It's Easy to Ruin Your Computer

A Few Easy Steps Will Do!

No one wants to work on a slow, unresponsive computer, or find their machine won’t boot up when they need it. How does your powerful new device degrade so quickly into a frustrating problem? Often, all that anger and frustration can be avoided with a little knowledge.

Let’s pretend you want to ruin your computer, turning your pride and joy into a lazy, frustrating piece of junk. How do you do it?

Step 1 | Click on Everything

Your computer can’t stop you from taking unwise actions. Pause before you click and consider that the weblink you are about to follow may be a trap. Anyone can make a link that says www.Amazon.com, but which really takes you to www.Gotcha.com.

How can you tell? When you hover your mouse over a link, the actual destination URL is displayed in the lower left-hand corner of your screen. Take a moment to make sure you’re going to the right place.

What’s the danger? Malicious websites may have ActiveX controls and software scripts that run automatically, downloading viruses or malware to your computer. When that happens, a slow computer might be the least of your troubles.

Think you clicked on something that crippled your computer? Contact Shiloh Service today.

Step 2 | Open Every Attachment

Word docs, PDFs, and pictures are an email staple. But they can also be little time bombs waiting for you to set the fuse. You don’t need to be afraid of attachments, just step back and take a moment to consider the source.

If the email doesn’t say much, does not have a subject line, and you don’t recognize the person or company it is from, don’t open it! Especially don’t download or open any attachment with such an email.

Even a message from a friend could be a problem waiting to happen. A simple trick allows the bad guys to make emails look like they are from people you know. Though it might show your friend or business contact’s name at the top, a closer look at the actual email address reveals something different.

Common sense can often save you. If there is no reason your Aunt Sarah would send you a PDF file accompanied by the message “you must open this now!” then don’t believe it.

Step 3 | Don’t Purchase Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware and Email Filtering Protection

It’s human nature. When a danger becomes commonplace over a long period of time, people start to ignore it. If you haven’t been in a car accident for years, why should you wear a seat belt?

While your computer may not have been destroyed by a virus recently, the threat is actually growing, not getting better. According to Newsweek, ransomware attacks alone rose 250% in 2017, hitting the U.S. hardest.

Many modern viruses and malware do a good job of hiding their presence. They’d rather wait for you to type in a credit card number or connect to your bank account online than mess with your files or draw a laughing face across your screen.

Last year cyber attacks cost U.S. enterprises $1.3 million on average and $117.000 on average for small to medium sized businesses. This according to the cyber security experts at CSO.

Cyber crime has matured to become big business, often using exceptionally well-designed systems to extort money by holding your most critical data hostage.

WannaCry is the name of a protection racket scam that hit last year, causing an estimated $1 billion in damage around the world. If that sounds frightening, it is.

What can you do? Just like you buckle-up every time you get behind the steering wheel, make sure your anti-virus and anti-malware programs are running whenever you use your computer and that they are up-to-date. Invest in email filtering protection too.

If you don’t have the time or you’re unsure how to take these actions, then Shiloh Service can help your company with a maintenance plan that handles all your security and update needs remotely.

At Shiloh Service, we protect your network and your devices 24/7 against every threat. Give us a call at 1-888-374-4564, or visit our Contact Us page today.

Step 4 | Don’t Make Your Passwords Complex

The most commonly used password in 2017 was this simple sequence of numbers: 123456.

The second most common password added the numbers 7, 8, and 9, as if that would make things better. The word “password” fell to 8th place.

No hacking technology is needed to defeat security measures like these. All you need to break a simple password is a 9-year-old, a computer, and 5 minutes.

It almost doesn’t matter what login a hacker penetrates; once inside they have access to more information and they can make good guesses as to how to scale the next security wall from there. People tend to reuse passwords and create passwords in similar patterns with similar weaknesses. If the login to your email was “puppy123,” they won’t expect you to have become a security genius by the time they find your bank account.

A good password is 8 to 14 characters long and contains a combination of characters from the alphabet, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using recognizable words, because they are vulnerable to modern “dictionary attacks,” in which computers can guess those words easily. If you can remember a 4-digit PIN, you can remember a strong password. First memorize one set of four letters, like K8@h, then memorize another set like DB#9. In no time at all, you have the strong, 8 letter password: K8@hDB#9.

For help with passwords, password policies, and hacked computers, call Shiloh Service at 1-888-374-4564, or visit our Contact Us page today. 

Step 5 | Don't Worry about Backup and Recovery Plans

If a hacker doesn’t get you, hardware failure will. It’s a long-established fact that your data is not safe when the only copy that exists is on the machine in front of you or on a single network drive.

Data can be corrupted, stolen, accidentally erased, and held for ransom. Having quick access to independent copies of all your information is essential.

At Shiloh Service, we even have backups that allow us to rebuild your machine just as you left it, programs and all, after disasters like fire, flood, and power surges caused by lightning. Bare metal restoration brings your machine to life after the most catastrophic of failures.

Of course, it all depends on a good backup and recovery plan. We are specialists in securing the safety and integrity of your data.

At Shiloh, our backup solutions protect your network and your computers against every threat. Give us a call at 1-888-374-4564, or visit our Contact Us page today.

Summary

At Shiloh Service, we know you don’t really want to ruin your computer. But even the best firewalls and anti-virus systems count on user participation. Like security systems for your home or business, they rely on someone to turn them on and make sure they are still running correctly.

If you don’t have the time or you’re unsure how to check, then Shiloh Service can help your company with a maintenance plan that handles all your security and update needs remotely.

At Shiloh, we protect your network and your devices 24/7 against every threat. Give us a call at 1-888-374-4564, or visit our Contact Us page today.

Shiloh Service Area

Shiloh Service, Inc. provides computer solutions, including network support, computer sales, and computer repair services in the Pittsburgh region.

Call us at 1-888-374-4564 or contact us today to review your IT systems; we can help arrange your technologies in ways that boost efficiency, minimize risk of downtime, and ensure maximum security.

At Shiloh Service, it’s our job to help your business succeed!

Our service area includes but is not limited to: Pittsburgh, Monroeville, McKeesport, Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin, North Huntingdon, Latrobe, Murrysville, Ligonier, and more.

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