Online Shopping: Tips to Avoid Getting Burned
Posted by admin on Mar 12, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, March 2013
Buying products online speeds up shopping and reduces hassle, but it also comes with risks. Here are some easy ways to lock down your online security and still get all your shopping done quickly.
- Secure your computer and devices by making sure your browser is updated, you have a decent antivirus and anti-malware program installed, and stick to the apps and websites you know.
- Pay attention to the address-bar padlock symbol and look for SSL encrypted sites (they will start with https:// instead of http://)
- Buy from reputable sellers. If you are unsure, check with the Better Business Bureau or do a Google search for “company name complaints”.
- Give out as little detail as possible, and beware of sites seeking excessively personal information such as your Social Insurance Number.
- Never send your credit card number by email. Make sure the payment site is SSL-encrypted, or use online payment services such as Paypal.
- Use common sense – if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is. If a seller is making you uncomfortable, take your business elsewhere.
The Woes of Unsubscribing
Posted by admin on Mar 8, 2013
Unsubscribing is a pain. It takes several clicks, and doesn’t always work. Unfortunately, with the amount of spam everyone gets on a daily basis it’s become a necessary part of our lives. What’s worse, some not-so-nice senders will realize you’re a real person and that you actually check your email – and they will put you on more spammy mailing lists. It happens way more often than you think!
Some scary spam statistics…
- Spam accounts for 14.5 billion emails a day world wide
- This is 45% of all emails
- 90% of spam is in English, 96% a year ago, so I guess this means spam is getting more “international”
- The US is by far the largest generator of spam email at 15%
- India comes in second at around 7%
- Advertising related spam accounts for 36% of all spam emails
- Adult related subject matters come in at second at 31%
- Only 2.5% of spam emails fall under the scam & fraud category
- A research group found that spam costs businesses $20.5 billion annually
- Nucleus Research estimates approximately $1934 is lost per employee because of spam
You may be asking yourself what’s one to do? Well, there are several options. The first is to simply be very careful about handing out your email address, which means limiting the news letters and promotions you sign up for, and the services and membership sites you join. Limiting your email’s exposure is the first step in reducing the amount of spam you receive.
You can also create a free email account from Gmail or Hotmail, and use that address when signing up for something. If that address gets on some spammers lists, you can just open up another one, and change your subscriptions that you want to keep.
Editors note: If you sign up for the ICS News Bytes newsletter, we will never use that email address for anything else, and we will never sell or lend those addresses to another company. And unsubscribing is quick and easy.
How The Internet Works
Posted by admin on Mar 5, 2013
This is a great little video explaining how the internet works. Of course, they have left out a lot of the technical stuff, but it gives you a great overview of what happens millions of times per day.
http://www.wimp.com/internetworks/
5 Ways to Help You Stay Protected Online
Posted by admin on Mar 1, 2013
What is Phishing?
Phishing is when someone tries to trick you into revealing your personal information like user names, passwords, or PIN by pretending to be someone they’re not. It usually happens through email, but can also happen through instant messaging or by telephone when someone asks you to provide or confirm your personal information.
Avoiding Phishers
It’s a good idea to open up a browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar of the browser instead of copying and pasting (or clicking on) links from emails. A link in an email may take you to a site that looks legitimate, but isn’t. Banks and credit card companies, usually do not ask you to click on links in their email communications for your protection. Another option is to bookmark the site in your Favorites list so you are always taken to the proper website.
Don’t forget about DoubleSafe
When you’re logging in, many sites will ask you additional questions to confirm your identity. If you don’t see those questions, or something looks a bit fishy, then immediately close your browser and call the company instead.
Change your PIN or Password sometimes
You should change your PIN or Password at least once a year – more often if you think your account may have been compromised. In fact, if your computer has been infected with a virus or malware, change your passwords again (after the computer is cleaned of course). It is possible that the malware has captured the password, and will use it to wipe out your account.
It’s okay to blow the whistle
If you ever receive a suspicious email or call, simply don’t provide any personal or sensitive information and get in touch with the company directly to follow up on the inquiry. In fact, when my credit card was compromised, the credit card company called me to tell me what had happened. They also told me to hang up, and call the number on the back of the card, to verify that I was speaking with the correct people, and that it was not a scam. I thought that was a great idea, and it did put my mind at ease.
Avoid Windows 8 with Classic Shell
Posted by admin on Feb 26, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, February 2013
Classic Shell may be the ultimate free tool for bypassing Windows 8’s controversial tile-based interface. Once installed, you will see a new icon in the lower-left corner of Desktop Mode’s taskbar. Click it, and a Windows Start menu very like the one in Windows Vista or Windows 7 will appear. In the Settings window, toward the bottom of the Basic Settings tab, is an option for “Skip Metro Screen”. Uncheck this entry if you ever want to abandon Classic Shell and restorer the normal Windows 8 desktop. Click the “All Settings” button and you will get 13 tabs for further customizing your Start menu.
So, if you are stuck with buying a system with Windows 8 installed, but want the look and feel of Windows 7, then Classic Shell is perfect for you!
Five Things You Must Know About Office 2013
Posted by admin on Feb 22, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, February 2013
Microsoft’s new Office blends cloud services with Office 2013, the core desktop application. As sleek, revamped appearance and features designed for cloud integration are just the beginning of all the changes.
Syncing Across Devices – When you save Office documents online, they will be available to you from any device through Web Apps. In addition, it will retain the last location where you were working before you saved – down to the letter, cell or image.
SkyDrive Integration – Your work now integrates with the cloud, by way of SkyDrive. When you save a document, worksheet, or presentation by default will save the item to your SkyDrive account, but you can save locally as well.
Touchscreen Use – Some new Office 2013 features are designed to make working with a touchscreen easier, however, touch integration is somewhat erratic.
PDF Editing – With the new Word 2013, you can now open PDF files, edit them, and the save them as either .docx files or PDFs. So now you can just open a PDF file and get straight to work.
More Graphics Options – New icons on the Insert tab of the ribbon toolbar will now let you insert pictures from your local PC or from different online sources.
How to Print From Anywhere
Posted by admin on Feb 19, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, January 2013
The ability to print anything from anywhere is no longer fantasy. It’s a necessity, as we work more and more off of mobile devices. You can’t squint at a big spreadsheet on a phone; and if you receive a revised presentation via email as your plane lands, you need to print it out before you get to the meeting.
All the mobile-printing technologies share some common traits and limitations. To begin with, the printer has to be networked or connected directly to the internet. Your sending device also has to have the right app, or else access information to find the printer. And output quality may vary – without a driver, you have less control over the print job. So, how do you set it up?
First, check to see if your printer manufacturer provides an app. Most major manufacturers provide a mobile printing app for their current model printers… and a few older models as well. If you are running a Mac, and your printer is equipped with AirPrint, then the hard work is already done for you. Another option is Google Cloud Print, and it can work with just about any brand of printer – including older ones.
What if you need to print to a random printer at an airport of hotel? This can be a bit trickier, but not impossible. Most office supply stores that offer printing services will have instructions on how to send your job – usually by email directly to the printer.
If mobile printing is something you need to do, and are having trouble getting it setup, contact your local computer guy and they can help you out.
The Worst Passwords to Use
Posted by admin on Feb 15, 2013
I have written a lot about using a secure password, so I won’t lecture you again. But here is a list of the most common and worst passwords you can use…
1 – password
2 – 123456
3 – 12345678
4 – abc123
5 – qwerty
6 – monkey
7 – letmein
8 – dragon
9 – 111111
10 – baseball
11 – iloveyou
12 – trustno1
13 – 1234567
14 – sunshine
15 – master
16 – 123123
17 – welcome
18 – shadow
19 – ashley
20 – football
21 – jesus
22 – michael
23 – ninja
24 – mustang
25 – password1
The New Windows Ecosystem
Posted by admin on Feb 12, 2013
So what is Microsoft trying to accomplish with Windows 8 anyway? Well, although I have not switched over to the Windows 8 platform on my systems yet, I can see where MS is heading. They are trying to get all of their systems on the same platform – PCs, tablets, phones, game systems, the cloud, etc. If their plan is successful, you would be able to switch from device to device, and have the same apps available on each of them, and be able to use the same interface on all of them.
With SkyDrive, all of your devices could share the same files, located in the same place. Take a picture with your Windows Phone, save it to SkyDrive, and then edit it on your laptop. Put together a presentation on your desktop, and present it with your tablet directly from SkyDrive. Of course, it all depends on a good internet connection.
The Xbox always did a good job with music and video, so imagine if you could have the same features and speed when using your phone or tablet. You could find the movie you want to watch with your tablet, and then send it to your TV to watch it.
Finally, that really cool app you just installed on your phone could also be installed on your tablet, laptop or even Xbox. The main benefit behind using the same operating platform on all your devices is that you can use the same programs. This saves a lot of time and aggravation having to learn new software all the time.
Finally, you can tie all your devices and cloud services together using your Windows Live ID – now called your Microsoft Account. You can also tie in your other accounts such as Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and Twitter. All those services then become integrated with Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, and they will be tied to any device that you log in to.
I don’t think that the average user is ready for this transition yet… but they may not have a choice soon. In the very near future, every PC that you buy will have Windows 8 installed.
Prepare for Digital Disaster
Posted by admin on Feb 8, 2013
Taken from PCWorld Magazine, December 2012
Whether thieves or tornadoes threaten your company, protecting your business’s assets from utter catastrophe is easier than you might think. You don’t have to look hard to find tales of technological catastrophe. Disaster planning is essential for individuals and businesses of all shapes and sizes. The only real variable is the complexity of the necessary planning. Here’s how to start.
Backups – There are plenty of backup solutions, but finding the one that is right for you can be tricky. If you have just one or two systems, and only a few files to backup, then simply plugging in a USB drive and copying the files to it can work. If you have many systems or lots of files to backup, then maybe a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device would be easier. Then there are numerous online cloud-based backup providers that will automatically backup an unlimited number of systems, with an unlimited number of files, no matter where in the world they are. If you don’t have a reliable backup plan in place… make one… and stick to it.
Antimalware and Data Security – This is simple… make sure you have an antivirus program installed, that you keep it updated, and you run regular scans. This is the cheapest way to keep your system safe. If you have many systems, or a server to manage, there are enterprise versions that allow you to manage all the systems from one place. For business, I would recommend staying away from the “free” programs, as they do not offer support when the need arises.
Physical Security – Every business owner knows to lock the doors and install an alarm system to guard valuable assets on the premises, but you should also take action to protect your computer equipment in particular. Cable locks are great for securing laptops, PCs and monitors to the desk or table they are sitting on. LoJack for Laptops lets you track a laptop if it has been stolen, and can help the police in locating your system… or wipe its hard drive if it cannot be retrieved. You can install video surveillance systems in and around your business as well. Then there are the environmental disasters such as fire, flooding, tornadoes, lightning, etc. Keep computer equipment off of the floor, make sure all systems have a battery backup unit installed, and don’t forget about your backups!
