How to stay safe with a smartphone:

It’s impossible to be 100% secure on any computer/mobile phones but you can try your best to stay ahead of hackers by following simple tips. The most important ones being…have a PIN number or password for your phone, run the latest operating system and download every OS update and make sure WiFi networks are secure. I would be very careful when using public WiFi in places like cafes and other public areas. It’s easy for hackers, in the same area, to connect/hack into your computer/smartphones. Read on if you want to know more on this subject…

Quoted from CBC.ca..

-Have a PIN number or password
-Put a PIN number or password on the SIM card
-Run the latest operating system and download every OS update
-Have a security product on board
-Download apps from a trusted source
-Check out an app’s privacy policy
-Smartphone Kill Switch
-Don’t let websites cache a smartphone login
-Register a phone for a Lock Locate Wipe program
-Make sure WiFi networks are secure
-Buy your own VPN (virtual private network)
-Don’t leave your smartphone lying around
-Be aware of the risks with e-banking on a smartphone

Read more details on each subject you see above..

Cyber-thieves who target mobile phones are ramping up efforts to steal cash from victims, suggests a report.

In nine months viruses that steal cash have jumped from 29% of mobile malware to 62%, found the report by Lookout.

Mobile security firm Lookout said the growth was down to phone fraudsters industrialising their scams.

Viruses were getting on to phones via booby-trapped apps and through adverts and webpages harbouring malware, it said.

Read More..

Getting Hacked…

Another problem is getting hacked, whether its your computer or accounts such as Facebook, emails or bank accounts. First and foremost is to “LOG OUT” of accounts when finished…login then logout. (sign in/sign out). Change your password often with a long, easy to remember…one with at least 10 digits and included characters, capital, numbers, etc. In the case of FP or webmail, you could lose your account and have to start a new one.

Password headaches!

If your computer gets hacked…through a virus or an over the phone imposter who says he’s from Microsoft (happened to a few people I know) and tells you about a virus on your computer. He asks you to do a few things on your computer and he takes control of your computer. Once a hacker has control of your computer…it’s nearly impossible to regain control unless disconnect from the internet and run virus scans. You may have to completely reinstall everything on your system however.

If you have a virus…

Couple of sure signs that you may have viruses…your computer is slower than usual, pop up windows saying you have viruses, windows and other programs cannot update, crashes…to name a few. Malware is also similar to viruses because it will cause your computer to act funny like being redirected to different websites when on the internet. These can also record your key strokes and capture you adding passwords to accounts.

Here are a few things you can do besides calling a tech. If you have an anti virus program, you can run a scan, although it may be too late for detection. People think if you have and anti virus program, they should not have viruses…not true…viruses can pass detection somehow.

If you don’t have any anti virus program, you can buy one (such as Norton, McAfee to name a few) and install but there are a few free ones online. The one I use is from Microsoft called “Security Essentials” and is found on the Microsoft Website. It works as well as any other because none are 100% guarantee.  Another is called “MalwareBytes” or “AVG” but these are only free for a short time, so I use it and uninstall it after. If these don’t detect anything, it could be something else like hardware problem rather than software…so time to call a tech.

If it detects something it may quarantine or remove the virus/malware but sometimes it cannot, so, you can try running your computer in “Safe Mode” then running the scan. (Safe Mode can be done by pressing f8 key when computer boots up) Often you have to run numerous scans and reboots to eliminate the virus. If this fails or you are not sure how to do this…call a tech.  If all fails, your computer will have to be reinstalled and if you did not do backups, you will lose everything saved on it.

How secure is your computer …is it infected with viruses…what you can do.

I would guest that at least 50% of home computers out there are already infected with virus or malware.  There are some things you can do to slow down (or stop) infections depending what you want to do. Adding an anti virus program is a good start but making sure it and other apps, win (operating system) are updated regularly. These updates are usually done automatically but sometimes viruses will cancel auto update. So check the windows update history to make sure it updates regularly. This is a sure sign of viruses if it does not update regularly.

The bottom line is when you get a virus/malware/hack, you will have to deal with it and talk to a tech about the problem. This can be costly, but also the only way to fix the problem, if you want to go in this direction. If you don’t do any banking, use your credit cards to buy online or store confidential documents, no problem except for photos, music, documents, which you can replace you can go ahead and get your computer cleaned. Often it will be wiped clean and you will lose everything on it.

If you do banking online etc. you should be much more careful with your security and when in doubt, call somebody that can answer your questions.

Educate yourself:

– Only click through to trusted sources when conducting searches, especially on topics with high attention
–  Never update “media player,” “codec,” or “Flash” when promoted by a site hosting videos or not affiliated with that application
– Do not use P2P applications (Lime Wire, Torrents) on business machines and be cautious on home machines as well
– Do not click on links or attachments in spam email