For this post, I’m going to highlight some of the words of caution I’ve given customers over the last few weeks:
Warning Phone Messages * Neither Apple nor Microsoft will call you on the phone to tell you that there’s an issue with your computer or it’s not up-to-date. They will try to convince you to let them onto your device so they can “fix” the issue or at least “show you” what’s wrong. Anyone doing this is a scammer and you need to hang up.
Pop-up Warning Window * Just like phone messages, Apple and Microsoft will never cause a pop-up (with language meant to panic you) to appear on your computing device warning you of a problem and asking you to call or click.
Microsoft Office Enterprise Edition * This is one problem I’ve run across multiple times lately. People buy a new computer from me and when I go to reinstall their copy of Microsoft Office (which they have on their old machine), I can’t because they were using the Enterprise version of Office. Let me explain. Large companies often purchase Office Enterprise editions and licenses for their office computers. Some companies even allow workers to put the Enterprise edition on their home computers if they are using them for work. That’s fine until you leave the company. Now, your home computer is no longer on the work network and the Enterprise edition cannot be validated. Unfortunately, Microsoft will not allow us (Microsoft partners) to download Enterprise editions of Office onto home computers. As a result, a new version of Microsoft Office has to be purchased.
Unexpected Attachments * In the computer business, we used to say “don’t open attachments from people you don’t know.” As hackers’ skills have improved, we’ve been forced to change this saying: “don’t open any email attachments, even from someone you know, unless you were expecting it and you are sure it’s safe.”
“Bad” Browser Extensions * Browsers (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, etc.) allow you to install software called an extension. These extensions can extend the abilities of the browser. For instance, the Adobe Reader extension allows you to read PDF files in your browser instead of having to open up the separate app, Adobe Reader. Unfortunately, there are a ton of what we call “bad” extensions that can cause pop-ups, Malware and other annoying items. On paper, these extensions sound like they would be helpful. There are “package tracking” extensions and “secure search” ones, too. Although these types of extensions come across as being good for you, most of them are not. Google Chrome is one of the major offenders when it comes to allowing these types of extension in its store. You should read more on this subject in our post from January 24, 2019, “Extensions: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.”
Use Strong Passwords * People often think that their email password can be an easy one because “I don’t have anything in email in which a hacker would take an interest.” Not true. Not true at all. If I told you that of all my 250 secure passwords, my email password is the second strongest password I use, would you take heed? If I told you that, according to the website “How Secure Is My Password,” it would take a computer 16 Billion years to crack my password, would you pay attention to that fact? In response to either question, you should. There is a plethora of information a hacker can glean about you just by breaking into your email account. Always use STRONG passwords. How do you create a secure password? We teach the same method as Homeland Security. You should read what that agency suggests by clicking HERE.