I’m back on my soapbox to encourage you to use good, strong passwords. Check out this list of the most common passwords and how long it takes hackers to break them.
Now go change your password!!
Texting
13 Things You Should (Almost) Never Put in a Text Here are some good reminders of do’s and don’ts about texting. It’s a tool. Be sure you are in control of the tool!
What is the Difference Between Antivirus and Antimalware?
There are some simple steps you can take to protect your computer from viruses and malware. Malware is short for malicious software and a virus is just one type of malware. They are a constant threat to every internet user. They attack your system and stop it from running. The best way to protect your computer against viruses and malware is to install an antivirus program or an antimalware program, for that matter.
How and When To Back Up Your Data
Simply put, the more important the data
the more often you should back up
the more back up copies you should have.
EXAMPLES:
Pictures of my daily Wordle results
Back up once a quarter
One copy on a thumb drive is enough.
QuickBooks back ups for my company
Back up every 2 times I close the program
Keep a copy on my external hard drive and a copy on Dropbox
Payroll records
Back up after each payroll period
Keep a copy on my external hard drive and a copy on Dropbox
Not only can your hard drive go bad, your external hard drive, thumb drive or DVD can also go bad. So important data needs to be backed up in multiple places. For years, when the standard back up method was to a DVD, I kept one copy in my office and another copy in the trunk of my car. I figured the office and the car wouldn’t be destroyed at the same time!!
Now with online options, it’s even easier.
Thumb Drive
Large thumb drives allow you to back up all of your files or a major project quickly. The process is manual which means you have to discipline yourself to do the back ups.
External Hard Drive
BBBS can assist you with purchasing and configuring an external hard drive that sits in your office and automatically backs up your entire hard drive. If the computer hard drive goes, you can download everything you need from the external hard drive.
Online Back Up Services
There are multiple options for you. BBBS can assist you in choosing the best service and help you configure the settings.
- One Drive is part of your Microsoft 365 account.
- Drive is part of your Google account.
- Dropbox is my favorite but there are many Software-As-A-Service (Saas) companies.
Surviving the Scam Surge
Yes, you are getting hit with more spam emails and calls — and now spam texts — than at any point in the history of these devices. These messages are frequently dangerous! They often try to steal your data, identity and/or money — and the crooks are getting better and better.
Here with some tips from security experts on how to protect yourself:
Simply do not answer calls or respond to texts from numbers you don’t recognize. If it’s a legitimate call/text, they’ll leave a message and you can call right back. Even if the area code indicates the number is local, don’t answer.
Likewise, don’t respond to emails from people you don’t recognize. That’s the easiest way for the spammer to verify your email so they can share it with their buddies and hit you with more junk mail. Just delete the message.
Only report as spam if you recognize the sender. For example, if I suddenly get an email from ABC manufacturing and I am sure I didn’t sign up to get their emails, I would report it as spam. I would know they grabbed my email from a membership list somewhere.
Don’t have your actual email show on your website. Instead of Pamela@YourComputerLady.com put “Email Pamela” and make the words a link to the email address. The link opens an email on the visitor’s computer so they can easily email you. But it’s harder for a spammer to grab the link. They’re too lazy to make the extra step.
Verify everything. If you get what looks like a request for information or a bill from a government office or retailer, call that agency or company to verify that it’s real. Scammers try to hit your hot buttons to suck you in. Offers to pay off your student loans or telling you there’s an issue with your online shopping order.
Pay attention even to emails from people you know. I recently received an email from a client. But the subject line was odd and the attachment was a file type she typically wouldn’t send me. Sure enough, when I texted to confirm it was legit, she told me her email had been hacked.
I absolutely, with no reservation, promise you Dell, Microsoft, Apple – hardware and software retailers of that level – will never call you to tell you there is a problem with their computer or with their software. Hang up!
Never click a link in a text from a number you don’t know.
Don’t even respond if you get a robocall that tells you to press a certain key on your phone to stop getting calls. Getting you to click on something is one of the quickest ways for scammers to get your personal information or at least verify that what they have is correct.
You can quickly forward spam text messages to 7726 to report them.
Put your landlines and cell phones on the FTC’s Do Not Call list to avoid telemarketers. Or better yet, do not answer calls from numbers you don’t recognize.
Want more info? Here are some guides on avoiding spam calls and texts and emails.
Source Data: Robokiller. Chart: Baidi Wang/Axios
Home printer buying guide
This DigitalTrends article goes point by point on printer features and options to help you decide which printer is best for your home / home office. There’s even mention at the end of the portable printers that becoming more common.
Tech Tip
Sometimes printer software just gets corrupted and the printer stops working properly.
- Turn off the printer. Turn off your computer. Wait 10-15 seconds. Turn on the printer. Turn on the computer. This will clear 80% of the problems!
- Delete the printer (Settings / Bluetooth & devices / Printers & scanners.) Turn off the printer. Turn off your computer. Wait 10-15 seconds. Turn on the printer. Turn on the computer. Your computer should “recognize” the printer, re-load the driver and possibly clear the corruption.
- Call BBBS for support.
Digital Assistants
Digital assistants are still trending, and many of your customers are using them to make their lives easier. Features like Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Google’s digital assistant let people search the internet without even picking up their phones. In 2021, 20% of internet searches were voice-based.
Back Up Your Files NOW!
Here’s the rule of thumb for when and where to back up data.
The more important the information
The more often you should back up and
The more distant those back up files should be.
I back up my QuickBooks data every 2 days and every time I do a lot of input. I don’t want to re-build or re-do a lot of entries. So the time it takes to do the back up is a savings compared to the frustration and time required to re-do the work.
If YCL does more than 1 hour of input on a website, we back up the site immediately. No need to risk losing that work!
Really important information like a password list, payroll records, client info, photos of grandchildren, etc. should be in 2 or 3 different places. Maybe a copy on a thumb drive in your office. A copy on Dropbox. A copy on iDrive.
If the thumb drive gets corrupted, you can pull from Dropbox or iDrive. If Dropbox crashes, you can pull from the thumb drive or iDrive.
Yes, even files stored on the cloud should have back ups!
Case in point, I store all of my passwords with LastPass. It’s a great software that I’ve recommended to many of you. A month ago CenturyLink had a nation-wide system disruption that affected the LastPass servers. I couldn’t log in!! The info was still there but I couldn’t get to it. Now I am exporting the passwords once a month and storing them in Dropbox.
I highly recommend that at least one of your back ups be automated. Sync everything with Dropbox. Use iDrive. Buy an external hard drive with back up software. Automating the process will save you time and give you protection even on those super busy days where little tasks get missed.
You can set up Dropbox to automatically sync files from your computer. You can use iDrive or Google Drive to schedule back ups.
Don’t wait for a disaster to happen. Plan and implement your system now for peace of mind.
GoDaddy Security Breach
GoDaddy announced 11/23 that they had had a major security breach involving their Managed WordPress hosting. Their notice was followed by one from WordFence, the security software we put on all of the sites we do maintenance for. See the emails below.
To protect my clients and YCL, I have:
- Changed the password to log into the GoDaddy accounts themselves.
- Changed the YCL password to log into the WordPress website.
- Changed the client password to log into the WordPress site or sent a Reset Password email to each user.
Look for this email and change the passwords ASAP!
I started these changes yesterday. I will finish today.
You need to visit your site a few times over the next few weeks and check to see that the site is functioning properly and that there is no unusual activity on it. YCL will continue monitoring via WordFence.
If you used the same password for the WordPress login that you use on other accounts, YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE OTHER PASSWORDS IMMEDIATELY. The hackers will be trying to use the user names and passwords they got at banks, Facebook, Amazon, etc. to see if they can use your password to access these other accounts.
Each password at each site should be unique.
GoDaddy announcement
We are writing to inform you of a security incident impacting your GoDaddy Managed WordPress hosting service.
We recently identified suspicious activity in our WordPress hosting environment and immediately began an investigation with the help of a third-party IT forensics firm and have contacted law enforcement. Our investigation is ongoing, but we have determined that, on or about September 6, 2021, an unauthorized third party gained access to certain authentication information for administrative services, specifically, your customer number and email address associated with your account; your WordPress Admin login set at inception; and your sFTP and database usernames and passwords. What this means is the unauthorized party could have obtained the ability to access your Managed WordPress service and make changes to it, including to alter your website and the content stored on it. The exposure of your email address may also present a heightened risk of phishing attacks.
We are taking several steps to protect you and your data. First, we have blocked the unauthorized third party from our systems.
Second, we have reset your WordPress Admin login credentials, sFTP password and your database password. Your website is still up and running, but you won’t be able to edit content until you reset your passwords.
Here are the instructions on how to reset each password:
• WordPress Admin Login, please visit: https://www.godaddy.com/help/a-26916.
• sFTP or data password, please visit: https://www.godaddy.com/help/a-40804.
• WordPress database password, please visit: https://www.godaddy.com/help/a-24573.
If you use the same password for other accounts, we recommend you change your password to those accounts and adopt data security best practices, such as choosing a strong unique password, regularly changing it, and enabling multi-factor authentication where available. We also recommend that you remain vigilant for potentially fraudulent communications sent to your email address purporting to be from GoDaddy or other third parties.
Finally, because the private key of your existing Managed WordPress SSL certificate was exposed, the certificate will need to be revoked. We are in the process of installing a free DV SSL certificate on your website for one year to minimize potential site downtime.
If you would like to continue using your existing SSL certificate product, please follow the directions below to rekey a new certificate: https://www.godaddy.com/help/a-4976.
If you have any other questions, or you need further assistance, please call (480) 505-8870.
For residents living in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming, please visit https://www.godaddy.com/help/a-41004 for additional resources that describe additional steps you can take to help protect your information, including recommendations by the Federal Trade Commission regarding identity theft protection and details on how to place a fraud alert or a security freeze on your credit file.
Thank you,
Demetrius Comes
Chief Information Security Officer
WordFence Notice
GoDaddy announced this morning that they have been breached. Our team took a deep dive into the breach and found that GoDaddy appears to have stored passwords in plaintext, or in a format that could be reversed back into plaintext, which is not an industry best practice.
We confirmed this by signing into a GoDaddy Managed WordPress Hosting Account and verifying that we were able to view our own sFTP password. That means the attacker didn’t need to crack the passwords and could likely retrieve them directly.
According to GoDaddy’s own SEC filing: “For active customers, sFTP and database usernames and passwords were exposed.“
The attacker had access to GoDaddy’s systems for over two months before they were discovered.
We have published a detailed post explaining how customers are affected, and what to do. Please pay special attention to our comments regarding your own customer notification obligations, if your site(s) are affected by this.
Click here to read our post about this breach on the official Wordfence blog…..
How To Determine And Adapt To Your Customers’ Communications Preferences
As you begin implementing your 2021 marketing plans, one big consideration should be “How do my clients WANT me to communicate?” If a prospect contacts you via Facebook then it’s reasonable to assume they want a Facebook response. Don’t demand that they call you because you like talking on the phone better. Start with “They’re a FB person” and respond. Then you can move them to a phone call or in person meeting as needed. First you want to meet them where they are. One client I work with never responds to an email no matter how urgent the subject. But they answer to every call. So why frustrate both of us by sending emails? I’m not a big text person. When I have a client who is, I respond by text then forward their text and my answer to my email so I have the continuity that I like. But I don’t expect them to change to fit my preferences!! Communication is definitely a case where the client is always right. Here are some more suggestions.
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