What a week it has been in the world of technology! Between a Windows security patch that deserves your immediate attention, a major data breach affecting hundreds of thousands of shoppers, Chinese state-sponsored hackers hiding inside a popular software tool for six months, and a graphics card that literally costs more than most people's cars — there was no shortage of drama in the digital world this week. Whether you're a small business owner in North Charleston, a home-based entrepreneur in Summerville, or simply someone trying to keep their laptop out of harm's way, there is something in this week's roundup for you. Let's dig in — and don't worry, we'll keep the tech-speak to a minimum.
📰 News For The Week:
1. 🔐 Microsoft February 2026 Patch Tuesday Fixes 6 Zero-Days and 58 Security Flaws
Full Article Link: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-february-2026-patch-tuesday-fixes-6-zero-days-58-flaws/
Microsoft dropped its February 2026 Patch Tuesday update on February 10th, and it is not one to let gather dust. This month's bundle addressed a whopping 58 security vulnerabilities — including six that were already being actively exploited by attackers in the wild before the patch was released. That means hackers were already using these flaws to break into systems before Microsoft had a chance to fix them. Among the most serious is a flaw in the Desktop Window Manager (the part of Windows that draws everything you see on your screen) that could allow an attacker to gain full administrative control of your PC without you even knowing.
If your Windows 11 computer has not updated since February 10th, now is the time. Open the Start menu, click on Settings, then Windows Update, and hit Check for Updates. The update also fixes a nasty bug from January that was causing some PCs to display an "UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_VOLUME" blue screen crash. On the good news side, the update also adds some handy new features, like the ability to pick up where you left off on your Android phone and continue working on your PC. For businesses managing multiple computers, Holy City Computer Services offers managed update services so you never have to worry about these critical patches slipping through the cracks.
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2. 🛡️ Chinese Hackers Hijacked Notepad++ Software Updates for Six Months
Full Article Link: https://www.darkreading.com/application-security/chinese-hackers-hijack-notepad-updates-6-months
Here is a cybersecurity story that should make everyone pause before clicking "Update" on any software. Notepad++ — a free, popular text editor used by millions of IT professionals, writers, and small business owners — had its update system silently compromised by Chinese state-sponsored hackers for six months, from June through December 2025. According to Dark Reading and confirmed by the Notepad++ developer himself, attackers snuck in through a vulnerability in the hosting provider and secretly redirected update downloads to malware-infected files for specifically targeted users, making it even harder to detect. The attack has been linked to a Chinese Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group, with researchers from Rapid7 and Kaspersky both publishing detailed analyses this week.
What makes this story especially relevant for everyday users and small businesses is the broader lesson it teaches: even trusted, legitimate software updates can be weaponized. The fix is already out. If you use Notepad++, update to version 8.9.1 immediately by downloading directly from https://notepad-plus-plus.org — do not rely on the built-in updater until you confirm you are on this version. More broadly, this is a reminder to use endpoint security software that monitors application behavior on your business machines. Holy City Computer Services can help make sure the software on your computers is current, legitimate, and secured against exactly this kind of threat.
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3. 🛒 ShinyHunters Hacker Group Leaks 600,000 Canada Goose Customer Records
Full Article Link: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/canada-goose-investigating-as-hackers-leak-600k-customer-records/
Valentine's Day got a little less romantic this year when the notorious hacker group "ShinyHunters" dropped a dataset containing over 600,000 Canada Goose customer records onto a dark web leak site on February 14th. The exposed data — verified as legitimate by breach-monitoring service Have I Been Pwned on February 17th — includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, billing and shipping addresses, order history, and partial payment card details (card type and last four digits). Canada Goose says the data appears to have originated from a breach at a third-party payment processor in August 2025 rather than from their own systems directly, but that distinction offers cold comfort to the 582,000 unique email addresses now sitting in criminal hands.
This incident is a textbook example of why third-party vendor security matters as much as your own. Your personal data can be exposed through a company you trusted — via their vendors, not necessarily their own systems. If you shopped with Canada Goose before July 2025, check your email and accounts for suspicious activity. You can visit https://haveibeenpwned.com to see if your email address was part of this or any other breach. As a protective measure, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on any account tied to financial transactions, and be wary of emails referencing past Canada Goose orders — scammers will be using this data for targeted phishing. Holy City Computer Services can help you set up MFA across all your critical accounts and guide you through a smart personal security checkup.
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4. 🤖 Congress Reintroduces Bipartisan Bill to Help Small Businesses Use AI
Full Article Link: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2026/2/cantwell-moran-reintroduce-bill-to-help-small-business-leverage-ai-tools
In some genuinely good news from Washington this week, U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) reintroduced the bipartisan Small Business Artificial Intelligence Training Act of 2026 on February 17th. The legislation would direct the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to create and distribute free AI training resources specifically for small businesses, covering topics like using AI for financial management, marketing, business planning, and supply chain operations. The resources would be distributed through existing SBA partners, including Small Business Development Centers and SCORE mentors, nationwide.
The bill recognizes what many small business owners have experienced firsthand: AI tools have enormous potential to level the playing field, but figuring out where to start — and how to do it safely — is genuinely confusing without expert guidance. The United States is home to 36.2 million small businesses employing nearly half the private workforce, and Congress is finally paying attention to what those businesses need to stay competitive in an AI-powered economy. While Washington works through the legislative process, Holy City Computer Services is already helping Charleston-area entrepreneurs identify practical, affordable AI tools to streamline their operations right now. You do not have to wait for an act of Congress — give us a call at 843-670-4153.
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5. 💼 Entrepreneur: 7 AI Tools That Can Run a One-Person Business in 2026
Full Article Link: https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/7-ai-tools-that-run-a-one-person-business-in-2026-no/501943
Entrepreneur magazine published a terrific, practical piece this week aimed squarely at solo business owners and home-based entrepreneurs. The article outlines seven ways AI tools can function like a full staff — handling everything from live web research and competitor analysis to building automated workflows that run in the background. No coding required. It covers tools for building a "trend radar" to automatically monitor what's gaining traction in your industry, generating a polished sales presentation from a blog post draft, and creating automated systems that connect your calendar, client email, and content without you manually babysitting them. The bottom line from the article: "In 2026, leverage beats hustle."
For home-based business owners in the Charleston area — whether you are a consultant, freelancer, real estate agent, or online retailer — this is well worth a read. The key takeaway is that smart use of AI can multiply your output without multiplying your hours. Of course, knowing about a tool and actually getting it to work reliably with your existing systems are two very different things. Holy City Computer Services specializes in helping entrepreneurs configure these kinds of AI-powered workflows so they function properly in the real world — not just in a demo. We help you skip the trial-and-error phase.
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6. 📱 Samsung Galaxy S26 Officially Unveiling February 25 — Here's What to Expect
Full Article Link: https://www.tomsguide.com/phones/samsung-phones/samsung-galaxy-unpacked-february-2026-galaxy-s26-galaxy-s26-ultra-and-everything-else-to-expect
Samsung's next major hardware event is just six days away. The Galaxy S26 series will be officially revealed at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, in San Francisco, with phones expected to go on sale by March 11th. According to Tom's Guide and a parade of confirmed leaks, all three models (S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra) will hold the same pricing as last year: $799, $999, and $1,299 respectively — good news given earlier fears of a tariff-driven price hike. Key upgrades include larger batteries, faster charging (60W on the Ultra, up from 25W), brighter displays, and deeper Galaxy AI integration. Samsung is positioning this entire lineup as its most AI-focused smartphone series to date.
For small business owners and entrepreneurs who depend on their phone for client communication, document handling, and on-the-go productivity, the S26 series looks like a solid upgrade path — especially for those still rocking a device from 2022 or earlier. The S26 Ultra's reported "Privacy Display" feature, which uses pixel-level control to obscure sensitive on-screen information from anyone looking over your shoulder, is particularly worth noting for those handling confidential data in public places like coffee shops or airports. Holy City Computer Services can help set up any new device with business email, security policies, cloud backup, and remote-wipe capability from day one — the right way.
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7. 🖥️ MSI RTX 5090 Lightning Z: The $5,090 GPU That Requires a Lottery Ticket to Purchase
Full Article Link: https://www.techradar.com/computing/gpu/msi-rtx-5090-lightning-now-costs-up-to-usd15k-on-ebay-but-theres-a-better-way-to-buy-the-gpu
In the "what were they thinking" hardware category this week, MSI officially launched the RTX 5090 Lightning Z — a liquid-cooled, ultra-premium graphics card priced at a very deliberate $5,090.99 (yes, they named it after its own MSRP). Only 1,300 units exist worldwide, and in the U.S. you have to win a lottery just for the privilege of paying that price. Scalpers who won the draw have already listed the card on eBay for between $8,000 and $15,000. The card delivers roughly 5–10% better performance than a standard RTX 5090 in real gaming tests, runs at up to 1,000 watts of power, and includes an 8-inch built-in screen displaying live system stats. It is equal parts engineering showcase and expensive conversation piece.
Realistically, this card is not for home users or small businesses — but the story illustrates a broader point about the GPU market in early 2026. Even standard RTX 5090 cards are selling well above their $1,999 MSRP due to supply shortages and high demand from AI workloads, with street prices ranging from $3,000 to over $4,000. If you are considering a workstation upgrade for video editing, graphic design, or AI-enhanced creative work, now may not be the ideal time to buy a top-tier card. Patience (or moving to cloud-based rendering) may be the smarter financial call. Not sure what hardware level your work actually needs? Holy City Computer Services can help you evaluate your options and avoid an expensive over-buy.
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8. 🔒 European Parliament Blocks AI Tools on Work Devices — A Privacy Warning for Everyone
Full Article Link: https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/17/european-parliament-blocks-ai-on-lawmakers-devices-citing-security-risks/
TechCrunch reported this week that the European Parliament's IT department blocked lawmakers from using built-in AI tools — including Microsoft Copilot and OpenAI's ChatGPT — on their government-issued work devices, citing cybersecurity and privacy risks. The IT department stated it could not guarantee the security of sensitive correspondence and documents uploaded to these AI tools' cloud servers. The department's guidance to staff was pointed: "It is considered safer to keep such features disabled." A key concern is that U.S. authorities can legally compel American AI companies to hand over user data, and that AI platforms commonly use information entered by users to improve their models.
For American small business owners, this story carries a direct warning. When your employees — or you — paste client contract details, financial records, customer data, or proprietary business information into a free AI tool, that data goes somewhere and may not stay private. Most major AI platforms' free tiers include language in their terms of service allowing use of conversations for model training. Businesses handling sensitive client or patient information should use enterprise-tier AI agreements with explicit data privacy protections, or develop clear internal policies about what is and is not appropriate to enter into AI systems. Holy City Computer Services can help you review your current AI tool usage, identify potential privacy exposures, and put sensible guardrails in place to protect your clients and your business.
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9. 🪟 Windows 11 February 2026 Update: New Features Rolling Out Alongside Security Patches
Full Article Link: https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/8-features-expected-to-arrive-with-the-february-2026-update-for-windows-11
Beyond the critical security fixes, this month's Windows 11 update (KB5077181) also quietly delivered several genuine improvements that are rolling out gradually. The headline feature is an expanded Cross-Device Resume, which now allows you to pick up Spotify playback, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations started on your Android phone and continue them on your Windows PC — supporting Samsung, HONOR, OPPO, Vivo, and Xiaomi devices. Microsoft also began a wider rollout of its redesigned Start Menu, refined after nearly a year of internal testing and user feedback. File Explorer received under-the-hood speed improvements for navigating network drives, and the Narrator accessibility tool got a meaningful AI-powered upgrade for visually impaired users.
Perhaps the most practically useful change for business owners: Smart App Control — Windows' built-in feature that restricts your PC to only run trusted, verified applications — can now be turned on or off without reinstalling Windows. Find it at Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control. And for those who missed it, Microsoft also flagged an important heads-up this week: the Secure Boot certificates built into most Windows PCs expire starting June 2026. This month's update begins the automatic process of renewing those certificates, which is important for preventing a certain class of boot-level attack. Holy City Computer Services can make sure your business machines handle this Secure Boot transition without a hiccup.
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10. 💡 AI-Orchestrated Cyberattacks on Small Businesses Are Accelerating in 2026
Full Article Link: https://blog.mean.ceo/cybersecurity-news-february-2026/
Cybersecurity analysts this month documented a deeply concerning trend: attackers are increasingly deploying AI-powered tools to automate their campaigns against small and medium-sized businesses at a scale that was previously impossible. These autonomous AI systems can scan millions of websites and business networks simultaneously, probing for unpatched software, weak passwords, and misconfigured systems — all without human intervention. The same AI that helps a business owner write better emails is helping criminals write more convincing phishing messages, generate realistic voice and video impersonations of executives, and automate data theft operations around the clock. One of the incidents tracked this month highlights that Google was fined $68 million after a high-profile data mishandling incident, while AI-orchestrated attacks on businesses of all sizes are now considered a mainstream threat — not a future risk.
The good news is that the vast majority of these AI-powered attacks can still be stopped by consistently doing the cybersecurity basics well: keeping all software patched and updated, using strong unique passwords managed through a password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication on every important account, and maintaining regular backups stored separately from your primary data. Businesses with even a basic managed security plan are dramatically less likely to fall victim. If your business currently has no formal security posture — even a simple one — this month's relentless parade of breach news should be the final nudge you needed to act. Holy City Computer Services offers affordable, practical cybersecurity consultations and solutions built for the budgets and realities of small businesses and home users throughout the Charleston, SC area.
🪟 Windows Tips For The Week:
Tip 1: Install the February 2026 Patch Tuesday Update Right Now This is not optional: go to Settings > Windows Update > Check for Updates and install update KB5077181 (Windows 11 24H2/25H2) or KB5075941 (Windows 11 23H2) if you have not already. These patches close six security holes that hackers were actively exploiting in the wild this month. Do not wait.
Tip 2: Speed Up Your Update Delivery To make sure you get critical security patches at the front of the line rather than waiting weeks for a gradual rollout, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options and enable "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available." This is especially important for business PCs that handle sensitive client data.
Tip 3: Turn On Smart App Control With the February 2026 update, you can now enable Smart App Control — Windows' built-in feature that only allows trusted, verified apps to run on your PC — without the previous risk of being locked in forever. Find it at Windows Security > App & Browser Control > Smart App Control. It is one of the best free security upgrades available in Windows 11 and is now finally reversible if you run into any compatibility quirks.
Tip 4: Set Up Automatic Screensaver Lock for Your Business PC Any computer that handles client data should lock automatically when unattended. Set this up in two steps: First, go to Settings > System > Power and set the screen to turn off after 5 minutes. Second, go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in Options and turn on "Require sign-in: When PC wakes from sleep." Takes 60 seconds. Costs nothing. Could save your business from a data breach caused by a forgotten unlocked screen.
🤖 AI Prompt Ideas:
This Week's Useful Prompt: Your AI-Powered Customer FAQ Writer
If you run a small business and find yourself answering the same questions from customers over and over, try this prompt in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or your AI assistant of choice:
"I run a [describe your type of business] in [your city]. My customers frequently ask me: [list 3–5 of your most common customer questions]. Please write a friendly, professional FAQ section I could add to my website that answers each question clearly. Keep the tone warm and human, avoid technical jargon, and end each answer with a brief call to action encouraging them to contact me or visit my site."
Copy the result into your website, social media bio, or a pinned Facebook post. Update it once a quarter and you have a living FAQ that helps customers find answers 24/7 — without you having to type the same response for the hundredth time.
Bonus Fun Prompt:
"Write a short, funny, family-friendly 'Out of Office' email auto-reply for a small business owner who is spending the afternoon on the beach in Isle of Palms, SC, has absolutely no intention of checking their inbox, but still wants to seem like a responsible professional. Include a creative reason why they cannot respond until tomorrow."
There has never been a more important time to have a trusted technology partner in your corner. From applying this week's critical Windows security patches before the bad guys can exploit them, to helping you safely adopt the AI tools that can genuinely transform how you do business, Holy City Computer Services is here to be that partner for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and home users throughout the Charleston, South Carolina area. We cut through the noise, skip the jargon, and deliver real solutions that work. Call us today at 843-670-4153, drop us a line at support@holycityit.com, or visit us online at https://www.holycityit.com — because in a world where the tech headlines never slow down, peace of mind is just a phone call away.
Holy City Computer Services | Serving Charleston, SC and Surrounding Areas 📞 843-670-4153 | 📧 support@holycityit.com | 🌐 https://www.holycityit.com