Is Your Computer Haunted?
Watchdog Technology will “exorcise” the ghosts, gremlins and
goblins causing problems in your computer network.
Is your computer slow, crashing and freezing up? Are you haunted by pop ups and spam? Is your computer acting so weird that you think it’s possessed?
If so, these are typical signs of an ill-maintained computer network that’s infected with spyware, viruses or other ghoulies and gremlins. If left alone, these problems could evolve into a much bigger (and more expensive) problem. We want to keep those technology gremlins from getting a hold in your systems.
Here are some things you can do to keep your computer and network gremlin free:
1. Turn off your computer at least weekly! Your computer needs rest to reset itself, and to do some internal checks that happen at start-up. Don’t just let it sleep, but actually let it go through full shut-down.
2. Have a Quality, Premium Antivirus Product. More and more, I’m seeing that for-pay Internet Security software is better protecting my clients than the free software available or the inadequate options included with your computer or internet provider.
3. Require Strong Passwords. I know – we all hate having to keep track of these, but it doesn’t have to be that onerous. Keep a little book of them and most importantly, use a different, good password for each email address and each financial account. For things that don’t matter, you may reuse passwords, but for the ones that matter, make sure they have, at least, upper- and lower-case letters, a symbol and a number.
4. Keep Your Programs Up To Date. Things are changing all the time. It’s a constant arms-race between virus manufacturers and the beneficial software you use. Most programs update on their own, but they need to be checked from time to time. Some software, like Adobe and Java products need manual intervention to update, but those updates must be done. Some programs can even be removed since they’re not necessary for you and are just sitting there as a ticking time-bomb.
5. Backup Your Data. Make sure you have an external backup storage–even better if you have multiple! Use a storage device, back up your files in the cloud, or even just email important documents to yourself to make sure you’ve got backups, no matter what. A quality backup can foil aggressive ransomware attacks, where a hacker locks up your files and holds them ransom until you pay up. If you files are backed up, you don’t have to pay to get your data back. But a backup’s only as good as the testing of it shows to be. You need to have your backups checked occasionally to ensure they’re actually doing their job. This is something that needs to be setup and tested by a professional. Don’t just copy a few files to a flashdrive once in awhile unless you can tolerate the loss of all your data.
6. Don’t Download Questionable Software. One of the fastest ways to infect your network is by downloading seemingly innocuous software with embedded malicious code. When in doubt, talk to your network administrator before doing any update or download of a program that you’re not sure of.
7. Block Unwanted Ads. Just like unwanted email spam, you probably don’t want to see flashing banner ads and things that pop up in front of what you’re reading and start making noise. Having the right (not just any) ad-blocking capability is an easy and low-maintenance way of both saving frustration and removing that attack vector against your computer. Infected ads exist and by simply loading them, your computer can get infected.
8. Don’t Click Weird Links & Attachments, emails from package delivery companies specifically. One of the biggest methods of infection is the malicious link or attachment. Ransomware often pretends to be from UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc. Just mark them as spam. Don’t click anything questionable on Facebook, nor elsewhere.
If you’ve got gremlins and ghosts in your technology – or just want someone to clean up all the dust and cobwebs; give us a call or reply to this email. We’ll contact you to have a quick chat about what problems you’re having and what it will take to fix them. We offer free consultations, help with your digital security, help keeping up with your backups, and fast services for people with all sorts of tech issues. Shoot us a line by responding to this email, or giving us a call at 1-(855)-928-2483.