Archive for ‘security

How to spot a scam/phishing email

by
Image for How to spot a scam/phishing email

It’s kind of hard to believe, but a LOT of people are still falling victim to scam emails, also known as phishing emails.  When “phishing” is spelled that way, it just means that there is a scammer looking to grab some personal information in order to steal your identity and your money. There [...] Read more »

How to NOT lose your internet connection on July 9

by
Image for How to NOT lose your internet connection on July 9

I’ve been getting emails and Facebook messages asking about a topic that is currently in the news.  There is a story circulating that claims hundreds of thousands of people could lose their internet connection in July.  A story like that might sound a lot like the typical “forward this email to all your friends” [...] Read more »

Disable Internet Explorer 9 geo-locator

by
Image for Disable Internet Explorer 9 geo-locator

It seems like every day there is something in the news about maintaining your privacy while on the internet.   One extreme is not wanting ANY of your information available to anyone else (which means you pretty much have to not use any electronic devices).  The other end of the spectrum is just throwing it [...] Read more »

How to track your stolen laptop or phone

by
Image for How to track your stolen laptop or phone

One of the great advantages of having a laptop computer is the portability.  You can just pick it up and take it anywhere, and these days you can find a wifi signal in lots of public places.  However, there is a downside with that portability benefit – laptops are easily stolen.  One minute you [...] Read more »

Protect your computer to protect your bank account

by
Image for Protect your computer to protect your bank account

You have probably heard about the malicious software programs that suddenly pop up a window and tell you that you have 97 severe threats on your computer and you need to take action to get rid of them.  You close the window, and it just opens up again a few seconds later.  Sometimes lots [...] Read more »

Is a firewall necessary?

by
Image for Is a firewall necessary?

[google1 count="on"] You have probably heard the term “firewall” sometimes, in relation to computers and security.  Let’s talk about what a firewall is, and if you need to make any changes to your computer setup in order to be secure. First of all, what is a firewall? Basically, a firewall is what its [...] Read more »

How to protect your Paypal account

by
Image for How to protect your Paypal account

Like a lot of people that do business online, I use Paypal every day for both sending and receiving money.  It’s really the easiest way to conduct business.  To receive payments from clients who wish to pay by credit card, I don’t need to have a merchant account – the money just goes directly [...] Read more »

The Stuxnet Virus

by

Happy 4th of July!  Today is a pretty big holiday here in the US so I am taking a break from the regular “computer tip” blog post. Hey, even we computer guys have to get away from the computer every once in a while! This is just something that I find interesting and a [...] Read more »

The popular place for spyware now: Google Images

by
Image for The popular place for spyware now: Google Images

You probably search Google most commonly for websites that have information that you want or need. However, it has become more and more popular to search Google images as well (particularly if you are look for a picture of something). If you search in Google Images, you are fairly likely to come [...] Read more »

Your smartphone is probably revealing your location

by
Image for Your smartphone is probably revealing your location

If you have concerns about online privacy and security, I have information here that you need to pay attention to.  The subject of today’s post is: geotagging.  You might not be familiar with that term.  If you take a picture with your digital camera and upload it to a website such as Google’s Picasa, [...] Read more »