2FA (2-factor authentication helps) protect your identity.
You should deploy 2FA (2-factor authentication). This increases your security and reduces your chances of becoming an identity theft victim. Most services encourage 2FA and let you deploy it at no additional cost. I shall use Gmail in my example here.
How it looks in ... Read More
14
May2025
13
May2025
You do not need 2-factor authentication.
2-factor authentication helps improve your security and reduces your chance of becoming an identity theft victim. I have already written here why you should deploy 2-factor authentication. In this post, I shall play the Devil's Advocate. Don't do it.
What happens if you don't do it?
Allen ... Read More
13
May2025
2-factor authentication helps protect your identity.
You should deploy 2-factor authentication. This increases your security and reduces your chances of becoming an identity theft victim. Most services encourage 2-factor authentication and let you deploy it at no additional cost.
How it looks in real life.
Daphne runs a dental office in Folsom, CA. ... Read More
11
May2025
What Traffic Ticket Phishing looks like.
Although this happened in New York, this phishing attack could very easily happen in any state. Online reporter Doug Olenick at SC Media revealed a press release from the NY State Department of Motor Vehicles warning about a phishing scam. The phishing scam targets New ... Read More
10
May2025
Microsoft certified technicians help keep your business in business.
As you review candidates to be your outsourced IT support company, ask for those who are Microsoft Certified. Why? Because they make great consultants. They drive fast time-to-value, onboard quickly and responding to challenges confidently.
Microsoft certified techs usually have been in the business for ... Read More
10
May2025
Wannacry, the worst ransomware in history, is preventable.
Last week, the Wannacry ransomware infected 200,000 computers. It started infecting Britain's hospitals. We soon learned it was international. A client asked me about it.
How to get infected.
Here's what I wrote:
For a company to be victimized by the Wannacry ransomware, they needed:
At least ... Read More
07
May2025
BitLocker = ?
I am glad you asked. BitLocker is Microsoft's hard drive encrypting tool. You enable it on the hard drives residing in your computer or on external drives you attach with a USB cable. This is included in Microsoft Windows 7 and Windows 10 Professional. There is no cost.
I am ... Read More
07
May2025
Test your backups.
You're running a business. You have mission-critical data on your server and workstations. This includes trade secrets, client data and financial information. You backup your data to protect you in case an emergency struck. You know the backups work and your mission-critical data is safe, offsite.
Or do you?
This ... Read More
06
May2025
Do you need to find your WIFI password?
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to find their WIFI password (encryption key) and type it into a new notebook, phone or tablet, I could afford to live in California. OK, OK, OK, I do live in California. Nuf said.
This does, ... Read More
06
May2025
ZIP files when you need to keep them together.
Windows lets you ZIP files. A ZIP file is a file that contains other files. The ZIPping process also compresses the files it contains. If you want to send four files at 3 MB each, you're looking at 12 MB in sum. Adding ... Read More