I try hard to provide a 'complete' approach, so that the whole family can use computing and internet access as safely & easily as possible .

This approach includes the following:-

• Choosing the 'right' systems for the household. I have the experience to help you choose - it's not always obvious

• The 'strategy' for connecting them all up - printers, broadband, wireless or bluetooth or homehubs or direct connections etc - the best method depends on what works best in your house - I can test this to find the most successful route

• A simple 'help' document that shows visually how to use the main programs installed

• Free Antivirus & AntiSpy protection systems

• Free Office Software - perfect for school work and the family

• Free little really easy to use 'gadget' for copying parts of internet pages & photos - brilliant for school projects!

• Free Internet child-protection system - gives excellent protection

• Free 'Photoshop' type software - great for photographic work

• Easy to use back-up systems - don't get caught out - your hard disk will die, it is only a matter of when - don't let your pictures and documents die with it!

• File sharing and data security systems - hold your data securely in one place with access from all laptops and PC's within your house

• Sharing printers and files across many computers and laptops

• Email strategy - most families don't have one and you do need one for the longer term. There are some good, free and cost effective solutions such as Gmail or your own domain name. (Do not use the email system provided by your Internet Provider - they are not usually very good and you may lose your email address when they get taken over or you move away from them)

• Full Systems check - File integrity, Internet security, child protection, Antivirus

• Systems speed check & improvement - you system can almost certainly give you more speed than when it was new - easily! (provided there are no viruses!)

• Internet speed check - find out what you are really paying for, review of your ISP and connection

• Screen check - approximately a third of screens I see are not correctly adjusted for sharpness and resolution - especially new flat screens!

• For younger family members (11-18 years) who regularly cause unintentional & severe damage to the operating system ("it was not me mum, honest"), I can provide a quick restore facility that makes it relatively painless to restore to a 'perfect' set-up

Things you should know:-

• Defraging your hard drives - unless they are three quarters full it will make little difference, hard drives these days are so big that they rarely need attention - the 'slow' problem is nearly always with memory, processor usage, & viruses

• Don't rely on ANY antivirus system - non of them are anywhere near 100% effective, you must be vigilant.

• Only download files and programmes from 'quality' sites, the rest WILL have viruses in them.

• Don't load on ANY programs or games that are not completely necessary - they will slow don your system, make it more complex and may cause instabilities.

• Don't load cd's that come with cameras, new routers, internet providers disks (ever).

• When you run your printer disk - see if there is a 'custom' setting - if so use it and only install the drivers for printer (and maybe scanner). Otherwise the disk will load lots of useless programs!

• If anyone rings you from 'Windows' or 'Microsoft' or similar - it is a KNOWN SCAM! Just put the phone down immediately.

Contact John: m. 07831 373 871

Internet Security - Facts & Advice

• Nearly 3.5 million cybercrimes were reported in 2008 & up again in 2009
• Overall cybercrime has risen over 4% since 2007
• Account takeover by a fraudster is up by 207%
  Online banking fraud is up 132%
• Banking fraud has increased by a staggering 132%, with losses totaling £52.5 million, compared to £22.6 million in the previous year.
• This sharp rise can be mostly attributed to nearly 44,000 phishing websites specifically targeting banks and building societies in the UK

Hacking and identity theft have become the £multi-billion workhorse of organised crime. Access to infected computers as well as downloadable, automated hacking tools are routinely bought and sold for profit. Attacks often blend several types of threats.

Online Banking: - Important - obtain a 'Card Reader'

Recent increased activity by fraudsters means that I now recommend that you ask your bank for a 'card reader'. This provides a special 'key' each time you access you account (especially when setting up new payee accounts). If you bank does not yet have this facility you need to think quite hard about the potential of your account being 'hacked'. If you bank does not even have a drop down box, (this means you must TYPE the passwords etc when accessing your account) - then I recommend you ask you bank to close your online facility until they can provide you with a card reader.

Anti-VirusbSoftware:  - Could I be infected and not know it?

YES! Attackers often bombard computers with a "cocktail" of viruses, worms, and Trojans to increase the chances that some will escape detection. Even if your anti-virus program catches one, another may slip by.

Windows PC:  - What would attackers want with my PC?

Cybercrime is a multi-billion dollar business. Attackers may want to remotely control your PC to cover their tracks while stealing, sending spam, a network from the inside. They may want your identity.  Attackers also buy and sell access to infected computers.

Child Protection: - Keep you children safer

While it is not possible to be completely certain of what sites and what you children may get up to online, I do have a system that (at the moment) is free to use and does provide a good level of protection:-

• You choose which TYPES of site they can visit or search for
• Password controlled - not too easy to get around
• You can see a log of which sites they have seen or tried to see
• Many sites that are known to have 'malware' can be locked out

THREAT	DEFENSE
Viruses/Trojans/Spyware             General Advice:- Remember that whatever protection systems you have in place that your computers, mobiles and your information are NEVER completely safe. So be circumspect whenever using any system connected to the internet or an external source.	Keep antivirus, antispy software up-to-date to decrease your overall risk Do not click on suspicious links. Avoid high-risk sites with illegal or questionable content Do not download free software from un-trusted sites. Avoid illegal file sharing Never open unexpected e-mail attachments. Install Protection Software (See Child Protection)
Data & Identity Protection Everyone is out to get your data.  Even legitimate companies keep your data and passwords. NEVER use REAL data when you signup for any account (unless you legally have to eg banking) Some companies and ISP’s keep and CAN SEE your passwords! These companies can get hacked or just lose you data to others who will misuse it.	Don’t use the SAME password for everything Do not give ANYONE a password that is used for banking or to sign into accounts that can be used to create transactions. If the login is ‘non important’ and contains none of your details or data you can use a simple easy to remember password Sign up for most accounts can be done using pseudonyms for names and details – do not give your correct name, address, tel, mobile or date of birth unless you are forced to.
Phishing Hackers send fake e-mail or IM messages with a link to a counterfeit Web site designed to fool users into submitting personal, financial, or password information	Never provide passwords, PINs, or other sensitive information via e-mail or IM. Be suspicious of "urgent" requests asking you to provide account information or login to your account via an included web link.
Trojan Horse Trojan Horses (or Trojans) are malicious programs that masquerade as (or sometimes hide inside of) benign ones such as a music file or game. They are frequently programmed to gather and transmit information to an attacker.	Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, available free from me Keep virus and spyware definitions update in your anti-virus and anti-spyware applications. Do not download free software from untrusted sites. Avoid illegal file sharing.
Viruses Computer viruses cause mischief or damage to a computer system. Viruses can replicate themselves and spread by attaching themselves to (infecting) other files. The term "virus" is commonly used as a catchall term that include Trojans and worms.	Use anti-virus software to scan your computer and new files. See "Trojan Horses" above for additional strategies.
Web Drive-by Hackers bobby-trap Web pages with self-installing malware (viruses, Trojans, Worms etc) that infects your computer	Install the free Child Protection Software
Worms A computer worm is similar to a computer virus but is able to to self-propagate by exploiting the computer's file transmission capabilities; it does not need to infect or attach itself to other files to spread.	See Trojan Horse and Virus above.
Spam & Spam Lists Unsolicited or "junk," e-mail, often of a commercial nature, typically offering a "deal," or questionable service in the Subject line.	Use a secondary account for signup pages, shopping etc. (eg a free Google mail acct) Never open unsolicited e-mail. Never open unsolicited attachments. Never respond to spam, even to unsubscribe Never open chain e-mail, especially those claiming to contain virus fixes or patches, especially those with attachments
Spim Spam sent via an instant messenger (IM) system	Do not click suspicious or unexpected links in IM messages. Do not open attachments. If a link or attachment appears to come from a friend, IM the friend back to verify that he/she sent the links. Run the latest patches or updates for your IM to close security holes.
Spoofed E-mail or Web site A forged e-mail message or counterfeit Web site that appears to come from a trusted source. They are used to trick the message recipient or the web site visitor into clicking malicious links or supplying confidential information under false pretenses.	Never open unexpected e-mail attachments. Never supply confidential information via e-mail. Be familiar with Web sites with which you do business and how those companies usually communicate with you.
Rootkit A program intended to conceal the presence and operation of malicious activity on your computer.	Install rootkit scanning software, available free from me. Set it to scan for rootkits
Session Hijacking The act of taking control of a user's Web session after the user has logged into his or her online account.	Don't leave account Web pages open if you're not using them. Use the log off link to terminate a session (don't just click the "X"), and then close the Window. Clear the browser Cache and History to prevent others from returning to your account pages

 

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