Christmas Tree Decorations

Christmas & New Year 2021

Uncategorised

QD Design – Christmas / New Year Hours

For your information, the QD Design office will be closed from Dec 24th through to Jan 5th.  However, emails will still be received and read (though perhaps slightly less frequently than as usual).  Should you encounter an issue with your website during this period and need it resolved urgently, please reach out via phone or text to notify us.

Lastly, thank you to all the QD Design customers for their business in 2020.  We are delighted to have been able to support you / your organisation and look forward to doing more of the same in 2021.

Wishing you a safe & peaceful Christmas and a happy & prosperous New Year.  Here’s to a much better (and more normal) 2021.

Evading the Edge Update

browsers, On Line,

Those ‘lovely’ people at Microsoft have been tinkering with the Edge browser.  They are keen for us to try it.  So keen, that it is being pushed out as a ‘Windows Update’.

Following a restart of your machine you will be faced with this screen….

Edge Update Screen

From which it is impossible to escape.  There is no close button, hitting Escape does nothing and even pulling up the Task Manager with Ctrl + Alt +Del doesn’t give a clue as to how to avoid going through the forced migration process.

Migration is probably the wrong word, it is more like your account is being taken hostage by Edge.  By the time you reach this screen it has slurped up a lot of your details from your existing browser (history, favourites, saved card details etc) and is is waiting for you to confirm your acceptance of the migration.  It seems impossible to avoid being sucked into ‘new’ Edge;  resistance, as they say, is futile!

However, you can sidestep it, if you know how.

How to Avoid Edge

Counter intuitively, you do first have to hit the ‘Get Started’ button.  However, unlike a parachute jump without the parachute, this is one adventure where you will live to tell the tale.

After hitting Get Started, it will ask you if you want to import from your existing browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, it doesn’t matter, they really, REALLY want you to migrate).  Along side this very prominent button, is a much less prominent link that says “Continue Without Importing“.  Hit this option.

You will be pestered to change your mind but persist and you can move on and continue with your preferred browser.

Those of you with a long memory may recall when Microsoft were punished (heavily) for making it difficult for Windows users to use any browser other than Internet Explorer.  It feels like we have gone full circle!

By all means Microsoft, create new versions of your software. By all means roll it out to user but please don’t force me to use it.  I would like to decide for myself.  ‘New’ Edge has been getting favourable reviews and I was half tempted to give it a try. Sadly these ‘dirty tricks’ mean that it has been consigned to the same place as the legacy Edge – the bin.

 

WordPress under attack (again)!

Security, WordPress

WordFence – creators of one of the most widely used WordPress security plugins have reported a dramatic spike in attacks on WordPress based websites. This reflects our own findings here at QD Design based on data gathered from the access logs of the various sites we manage on behalf of customers.

WordFence believe the increase is around 30 times the usual volume of website attacks.

Website attacks are, sadly, nothing new. From the earliest days of plain html sites uploaded via creaky File Transfer Programs, ‘bad actors’ have tried to break into other peoples websites.

The popularity of WordPress as a development platform for websites means that it attracts more than its fair share of attacks. Automattic (the people behind WordPress), reckon it is used on around 30% of all websites globally. With that level of usage, it is no wonder that cyber criminals focus upon it (and in particular any known weaknesses within the WordPress environment).

The current threat aims to exploit these vulnerabilities to inject a block of code into a site with the ultimate aim of giving the cyber criminal access and control of the site. With access they could remove your content, replace it with their own or gather data on your membership (should your site have such a feature).

The weaknesses they are trying to exploit are, in the main, well known and in many cases had patches published some time ago.

What to do?

  1. Don’t get too alarmed; website attacks occur all the time (though this current level is considerably higher than normal).
  2. Most importantly – keep your site up to date. The core WordPress file system, the Themes, and any Plugins all need keeping up to date. Updates are pushed out when vulnerabilities are discovered and leaving key components of your website unpatched is opening your site to increased risk of being compromised.
  3. Remove any unused Themes or Plugins. Keeping a stack of old, unused (and probably unpatched) files adds to the clutter in your admin panel. Amongst those deactivated plugins could be one that has been deleted from the WordPress repository because it is a severe security risk. This may be providing an easy ‘back door’ to your site, without you even realising it.
  4. If you don’t use a WordPress security plugin and firewall, it might be time to actively consider it. WordFence (and no I make nothing out of recommending them) make a truly effective plugin that is easy to set up and use.
  5. Consider whether restricting the access to your site by geo-location might give you an enhanced level of protection. The IP addresses of the attacks we have been following can in many cases be traced back to countries well outwith Europe. To be frank, they are exactly the sort of countries you would expect a cyber attack to originate from. If your site provides information and services to an exclusively UK audience, blocking visitors from some of the less desirable locations would prevent them from even accessing the site to try and attack it.

 

If you have concerns over your WordPress site, have noted activity you are unsure of or need to strengthen your sites security, QD Design can help. Call us on 07718 589338 to discuss any issues you are having or improvements you would like to make.

Stay up to date and stay safe!

Coronavirus / COVID – 19 Update

Uncategorised

Coronavirus update

Like many, we have been following the global outbreak of Covid-19 with great concern and keeping up to date via the recommendations from the WHO and daily government bulletins.

The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are being felt by everyone. As the situation continues, we wanted to reach out and update you on how we’re supporting our clients and partners.

As a primarily digital business, QD Design are fortunate to be able to work remotely (in fact this is our ‘normal’).  Our systems and procedures have been devised so that we can operate at a distance and we expect to be able to support our customers, without change.

However, we recognise that for many of our clients, working remotely is either problematic or simply impossible.  We understand that, for many customers, the coronavirus outbreak has caused, unexpected and severe disruption to their businesses.

We are here for you, our customers.

Should you need a site adjustment made to cater for Coronavirus disruption, please let us know.  There will be no charge for site amendments or updates relating to coronavirus trading and operation.

What will change?

Customer visits (either to QD Design or by QD Design to your premises) will be, for the meantime, put on hold.  We must support social distancing and do our part to reduce unnecessary travel and person to person contact.  Video conferencing, phone calls, text, email are all still permitted and we can be contacted through any of these means.

Lastly, this is a time to be resourceful and supportive of one another as we face this together; please do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any assistance to you or your business.

We urge you to stay safe over the coming weeks as we all face this together.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What is QD Design doing to monitor the situation?

A: Like many, we are staying well informed of the developing situation, following the advice and recommendations from the UK Government, Scottish Parliament and NHS Scotland.

Q: How is customer support being handled?

A: Simply email info@qd-design.co.uk or call 07718 589338 as normal, your request or support issue will be resolved as quickly as possible. You will be informed once the issue is resolved.

Q: Will there be delays in services or support resolutions?

A: At this point, we do not expect any significant delays.

Q: Should we expect any disruptions or downtime?

A: No. We are liaising with our Service Partners regarding web hosting and do not see there being any issues.  Should this change, we will inform all customers immediately.

Q: Do you have a provision for video conferencing and meetings?

A: Yes, we actively use Skype for meetings.  Please ask if you would like to use video conferencing.

Google Chrome Tech Support Scam Misery

Google, On Line, Security, ,

Google Chrome is by far the most popular internet browser.  There is a very good chance that you are reading this article using Chrome right now.  As of Jan 2018, a whopping 56.3% of all internet users browsed the web using Chrome (data from StatCounter)

This popularity has brought some unwanted attention to Chrome. Scammers are targetting the browser users with ever more sophisticated and realistic “Tech Support” scams designed to panic the user and con them into phoning a fake ‘helpline’.  Once on the ‘helpline’, you will be asked for your credit card number in return for sorting out the problem.

What does the scam look like?

tech support scam message affecting Google Chrome browser

Having landed on an infected site the Chrome browser displays the above information, often along with unsettling alarm sounds to heighten further the users level of anxiety.  Like all scams, it is cleverly designed to put you under pressure with dire warnings about what is being ‘stolen’ and a time scale (within the next 5 minutes) to frighten the user into following the instructions.

Behind the scenes the browser is instructed to try and save a file repeatedly – so fast that it cannot cope and becomes unresponsive to any commands to close or navigate away from this page.  At which point the scammers hope that you will phone their number and offer up your credit card number in return for their ‘support’ to fix the problem.

That is the very last thing you should do. Let’s dive a bit deeper into this scam and see how to get out of it and even avoid it in the first place.

Where is this scam found?

Frequently this scam is deployed via ‘Malvertising’ – Malicious Advertising – a seemingly innocuous advert appearing on a legitimate site that happens to contain a hidden payload designed to cause harm. These adverts might have been designed from the ground up by the scammers or were a previously safe advert that has been hacked and turned into a vehicle to spread the malware.  Wikipedia on Malvertising

What can I do, if I encounter this Tech Support Scam?

Firstly, don’t panic.  Recognise it for what it is and DO NOT under any circumstances phone the number given.
Secondly, try to close either the affected tab or the entire browser as you would normally using the X top right. In all likelihood, neither of these methods will work but it is worth trying it first. Beware that closing the browser will discard any work you may have open in other tabs.
Thirdly (and most probably), you will need to use the Windows Task Manager to kill off the unresponsive browser. It may be a while since you have had to use this, so here is a quick reminder.

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del to bring up the options screen and click on Task Manager.

2. Click on Google Chrome in the list of Tasks to highlight it, then click the End Task button

Windows Task Manager screen image
at the bottom of the screen. This will terminate the Chrome browser and the pesky fake tech support message.

3. For peace of mind, you may want to run a security scan of your machine now to reassure yourself that nothing untoward has happened as a result of this attempted scam.

Can I prevent it?

Yes, partly. As many of the scams are distributed via ‘Malvertising’, running an Ad Blocker such as Ad Block Plus can mean they never make it anywhere near your browser. There is a Google Extension for this service –  AdBlock Plus Extension – that we have used for years and can highly recommend.
Google is aware of this issue and is working on a fix.  However,  you can bet the scammers will also be working on ways to circumvent this, so it is unlikely this type of scam will go away anytime soon.

If you know of any Chrome users, please share this article with them to help keep them informed and safe.

The Curious Case of the Disappearing Mouse

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For a number of years, I’ve used a drawing tablet in preference to a mouse when working on a desktop PC.  Years of using a mouse have taken their toll on my right wrist and it was for ever painful and tender.  The tablet and accompanying pen puts the control into my dominant hand (yes, I’m a ‘leftie’) and has given me much more control in programs such as PhotoShop where drawing and shading with the pen are now possible.  Just as importantly, it has given my poor right wrist a rest and allowed the pain, tenderness and inflammation to subside.

However, recently an issue occurred that had me – reluctantly – reverting back to the mouse.  In several programs, the mouse cursor would simply disappear.  Hover actions associated with moving the mouse would still occur but seeing where it was and clicking with it were nigh on impossible.

In particular, this was happening in my go to code editor, Visual Studio Code.  Every time I clicked File – Open to begin working, the cursor would vanish and I couldn’t select a file to begin editing.  I felt rather like a chef without a knife or a photographer without a camera – devoid of a key tool to do my job!  Only by closing the program, re-opening it and using the mouse in preference to the tablet could I get anywhere.

Searching Google for similar problems associated with using a Wacom Pen Touch tablet and Visual Studio Code brought nothing of value.  A wider search showed that a similar problem occurred when using the Google Chrome browser and a Wacom tablet device. Missing of flickering mouse cursor and an inability to click, point or right click with the pen.

In the case of Chrome, the suggested solution was to disable the use of Windows Ink in the Wacom Control Panel.

With little expectation that it would make a difference in Visual Studio Code I did as suggested and, to my amazement, it now works perfectly – the missing mouse cursor has returned.  Additionally, the odd behaviour experienced in other programs, where it wasn’t possible to right click or scroll through a document using the Wacom Pen, have all gone as well.

Windows Ink seems to have been turned “on” as part of the recent Fall Creator’s update to Windows 10. Disabling it has given me back the control I had become accustomed to with the excellent Wacom PT device.

If you are having similar problems with a Wacom product, and are finding the pen cannot be used as a mouse to click or select, try disabling Windows Ink.

Passwords

On Line, Security

Recently, cyber-security firm 4iq.com discovered on a community forum deep within the ‘dark web’, the largest aggregated database of emails / passwords found to date.  The searchable database contained 1.4 billion user login credentials hoovered up from a wide range of hacks, security breaches, data dumps etc.  These are in ‘clear text’ meaning they are not encrypted or scrambled in any way, they can be read by anyone.  Yes anyone.

Anyone who is active on the dark web, that finds the database can access it and start trying to log into other people’s accounts.  Quite possibly yours and mine.

Alarming

4i have begun extensive analysis of the data and what was immediately alarming in the database was the extent to which people were either…

  • Reusing the same password across multiple services or sites (often multiple times)
  • Using incredibly weak and obvious passwords (and in some case they were reusing the same weak passwords, which is probably the cyber equivalent of leaving your car unlocked with the key in the ignition and the engine running)!

An example of the most common (and weakest) passwords is shown in the table below…

Astonishingly, the password ‘123456’ occurred over 9 million times in the leaked and stolen data.  That’s 9 million people who are making it unbelievably straightforward for someone to break into their account.

So What?

Whilst much of the data in the database will be old, some of it is not (14% of the credentials recovered have never been seen before in any other data breach or leak).  The latest data was added in late November 2017.  This stuff is current and could easily include your information.

4i have checked with a number of users to verify if the information in the database is correct.  Almost all of the users contacted have verified that the data was true.  Frequently their reactions were…

“but that’s an old password…”

commonly followed by…

“Oh crap! I still use that password on <this> site…”

You can check whether your information appears within the database by sending an email to verification@4iq.com with subject line: Password Exposure Check  4i will respond with the truncated list of found passwords for that email.  Of course they will only report the passwords related to the specific email from which you write to them.  If you want to verify different email addresses you will have to send an email from each of them.

Take Action Now

  Stop reusing the same password in different places

  Use long (more than 12 characters and ideally 15 characters plus) passwords

  Consider using a password manager such as KeePass or LastPass to hold these rather than trying to remember them all

  Consider using two factor authentication in as many places as possible.  Whilst it may be slightly inconvenient to do so, it increases your security enormously.

  Make your email account passwords particularly complex and long.  After all, this is where any password reset notifications will be sent. If a hacker has your email password they can reset it and then beaver away on all of your other accounts.

Please, please share or pass this onto anyone that you think might benefit from it. And, above all, stay safe out there.

Can I Trust HTTPS?

On Line, Security

Can I automatically trust a site that uses HTTPS?

Recently, BBC Watchdog ran a story on bogus fundraising accounts being opened shortly after the horrific Grenfell Tower fire in London.  I thought I had ceased to be surprised by the depths to which some criminals would stoop but this one sickened me.  Not only is it deceiving the well-meaning folk who think they are donating to charity, it deprives those who really need support of the funds to help get them back on their feet.  Furthermore, once the scam is revealed, it  is likely to make everyone more wary of giving to any online charity.

A spokesman from Action Fraud said that you should look for the sign of security – HTTPS – in the URL of the website along the associated green padlock symbol somewhere in your browser.

https as a sign of security

So, should you trust a site simply because it uses HTTPS? 

In a word, NO!

HTTPS stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure and signifies that the connection between a browser and the server hosting the website is secure and uses an encrypted protocol to transmit data between the visitor and the website.  This is a good thing as it means that your communication cannot be eavesdropped by a third party; particularly important when you are sending highly sensitive information such as your credit card details through a shopping cart at checkout time.  If you are running an eCommerce site, this is clearly essential.

Until fairly recently, acquiring the SSL certificate to facilitate HTTPS was a costly business. However, with Google’s drive to secure the web the cost of certificates has dropped and with the Lets Encrypt project now well established, it is possible to acquire a certificate for nothing.

Whilst the cost of a certificate was certainly a barrier to potential scammers in the past, the price drop means they are available to all.  And with countless tutorials available online, even the most inept of cyber criminals are able to find out how to install a certificate and set up an HTTPS site.

But surely, HTTPS means it is secure, I can trust a site that is secure can’t I?

The certificate that underpins HTTPS refers simply and only to the transmission of data.  It does not certify the site, its content, the identity of the site owner or the activity conducted on that site.  Any assumption that using HTTPS indicates a more trustworthy site is therefore clearly unwarranted.

So what should you look out for?

  • Use a familiar and trustworthy website.
  • Don’t rely upon a link to a site in an email or in social media, even if it is a site you have used before; type the address into your browser address bar. It is easy to make a link look like it goes to a safe site where in fact it goes somewhere else.
  • When you arrive at a site check the address bar. Is the URL (web address) correct?  Look out for tricks such as…
    1. a different domain ending, so rather than justgiving.com it is justgiving.global
    2. deliberate spelling mistakes in the URL e.g. justgivimg.com, that you might not spot if you only looked quickly.   Before you question whether I’m calling Just Giving  out on this, I’m not but as one of the largest fundraising websites they are likely to be a big target for on line fraudsters.
    3. subdomains e,g. justgiving.official.com. This is nothing to do with the JustGiving website but a subdomain of a website called official.com.  Scammers are ingenious in how they mask the identity of the site you are going to, scrutinise everything to assure yourself that you are where you expect to be.
  • Requests for you to use bank transfers rather than credit card or PayPal type legitimate payment gateways transactions should have alarm bells ringing loudly. No legitimate fundraising site would ask for payment to be made this way.
  • If using PayPal, when you get to the stage of confirming the transaction, check to see who the payee will be, if it is not who you expect, and you may be able to confirm this by referring to a previous credit card statement, then something is wrong. Stop and only proceed with caution.

Scammers and cyber criminals are becoming increasingly competent at building websites that aim to steal either your money or your personal information.  Whilst HTTPS is a good sign that the connection between you and the website is secure, it does not mean the website itself should automatically be trusted.  Before giving a website any information or donating money, verify for yourself that the site is legitimate and that you are not being taken for a ride.

Page Speed Matters

Site Optimisation, Site traffic, Web Design, , , ,

website speed matters

There is more to web design than arranging content on the page.   Unfortunately, there are many web designers (and I use that phrase loosely), that rely upon tools such as WordPress or other web-builder platforms for every site they create.  Ask them to create a site from scratch in html, CSS and JavaScript and they wouldn’t have the faintest idea where to start.

Why does this matter?

Web-builder platforms are the “Swiss army knives” of web design. They come with a multitude of features and functions; of which many are rarely, if ever, used. However, because they are in place, the browser must download the resources associated with this feature even if it doesn’t get used in a site. Additional JavaScript files, extra CSS files etc all increase the number of requests the browser has to make to the server, slows down render time and ultimately delays the point at which the user can see and interact with a website.

Even in these days of super-fast broadband (for those lucky enough to have it), 4g mobile networks, wifi hotspots in almost every cafe and coffee shop, site speed is still a vital metric for any web designer.

If your site is identical in content to another site (unlikely I know) but the other site loads more quickly, it is almost a given they will appear above you in Google search results. No one wants to wait and that includes the search engines themselves!

AliExpress reduced load times by 36%…, helping to increase orders by 10.5% and conversion rates by 27%

Sites that load quickly tend to get more traffic, retain people on the site and, as in the case of Aliexpress above, do more business.  For every additional second your site takes to load you could be losing significant numbers of potential visitors to your site.

95 out of 100 on Google page speed testFollowing some adjustments to the QD Design site, we now score 95 on the Google Developers Page Speed Checker. Whilst no doubt we could improve upon this further, it puts us in the top few % for page loading speed.

Slower sites can be attributed to poor or outdated coding, bloated or un-required files being called by the browser, unoptimised images as well as whole host of factors associated with the server. Taking advantage of server side (GZIP) compression, browser caching or setting a character set for a page can all be done via the .htaccess file that sits in the root of the web server.

This is the sort of knowledge and expertise that only a true web developer will have. If you want / crave a fast loading site, then you need to speak with someone that really knows what they are doing behind the page and not just manipulating text and pictures in a drag and drop page builder.

QD Design consistently make fast loading html based sites that help businesses reach their audience as quickly as possible.  If your site is lacking that “va va voom”, then get in touch, we can analyse what is holding it back, and help you get off the brake pedal and onto the throttle!

Business Ethics and Web Design

Ethics, SEO, Web Design, ,

A question was posed on Quora recently about scams from purported “web designers”. I have always taken business ethics very seriously and recognise that my customers have a choice over whether they use me or someone else.  I felt compelled to give an answer to this question.
Whether you would call some of these true ‘scams’ or just shady practices all comes down to your level of business ethics. To me, these are all deceitful and deliberate attempts to  mislead the customer.

Offshoring the work but not telling the customer

Offshoring work but using local contact details such as a local phone number, business address to make out that the business is located close by. For a lot of business owners the fact they can pick up the phone to speak with or arrange to meet face to face the designer of their website is important. Hiding the the fact that the work is actually being done thousands of miles away in a different time zone by people who are freelancers is definitely suspect.
Business offshoringShould the business owner want to update their website, unless the freelancer has done a good job of marking up and commenting their code, who ever has the task of unpicking the existing code to make changes has a harder job on their hands.

Fake reviews and testimonials

Fake reviews and testimonials. I don’t mean ‘the friend you asked to favourably review your web design business in exchange for a few beers’, type of thing. I know of one web design agency close to me that have created an entirely fictitious person, business and backstory in order to create a review on their website. It is elaborate, detailed and a complete falsehood. If they will go to the effort of creating a fake testimonial for themselves, what else are they prepared to make up or be creative about?  I wrote in greater depth on this story in Sharp Practices by Web Designers.

Cookie Cutter Site development

 ‘Cookie cutter’ web site development. There is a marketing firm not far from me that advertise their ability to create websites for incredibly low prices. It is only when you look at the output they have created that you recognise a startling similarity between all their sites. They have used the same web-builder tool for all of them and worse than that, they have used an identical template for all sites.  Every site they produce is a clone of the last.
Web site clonesThe only differences being background colors, text, logos and any images. The layouts, menus and structure are identical. They have taken a tool the business owner could have used themselves, dropped in the content (no doubt created by the business owner) and have the cheek to call themselves ‘web designers’.

Unethical SEO Services

SEO Services. There are some genuine and professional SEO service providers out there. They seem to be outnumbered by the scammers and crooks who promise “top ranking in Google” or “first page in all search engines”. For the business owner who knows little about how the search engines work (and let’s face it, that is most business owners) but is keen for their business to grow, these sort of promises sound ideal. Of course what the SEO scammer does not say, is that the top ranking is either for the most obscure ‘long tail key word’, or achieved through dubious means. The former has no meaningful impact on the business since very few searches are made for that ‘long tail key word’ whilst the latter has a dramatic effect upon their business once the search engines punish the site for employing suspect methods to raise its ranking.

Inflating Prices

Over charging. The situation that comes to mind most readily is the web design agency that says they can handle domain registration and / or hosting. They then massively inflate the costs incurred when invoicing the customer. I’ve seen bills for hundreds of dollars for registering a domain or hosting it.web agencies that overcharge
When you investigate where it is being hosted, it is easy to see that the real price is around $60 / year. Meanwhile the customer is being charged $500. In my view this is taking advantage of the customers lack of knowledge to make a fast buck.

To me, as a web designer / web developer, integrity is everything. I need and want my customers to trust me and heed the well given advice I offer them. To be less than 100% honest at all times risks damaging that hard earned trust. I want the relationship with my customers to be a partnership that stands the test of time; treating them as idiots or ‘cash cows’ to be milked feels plain wrong.