CyberAttack, can you say that 10 times

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June 15, 2017

3:26 pm

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Technology

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The internet is a fun place, but, it can also be an open place for predators. The unscrupulous and the hustlers have found a whole new way to find victims of their folly.

What can we do?

The most important thing is to be aware. I often get asked about emails, and that is by far a leading place for a cyber-attack to happen. Almost all Ransom-ware attacks come from that source.

Email

  1. Never open an email that you are not expecting. Don’t just look at the ‘From’ address in an email, look at the underlying actual email address. Even then, if there is a link inside the email DON’T CLICK THE LINK, contact the sender and ask them if they sent you something. But, don’t randomly click a link. The sender could also have a ROOTKIT, that can cause a RANSOMWARE or VIRUS email to be sent using their address book.
  2. Some spoof emails pretend to be from our banks, PayPal, Ebay, LinkedIn, and other popular websites and explain that your account has been locked out or some other problem that requires your attention and for you to click a link, or fix your settings. This is another common method to get your personal information. DON’T CLICK THE LINK! Banks, PayPal, and most sites will never send you an email to reset your settings. Always open a NEW browser and enter the address by hand, go to that site and check for yourself.
  3. I can’t stress enough how important it is to not click links in emails, previewing emails is fine, don’t open them, and click the links unless your absolutely sure its safe.

Web

  1. We all occasionally type the wrong address in a browser and get to the wrong website. But, these days that can cause a virus scripting attack. Make sure your browser is updated to its most recent version. This can help built in filters implemented by browser creators to ensure you have the latest protection.
  2. Another easy way to protect yourself is to get in the habit of looking at the address bar after you load a webpage, for example if you were looking for www.microsoft.com and you type in that address and when the page loads and it has something different, don’t proceed on clicking links on that site. You may have been infected with a SEARCH HIJACKING browser add-in. These range from a easy to get rid of to very difficult. Periodically check your add / remove program list to see if something doesnt look right. (or if your in the Dallas, Ft. Worth area, call US).

Computer System

Make sure you have virus protection on your computer. There are some good FREE virus protection applications available. One of my favorites is made by Avast (www.avast.com), it has saved me a few times and has less of the occasional link to buy their paid version, than www.avg.com which offers FREE virus protection as well. Avast may slow your system down somewhat, but, not enough to be unacceptable. Each has an excellent paid version and will include an install for up to 3 computers / devices.

Conclusion

The internet, software, and our lives are in constant change. If you are in the Dallas / FT. Worth area we can help you with your computer, network and custom application needs, just give us a call at 972.571.4808. Be safe out there!

My Notebook Won’t Connect to My New N750 Linksys Router or When You’re Not Holding All The Aces Your Holding The Bag

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March 15, 2017

3:03 pm

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Rants, Raves, Technology

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Holding All the Aces
My ever faithful US Robotics Router has been acting very intermittent lately, so it was time to replace it. After all, the servers that sit behind it run this site and some others and we can’t have those down. So, with a little research I ended up with a Linksys N750 (EA3500) router. Configuring the basic router functions went pretty easily, it did take a while to find where to input the virtual settings so the servers would get pass thru on the correct ports. But, all in all it went pretty well and those functions wouldn’t be used by a typical household.

UNTIL…. I went to configure my notebook to connect to the wireless part of the router.

Holding the Bag
After using the settings that came with the router for wireless access, my notebook asked for the pass code (as normal), I supplied it, but, unfortunately it wouldn’t connect. I thought it must be in that new fangled WPA2/WPA Mixed setting. After all it’s too simple to just supply the wireless password and everything would work right? right! After all the usual computer consulting trouble shooting, I changed the settings to the old standard WEP, still no dice. Linksys support website said to attempt the connection put in the password and you’ll connect, then asked “Was this information helpful?”.  But what if that doesn’t work? What now?

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This is where we have to think small, and start methodically. Here’s what to do:

  1. Unplug the Linksys Router, wait about 20 seconds and plug it back in. Wait for it to boot up completely.
  2. Restart the device (in my case my notebook) and attempt the connection.
  3. It Worked.

Amazing how much, just resetting clears the confusion in a device sometimes. So, next time before you make the call, check the connections, power down the devices and try one last time. BTW, there is an order to starting network devices and each one should be completely up before you move on to the next one, and they are: Modem, Router, Switch, Computer.

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2 Easy Ways to Tune Up Your Computer

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January 1, 2017

11:12 pm

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Technology

Everybody wants a faster computer. Except now you have everything just the way you want it, desktop is functional, all your programs are easy to get to. You don’t want to spend hours getting a new computer and setting it up. Heck, your happy. It’s just you want to have a little more oomph in your computer “Getty up”.

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Well, here are two ways you can further unleash the beast inside your computer.

Adding more memory
Many purchased computers have just a minimal amount of memory installed, computers use memory while running your programs. Programs do their work in memory, giving programs more room to work allows them to work faster. Increasing your computer memory will help.

Also, take a look at storage
There are still a lot of computers that have not taken advantage of some real technological advancements. Upgrading your hard drive from mechanical to solid state will create an immediate speed enhancement. Programs will load faster, databases will work faster. I can almost guarantee a WOW factor just from this upgrade alone.

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Some of us often confuse memory with storage
Think of it this way; let’s say you’re working in Microsoft Word in a new document and the power goes out. You would lose the document you’re working on, but, you wouldn’t lose Microsoft Word. It would still be on your computer. Why would you lose your document? Because memory is temporary storage. When you start Word, the computer takes Word from storage and loads it into memory. The new document you created hasn’t been saved yet so it’s only in memory and not stored. When the power goes out memory is cleared. When you save your document it’s taken from memory and stored in storage.

I would be happy to quote any upgrades you might have in mind. Here are just a few that could increase your system performance without purchasing a new system. Give me a call I’d be happy to help.