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If you received smart home items, computers, phones, or tablets for holiday gifts, you need to remember to set up those tech items in a way where they aren't going to be compromised by hackers. Cyber-criminals are always on the prowl for your personal information so it's in your best interest to make sure those new tech toys are going to be safe and secure in the coming year. Not sure where to start? These tips should help you get started in the right direction. 1. Create strong security for your online accounts. Usually, the difference between you getting hacked and not getting hacked is the strength of your passwords. In our digital society, most of our online accounts are web-accessible. This makes it convenient for you to get access to your stuff, but that means criminals can get access to it too. Using secure passwords means you minimize the risk that your devices will be hacked. Make sure all of your devices and online accounts have 2 Factor Authentication enabled. Also, you will want to make sure you're not using the same password for your devices and online accounts so you don't fall victim to 'credential stuffing' or hackers using your breached information hiding on the dark web to access your stuff. Also, keep tabs on data breaches by visiting www.haveibeenpwned.com 2. Stop Your Devices From Spying on You. Smart devices are great because of all of the information that they allow us to access. The downside, these devices are keeping track of what you view and what you read. Many Smart TVs use a feature called ACR, or “Automatic Content Recognition.” This feature scans what you watch and sends the data to marketing firms to they can send targeted ads to you. Google and Amazon are guilty of using your recordings to develop their software. Ring users can potentially have their home and office locations made public because of their neighbors' software features. Fortunately, each of these devices allows you to enable privacy settings and remove your user information. 3. Setup Your Devices to Perform Automatic Backups. If you got new tech devices as gifts that store data, make sure you have set up automatic backups for them. You never know when your devices will get hit with a virus, ransomware or just fail. You have many options to choose from such as Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) Google Backup and Sync (www.google.com) and iCloud Backup (www.apple.com). 4. Don't Let Your Neighbors Know What Gifts You Purchased. It's tempting after the gift exchange is done to set those old boxes on the curb. Yes, those boxes are out of the house, but you're also advertising your new tech to thieves who are looking to get some holiday tech gifts of their own. Break those boxes down and hide them in closed-lid recycling containers to keep them out of prying eyes. If you have space, you might want to keep those boxes. Most tech gear is under warranty for at least a year. If you keep your boxes, it's easy for you to ship your items back if you need warranty repair. If you like selling your old tech items, they have more appeal if you resell them in their original boxes. 5. Update Your Devices On a Regular Basis. Hackers are always looking for new ways to get into your devices and the companies that make your hardware devices are aware of this. When a bug or security flaw is discovered, hackers will take advantage of this. That's why hardware and software companies work hard to patch your gadgets to keep you safe. It's always important to make sure you update your software and hardware devices. 6. Register your devices. I never used to register my devices, but I do now. So many changes with tech devices such as product recalls, updates, and security vulnerabilities. When you register your tech gear, you will always know what your warranty is, if there are any product updates, and get faster access to tech support if you have problems with your devices. In some cases, registering your device can help you recover your devices if they are stolen. 7. Enable Device Tracking for Mobile Items. All smart gadgets are sought after by thieves which is why it's a good idea to enable the tracking features of your devices. The GPS feature built into your devices will help you recover your device if it's lost or stolen. If you have Apple products, you can enable the 'Find My' feature for your iPhone, MacBook Pro or iPad. If you have Windows 10 device, you can enable Windows tracking, and Android computers, phones, and tablets have the "Find My Device' feature. 8. Stop giving out your email and mobile number. Email addresses that are out in the public domain allow criminals to log into your online accounts and put you at risk of spam messages in your inbox. Create an email with a free email provider that you share with the public and keep one for your personal use. Same thing with your mobile number. If a criminal get ahold of your smartphone number, they can resort to SIM card fraud which puts your smartphone account at risk of being lost forever. Hopefully, this guide has given you some clarity on what to do to protect your tech items. Tech gifts sometimes make the best gifts to receive during the holiday season. In our digital age, you need to take extra steps to make sure your devices are protected from cybercriminals and thieves to ensure that you're able to enjoy your gadgets safely and securely for a long time. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. If you prefer to connect with me on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and watch great tech tip videos on my YouTube channel. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I want to make technology fun and exciting for you. If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. My team of friendly tech experts are always standing by to answer your questions and help make your technology useful and fun. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829. 
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The week of October 3rd, Grain Valley Schools experienced a cyber-attack, resulting in a disruption to certain district computer systems. In a brief statement, the district stated the investigation into the cause and impact continues. "Grain Valley School District (GVSD) recently began experiencing technical difficulties, resulting in a disruption to certain computer systems. We are working diligently with third-party IT specialists to investigate the source of this disruption, confirm its impact on our systems, and restore full functionality to our systems as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding and apologize for any inconvenience." The district had been in the process of migrating to a new phone system when the cyberattack occurred. According to Dr. Amanda Allen, Assistant Superintendent, Student and Community Services, "until the investigation is complete, the migration is postponed. It will resume as soon as the cyber-attack is resolved." Burton Kelso, Chief Technology Expert with Integral, explains the majority of cyber-crime requires user interaction, which means if you take the time to educate yourself about the different cyber threats on the Internet, you can keep yourself and your business safe. Kelso outlines the threats individuals and business owners may encounter and how to protect yourself from them. 1. Accidental Sharing. This occurs when you or a friend accidentally shares sensitive information such as hitting 'reply all' to an email or when you use Carbon Copy (CC) to send out an email to a lot of connections rather than clicking on Blind Carbon Copy (BCC). How to Stay Safe: Don't be in such a rush when sending out emails and other information. When you fail to take the time to watch what information you're sharing, you're risking exposing sensitive information such as passwords to home and work accounts, company sensitive emails, and more. 2. PDF Scams. If you aren't familiar with what a PDF is, it stands for "Portable Document Format" and was developed by Adobe. These scams are on the rise because even though you will probably avoid clicking on a link on an email or downloading most attachments, you probably will attempt to open up a PDF file. Why? Well, if you see a PDF file as a file attachment, you will assume it's an important document and open it up. How to Stay Safe: Beware of generic emails that show up in your inbox that come from unknown sources and have generic greetings. Also, if you get a PDF file unexpectantly, if possible, call the sender of the email to verify they were the ones who sent it. 3. Credential Stuffing. The act of credential stuffing means using the same username and password information to log into online accounts. This form of cyber-crime relies on people not changing their login credentials on a regular basis. Cybercriminals get on the dark web to look for username and password data dumps. Once they get this information, they use bots to automatically your information to attempt to log into common social media and email sites to get the personal data stored in these accounts. Once they get more information about you and where you visit on the internet, they will use this information to log into your financial accounts and even work accounts. How to Stay Safe: It's important that you keep an eye on large-scale data breaches to verify your information hasn't been leaked as well as making sure you don't use the same usernames and passwords for your online accounts. Check to see if your information has been leaked at www.fightingidentitycrimes.com and at www.haveibeenpwned.com. Keep track of all of your pesky passwords by storing them in your favorite web browser or use a password management software program like LastPass (www.lastpass.com) 4. Vishing and SMShing. Vishing or voice call phishing has been around for a while (think tech support scam phone calls), but SMShing or SMS Text phishing has risen during the pandemic because people respond to text messages easier making it more likely that you'll fall for a scam. Both use a technique called "social engineering' which is designed to get you to react to a phone call or email rather than taking the time to think if it's a legit call or not. Samples of these types of attacks usually involve there is a problem with a personal or work account, problems with your computers and technology, or a subtle sales pitch to get you to purchase something you don't need. How to Stay Safe: The best defense against voice phishing and SMS phishing is to ignore the message if you don't recognize who's calling or leaving a message. If you're a small business or home user, limit who you share your home or mobile phone number with. If you have to share a number with the public, create a 'free' phone number with Whatsapp (www.whatsapp.com) or Google Voice (www.google.com). If you have a lot of incoming spam calls coming in, sign up for the Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov. Check to see if your mobile carrier offers spam call and text protection. You should also consider download and using the RoboKiller app (www.robokiller.com). 5.Ransomware. Ransomware is probably one of the most devastating cyber threats on the web today. If your home or office computer is infected with ransomware, it could mean the files on your devices are lost forever. Ransomware encrypts or locks up the pictures and documents on your devices. Ransomware is so lethal, it will infect multiple devices that are connected together on your home or office network, including cloud storage services and external hard drives used for backup. You are only able to gain access to them if you pay the ransom criminals will put up. How To Stay Safe: Ransomware normally shows up in the form of a phishing email, so think before you click on any link or attachment that shows up in your inbox. Set up an automatic backup system for all of your home and office devices. Services like Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) can keep your Windows and Macintosh safe in the cloud with automatic backup. For your smartphones and tablets, it's worth it to pay Apple and Google the extra money for storage to allow you to backup your information to their cloud services. In a world where the internet connects all your devices and allows you to work from home and communicate with your loved ones, staying on top of cyber threats has never been more important. 
Imagine this scenario. You're shopping at a store. You go to the checkout to make your purchase. All of a sudden you get an email receipt. How did they get your name, your email, and your credit card information? Criminals don't have to get access to your computer and devices to get your personal information. There are many ways your information falls into the hands of cyber crooks. Most businesses have access to your personal information and many of the point-of-sale services used such as Square and Clover share this information across their network. In this digital age, you should be aware your information is everywhere, and now more than ever you need to make sure that you know where it is and make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. How do criminals get access to this information that is supposed to be safe and secure? Check out these tips to keep your data safe. When you deal with any business, their main priority is to keep your information safe and secure. As I stated before, many shops collected your data in a variety of ways such as registering as a "preferred customer" or joining a mailing list for coupons, newsletters, and a variety of other perks. Most do a good job at keeping your data private, but sometimes your information can get out of their hands and into the hands of crooks who are always looking to get access to your data. Here are some of the ways they do it: Data breaches. One of the most common ways criminals get access to your data is through data breaches. These occur when crooks gain access to a business computer and steal information. Sometimes they release your information on the dark web or they sell your secrets to interested parties who want to steal your identity. In the instance I shared above with POS or point of sale services, like most financial institutions, they do an excellent job keeping your information safe and secure. One of the best ways to see if you're a victim of a data breach is to check out www.haveibeenpwned.com. This site will let you know if your information is floating around on the dark web. If you discover that you have been a victim of a data breach, change the passwords to your accounts immediately. Phishing Emails, Text Messages, and Phone Calls. The places you share your personal information with aren't the only ones guilty of sharing your information with criminals. Phishing schemes are designed to trick you into sharing your info with crooks. Phishing works when you get an Email, text, or phone call from someone pretending to be a representative from a trusted company you've worked with. Using social engineering tactics, they scare you into giving up information like your full name, address, credit card numbers, and more. An example of phishing is if you got a phone call from your cell provider, IRS, or a retailer saying there was a problem with your account, and they needed a payment to fix the issue. Your first instinct is to fix the issue by providing whatever information is being asked. Once thieves have your info, they can use it to access your account – and run up your credit cards or make purchases. They can even steal all of your private information. Name Scraping. Another way cybercrooks thieves attempt to steal your info is through name or data scraping. This is where they use 'bots' to pull off a variety of information about you from social media and other websites. Once your information is collected, criminals use this information for spam campaigns or phishing information. Be careful not to share too much information on your social media sites and beware when using web forms on websites. If the website isn't secure, criminals can easily gather your information. Spoofed Websites. Criminals create spoofed websites that look just like legitimate website to collect your information. Sometimes you will get these websites in the form of a phishing email or text. In other instances, you may see them in a popup that appears in the form of an ad or popup on a legitimate website. When visiting websites, never do it from a link or a popup. Open a browser and type in the website address to access the information you need to access. Ransomware. In standard Ransomware attacks, criminals will block access by the means of data encryption to your files in exchange for money. More recently, criminals will also steal your files and gather information from them. If you become a victim of ransomware, make sure you change all of your personal information to mitigate the risk of having your personal information used against you. I hope you can use these tips to understand how criminals can get access to your information. 99% of cybercrime requires user interaction in the way of clicking on links of falling for the variety of schemes out there. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, cybercrime has become more rampant among individuals and businesses. Most of you are familiar with common cyber-attacks such as phishing, smishing, vishing, credential stuffing, and ransomware attacks. However, an old tactic called scareware is starting to increase. Scareware works with criminals using web browser popups to trick you into thinking your computer or smart device is infected with a virus or has been hacked. What can you do about this latest threat? Check out these quick and easy tips to make sure you don't fall for this latest trap from crooks trying to steal your data. 99% of all cyberattacks require user interaction. This means, you have to click on a link or pop up before your device is infected. Scareware attacks work so well against you because they use social engineering tactics which create a sense of urgency and fear. This makes you want to take action right away rather than to stop and think if the threat is real. If you get a message on your computer or device that pops up saying there is a virus or other problem, you will want to take care of it immediately rather than having your device ruined. There are several ways hackers will use to launch a scareware attack on your devices: Malvertising. Malvertising is known as malicious advertising. Criminals use third-party software to show bogus ads that will take you to infected websites. This allows cybercriminals to spread malware, posing as legitimate ads on popular websites. When looking at ads on a website, make sure it's for legitimate products or services. Pop-up Alerts: Web Browser popups are one of the most common scareware attack techniques used by hackers. This method is considered 'drive-by hacking' as it relies on you visiting websites that are designed to infect your devices. Hackers do this by purchasing domain names of the misspellings of popular websites. Once you visit the website, a file or plugin when downloaded to your device and create a popup message. Sometimes the popup alert is small allowing you to close the pop-up. Sometimes the pop-up takes up the full screen of your devices making it impossible to get rid of it. In most cases, these pop-ups are stubborn and difficult to shut down. If you experience such an issue, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to restart your system if you're using Windows. Apple devices you can hit Option, Command, and Esc (Escape) to close the Window. iOS and Android devices, you will have to power the device down completely and restart it. Phishing. Phishing comes in many forms, voice, text, and email, and is used by criminals to get you to visit bogus websites. Pretending to be a legitimate company, scareware phishing attempts ask you to click on a link to do a number of things such as downloading software, to help remove a threat, or to fill out a form with your personal information. File Downloads/Web Browser Plugins. Sometimes hackers will offer you free software, books, songs, or web browser plugins. Beware, as sometimes criminals will hide malware inside these offers. Tips to Avoid Scareware. It doesn't matter your level of tech intelligence; anyone can become a victim of scareware. Always watch where you surf on the web and what you click on. Most people think criminals break into their computers and devices. In most instances, you're the one who is giving access to crooks. Here are some tips to keep you safe. Don’t React Immediately. Scareware is fear-based. Sometimes when you download it on your computer, you might hear a warning message, sirens, and other things to make you take action. When you get one of these pop-ups on your device, slow down and take your time. In most instances, you can simply close down the pop-up. Identify the Sender with incoming emails. If you get a strange email, you can read it, but never click on links to download files or visit a website without identifying the sender. Don't click on unknown links in emails or text messages. If you’re not familiar with a domain address or you can't tell what website the link will have you visit, don't click on it! I hope you can use these tips to help identify scareware in any form that it can show up on your devices or computers. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Looking for More Useful Tech Tips? Our Tuesday Tech Tips Blog is released every Tuesday. If you like video tips, we LIVE STREAM new episodes of 'Computer and Tech Tips for Non-Tech People' every Wednesday at 1:00 pm CST on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. You can view previous episodes on our YouTube channel. Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. 
With summer in full swing, it’s time to break out the hats and sunscreen to prepare ourselves for scorching temperatures. And make sure you don't forget your favorite tech devices… they need protection from the heat too! The summer heat can cause damage to your mobile devices when left out in the sun. Don't worry! Your favorite tech expert is here to drop some knowledge and help you prevent your smart devices from melting down. Check out these quick and easy tips to help keep your devices cooler in the summer heat. 1. Know the "safe range" for temperatures. Most tech devices are good to go in temperatures of 50° to 90°. Anything warmer than this is asking for trouble. Laptop, smartphone, and tablet batteries are notoriously not heat-friendly and the components of your delicate hard drive or internal storage might expand—sometimes causing permanent damage which puts you at risk of losing documents, photos, and music stored on your devices. 2. NEVER leave your tech devices in a hot car. Treat your tech like a baby and don't ever leave it in a warm car—not even in the trunk. The temperatures in your car on a warm day are almost always going to reach outside the safe range of your device. If you must leave your tech in a car, make sure it's been turned off completely. 3. Avoid high humidity. Many laptops, tablets, and smartphones can experience electrical problems when the humidity is very high. Don't work outside with your device on days like this, or you could fry it. 4. Stay out of direct sun, if you can. Yes, heat usually comes with lots of direct sunlight. We've heard all the urban legends about your device's screen becoming damaged from sun exposure, but we can't find anything to support it. Either way, it's better to be safe than sorry. 5. Don't put your devices on ice if they start to overheat. If your smartphone, tablet, or laptop starts to show signs of overheating, place it under the shade to gradually cool off. Remember, do not put your device in the refrigerator or freezer; the rapid temperature change can cause condensation buildup that could damage the circuit. I hope you can use these tips to help you stay safe when you're using your devices this summer. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@burtonkelso.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts organization can help you with any IT needs you might have. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829. 
Summer road trip season officially started on Memorial Day weekend, but you are bound to take a trip throughout the summer months for family vacations, college visits, weddings, and romantic getaways. Vacations can be fun but traveling can put you and your family at risk for identity theft and credit card scams. Fortunately, in our digital age, your smartphone can play a big role in helping protect you from the dangers of cybercrime when you travel. Want to keep you and your family safe? Check out these quick and easy tips to keep you out of the crosshairs of criminals 1. Pay for everything with your smartphone. Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are two of the most secure ways to make payments. For the gas pump, you can avoid credit card skimmers designed to steal your credit card information. For shopping, your information is encrypted meaning criminals won't be able to wirelessly steal your card information. If you don't have Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, your debit/credit card should allow you to tap to pay at most major retailers. Use it and stay safe. 2. Use the hotel app to unlock your room. If you're staying at a major hotel this summer, download their app and enable the feature that will let you store your room key on your phone. Room keys are easy to lose and steal. If a criminal steals your card and knows your room number, you are in trouble. Room keys stored on your phone are safer. One less thing to worry about. 3. Use a Wi-Fi hot spot rather than that free wireless network. Not all free wireless networks are bad, but when traveling you never want to take a chance that that free Wi-Fi is actually a criminal's computer collecting your data. If at all possible, use a Wi-Fi hotspot for the Internet when traveling as it allows a secure connection that criminals won't be able to spy on. 4. If you HAVE to use free Wi-Fi, download a VPN. Your cellular signal won't be available everywhere you travel and sometimes getting Internet is a must. A VPN or virtual private network creates a secure tunnel for your data when you're on public wireless networks which means the bad guys can't see what you're doing. 5. No public computers. Public computers pose no threat, but what if you forget to log out of your secure accounts. It means the next person who uses it has access to your sensitive data. 6. Emergency apps and Road Assistance apps are a must. Emergency apps keep you alerted to the weather in your area. Mishaps occur on the road, so you need to be able to contact someone if you're stranded. I hope you can use these tips to help you stay safe when you're traveling. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@burtonkelso.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. 
Limiting screen time is always a battle, especially in summer. Your kids may have gotten used to increased screen time during the pandemic and will probably push back against you. The battle over smart devices like phones, tablets, gaming systems, and laptops can sometimes feel like too much. As a parent with two teenage sons, I know the stress of trying to wrangle kids off their devices to have them do chores or even settle down for bedtime. The struggle is real! If left unchecked, too much screen time can lead to sleeplessness, irritability, and depression. No matter what devices your children play on, if you're wanting an easy way to help reduce stress in your life when it comes to allowing reasonable screen time this summer, follow these tips: 1. Make sure you set clear rules and consequences. You probably relaxed on those screen time rules during the pandemic and now that things are almost back to normal, you're having a heck of a time trying to reinstate them. Whenever you introduce your kids to technology, you need to set rules so there is no misunderstanding of how technology is supposed to be used. If you want your kids to do homework or chores before technology use, make sure they understand that upfront. If they are only supposed to play on their devices as opposed to your company laptop, you need to tell them. Sometimes you will sound like a broken record, but you need to keep reminding them what the rules are. Also, don't forget to stand firm with consequences if they don't follow your rules. Don't be afraid to take devices so they understand you mean business. 2. Set a good example as a parent when it comes to your devices. You are probably using your devices for work, but you also have to set a good example when it comes to your technology usage. If your kids see you constantly on your devices, then it sends a signal to them that they should be on them too. Set limits for yourself when using technology around your children. 3. Parents, everyone has to be on board with limiting screen time. Traditional home life, blended home life, or divorced home life, it doesn't matter. Everyone has to be on the same page when it comes to technology usage during the school year and during the summer months. If one parent is using technology as a babysitter and another parent has consistent rules when it comes to device limits, it's just going to cause confusion and frustration with your kids. Please, please, please ... I'm begging like James Brown, everyone get on board so you can have less stress. 4. Take devices away at night. There is no good reason children should have tech devices at night. This means you've enabled parental controls to shut those devices down after a certain time. It means you're not allowing your children to take devices to bed with them. If you don't, you will wake up to a sleep-deprived child who decided they needed to have an all-night marathon playing their favorite game with strangers, some of whom could be attempting to groom your child for a face-to-face meeting. 5. Make sure you set up other outdoor 'distractions' that will take them away from their devices. Things have opened back up again. Take your kids out of the house and leave those devices behind. Day trips, picnics, the list is endless of things you and your kids can do 6. Setup a 'No Tech' Zone for your kids. My wife always shares a story of an event that took place years ago when I made kids visiting stack their phones on the dining room table as we ate. You should do the same when it comes to areas of your home. Your child doesn't need a device in every room. They get too distracted. Areas you could make no tech zones include bedrooms, dining rooms, and even outdoors and road trips. This helps your children realize they don't need to have a device with them for every step they take in life. I hope you can use these tips to help you limit screen time for those kids in your life. Technology devices are designed to keep you and your children plugged in 24/7. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@burtonkelso.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone.
There are many cyber threats on the Internet such as phishing schemes, credential stuffing, crypto-jacking, and cloud hacking, but nothing is as dangerous as having your computer, or smartphone infected with a virus. Devices unfortunately do many things that can make you think you have a virus on your devices such as failure to start, a slow device, or unknown error messages that appear out of nowhere. Most viruses make themselves known once they are infecting your gadgets, but some lurk under the surface of your devices. Check out these quick and easy tips to help you locate and remove viruses on your personal devices. 1. Your devices begin to restart themselves. Devices will restart themselves when you haven't installed a critical update. If this happens, will get a notification, sometimes you won't, and that's okay. There are occasions when a random glitch will cause your devices to restart and sometimes your devices will restart because a criminal has access to them. They will restart your device suddenly to get malicious software to finish installing on your devices. If this happens, you need to shut your devices down immediately and have your favorite tech come to check your devices for infection. 2. Random Error Messages Appear. Most tech devices automatically take care of themselves and stay fairly problem-free so it's rare your devices will display error messages saying that you need to update drivers, or that there is a breach of your IP address. These are messages that appear from malicious software installed on your gadgets or the result of your browser being hijacked as a result of drive-by hacking. Sometimes a simple reboot of your device is all you need to do to remove these bogus messages. You can also attempt to find the malicious program and remove it from your device. 3. You fall for a tech support scam. If you fall victim to a tech support scam in which a crook wants to gain access to devices to help 'solve' a problem, there's a good chance they have installed software to log into your gadgets whenever it suits them to steal valuable information. Again, look to see if there are any unknown programs installed on your devices. If you find any that you are not familiar with, remove them immediately. 4. You can no longer access files on your devices. When you suddenly can't access documents, videos, and pictures on your gadgets, it's a good bet that your devices have been infected with ransomware. Ransomware is one of the worse forms of viruses on the web. This malicious program will lock or encrypt your files so you can no longer access them. It also could be a variety of Wiper viruses that will just wipe your device clean. If your devices get hit with ransomware or wiper, your only option is to restore your files from backup. 5. Your devices are running hotter than usual. If your devices are running hotter than usual, it's a good sign that someone has installed crypto-jacking software on your devices. Crooks who are looking to mine cryptocurrency will take over computers, tablets, smartphones, and sometimes gaming systems to use the power from those devices to generate more processing power to mine more crypto. If your device won't stay cool or shuts down because of overheating, someone is using your device to mine for crypto. If this happens, you will have to find the mining software running in the background and disable it. 99% of the cyber attacks that happen to your devices require user interaction. This means in most instances you will need to click on a link to open a door for a hacker to gain access to your gadgets or fall for a scheme that tricks you into allowing someone to gain access to your computer, laptop, smartphone, or tablet. In many instances, you can fix these issues by rebooting your Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS to see if your device works better. If you can't access files, this trick won't work, only restoring from the backup will. Also, running a scan with your anti-virus program might find the offending program. If not, you will have to call in the big guns in the form of your IT professional to help you with this. Cyberattacks are here to stay as we rely on our devices for work, school, and our personal lives. You should always stay vigilant to any threats that involve your devices. I hope you can use these tips to help you find out if your gadgets are infected with viruses. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! 
If you have Internet at your home or office, you know you need to have a modem and router to allow your devices to connect to the web. There are two options with your modem and router. First, you can just lease the equipment from your cable provider. Your other option is to purchase your own equipment to use. Of course, there is a one-time purchase, but once you buy it it's yours forever. There are many schools of thought when it comes to leasing your Internet equipment vs buying it outright. What should you do? Well, check out these tips and suggestions to help you make the right choice for your home or business. If you think about it, purchasing a modem and router makes for a good investment because leasing equipment can add up pretty quickly. The monthly fee for leasing from your Internet provider can run anywhere from $8 to $12 dollars and while that sounds cheap, think of how much money you will spend if you multiply that amount by 12 or 24 months. There are probably some of you reading this not realizing you are leasing your equipment. Well, you are. To be double sure, check out your latest internet bill and verify there is an equipment or modem fee. Not sure how much you're paying, check out the current list of rental prices from the popular Internet providers: AT&T: $10 a month CenturyLink: $15 a month Comcast Xfinity: $14 a month Cox: $12 a month Google Fiber: Free Optimum/Suddenlink: $10 a month Charter Spectrum and Frontier offer free modems, but they charge extra for the router. Another thing that makes owning a modem and router attractive is when you end your service with one provider, you can keep your equipment and use it with your new provider. If you decide to purchase a modem and router, you have many to choose from with brands including Arris, Netgear, Motorola, Netgear, Cisco-Linksys, TP-Link, and Belkin. Before purchasing one, you'll need to check with your Internet Service Company to make sure the brand and model work with your provider. Modems can range in price from $75 or more. You might be tempted to purchase the most expensive one, especially if you want to fix wifi dead zones in your home, but stay within your budget and if you have wifi dead zones go with a Mesh Wi-Fi setup. So what do I think? Well, you need to keep leasing that modem from your Internet provider? Why? It all boils down to the support you will get from your ISP. If you're a tech-savvy person, then it won't be a problem setting up a modem and router. If you're not tech-savvy, then you will probably hang yourself in the basement trying to deal with tech support attempting to walk you through setting up your third-party devices. When you have problems with your Internet, and I know you have been down that road, you will actually get less support if you purchased a third-party modem/router to work with your Internet providers. When it comes to support from your Internet company, the only things they care about are if there is an Internet signal making its way to your home or business and if their equipment is receiving it. If you have your own equipment, they will not troubleshoot any issues you are having and will refer you to the company that manufactured the modem/router. In a lot of instances, the manufacturer will send you right back to your Internet company. See where this is headed? A merry-go-round of support! You understand that technology is constantly changing and so does Internet technology ... like every 3-5 years. Internet companies are always boosting speeds and changing tech to make sure you get the best speeds possible. If you have purchased a modem, this means you're purchasing new equipment every few years. If you are leasing equipment from your provider, you just need to walk into the store and swap it out for a newer one. This process happens if you have problems with your leased modem. Walk in the store and swap it out. Remember, if you're leasing it's their equipment and they have to support it. I hope you can use these tips to figure out if you should purchase your own modem or lease equipment from your Internet provider. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help!
Since the pandemic started in 2020, there have been a record-breaking number of data hacks. While there have been a few instances of insider cyber theft and good old fashion data breaches, many of the cyber thefts that have occurred can be traced to the dark web. The dark web is the underbelly of the internet where a lot of criminal activity like human trafficking, drug dealing, and the exchange of your personal data takes place. How does your information wind up on the Dark Web? Well, check out these quick tips that will help you find out how your information winds up there and what you can do to protect yourself. The dark web has been around and has stayed under the radar for quite a while. If you want to picture where the dark web fits in in the grand scheme of the internet, think of the structure of an iceberg. Most of you are only familiar with what I will call the Surface Web. Like the tip of an iceberg, it's the portion that's visible. Sites like your email, streaming services, cloud services, and your favorite websites exist there. Believe it or not, your popular sites only take up about 4% of the Internet. Beneath the waves are the deep web and the dark web. The Deep Web makes up about 90% of the Internet and isn't accessible by the average person. This is where much government, academic, and medical information is stored. At the bottom taking up the remaining 6% of the Internet, is the dark web. Information on the Dark Web isn't indexed but can be accessed by using web browsers like Tor making it easy for any criminal to search and find countless data about you, your family, and friends. How Do Criminals Get My Information from the Dark Web? The primary items that hackers look for on the dark web are called "Fullz". This stands for "full package" and it refers to your personal information. It's a collection of your name, social security number, birth date, banking, and credit card numbers as well as other data that can be used to steal your identity. How Does My Information End Up On the Dark Web? The primary method of your information showing up on the dark web is from large-scale data breaches. Information targeted in those breaches is usually, customer and employee data, your email, phone numbers social security numbers, and more such as classified company data to get access to corporate sites and employees. When criminals get their hands on this information, they either sell it to the highest bidder or they use the information to get access to your online accounts or trick you into giving up your personal information in the form of phishing, vishing, and SMShing scams. What's on the internet and the dark web is there forever, which means once your information has been leaked, there’s virtually nothing that you can do about it. That’s why it’s essential to focus on taking preventative measures to mitigate security threats before there’s a problem. With this in mind, it pays to be proactive using the following methods: 1. Find out what information is lurking on the dark web. The website 'haveibeenpwned' can help you find out if your information was leaked in a large-scale data breach. If you visit the website and find out you have been "pwned", make sure you change your passwords to your online accounts. 2. Password managers can help you monitor as well. Password managers not only help keep track of all those complicated passwords, but they also monitor the dark web to see if any of the passwords you're using have appeared on the dark web. It's useful because criminals don't always act immediately if they get your information. There are password managers such as LastPass and 1Password that will keep track of your stuff, but you can also save your password in your favorite browser such as Edge, Safari, or Chrome. 3. ID Theft software plays a big role in helping you stay safe. If you find yourself in a situation where your information such as social security numbers, addresses, and full names leaked on the dark web, you should make the investment. in ID theft software. When criminals get access to this type of information, it can allow them to take out a loan or open a credit card in your name, receive your tax refund or medical treatment they didn't pay for, and damage your finances, credit score, and reputation. There are a lot of companies like LifeLock that can help guard your identity and finances from scams and hackers, as well as assist you if you have become a victim of identity theft. Ignoring cyberthreats and postponing preventive action is no longer an option. It doesn't matter what your financial situation is; you are being targeted by dark web hackers looking to capitalize on your personal information. I hope you can use these tips to prevent your information from being stolen by hackers. If you need further assistance, please reach out to me with any questions you might have. I am always happy to help! Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I'm serious about making technology fun and easy to use for everyone. Need computer or technology help? If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. Our team of friendly tech experts can help you with any IT needs you might have. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.  |
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