Month: April 2017

Spring clean your computer with this full checklist!

Spring is the perfect time to clean out your computer – and we’re talking about both outside and inside! If you can’t remember last time you really cleaned your computer and other electronic devices, then schedule a space to really spend some time cleaning off the dirt, dust, and unwanted files or data. Not sure where to begin? We’ve got just the place for you to get started!

1. Clean Your Screen and Apply a Screen Protector

Screen protectors are those thin, invisible films that you apply to your screen to help protect it against scratches and make it easier to clean. While screen protectors are fairly common on smaller devices like smartphones, they are also available for larger screens, but few people take advantage of them. This is often a missed opportunity! The right film can not only protect screens but also help reduce glare, improve privacy, and much more. It’s an ideal solution for a laptop that’s frequently on the go.

The key is finding a screen protector film that fits your electronics and is a high-quality product. Poor quality films aren’t worth the time, so make sure you check out reviews before buying the first film protector that you see.

When you have your screen protector, carefully clean and dry your screen with a soft cloth and a neutral cleaner. Take this time to clean off all those little specks that have been on the screen forever. Then carefully apply the film – many versions use some kind of adhesive or spray in the process, so everything needs to stay extra clean. Smooth out the film, and don’t worry about a few small bubbles, since these tend to settle down over time.

2. Get Up Close With Your Keyboard

While you’re cleaning, give your keyboard some love, too! If you have the type of keyboard with cracks between the keys, you know what’s coming: It’s time to disconnect the keyboard, gently pry up the keys, and give everything a thorough cleaning to remove any dust and grime. Water and isopropyl alcohol will remove tough stains, and you can use cotton swabs and Q-tips to get inside all the little spaces. Clean each key, too! When you’re finished, gently replace the keys – not only does this clean up one of the dirtiest parts of your computer, it also usually improves keyboard functionality!

If you have a flat keyboard with thin keys that don’t easily pop up, take a cloth and Q-tips and carefully clean around them instead, before rubbing the surface clean.

3. Air it Out: Have Your CPU Cleaned Professionally

You may not think about it much, but the inside of your computer can get dusty as well, as dust finds its way in through vents and other openings. Dust inside your CPU is bad news because it can cause far more damage there, especially over time.

Fortunately, you can clean out a CPU effectively with compressed air. However, since this requires some disassembly and careful use of air to avoid damage, you may want to leave it up to a professional. {company} of {city} provides quick CPU cleaning for just this purpose, so don’t be afraid to stop by as you start cleaning up!

4. Go Through Your Backgrounds Apps and Unnecessary Apps

Chances are good that your operating system may have gotten a little cluttered too. There are dozens of ways to clean out your computer data, but we’re going to talk about an effective way to speed up and de-clutter your PC that many people don’t even use. One of the best places to start are the background apps. These are apps and software that may not be currently open or visible, but are still active in the background, slowing down your computer – often unnecessarily.

Halting and deleting these unnecessary background apps can speed up your computer and even your Internet. Both the Windows Task Manager and the Disk Cleanup tool are useful here. MacOS offers to Reduce Clutter and Activity Monitor to spot any hidden apps. These tools will also allow you to delete any temporary or junk files that you don’t recognize to help clear up some more room.

5. Download a Password Manager

We have a lot of passwords to deal with these days, spanning multiple devices and services. If you really want to gain the upper hand and end your spring cleaning with some great organization, download a password manager like LastPass to help keep all your passwords organized, remembered, and even changed across every device you have. No more scattered physical lists of your passwords!

The number of security issues and malware risks that your company must contend with continues to grow every year, but one of the most potentially devastating threats that your business faces is surprisingly low-tech in nature. Spoofed emails don’t rely on complex ransomware or sophisticated keystroke loggers. Instead, your company’s bank account and sensitive information are at risk simply by your employees attempting to perform their job duties. Training your team to spot spoofed emails is key to avoiding falling victim to common scams.

What types of spoofed e-mail scams are out there?

Examples of two common types of spoofed email scams played out in recent weeks. The first, an instance of the CEO fraud, involved an Internet criminal passing himself off as the head of a small Kansas construction company. The fraudster pretended to be the CEO of Cornejo & Sons and emailed the finance department of Sedgwick County to request $566,000 in payment. Because the county actually owed the construction company money for services rendered, they submitted payment as directed–only to later find out that the payment request hadn’t come from Cornejo & Sons and the construction company never received any funds.

A similar scam aimed at a Wyoming hospital system sought to obtain employees’ W2 forms. In this case, the Internet fraudster posed as an internal executive at Campbell County Health and requested the W2 files for all staff from the hospital group’s finance department. The finance department complied, exposing the hospital’s 1,300 employees to potential tax return fraud.

Can you and your staff spot a spoofed e-mail?

No longer completely confident that your employees won’t fall victim to one of these commonly spoofed e-mail scams? Luckily, there are steps that you can take to train your staff to spot a spoofed e-mail. Conducting training sessions to alert your employees to the existence of such scams is an important first step. Putting in place internal practices to verify the veracity of any request before responding will also help your employees understand how to deal with any potential scam emails that your business receives.

However, some employees don’t understand the real threat that accompanies spoofed emails until they have actually been the recipient of a fake request. For this reason, some businesses choose to initiate a simulated attack to reveal to their employees firsthand how easy it is to become the victim of a spoofed email. Some services exist that make it easy to carry out a pretend to attack. Some of these services such as PhishMe allow you to target the attack to match the real threat each of your employees is likely to face, such as an email sent to marketing asking them to provide their SharePoint credentials. Experts assert that it is fundamental to follow any simulated attack with further training as your employees will be particularly receptive to in-depth lessons on avoiding spoofed emails after falling for your staged attack.

Concerned that your employees might be vulnerable to spoofed emails? The security experts at {company} can help you discover your business’ weak spots. Contact us today at (469) 635-5500 or {email} to learn more.

Contact us today at (469) 635-5500 or {email} to learn more.