I would like to thank you all for following along on the journey so far. It's been a great ride and I really look forward to the rest of it.
We have the new site up and running (it's still a work in progress mind you) and I think that it looks great.
Our hosting is by HostGator, and they are great! If you use the coupon code WebMed25 you can get 25% off of your hosting, and help support us at the same time! Thanks for everything and keep an eye out for more updates!
- Mike
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
User names and passwords
One of the most important things with all of the technology that is in use today is remembering your username and password.
So, a lot of people do the obvious and use the same username/password combination (login information) from website to website. Hey, why not? I mean it's easy to remember, you don't have to write it down because you used your spouses middle name, right?
Here is the issue with that, say you get an email from your favorite online retailer and they claim that they have been hacked and you need to either create a new account, or verify your information. The email look legitimate, and hey there has been a lot of hacking going on, so you click the link. Hmm, that's odd, I don't recall giving myusedcollegebooks.com my date of birth in the first place, much less my mother's maiden name....but whatever, it's all in the name of security.
Okay, so now they have your personal information. Some people quickly go "Hey, this is too much information for a free (item). I'm getting out of here" or "Wow, I didn't think I actually had signed up for an account with (website)". They close the browser window and get the heck out! Well, one of 2 things have already happened, just by clicking the link to start with. First, you have already installed a piece of spyware onto your computer and it's going to grab all of your information it can, or secondly it could be that you don't get your information stolen UNTIL you click on the register or whatever button to continue on the bottom of the page. Do you know which one has happened? Sometimes not even we know immediately with just a phone call, yes we are not all knowing all the time. Yes, I said it, even the medics here at Web-Medic aren't perfect. But, in our defense I will say that there are TEAMS of hackers, with thousands of hacked computers, creating the nefarious sites and links that can infect your system....daily!
So, first off what I would suggest to do is this: Don't use the same password for every website that you belong to. Banks have gotten better about requiring a stronger password, usually 6 characters minimum and alpha-numeric, but here is one that can up the ante without making your life miserable remembering passwords. They are called special characters, yes we are talking about !@#$%^&*()?><":;{}[]|~` Some websites allow you to use these characters in your password as well. Also, don't forget about capitalization. Remember mary is different than Mary, mAry, maRy, marY, or any other combination. So you can go with <Mary> or !mAry? or mARY!! etc, all while sticking with your favorite name. Still, do NOT use the same password with any financial institution that you use for say, your facebook account. If someone gets a hold of your email address (typical username) and now they have the password that you use for EVERYTHING, they now have the "keys to the castle" so to speak. You bank accounts, your social media, your credit cards, your email, all are going to be hacked.
First on the list of things to be hacked typically is your email. With this they can then either behind the scenes forward all new mail to a new anonymous mail box they created, or change your password. Either way, with access to your email, a quick search will often give them the sites they want access to. Hey, e-statements save trees, right? If they have enough information (remember the form you filled out?) they can not just get access to your private financial stuff, but change the login information because most likely they can get quick access to your "recovery questions" and the answers for the sites.
Are you sufficiently paranoid yet?????
Check back soon, April's newsletter we will go over password managers. A way to remember 1 strong password that will then keep your other passwords safe. Many will auto-generate strong passwords as well......
Stay tuned.
So, a lot of people do the obvious and use the same username/password combination (login information) from website to website. Hey, why not? I mean it's easy to remember, you don't have to write it down because you used your spouses middle name, right?
Here is the issue with that, say you get an email from your favorite online retailer and they claim that they have been hacked and you need to either create a new account, or verify your information. The email look legitimate, and hey there has been a lot of hacking going on, so you click the link. Hmm, that's odd, I don't recall giving myusedcollegebooks.com my date of birth in the first place, much less my mother's maiden name....but whatever, it's all in the name of security.
Okay, so now they have your personal information. Some people quickly go "Hey, this is too much information for a free (item). I'm getting out of here" or "Wow, I didn't think I actually had signed up for an account with (website)". They close the browser window and get the heck out! Well, one of 2 things have already happened, just by clicking the link to start with. First, you have already installed a piece of spyware onto your computer and it's going to grab all of your information it can, or secondly it could be that you don't get your information stolen UNTIL you click on the register or whatever button to continue on the bottom of the page. Do you know which one has happened? Sometimes not even we know immediately with just a phone call, yes we are not all knowing all the time. Yes, I said it, even the medics here at Web-Medic aren't perfect. But, in our defense I will say that there are TEAMS of hackers, with thousands of hacked computers, creating the nefarious sites and links that can infect your system....daily!
So, first off what I would suggest to do is this: Don't use the same password for every website that you belong to. Banks have gotten better about requiring a stronger password, usually 6 characters minimum and alpha-numeric, but here is one that can up the ante without making your life miserable remembering passwords. They are called special characters, yes we are talking about !@#$%^&*()?><":;{}[]|~` Some websites allow you to use these characters in your password as well. Also, don't forget about capitalization. Remember mary is different than Mary, mAry, maRy, marY, or any other combination. So you can go with <Mary> or !mAry? or mARY!! etc, all while sticking with your favorite name. Still, do NOT use the same password with any financial institution that you use for say, your facebook account. If someone gets a hold of your email address (typical username) and now they have the password that you use for EVERYTHING, they now have the "keys to the castle" so to speak. You bank accounts, your social media, your credit cards, your email, all are going to be hacked.
First on the list of things to be hacked typically is your email. With this they can then either behind the scenes forward all new mail to a new anonymous mail box they created, or change your password. Either way, with access to your email, a quick search will often give them the sites they want access to. Hey, e-statements save trees, right? If they have enough information (remember the form you filled out?) they can not just get access to your private financial stuff, but change the login information because most likely they can get quick access to your "recovery questions" and the answers for the sites.
Are you sufficiently paranoid yet?????
Check back soon, April's newsletter we will go over password managers. A way to remember 1 strong password that will then keep your other passwords safe. Many will auto-generate strong passwords as well......
Stay tuned.
Blog Updates
I am going to strive to be better about updating this blog, not just with the information that is available as part of the monthly newsletter, but also with different information than you will find on our other social media feeds.
The goal is to have a unique experience when you visit the website, blog (although currently website redirects to blog), and social media.
First off, did you know we have a Facebook page? Click here to visit it.
Are you a Twitter user, follow us here
What about Google+ you ask? We are here.
The goal is to have a unique experience when you visit the website, blog (although currently website redirects to blog), and social media.
First off, did you know we have a Facebook page? Click here to visit it.
Are you a Twitter user, follow us here
What about Google+ you ask? We are here.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
March 2015
A new month is nearly upon us, are you ready? Do you have all of your information ready to file your taxes? If you have all of that important information stored on your computer, make sure that you have it backed up, just in case. Not just on your computer, get a USB drive and store it on there. It's easy to lock in a safe, take with you to the accountant, etc. Don't forget March 31 is World Backup Day, don't be an April fool and loose your data!
Want help devising a plan? If you want fully automated backups, whether you choose to backup to the Cloud or not, we can help you not just devise, but implement a backup plan for all of your important data. Yes, even that funny picture of you on vacation, someone thinks that is important!
Want help devising a plan? If you want fully automated backups, whether you choose to backup to the Cloud or not, we can help you not just devise, but implement a backup plan for all of your important data. Yes, even that funny picture of you on vacation, someone thinks that is important!
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Updates that you may have missed if you aren't following us on Twitter or Facebook.
Double check where your flash update is coming from. Dangerous Malware can infect your computer!! http://ow.ly/IK8PP
Beware of this facebook scam.
Until further notice DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER!! http://ow.ly/IK5oT
It's nearing the end of the week, is your backup ready? 3-2-1 rule. 3 copies, 2 locations, 1 off site. We can help you, contact us!
The February newsletter and coupons will be ready on the 1st.
Microsoft announces that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. http://ow.ly/I0HA6
Check out some really talented people with a great webcast for tech help as well. Tekthing.com
To those who may think that a Mac cannot get a virus, it's all ready been proven wrong but this latest one proves that they could get infected worse than a Windows machine. Check it out here
Beware of this facebook scam.
Until further notice DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER!! http://ow.ly/IK5oT
It's nearing the end of the week, is your backup ready? 3-2-1 rule. 3 copies, 2 locations, 1 off site. We can help you, contact us!
The February newsletter and coupons will be ready on the 1st.
Microsoft announces that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. http://ow.ly/I0HA6
Check out some really talented people with a great webcast for tech help as well. Tekthing.com
To those who may think that a Mac cannot get a virus, it's all ready been proven wrong but this latest one proves that they could get infected worse than a Windows machine. Check it out here
Friday, January 2, 2015
Happy New Year!
It's 2015, the start of something new for all of us here at Web-Medic. We are opening up new avenues here for you to reach us. Starting with this blog.
We are also starting a new email campaign with newsletters, coupons, and specials
We have our Facebook and Twitter accounts where we can be reached.
2015 Promises to be a great year, but we can't do it without you!
Please follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter, subscribe to our email newsletter, and help us help you to have a less stressful (technology wise) new year!
-Mike
We are also starting a new email campaign with newsletters, coupons, and specials
We have our Facebook and Twitter accounts where we can be reached.
2015 Promises to be a great year, but we can't do it without you!
Please follow us on Facebook and/or Twitter, subscribe to our email newsletter, and help us help you to have a less stressful (technology wise) new year!
-Mike
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