Category Archives: Security

Identifying Nefarious Links

In order to protect yourself on the Internet, you need to be proficient at locating and identifying domain names. This is because, emails and attachments can be used to redirect you to sites that are loaded with bad content. Make sure you can: Verify the email sender. Verify any link contained in the message or within an attachment… Read More »

Avoiding Cyber Fraud

Tips, from the FBI, to avoid becoming a victim of cyber fraud: Do Not Do not give unknown, unverified persons remote access to devices or accounts. Do not communicate with unsolicited email senders. Do not act in haste. Criminals create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure the victim into immediate action.

Freeze your credit

Freezing your credit is the best way to prevent identity theft. When your credit is frozen, no business can check it, and therefore will not allow new accounts to be opened in your name. When you need to open a new account, buy a car or home you can unfreeze your credit for a specified period of time… Read More »

KeePass 101

KeePass is a password manager that is not cloud-based. It creates an encrypted local database that can be stored on a single Mac, PC, office network or any mobile device you choose. It is only accessible with the master key and can be accessed by multiple users simultaneously. It will also auto-type your username and password so that… Read More »

Fake Security Alerts

Should you get a pop-up like this one. Do not follow the advice in the window, and in particular, do not call the number in the window. Just close the browser immediately. DO NOT click on any part of the window, as this can trigger a virus installation. If the pop-up is preventing you from closing the browser,… Read More »

Credit Reports

By law, the three credit reporting agencies- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion- are each required to provide you with one credit report each year at no cost. This means that you can run your report for free up to three times a year (once with each reporting agency). The best way to do this is to set a schedule… Read More »

Family Internet Safety

Keeping your family safe on the Internet is a moving target. The Internet brings technology into our lives, but like the Gutenberg Press, its original purpose has been corrupted. If left unchecked, it will influence the very character of your children. To this end, I have a number of technologies and insights that can aid you in protecting… Read More »

Securing your digital life

These tips will help you to safeguard your digital accounts. 1) Never store passwords in these: your email, an Excel spreadsheet, a Word document, the Notes app on your phone, ANY cloud based password storage solution. The reasons are legion, but here are a few: these are far too easy to search, most lack encryption in the event… Read More »

Strong Passwords

How To Choose Good Passwords From Symantec: http://www.symantec.com/connect/articles/simplest-security-guide-better-password-practices Let’s begin with what NOT to do when choosing passwords. No Dictionary Words, Proper Nouns, or Foreign Words Password cracking tools are very effective at processing large quantities of letter and number combinations until a match for the password is found, as such users should avoid using conventional words as… Read More »

FBI: Reporting scams

Individuals who believe they may be a victim of an online scam (regardless of dollar amount) can file a complaint with the IC3 at www.ic3.gov.To report tech support scams, please be as descriptive as possible in the complaint including: Name of the subject and company. Phone numbers and email addresses used by the subject. Websites used by the… Read More »

National Do Not Call Registry

The Federal Trade Commission makes it easy for you to register your home or wireless phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry- click here to register your phone number(s) or verify whether your number is already on the list. Most legitimate companies will not call your number if it’s on the list; scammers are more likely… Read More »

PBX hacked

Make sure your phone vendor has a secure pin setup in your PBX, the strongest possible with more than 4 digits would be great. Also consider blocking international service through your carrier if you do not need it. Below is an example of what can happen. Someone gained access and had our calls being forwarded to a number… Read More »