Springtime is here! Is there anyone else out there that loves giving their home a top to bottom cleaning? No? Okay. Now would also be a good time for a good old digital cleanup of social media accounts, computer files and phones/tablets.

Here are a few tips that will help promote organization, security and performance

• Computer: Delete or archive old files, uninstall unused programs, clear caches, and update software regularly.
• Social Media: Review and delete outdated or unnecessary posts, update privacy settings, and deactivate unused accounts.
• Phone/Tablet: Remove unused apps, clear browsing history, delete old messages and media, and regularly update the operating system and apps.

 

That’s not so bad right? I’d better get started. Happy cleaning!

Scammers are still at it—that’s the simplest way to put it. Every day, I get emails claiming I’ve won a gift card and just need to click the link to verify some details [cue eye roll].

I also receive emails notifying me that my subscription has been renewed for a certain amount, with instructions to call if I want to cancel. Additionally, there’s the common phishing text claiming they couldn’t deliver my package, asking me to click a link to reschedule. And then, there’s the alarming phone call claiming a warrant has been issued for my arrest.

Always be on alert. Never trust, always verify. Never click links in text messages or emails if they come from people you do not know. Closely examine all messages and look for clues of legitimacy.

Stay safe!

Do you know what I got tired of seeing last year? News about data breaches! There were way too many breaking news stories about top companies experiencing a breach. In turn there were many emails and notifications about my data possibly being exposed. While there isn’t anything you can do to stop these breaches from happening, here’s what you can do if your data is exposed.

• Change your passwords and enable multifactor authentication
• Monitor your credit report for new unauthorized accounts and freeze credit if necessary
• Monitor bank accounts and credit cards for unauthorized transactions

Let’s hope for a better year. One where there are significantly less breaches.

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!

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! 

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! 

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. 

• Be sure to clean up your friend lists.  

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. 

• Be aware of what you post. 

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.  

• Make your page private. 

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.  

• Keep your account secure. 

As always, remember to turn on two factor authentication and change your password regularly. Use a different password than your other online accounts. 

• Don’t trust, always verify. 

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. 

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: 

• Set a lock screen password.  

• Activate the remote wipe feature if available.  

• Always install security patches as they will close security gaps that make your device vulnerable. 

• Never click links in text messages from unknown senders.  

• When installing applications be sure to only give permissions that are necessary.  

By adhering to these guidelines, you can safeguard your mobile device. 

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. 

 

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.

• Potentially Unwanted Programs (PuP)

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.

• Trojan horse

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.

• Ransomware

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.