Computer piracy is probably more common than people admit. Especially in the business world. All those companies have tons of money, so no problem, right? Sorry, afraid not. Yarrr! Its illegal! Obviously, yeah. You want to save some money, but it could get you in trouble with the law. Employees (especially disgruntled ex-employees), even customers who know you’re pirating can actually report you with the possibility of getting a cash reward/bounty if you get busted. nopiracy.org The fines can be pretty bad (they’ve got rewards to pay out). https://techcrunch.com/2016/05/10/software-piracy-claims-can-ruin-your-business-and-reward-those-responsible/ While unlikely, a software vendor could possibly request an audit to make sure you’re in compliance. https://redmondmag.com/articles/2010/09/01/beware-the-bsa.aspx Its not safe! Trojans, malware, and viruses oh my! Many common programs have inexpensive alternatives, even free/open-source ones. LibreOffice or OpenOffice (OSS). GIMP, Inkscape, and Scribus for some of Creative Cloud. Affinity and others for cheap. Do you really NEED the big fancy name software? Being paid/legit means you can get support from the company. Important for updates. Important for compliance within your industry (HIPPA).
Botnets: badware getting better and smarter… grrr… (9/21/19 Part 1)
Don’t call it a comeback! Emotet has been going to the gym and on a diet. What is Emotet? And what is a botnet? Bad Botnet! Bad! No Biscuit! How to recognize Emotet – https://blog.malwarebytes.com/botnets/2019/09/emotet-is-back-botnet-springs-back-to-life-with-new-spam-campaign/ Deeper reading – https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/09/worlds-most-destructive-botnet-returns-with-stolen-passwords-and-email-in-tow/ What is a botnet? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botnet
Phishing has nothing to do with rock band… (3/23/19 Part 2)
Nom nom nom… Phishing is a way of trying to steal account information. Phishers attempt to get logins, passwords, payment information, and more. And its not nearly as hard as you’d hope! Phishing 101! So, we talk about it today, and what you can do to protect yourself. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-online-scams-how-to-protect-against-phishing-scams.html https://www.consumerreports.org/money/how-to-protect-yourself-from-phishing/ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204759 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4033787/windows-protect-yourself-from-phishing Information on SHAKEN/STIR from the news: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0381-how-does-robocall-work-infographic https://www.fcc.gov/call-authentication https://www.zdnet.com/article/at-t-comcast-successfully-test-shakenstir-protocol-for-fighting-robocalls/
“I am a red-blooded [insert country] just like you!” (10/20/18 Part 1)
So, Eastern European trolls are keeping busy. How busy? Very. And they’re possibly expanding! Trolls are a-Trollin’ So, elections 2018 and movie season… what fun for the trolls!
Did you get a scary email recently? (7/28/18 Part 1)
Did you get an email recently? An email with an actual PASSWORD of yours as the subject line? And threats? And demands of payment? If so, don’t panic. Too much. Its a scam. Passwords 101 – Part 1
More on passwords to avoid pass-woes! (7/28/18 Part 2)
Passwords 101 – Part 2 More on passwords! This is a show for your favorite non-computer savvy person!
Cyber-warfare! Huh! What is it good for? (3/17/18 Part 1)
Normally when you think of bad-ware you think of a bunch of crooks hiding out trying to make a quick buck. But, there’s an elite group making all sorts of bad-ware and they work for governments! Cyberattacks – Part 1 Russia has been getting its hand caught messing with all sorts of things, and we’re not so innocent ourselves. What does this mean? Why would they do it? We talk about that and more today!
Bad guys. With a budget and office hours. (3/17/18 Part 2)
We continue on state-sponsored shenanigans. When governments decide they want to mess with computers, they can afford the best and brightest to do their work for them. Cyberattacks – Part 2 That’s kind of scary. So, what’s to be done? What can you look for, if anything? We talk about this and more!
Q&A Presents – Maui Online! Saturday, January 20th – Part 1
Backups! – Part 1 What do you do with your computer? What would you lose if it went away? How many hours of work? Can you put a dollar value on it? Yes, its time for backups 101, 2018 edition! We go over the basics and update you on some of the newer things happening in the world of backups. Are you safe?
Q&A Presents – Maui Online! Saturday, January 20th – Part 2
More Backups! – Part 2 What happens to your data when your computer ends up here? Did you back up? Do you have backups? You DO have backups, right? We continue backups 101, discussing how, good practices, and more.