:

Herein, I would like to describe to you the process of remedying a Microsoft Office 2013 issue for one of my clients.

This client was running MsO2013 on Win7x64. The license was apparently an Office365 Home subscription that a previous technician had set up, and the subscription had expired. MsOffice was giving an unlicensed error in Outlook preventing the user from using Outlook, crippling his business.

To resolve this issue, I logged in to his Microsoft Office account online and attempted to renew the subscription. His credit card had expired so I needed to provide a new one. I did so, but the checkout process wouldn't recognize the new card, even after I refreshed the browser. I logged out, logged back in, and still: the Microsoft checkout process for renewal wouldn't recognize the new card, even though I could manage my payment options through Microsoft and see it there.

Frustrated, I had the client purchase the full license at $230 from Amazon. I stepped through the licensing assignment process to his Microsoft Office account which was successful, and I then activated the product using his email address. Office acknowledged the available license. Still, an unlicensed status still came up in Outlook.

The customer was now furious - and the customer had been down for > 1 day - the next option I had to was to uninstall your product and reinstall fresh from the portal distro. I uninstalled the MsO2013 product and reinstalled using the online portal to the machine. I opened Word and confirmed that the licensing was good, tied to his Office account. I setup his mail again in Outlook. Well over 1.75 hours (>$270 billed to my client) of combined support time for _installing_ and _licensing_ a productivity application.

This frustration with attempting to purchase, download, license, and use your products is why it makes it so difficult to recommend you.

• Why should anyone who legitimately purchased your product through a subscription be denied access to using it should the subscription expire?
• Why didn't the online checkout process recognize the new credit card?
• Why did you force me to purchase the full product?
• Why didn't the existing install accept the new licensing key/link to the Office user, even though it confirmed activation? 

If it's this difficult for a professional to install and license your products, how do you think normal users feel? That feeling is likely at the core of why you've laid off 7,500 more workers this year, in addition to the 33,000 you did in the last 18 months, because nobody likes that feeling. That feeling of frustration is what prevents me from getting the "warm fuzzies" about Microsoft, and often persuades me to recommend competitor products, because - with them - it doesn't take 1.75 hours to install and license a productivity application. 

Mr. Nadella, does Microsoft want to be a consumer electronics company that competes with the likes of Apple on the streets with retail consumers, or, do you want to be an enterprise IT company that builds reliable software that can be deployed in businesses? Right now, I don't know who you are, but you're increasingly moving away from being an enterprise IT company that I could potentially recommend to my SMB clients.

Thank you for your time.

R