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Five things to look at to protect your computer when working from home

Updated November 20, 2024

With more and more people working from home, keeping your personal computer safe and secure is essential. There is always somebody out there who wants to get your information and data. So here are five (5) things to look at to protect your computer when working from home.

Five things to look at to protect your computer when working from home

It is hard not to be paranoid about your computer's security at home. You hear about all the ways that the bad guys can get access to your data. But with a few simple changes, you can harden the security of your personal computer.

E-mail

Protect your computer from malicious email when working from home

E-mail is the most popular way for the bad guys to get access to you. They will try to infect your computer with a malicious attachment or get you to a compromised website to get your information. Sometimes they want you to respond to their e-mail with your personal information.

Either way, e-mail is currently the largest source of attacks and scams. But there are some simple things you can do to protect yourself. The first thing you want to examine is how you view your e-mail.

Now e-mail can be written using two (2) different formats: plain text (like in a .TXT file) or HTML (like the code used for websites). Plain text e-mail has no special formatting, but HTML e-mail can.

Just like malicious websites can have hidden code that can download and install malware, adware, and viruses, so can malicious HTML formatted e-mail. There is no difference between the two.

So, just like if you went to a malicious website and viewed an infected web page with a malware payload, displaying a malicious HTML formatted e-mail has the same effect.

The best way to avoid downloading the contents of an HTML formatted e-mail is by not using the preview feature in your mail program. Most of them, like Outlook and Thunderbird, can turn off the preview pane. If the HTML formatted e-mail can not be rendered, it cannot execute the code inside.

Remember that if you do not know or recognize the person or company that sent you a questionable e-mail, delete it. It is not worth the trouble a malicious e-mail can cause to see what is in the e-mail.

While on the subject of malicious e-mail, knowing how to spot a piece of junk mail is essential. I go into more detail on how to do it in the following article I wrote a little while back.

How to spot a piece of spam e-mail

There is another option when it comes to e-mail security, and that is using an anti-spam program. Since I get hundreds of e-mails daily, I started using the anti-spam program MailWasher almost two decades ago. It is perfect for getting rid of junk mail.

For more information on MailWasher, check out this article I wrote a couple of years ago. They have a paid version and a free version.

Eliminate spam from your inbox with MailWasher 7.5

Tech scams

Protect your computer from a tech scam when working from home

Tech scams have lost their popularity with bad guys. Is it because consumers are getting smarter and not falling for them anymore? But you still get them occasionally, so here is a link to an article about avoiding them.

How to handle a tech scam

The bottom line is, don't give them any information; whatever you do, do not provide them access to your computer!

Software updates

Protect your computer with software updates when working from home

Many people don't apply updates to Windows and other programs because they fear the upgrades will break the software. Yes, it does happen occasionally, but only sometimes.

I have had my fair share of repairing computers that have experienced a failed update. But more often than not, updates install flawlessly. With all software manufacturers' testing for updates, a failed upgrade is rare.

However, recovering from a virus or malware infection that could have been prevented by applying software updates can be expensive. It's embarrassing, too.

Then, there is the use of an operating system, like Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 that has reached its end-of-life and no longer gets security updates. I get the "I just like the way it works" or "My software won't run on the latest version of Windows" arguments.

I have found solutions to those arguments, and many like them. When there is a will, there is a way. But running unpatched software is just way too dangerous. Bite the bullet and apply updates or upgrade your software.

Anti-virus software

Protect your computer with anti-virus software when working from home

This is another piece of software you have to keep an eye on. The biggest problem I encounter is expired anti-virus licenses. Customers will get a new computer with preloaded anti-virus software with a 30 or 60-day trial license.

When the trial license expires, they ignore the pop-ups telling them about the expired license. Luckily, Windows 10 has a highly rated anti-virus program (Windows Security) built-in. It will usually take over when a trial anti-virus license expires.

Typically when I set up a new computer for a customer, I ask them what they want to do about anti-virus software. Most of them tell me to remove the pre-loaded trial version of anti-virus software.

If they don't prefer a particular anti-virus program, I have them go to an independent, third-party website like AV Test and check the ratings for the different anti-virus software.

Many people are surprised that Microsoft's Windows Defender / Windows Security is rated so high. Microsoft has worked hard over the years to improve its anti-virus software.

Now, the cool thing is even if you have installed another company's anti-virus software on Windows 10, Windows Security will see it and set it as the default. But you can still have Windows Security do periodic scans.

Routers

Protect your computer with your router when working from home

This security tip may or may not affect you. If you lease your router from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), this topic is irrelevant to you. If you own your router, this will be of interest to you.

Home Internet routers have always been a target for the bad guys. There are two reasons for that: First is the fact that home users usually keep the default administrator password the same. Luckily, router manufacturers started installing complicated default passwords a few years ago.

The second reason is that once people set up their routers, they tend not to think about them anymore until something goes wrong. As I like to call it, the set it and forget it syndrome.

Just like I discussed updating software earlier in this article, your router also has software that gets updated. It is called firmware, the operating system for your router. Think of it as what Windows is to your computer; the firmware is to your router.

The problem is that your router's firmware is not automatically updated. You have to do this manually. Sometimes, it can be hard to determine what version of firmware your router is running, if there is an updated version of firmware for your router, and how to upgrade the firmware of your router.

The first step is to log into your router and find out what version of firmware it is running. It is usually listed right on the first screen. From there, you go to the manufacturer's website and find the product page for your router. What you are going to need is the manual for your router.

An effortless way to find it is by just searching on Google. Search for the manufacturer model manual, and the product page for your router should be in the top three (3) results. Once you have the manual, you can search it for Firmware Update, and it should explain where to go inside your router to look for and upload a new version of the firmware.

Now that we have looked at the router's firmware let's look at your router's security. The bad guys regularly scan an ISP's range of IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, looking for open ports to attack. An IP address is a unique string of numbers that identifies each device on the Internet.

We now want to check and see if your router has any open ports that the bad guys can use to access your router or any of the devices inside your network. For this, we want to do an unintrusive scan of your router's service ports.

Gibson Research Corporation has a fantastic tool for doing this called ShieldsUp!. Just go over to the website, and under the Services pull-down, you will find ShieldsUp.

Once you get to the ShieldsUp! page click on the Proceed button. From there, you can select from several different types of scans. I recommend the All Service Ports scan.

Once the scan is complete, the webpage will display the scan results. If you score a perfect rating, you are good to go. The webpage will tell you what to do if any ports require attention.

How to handle a tech scam

Updated April 22, 2024

It happens to all of us. You get a pop-up on your computer screen claiming to be from Microsoft, warning you that your computer is infected and that you must call a phone number to get it repaired. This is just another tech scam, and I am going to show you how to handle them.

How to handle a tech scam

Tech scams have evolved over the years. They first started as random phone calls but quickly progressed to using pop-ups in web browsers. The one thing they all have in common is that they try to scare you.

Who hasn't received a phone call from someone saying they are from Microsoft or Windows Support? At one point, I was getting two to three per week, but they started to slow down when Microsoft began prosecuting companies for using their company name.

Note: Remember that Microsoft will never contact you, either by web page pop-up or phone call.

So, they started using ads on websites to scare you. Since the majority of ad networks do not actively monitor the ads that are displayed, sneaking in a malicious ad is not that hard.

Now, I am talking about ads that open a new browser tab or window and claim your computer is infected. Some of them will have an animated image that shows files being scanned or even play an audio file saying your computer is infected.

The bottom line is they want to gain access to your computer. The majority of scams my customers have encountered have attempted to get remote access to their computers and then access to their bank accounts. And if a scammer can get remote access, they can even hold your system for ransom. The following is a true story.

A customer called one day, telling me that a pop-up appeared telling them that their computer was infected. Believing that it was from Microsoft, they called the phone number and gave them access to their computer remotely.

During the remote session, the customer realized it was a scam, hung up the phone, and disconnected from the Internet. They then called me. I showed up and started cleaning up their computer.

But the first time I restarted their computer, it came up with a system lock. The tech scammers had put a software lock on it to get them to pay to unlock it. Luckily, I restored the registry from a couple of weeks earlier and unlocked the computer. But it could have been a whole lot worse.

How to handle a web-based tech scam

As I mentioned earlier, web-based tech scams usually come from third-party ads that are displayed on trusted websites. The ads bring up another browser tab or window. Sometimes, they will open a browser in what is called kiosk mode (full screen with no toolbars/title bar and no way of closing them).

Usually, you can close a browser that is in kiosk mode simply by pressing Alt + F4, which should close the active window. But scammers have gotten wise to that keyboard combination. So, most of the time, you must use Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager. Once Task Manager appears, right-click on the browser name (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.) and select End task.

Once the bogus ad is gone, open the same browser in which you had the tech scam appearing. You should get a warning about how it did not close properly, and it should ask if you want to open the previously opened tabs.

Ignore the warning; do not open any of the previous tabs, and you should be good to go. You can always run a scan with your anti-virus software to make sure everything is okay.

I am often asked why the installed anti-virus program did not stop the web-based tech scam. The scam was not a virus, just a malicious ad.

How to handle a phone tech scam

This scam is easy to spot. The name on the caller ID will be something as simple as Tech Support or something similar. I have even seen scammers use disposable cellular phones that display a name, like Joe Blow.

Now, the advice I always give for spam emails applies here: If you don't know the person, don't open the email. The same thing applies to phone calls. If you do not recognize the name displayed on the caller ID, don't answer. If it is essential, they will leave a message or call back.

If you answer the call, it is alright to hang up. The scammer cold-called you; you don't have to waste time talking with them. Now, if I'm feeling like having some fun, I'll tell them things like "I don't have a computer", "I don't have Internet access," or my favorite, "Which computer are you talking about?".

But if you really want to know if they are bogus, do a Google search for their phone number. Make sure to use the complete 10-digit phone number, 3-digit area code, 3-digit prefix, and 4-digit line number.

The phone number of a legitimate company will always appear at the top of the search results. You would be amazed at some of the results I have gotten.

The bottom line

I can never say this enough: never give a scammer remote access to your computer! They cannot do any harm as long as they cannot get inside your computer.

So, what can you to protect yourself from tech scams?

For web-based tech scams, install an ad blocker in your browser. Adblock Plus is the most popular ad blocker. If you encounter a browser page or pop-up that informs you that your computer's security is at risk, close the browser using one of the methods listed above. And whatever you do, never call the phone number shown on the page.

For phone tech scams: Use your caller ID to screen incoming phone calls. If you do not recognize the name, let it go to voice mail.

And if you feel like taking it a little further, you can always report the scammers to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). The FTC has a relatively simple online complaint form. Just make sure you have the company name they used and the phone number they called you with or displayed on your screen.

Federal Trade Commission

FTC Consumer Information on Phone Scams

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