Showing posts with label malware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label malware. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

November Tech News and Tips from On-Site Technical Solutions


Welcome to the holiday season! Are you receiving our free email newsletters?  Below is our November monthly tech news and tips edition. If you'd like to sign up, send an email to info@on-siteoc.com with the subject "newsletter." 



Monthly tech news + tips from On-Site Technical Solutions, Inc.
4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe
4 Easy Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe Few expect malware to infect their computer. Those who do expect it? They stay safe!
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Protecting Your Mobile Devices While Traveling
Protecting Your Mobile Devices While Traveling. No more excuses: It's pretty darn easy to protect your gadgets while you're on the move.
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These Simple Password Tips Can Protect You from Hackers

These Simple Password Tips Can Protect You from HackersComputer users today face a daunting task: A growing number of sites require passwords, and security experts recommend that users not reuse the same passwords at different sites.
That's a lot of passwords to remember. How many of us really think to write down our passwords and store that piece of paper in a safe place?
However, choosing the right passwords today is an increasingly important task as more of us do our banking and shopping online. Weak passwords pose little challenge for hackers, who can decipher them and steal our important financial information.
The Atlantic Monthly, though, recently offered some password tips from Alex Horan, who calls himself a "white hat" hacker. In other words, he's a good hacker.
Here are some password suggestions from Horan.

Passphrase is a better form of protection
Horan told the Atlantic that computer users are better off using passphrases than they are passwords.
What's the difference? A passphrase is made up of a string of whole words. Good passphrases can be the first line in a favorite book or a lyric from a favored song. These aren't easy for hackers to guess, Horan said. They're also not easy for computers running a brute force attack—hyper-speed password-guessing—to crack.

Longer is better
It makes sense that longer passwords are more difficult for hackers and computer programs to guess. However, you might be surprised at how much difference a single character can make.
If your password is 10 characters long, it can take an average of five days for a hacker to decipher it. If you password has just one more password, it will take an average of 306 days to crack it. And if your password has 14 words? It will take more than 72 million days on average to crack it.

Not all sites need smart passwords
Of course, not all websites are created equal when it comes to sensitive information. Because of this, Horan told the Atlantic that computer users can use so-called “dumb” passwords—ones that are fairly easy to crack—at certain sites.
For instance, if you belong to a writer's group that requires a password, you can get away with a simple pass, but when you are choosing a password for your bank, make sure to use the most complicated one that you can remember.
This helps make logging into sites a less arduous task while still protecting your financial information.
Read more at the Atlantic Monthly.
It's Time to Disable Java on Your Computer
It's Time to Disable Java on Your Computer
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Don't Bust Your Budget While Traveling with a Smartphone
Don't Bust Your Budget While Traveling with a Smartphone
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The Worst Data Security Breaches in History
The Worst Data Security Breaches in History
Continue reading »
Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. Call us for all of your network computing and business IT needs. We can also help with your data security and mobile computing. Follow us online below. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.

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Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Monthly tech news and tips from On-Site Technical Solutions

Are you receiving our free email newsletters?  Below is our August monthly tech news and tips edition. If you'd like to sign up, send an email to info@on-siteoc.com with the subject "newsletter." 


Monthly tech news + tips from On-Site Technical Solutions
What Your Web Browser Says about You
What Your Web Browser Says about You
Does your choice of web browser offer any insights about your personality?
Continue reading »
Securing Your Business Accounts from Hackers
Securing Your Business from Hackers
A timeless reminder to small business owners: don’t assume you’re protected!
Continue reading »

Bring-Your-Own Device Takes off in the Workplace, but What Are the Risks?

Bring-Your-Own Device Takes off in the Workplace, but What Are the Risks?Are you able to access your computer network at work with your iPad? What about your iPhone or your laptop computer? This trend, known as bring-your-own-device or BYOD, is on the rise in the workplace. It makes sense: When companies encourage employees to bring their own devices to the office, these same companies don't have to spend as much on desktop computers and other high-tech equipment.
The move also makes sense for workers. Employees will be more familiar with their own devices. And if they bring their own laptops and tablets to work, they can more easily transport their files, email messages and important documents back and forth from home to work.
The Risks of BYOD
But the BYOD movement does come with risks, risks that ComputerWorld columnist Darragh Delaney highlights in a recent column.
Delaney writes that IT security personnel are growing more concerned about the risks of letting employees use their own devices to access workplace networks. The greater the number of outside devices hooking into a network, the greater the risk that a network will fall victim to some sort of malware attack. After all, not all employees take the proper steps to protect their computing devices, especially when it comes to increasingly popular tablets.
Company Information at Risk
At the same time, when employees load sensitive workplace data onto their mobile devices, companies face an entirely new set of concerns. What if employees lose their mobile devices? There's no guarantee that sensitive information won't fall into the wrong hands.
Delaney writes that companies must properly educate their employees on how to use their mobile devices as safely as possible. Some companies might want to ban outside devices from their networks. That's not entirely reasonable, though. Outside mobile devices help employees do more work more efficiently. Companies don't want to limit the production of employees by refusing them access to the network with these devices.
The BYOD Trend
BYOD is a trend that isn't going to fade away. Mobile devices are critical work tools for a growing number of employees. Companies, then, must make sure to educate these employees on how to safely connect them to the workplace network.
Read more at ComputerWorld.
How to be a better procrastinator on Facebook: pro tips
How to be a better procrastinator on Facebook: pro tips
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Don’t bother buying smartphone antivirus software (for now)
Don’t bother buying smartphone antivirus software (for now)
Continue reading »
Do you make these common PowerPoint mistakes?
Do you make these common PowerPoint mistakes?
Continue reading »

Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. Call us for all of your network computing and business IT needs. We can also help with your data security and mobile computing. Follow us online below. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.

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Monday, June 25, 2012

How to Protect Your Mac from the Newest Viruses

We've noted before that Macs (and iOS) are not immune from viruses, but they are less afflicted than the Windows computer platforms. It's a question of scale - why write a virus for a small percentage of the computer market. 

With the success of the iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) as well as the expansion of the Mac market we're seeing more vulnerabilities being exploited in the Apple world. 

Here are some links for Apple anti-virus tools:




The article below is from our June newsletter (Monthly tech news and tips).  If you'd like to sign up, send an email to info@on-siteoc.com with the subject "newsletter."


Macs have always had the reputation for being less susceptible to viruses than are PCs. That doesn't mean, though, that Mac users can happily scour the web without any protection. 

Hackers, cyber criminals, and spammers are clever. They know how to break into that Mac of yours. 

Fortunately, you can boost the security of your Mac by taking some fairly simple steps.

Install those security updates


First, always install Apple's security updates. Apple recommends these updates for a reason: They offer the latest protection for your Mac. Yes, installing these updates may seem like a nuisance. But if you don't, you run the risk of leaving your Mac vulnerable to the newest security threats.

The benefits of anti-virus software


It also makes sense to protect your Mac with private anti-virus software. You might think that your Mac is strong enough to resist hackers and viruses without spending money on anti-virus software, but why take the chance? The money you spend on this software — and you can find high-quality anti-virus software for free, too — will provide you with peace of mind as you browse the Internet. It's difficult to put a price tag on that.                 
Of course, you can protect your Mac, too, by being a wise Internet user. This means not opening files from users you don't know or trust. Spammers and hackers often infect computers by tricking users into opening files that contain malicious programs. Hackers will do this by making you believe that a file is either useful or, often, salacious. Don't be fooled.

Be a smart web surfer


You shouldn't download files, either, from websites that you don't trust. It's easy to infect the computers of gullible web surfers interested in downloading pirated or adult movies, for instance. Smart users only download programs from well-known and trusted sites.
Finally, make sure to update your passwords frequently. And use passwords that aren't easy to crack.
The truth is that most security breaches happen when computer users become overconfident. Failing to install security updates, running computers without virus protection programs, and blindly opening email attachments are the easiest ways to run into security problems, even when you're a Mac user.

Visit On-Site Technical Solutions for information on how you can move to Google Apps or other Cloud Computing applications. Call us for all of your network computing and business IT needs. We can also help with your data security and mobile computing. Follow us online below. Call or text me at 1-949-212-2168.

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