Let's discuss passwords, passkeys, password managers, and 2FA. Why this subject? For one reason, a hacker recently attempted to break into my website. For another reason, hackers are always looking for vulnerable email accounts and financial accounts. The last thing I want to see is for your email and other accounts to be compromised. Why …
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In this post, I want to share why you shouldn't use software cracks. Is that a new term for you? If so, let's discover together what it means and why you shouldn't use it. Software Crack Definition As you know, almost all software that is sold requires a license key. This type of software includes …
PayPal - we hear lots of feedback from customers about it. Some already use it and appreciate the benefits of being able to use it instead of spreading their credit/debit card numbers all over the Internet. Others have had issues with PayPal while some customers don't even know what it is. In this post, I'll …
Malicious URLs are found in emails, in searches, on Social Media sites, and in texts. In this post, let's explore ways to avoid being fooled by these hacker tricks. What Is A URL? Before we look at malicious URLs, we need to know the definition of the acronym URL. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is …
I want to share five important videos from our YouTube Channel. I realize this post will sound self-promoting but I promise you, it's based on what we are seeing in Remote and hearing over the phone. Why Do I Have A YouTube Channel? There are a number of reasons I have a YouTube Channel. At …
What is clickbait? We have been asked this question enough times that I felt I should post about the subject. Let's have a look! Clickbait Definition Merriam-Webster defines clickbait as "Something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest." …
Share this with kids - please! This post is going to talk about ways of avoiding some of the dangers that are present for young kids online. If you have young children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces or just friends with kids, please share this post. The Background To This Post Young kids are online a …
We often see three common computing mistakes and I want to share them with you. We sometimes see them in Remote Technical Support, in a customer's home or business or over the phone. Take a look at these and see if you might be making one or more of them yourself. Failing To Update Account …
We often get phone calls from people telling us "My computer was hacked." My response normally is, "Not likely!" What Probably Happened Why "My computer was hacked" Is Probably False Despite what you might think, hacking a home computer is rarely high on a hacker's To-Do list. (He or she is far more likely to …
I want to review fifteen computing-related rules you should follow. If you've been a customer of ours for a long time, most of these should sound familiar. The same is true if you've been a blog subscriber for a while. Unfortunately, we see people all the time in Remote Technical Support who aren't following some …
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Seriously, Android users should do this: make sure anti-virus/anti-malware is installed. Why It's Important If you use an Android tablet or smartphone, you need to make sure you have software installed to protect your device. Last week, it was reported that over 300,000 Android devices were infected. A fake banking app was the cause of …
It's important that you understand how tooltips are being used for phishing. First, I'll explain terms and then I'll outline the phishing process being used. Definitions Tooltips Are you familiar with the term tooltip? You probably see them all the time when you use a computing device but you might not know the term. Let's …
Scam Virus Spyware Malware Antivirus Concept I want to warn you about Windows 11 and malware. As you know from reading my post, "Windows 11: Developer's Edition," Windows 11 is available for testing. In fact, maybe you've even watched my YouTube video titled "Windows 11." But there's a problem. Fake Downloads It's unfortunate but it's …
If you own one, you need to know about a Dell computer BIOS Risk that affects millions of computers. Even if you don't own a Dell, you might want to peruse this post just to be aware of what has happened. What is BIOS? Before we talk about the Dell computer BIOS risk, let me …
Whether you're new to Facebook or have been on the platform since the beginning, it's time to check your Facebook security. Because of the large number of users (2.8 billion), Facebook is a hacker's playground. (They love to make fake accounts as we talked about in my post, Fake Facebook Account.) Checking your security will …
What Credit Card Recommendation Am I Making? Yes, this is still a computing-related blog rather than a financial one. However, because of the virtual abilities of a particular credit card, I'm making a recommendation. If you don't already have a Capital One credit card, I highly recommend the card to you. Why Am I Recommending …
What are those pop-ups you're seeing on a lot of sites, including ours, that ask you to accept cookies? (If you click on either of the two pictures above, you'll see larger images so that you can make out what each image has in text.) The messages have to do with General Data Protection Regulation …
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Yesterday, I attended a very enlightening webinar regarding the dark web. The four moderators shared information about what can be found there. They defined terms, such as "market place" and "forum," as those terms related to this shady area of the Internet. The webinar was geared towards both businesses and consumers. I was struck by …
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On this blog, I've written about 32 posts about passwords and in a few of them, I've mentioned using an authenticator instead of typing in a password. Microsoft, Google and Adobe all have authenticator applications. These apps are better than having a text message sent to your phone with a code since text messages can …
In several previous blog posts, I've talked about the online scams regarding Covid-19 (From The FBI, Coronavirus News). I referred you to both the FBI and the CDC regarding scams about virus cures and virus conspiracy theories. However, one of the areas I haven't talked about is credit repair scams. For a large number of …
If you watched the CBS News show, 60 Minutes, this past week, you may have seen a computer-related story. The segment was called "Inside The SolarWinds Hack." (If you missed it, you can click on the title to view.) The report covered how the Russians allegedly used Malware to infiltrate computers at the US Justice, …
"I have to share bad news with you" is actually the first sentence from the email pictured above. (You can click on the image to see a larger, more readable version.) Lately, I've been getting about six of these a day. So far, we've had one customer log in to Remote Technical Support because they …
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In my recent post, "Delete Now!," I explained through verbiage and a video the importance of NOT saving passwords in your browsers. I based my narrative on my own experiences; those opinions of well-known hackers and cybersecurity analysists; and the NZ Bankers Association which said in a post: "A common mistake that users make is …
In my final Question of the Week email, I addressed the issue of saving passwords in a browser. Is that safe to do? I explained that I used to say "Yes." to that question but that answer is no longer correct. Why have I changed my mind? Because I recently attended several webinars conducted by …
According to the website Spana (spana.org), "Mules are one of the most commonly used working animals in the world, highly prized for their hardiness and docile nature." Even though mules are hardworking and nice, the FBI doesn't want you to become one. Huh? It's true, the FBI just issued another warning in an effort to …
The picture above is an image of a Landry's Gift Card. Landry's - they have one of the best reward programs in the nation and their restaurant group includes some of our favorite name brands. Joyce and I go to Saltgrass Steakhouse, Bubba Gump, Joe's Crab House, Landry's Seafood, Mitchel's Fish Market, Rainforest Café and …
Often, when we see emails similar to the one above, they turn out to be fake. Scammers will make emails look like the real thing just so you'll click and fall for their attempt to steal your money and/or personal information. Lately, we've had a number of people log in to Remote Technical Support with …
The picture above is a perfect example of a fake warning. You know, the kind I've been talking about for years. This came onto my computer screen today. I had clicked on a link in a search that looked legitimate and this popped up. (You can click on the picture to see a larger version.) …
If you read my post titled "Get Notified - A New Way", you know one of the things I try to do is limit the number of emails I send to your Inbox. If you are subscribed to my blog's email list (If you're not, you should be!) you know that I send two emails …
Yep, I pretty much missed it. Here it is, October 30, 2020, and I'm just now telling you that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. I guess it slipped my mind since I pretty much think every day is a cyber security awareness day. This year, many websites - including the FBI - dedicated …