by S. Singleton
Happy New Year!
We are so grateful to see another year! As always, we are excited to work with you and are here for all your computer support needs.
Follow and interact with us on social media to stay up to date with everything we are doing this year.
Wishing you a very prosperous year!
by S. Singleton
Another successful year in the books! We are truly grateful for the opportunity to work with you this year. We hope these blog posts have helped you in some way. Thank you for trusting us with your computer support needs and we look forward to working with you in 2025.
We wish you all a very happy holiday! It is our hope that you can relax, unwind, and enjoy this time with family and friends. See you next year!
by S. Singleton
This is the time of year that we spend time together with family and friends. We enjoy good food, laughter, and a football game on the big screen. It is also common to help others by providing items to help keep warm, a nice meal or just company for those who may not have family nearby. November is a month of gratitude.
At Crowned Computer Services we are thankful for another successful year of business. One in which we were able to have the opportunity to provide a service to our wonderful clients. We are grateful for the referrals, the follows, engagement on our social media pages, and that you decided to choose us again and again.
Happy Thanksgiving!
by S. Singleton
Just about all of us have social media accounts. It is a great way to keep up with family and friends that we may not get to see or talk to every day. We share good news, bad news, pictures, and videos. So much of our lives are shared on the internet. It’s important to consider a few things.
Sometimes your friends get hacked and just create new pages, leaving the hacker with access to all of your pictures, videos, and other information you only intended to share with people you know.
It’s great to share pictures of that cool vacation but now someone knows you’re not at home. That is the perfect time for a thief to break in. Those “About Me” games seem like a good way to pass time but some of that information may give away answers to your security questions used for authentication.
If you’re posting pictures and videos, it’s best to have a private profile and share that information with friends. An open profile gives everyone access.
As always, remember to turn on two factor authentication and change your password regularly. Use a different password than your other online accounts.
Never trust direct messages asking for money just because it’s coming from a friend. Always verify. Text them if you can. If not, ask some questions only that person would know the answer to (not something that could be found on your page or theirs). Do not click on random, “I think this is you in this video” type of links either. That is a sure way for your account to be compromised too.
Social media can be entertaining but always play it safe.
by S. Singleton
Just about everyone these days has a smart phone. Our phones and tablets contain so much of our personal information such as pictures, videos, passwords, emails, and text messages. This makes it a target for hackers. Mobile devices are susceptible to theft, zero-day attacks, and malware.
Here are a few tips:
By adhering to these guidelines, you can safeguard your mobile device.
by S. Singleton
Operating systems may frequently require an update. Many ignore them because…another update, really? Yes! Every day hackers are looking for a vulnerability in software that can be exploited. An exploited vulnerability in software can leave the door wide open for a hacker to steal your information or install malware.
A zero-day vulnerability is one that has been identified but not yet patched. Vendors will release a patch to close the security gap. Once released it is important to install it immediately if you are using a home computer. In an enterprise environment it is usually tested before being pushed out to hundreds of workstations.
Install all security updates as soon as possible. They are more important than you think.
by S. Singleton
Malware is malicious software that is designed to intentionally attack and harm a computer system. There are several types of malware that each have different goals. Here are some that you may be familiar with.
A PuP is sneaky. It actually obtains your permission to download but it is loaded with stuff you may not have even agreed to. Have you ever thought you were downloading software but had 20 toolbars in your browser by the time everything was done installing? That’s a PuP. It can be loaded with adware, spyware and other things you just did not want.
You may have thought you were downloading a free version of the popular video editing software, but it was really a trojan horse. Once you install the program and run it, malware is being installed in the background and getting ready to wreak havoc. Its goal could be to collect personal information, usernames and passwords, etc.
With ransomware, your computer’s boot drive is encrypted thus locking you out of your system until you pay the attacker’s ransom. It is very important to never click links in emails without verifying they are legitimate nor download software from unknown sources.
Keep your antimalware/antivirus programs updated and scan regularly to remove existing threats from your machine.
by S. Singleton
The last person you would ever expect to be a scammer is tech support right? Yes, and that’s exactly what a scammer is counting on. Be on the lookout for a tech support scam. A tech support scam can start with a pop-up message on your computer when you visit certain websites.
This pop up appears on your screen with a message stating:
“Your computer has been infected! Call tech support at 555-555-5555 to have this issue resolved.”
Once you call the number and reach a “tech support agent”, they will ask for remote access to your computer. If you give the scammer access to your computer malware can be installed and your information could be stolen.
Scammers may also be placing calls to unsuspecting people and pretending to be from trusted tech support companies. Their objective could be to get money from you to “fix the issue”. They may also use a sense of urgency to make you act quickly and without thinking.
Be sure to scan your computer frequently for malware and use a trusted browser guard if possible. Stay vigilant.
by S. Singleton
Subscription based software is becoming increasingly popular among many big-name vendors. However, many customers are not onboard with the new pricing model. We often get calls from clients wondering why they are unable to purchase certain programs via a one-time fee like they used to. The idea of paying monthly or yearly just doesn’t sit well with them.
I can admit, I was slightly extremely annoyed with my most used program going to a subscription model. If you’re like me, here are a couple of positives that may help get on board.
I was sold at the no more obsolete software, but we know it could take a little longer to get onboard. Hopefully you can find a happy medium.
by S. Singleton
A password is the first defense in securing devices such as phones, tablets, and computers as well as your online accounts. While we want the password to be easy for us to remember, we don’t make it too easy for everyone else to guess.
Commonly used insecure passwords are:
It is recommended that a password be 12 characters or more and include a mix of lower and uppercase letters, numbers, and symbols. The longer and more complex the password, the harder it is to crack.
Use a different password for every online account. This ensures that if one password is compromised, the hacker won’t be able to gain access to your other online accounts. Use a reputable password keeper to keep track of them all.
Lastly, change your passwords regularly. Most sites force password changes after 30 to 60 days. If not, play it safe and change it yourself.
