Category: Uncategorized

Technology Tips – Published July 2024 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

No, they are not new languages but are two new types of security threats that you may face with your computer. I haven’t seen any like these two so they may not be widely exploited.

Vishing can be described as a computer threat that combines both “voice” and “phishing” to obtain sensitive data such as bank account information, credit card details, or passwords. Like many other scams, vishing falls under the heading of social engineering. Calls can come to your cell phone or computer. Examples of calls can come purportedly from your bank or Microsoft. Neither your bank nor Microsoft operate this way with their customers. In the same type of fraud are fake police officer demands that say to hand over your valuables to them for safe keeping. This one is particularly aimed at us older folks.

Quishing is relatively new and uses QR codes to spirit you off to their fake website so they can obtain your private data. A QR code is typically a square filled with dots. A picture taken of it with your cell phone will display a link to click to take you to their fraudulent site. Computers and cell phones can be set up to “sync” with each other and makes Quishing insidious to this fraudulent technique that will infect both devices. Cell phones don’t protect very well using QR codes that produce a link to a fake website. If you get to the site and log in, they capture your login details. At that point they now can send malware to both devices.

Protect against Vishing:

• Make a note of the caller’s phone number and Web address, then do a Google search to verify the information. Since a call of this nature is often fake, be highly aware of the fact it probably is.
• Do not give out any personal or financial information over the phone unless you have verified the caller’s identity and you are sure it’s a legitimate enquiry.
• Remember you are now acting as the anti-virus program that usually protects the computer. If the computer has been hacked so has your antivirus program!

Protection against Quishing:

• Be careful when scanning QR codes, especially if they come from an unknown or questionable source. If the message seems strange to you, it probably is so don’t proceed any further without verifying.
• Do a Google search of the URL (Web address) to which the QR code leads before entering any personal information. Reputable sites use encrypted connections (https).
• Activate multi-factor authentication for your online accounts. This provides an extra layer of security because even if the fraudsters get hold of your login details, they will still need the second or third authentication factor to log in on your behalf.

Conclusion

Both Vishing and Quishing are serious threats that cybercriminals skillfully use to gain access to your personal and financial data. By being aware of the specific tactics and warning signs associated with these scams and taking appropriate protective measures, you can effectively defend yourself.

Always be vigilant, avoid giving out sensitive information, whether over the phone or by carelessly scanning QR codes, and take the time to check the credibility of sources. Your security and the protection of your data should always come first.

Technology Tips – Published June 2024 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

Some of the concerns from average computer users is changing system settings. The concern arises from the fact they don’t understand the terminology and the result it may bring if they change something. Besides, the computer seems to be working fine. Sub-par operation is preset for you as soon as you take it out of the box and start it up. Why do the manufacturers Dell, HP and others do this? Basically, it’s a manufacturing standard that sets the conditions prior to shipment. Many factors are taken into consideration such as battery charge life, cooling, and stability for a laptop. Don’t worry about the following changes. They will not break your computer or cause new problems. They are not that aggressive. I don’t have room to explain what each change is, but try Googling them if you are interested.

1. On a Windows 11 machine, open Settings, click the 3 horizontal bars at top left, select System, and then scroll down to Power & Battery. On this page, scroll down for Power Mode and set it to Best Performance. Exit out.
2. Hold down the Windows key and press the “R” key. Then type in the Run field: exe Click “Adjust for best performance.” This will clear all previously checked items. Then choose only the following: Enable Peek, Show thumbnails, instead of icons, Smooth edges of screen fonts, Smooth scroll list boxes, Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop. Click OK to save the selections. The above settings are a small compromise to performance but also offer useful visual effects.
3. Next, is a big point of issue with me. It’s the automatic startup of programs that you may not even know about, let alone ever clicked. Unused programs can increase startup times and gobble up needed memory. But there’s a way to control them. Here’s how: go to Settings, click the 3 horizontal bars at top left, click Apps, then click From this menu, you can uncheck every app you don’t want automatically starting every time Windows boots up. It doesn’t uninstall anything. Keep your security (anti-virus) programs On. You can check a listed program by checking to see if it appears in the main program menu. Click the Windows icon (lower left corner) then click All apps in the pop-up window. If the program appears you can set it to Off in the Startup list.
4. Check the vent slots on the bottom and edge of your laptop. Make sure they are not clogged with lint. Brush away or vacuum any collected lint. Any laptop will automatically slow down to compensate for any build-up of heat due to clogged vents.

That’s it for this month’s Tech Tips. Hopefully, you will see some increased performance in your PC. My recommendation to do monthly maintenance on your PC can also help performance. Check out my previous article from March 2022 on maintenance on our website: hersheysmill.org. In the Search field type Wise Disk Cleaner and press the Enter key. Wise Registry Cleaner can also be downloaded from the links in the article.

Technology Tips – Published May 2024 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

Topic: View Your Wi-Fi Password for Windows 10 or 11

Normally when you first set up your Windows 10 or 11 computer, you retrieve the Wi-Fi password from the label on the Verizon Fios One router. Maybe the Verizon tech did this for you and once done your computer will remember it. What happens if you add a second computer, tablet or cell phone from any brand or for any model? You need to retrieve that Wi-Fi password again, only this time you can use your existing Windows 10 or 11 computer to retrieve it for you! For a Windows 10 computer, follow the following instructions. Open the Control Panel, and change the View by: to Large icons in the upper right corner of the screen. Click Network and Sharing Center. On the upper left, Click Change adapter settings. Click your Wi-Fi icon. It will show the name of your Wi-Fi connection known as the SSID. Click Wireless properties then click the Security tab. Click Show characters. In the above Network Security key, you will see your Wi-Fi password. Close all pop-up windows.

If you have a Windows 11 computer you may use the above longer procedure but for a shorter one, open Settings, click the 3 horizontal line bar at the top, then click Network & internet, click Properties under your Wi-Fi name, scroll to the bottom of the window and click View in View Wi-Fi security key. When finished, close any open windows.

If you think this Wi-Fi password procedure might need to be repeated in the future, save your password along with this procedure.

Technology Tips – Published April 2024 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett
PC Manager is a relatively new PC cleanup tool from Microsoft. It removes deleted, unneeded and used once but not deleted files. You can download the free app from the Microsoft Store. It will install itself automatically and put a shortcut on the Desktop screen.

I installed the app and did a fairly intensive test comparing its effectiveness with Wise Disk Cleaner, my recommended cleanup tool. I set it up to run at a maximum removal level. My testing showed a rather dismal showing of only 37% of the junk files were removed. Whether this is due to just conservative parameters imbedded in the app or possibly a lack of other items that aren’t made available to clean. My guess it’s a combination of the two. One thing I do like that it’s fast, safe and with better programming it may do a better job of cleaning in the future.

Click the shortcut for PC Manager to get started. You’ll start in the Home position. Next to Boost click Set Smart Boost and turn it on. This a memory controller that comes into play under high memory usage conditions. It will work best on computers that have 8 Gbs or less of installed memory. Next, click Boost on the blue bar to activate. Click Health Check. You can accept all the pre-checked items then click Proceed. Click Deep Cleaning. You can accept the pre-checked items or click details next to unchecked items for more info. Process can be ignored as it is a list of running programs. Startup displays a list of programs that start up at power on. They should be minimized to help the computer boot up quickly and minimize overall memory usage. Anti-virus files must load at startup but others can be optional. Third party programs are known for using this category to get a jump on startup at the expense of your startup time. These programs do not have to start at boot up or at all. They are usually delivered when your computer is turned on the first time but they continue until you uninstall them or turn them off in Startup. Protection does not do any cleaning but is more of a status report on the listed items. One item, Pop-up management, does offer to block pop-ups so click it then click Enable pop-up block. Click Storage then click Processing. The Apps items offers a repeat of Process and Startup items shown in the Home category. The Toolbox is a work in progress showing only memory usage, screenshot (used to send Microsoft shots of pop-ups when they bypass the pop-up blocker) and the Settings icon.

If you want a fast, safe but incomplete cleanup, then PC Manager is for you. You should run it weekly if you are a moderate to heavy user. Wise Disk Cleaner users can do their cleanup monthly.