One day you get an email from your bank. You usually get emails from them however this particular email asks you to “verify” the email address you registered and if you don’t do it asap, it threatens to close your account. It sounded urgent, but you have your doubts about it. What do you do?

Emails like this are examples of Phishing, a method of online identity theft. What it does is to deceive you to give your credentials by sending bogus emails that redirects you to a fake website set up to be identical to the official site.

This not only steals personal and financial date, but it can also infect your computer with malware and unintentionally participate in money laundering.

Pretty scary isn’t it? A single phishing email can actually cause a lot of trouble. Here are some tips to avoid getting reeled:

• Always remember that a comapany will never ask your login credentials via email. If you do get an email asking you to “verify” your account and provides you a link to login, do not click on the link. If you hover your mouse over the link, you may notice that it directs to some other website, not the official website of the company.
• Watch out for grammar and typographical errors. These are obvious signs that its a fake/phishing message.
• Generic openings like “dear customer” or “dear player” should sound a warning that it might be a phishing email.
• Make sure that your bank’s website (or any other website for payments or financial transactions) is encrypted. Check the website address, it should begin with Https://www rather than Http://www.
• Update your browser frequently. New browsers like Internet Explorer 9 and Google Chrome have an anti-phishing feature. It helps detect fake sites.
• I’d recommend using different passwords for every online account that you have. If you use the same password it can be a pot of gold if a hacker gets your login credentials.
• When in doubt, don’t click. You can ignore or delete the message or better yet, contact the company directly.

How can Techie Now help?

Phishing emails does not only steal information but it can also be a gateway for malicious software to invade your computers. When in doubt and you needed a professional advice, feel free to contact us at TechieNow.com. Our techies are ready to give you sound recommendations and if a malware removal is needed; our techies will take care of that as well. Check out our virus removal services for more information.

Every new years day reminds us of a fresh start, of a new you. This certainly applies as well to your computers. Just like ourselves, we have to unload some stuff from our computers to last another year.

These simple maintenance tips will help you and your computers start the year right, avoid computer issues and boost your computer’s total performance.

Clean your computer from yester-year’s clutter
As we use our computers, bits and pieces of temporary system files are being stored. Whenever we surf the internet, temporary internet files are continuously downloaded and stored into our hard drives; when we install programs, temporary system files are also kept; when we create documents or presentations, temporary files are stored as well.

Collectively, these bits and pieces of temporary files eat up a large chunk of space in our drive.

The easiest and simplest way of cleaning this is by using Windows’ Disk Cleanup utility that is usually found under Start>>All programs>>Accessories>>System Tools>>Disk Cleanup. Alternatively, you can use your preferred third party cleaning tool to do the job for you.

Audit your programs list
It can be very healthy for your computer as well if you uninstall programs that you don’t really use. Most especially additional anti-virus software that can cause software conflicts on your system.

Common unused programs as well are your browser add-ons like toolbars, not only that it makes your browser look crowded, it slows it down too. Make a rundown of your programs at Control panel>>Add/Remove programs or Programs and Features.

Update programs, virus definitions and windows hotfixes
To spare yourself from annoyances coming from program bugs, it is recommended that you install all updates whenever they are available. Make it a habit to install important Windows updates so as to make your computing more stable and hassle free.

Look into your computer’s security
Ensuring security is always part of your computer usage hygiene. Antivirus software or any other security software has to be kept updated, ongoing (not expired) and working.

Daily scans are recommended, weekly is a must. In the event your paid antivirus subscription had expired (or is almost expiring) please ensure that you see to it that your computer is continuously protected.

There are limitless possibilites for a malware intrusion on your computers and and expired antivirus software may give hackers an easy access to your files.

Clean your computer inside-out
Your computer is a machine that can accumulate a lot of dust over time. Keeping it physically clean allows air to flow, and this helps keep your computer’s temperature levels down.

If you’re using canned air, please follow the instructions listed in the can. If you’re with an expert or you’re knowledgable with computer hardware, also reseat your hardware peripherals and your memory sticks.

Be careful when dealing with computer hardware; mishandling can cause serious damage to your computer.

How can Techie Now help?

These simple computer maintenance tips should be done on your computer every 6months to keep your computer in good working condition. If you’re not very comfortable in doing these yourselves, our techies would be more than happy to help you out with our PC Performance Booster. We’ll take care of your computer as if its our own.

Its not new knowledge that there are a lot of malware trying to invade every computer there is connected to the internet. We all wanted to be certain that our system and files are protected. Probably like our houses, security is probably on top of the list.

And yes, just like every other security measure, basic rule is to have layers of security. Double locks, gates, sensors I’m pretty sure if not everybody, almost everybody has it.

Same with our computers, we wanted to make sure that we are spared from the terror of getting a virus infection. We wanted to make sure none of the bad stuff gets into our files. So what do we do? We put layers of protection to our computer, so if the virus gets to bypass the first antivirus, the other will probably catch it.

However in most cases, this does more harm to your computer than good. And why is that?

Installing 2 antivirus programs on your computer can cause serious software conflict. This conflict not only decreases the efficiency of the program, this eats up a huge chunk of system resources as well. So it does not only increase the risk of getting infected, but it slows down your computer too.

Surely there isn’t any 100% assurance that our system’s safe from getting infected. Most cases are caused by irresponsible usage. Always be on guard for threats; your antivirus program needs your help too.

How can Techie Now help?

There isn’t a 100% guarantee that our computer systems are spared for any malware intrusion. Getting too anxious not to be infected might cause more harm on your computer. Techie Now’s techies are available everyday to help your computer become more secure and efficient. We’ll take care of your computer as if its our own. Check out our online virus removal page for more information.

We all have different needs and preferences for our cell features. However, there are some good features that everybody appreciates.

Blackberry has a few and it may be keeping them alive against the fierce competition… but for how much longer?

Keyboard

The Blackberry keyboard is easy and feels much natural than the touch screen based keyboards.

Yes it may take a lot of space but it reduces the number of typos and frustration of having to retype words.

BBM (Blackberry Messenger)

Probably not the best IM nowadays but combined with the tight encryption and security features it has become the logical choice for anybody trying to make sure their communication stays within those intended to see it.

Also BBM attracted a big following which is now somewhat reluctant to move to other platforms and have to change the way they interact with friends and co-workers.

That little red light

This is a love-or-hate feature. I personally like it, I look at my Blackberry and right away I know if there’s something waiting for me.

I understand those not fan of it feel pressure or anxiety, I’d say that’s not Blackberry’s fault.

Corporate infrastructure investment

There was major investment in Blackberry  infrastructure by several large corporations.

They are unlikely to ditch Blackberry until their return of investment is realized… after that, who knows?

Malware is no strange thing for computer users nowadays. Several computers all over the world get infected every day and it grows more and more. With this increasing number, it can surely raise a question: how do cyber criminals spread malware?

Simple. Thru infected websites. All the hackers need to do is to place some infecting codes in a webpage and somehow entice computer users to visit that site.

Cyber criminals take full advantage of a raging Facebook addiction or a top trending tweet. Official looking emails and irresistible enticements that feature fascination with social networking sites are hard for some people to resist.

Social networking scams are very effective in getting users check out a link that gives them an access to the infected website.

So the next time you think you will see a funny video on Facebook, you get a fake anti-virus offer that just doesn’t go away. Some link, huh.

So, its not just email attachments that can expose a user to malware. Even links do. So as responsible computer users we must continue being careful on the stuff we click. Again, think before you click.

How can TechieNow help?

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With the growing number of ways to infect computers, we can’t necessarily conclude that not clicking on email attachments makes our computer secure. We have to be responsible computer users that are not easily deceived by cyber criminals. However in the event that you slip, do not worry, TechieNow specializes in malware removal. We can assure a better, fast and safe service for a very affordable price.

Hackers never seem to run out of ideas on how to infect computers.

It has been a huge buzz about Apple’s big iPhone 5 reveal this month 3and this is the virus’ ticket to the computer.

Reports of an email of what seemed to be coming from the official Apple camp shows a preview of the much awaited iPhone 5 apparently are infected with malware.

The email will try to attract the reader to click on a button to pre-order iPhone 5. For those who can’t resist clicking on the button, they will be exposed to Mal/Zapchas-A virus.

Mal/Zapchas-A is a virus whose purpose is to allow hackers to have an access to your computer thus stealing personal information.

This only affects windows PC’s so lucky Mac users are ignored by this virus.

Think before you click. I don’t think we’re ready for a see though phone just yet.

How can TechieNow help?

Its always nice to cope up with the latest changes in technology. Although the same interest is normally used by hackers to corrupt your system. Let TechieNow’s expertise protect yourself from harmful technology. Not only we remove the infection; but we give you tips as well to prevent future virus intrusion.

Related TechieNow Service:

Virus Removal Service

When your hard drive dies an untimely death,  that’s when you realize how vulnerable your  files (photos, videos, documents, music, etc)  are after wiping off clean the entire drive. And  I’m not kidding when I say that once they’re  wiped off; there’s no way of getting them back.

Most of the severe virus infection cases we’ve  handled left us no other choice but to wipe off  the hard drive clean after several unsuccessful  attempts to remove the infection.

On a lighter note, prevention is always better than cure. There’s a simple way of saving all of your precious mementos by storing your files in multiple locations.

Backing up your files ensures that your files are secure in the event of crashes, virus infection, and some technology disaster. In line with this I’d like to discuss your options for backup:

Local Backup

This is saving a copy of your files to a separate folder or partition on your hard drive. This serves like a backup just in case the file is accidentally deleted or infected by a virus; however this too will be affected if your hard drive crashes.

External Storage Backups

Backup and restore is easy and relatively safe to use; however this is at risk for data loss due to fire, theft and other physical accidents. Storage media like disks can be bulky in large quantity and can be expensive if a huge amount of files are involved.

This is the most common form of backup. This is simply creating copies of your files and storing them in an external media like external hard drive, usb flash drives, CD/DVD’s, magnetic tapes, etc.

Cloud/Online Backup

This type of backup is already having an increasing number of popularity due to its security and convenience. Also known as remote backup, this is uploading/saving your files on a remote server with a network connection and securing it with a password.

This method eliminates the external storage backup risk however it is highly dependent on internet speed and connectivity to backup and restore. Normally, subscriptions are required for this to get a large capacity allocation, so it can be a bit expensive too.

Performing a backup only involves copy/paste of files; or better yet, you can use software that can automate the process. Several things you to get u started are:

How can TechieNow help?

Backing up files should be regular hygiene for all computer users. This eliminates data loss in the event of computer crashes mostly brought about by severe malware infection. Let Techie Now give you our expert opinion about the options you have to secure your data while we clean the virus off of your computer.

General Computer Repair

Many criminal hackers have not been caught or even identified. That just proves why there are some unsolved computer crimes. They do their nefarious activity without other people knowing it but when breaches happen, they are being tracked by law enforcers. Luckily, they are not caught for what they have done.

Here are the top 10 infamous unsolved computer crimes:

1. WANK Worm, October 1989 – This is the first hacking activist attack, also called “hacktivist.” The WANK worm struck NASA offices in Greenbelt, Maryland. WANK stands for Worms Against Nuclear Killers. The attack is the part of the protest stopping the launch of the plutonium-fueled, Jupiter-bound Galileo probe. Up to this day, no one knows where the attack started. Many thought that the hackers came from Melbourne, Australia.

2. Ministry of Defense Satellite Hacked, February 1999
MoD Skynet was controlled by a small group of hackers from southern England who have signaled a security intrusion as “information warfare”. The attack aimed to disrupt military communications. The hackers were wise enough to reprogram the control system before it was discovered. No arrest has been made after the U.S. Air Force and Scotland Yard’s Computer Crimes Unit made an investigation on it.

3. CD Universe Credit Card Breach, January 2000
This is a blackmail scheme made by hacker Maxim. He posted over 300,000 credit card numbers on his website, The Maxus Credit Card Pipeline. It is still unsolved since early 2000. He was able to steal credit card information through CDUniverse.com. The worst of all, he asked for $100,000 from the website to destroy the data. Many believed that Maxim is from Eastern Europe. It is still unsolved since early 2000.

4. Military Source Code Stolen, December 2000
In 2000, a hacker was able to get the source controlling missile-guidance systems after broking into government-contracted Exigent Software Technology and nabbing two-thirds of the code for Exigent’s OS/COMET software from the Naval Research Lab found in Washington, D.C. The intruder is called “Leaf.” Officials were able to track him until his trail disappear in the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany.

5. Anti-DRM Hacked, October 2001
This just proves that not all hackers are bad guys. Some hackers sometimes just want to make a wrong right or make a life more easier for everyone. One of these hackers is Beale Screamer. He created a program named FreeMe allowing Windows Media users to strip digital-rights-management security from music and video files. Because of this, Microsoft went after Beale while other anti-digital rights management (DRM) activists praised him.

6. Dennis Kucinich on CBSNews.com, October 2003
In 2003, CBSNews.com was hacked. The CBSNews homepage was replaced with a campaign logo of Dennis Kucinich redirecting to 30-minute video called “This is the Moment” which shows Kucinich political philosophy. The Kucinich refused to admit that they have something to do with the hack. The hacker involved was not identified.

7. Hacking Your MBA App, March 2006
A hacker broke into the automated ApplyYourself application system in 2006 allowing some applicants to find out if they were admitted or not. He posted the ApplyYourself login process on Business Week’s online forums. People who used it got a warning from the schools that they will be receiving rejection letters in the mail. The hacker of the attempt has not been discovered.

8. The 26,000 Site Hack Attack, 2008
26,000 websites were hacked by unknown hackers including MSNBC.com. The hackers redirected the traffic to their own JavaScript code hosted by servers known for malware. The malicious code was hidden that the users were not able to see it enabling the hackers to activate it.

9. Supermarket Security Breach, February 2008
1,8000 credit card and debit card numbers were stolen at supermarket chains Hannaford and Sweetbay located in the Northeast United States and Florida. It remained unsolved for more than six months. The fraud was caused by hackers who intercepted the transmission of credit card information during the authorization process. Chain reps and security experts questioned how the criminals were able to gain access to their system.

10. Comcast.net Redirects to the Hacker’s Page, May 2008
The hacker group, Kryogeniks, was able to get unauthorized access to Comcast.net’s registrar, Network Solutions. Users attempting to access webmail were redirected to the hackers’ own page. As of today, Comcast and Network Solutions still don’t know how the hackers got the username and password.

How Can Techie Now Help?

It’s evident how hackers can really affect everyone with their online attacks. The above computer crimes have not been solved or maybe the solutions have been made public. With the hackers being unknown, more and more crimes or online threats will happen in the future. For now, always be cautious when surfing the web and make sure that your computer has strong security software. If you are looking for PC support services like virus and spyware removal, performance optimization, installation and configuration and general repair – contact Techie Now and keep your PC protected at all time.

Related TechieNow Service:

Online Virus Removal

One of the things that computer owners have to deal with is pc virus removal. A computer virus is a software program that spreads from one computer to another and interferes with the computers operation.

One of the most common computer viruses is the spyware and adware virus.

Spyware is a type of Malware (malicious software) that gathers information from the computer and sends it to a central source.

Once the information is gathered such as internal logs and personal data, all the information are sold to advertisers or can be used for identity theft. Adware is a type of Spyware, which creates pop-up advertisements that once clicked, will collect all the information and data from your computer.

There are two ways in removing spyware and adware virus from your computer — using Anti-Spyware software or using Anti-Malware software.

Using Anti-Spyware Software:

1. Download the anti-spyware software. You can look for downloadable software from the internet.
2. Go to the download folder in your computer and click on the installation file. Open the file and follow the program directions.
3. Look for the launch icon and double-click it. Program directions will pop-up on how to update the software to the latest version. It is necessary to update the software and allow the scanner to find the newest spyware and malware.
4. Run a full system scan and wait until it gets complete.
5. Follow the program directions on how to remove any spyware adware found on the computer. Once all found viruses are removed, close the anti-spyware software and restart your computer.

Using Anti-Malware Software:

1. Download the anti-malware software from the internet. Malware software works best in Windows Safe Mode. To turn your computer into Safe Mode, restart your computer and press “F8” once the Windows splash screen appears. Click “Safe Mode with Networking” in the menu.
2. Navigate on the download folder in your computer and click on the installation file. Follow the program directions indicated on the file once you right-clicked it.
3. Double-click the launch icon.  Program directions will pop-up on how to update the software to the latest version. It is necessary to update the software and allow the scanner to find the newest spyware and malware.
4. Run a full system scan. It may take several minutes to be completed.
5. Follow the program directions on how to remove any spyware adware found on the computer. Once all found viruses are removed, close the anti-malware software and restart your computer. You will know that your pc virus removal process is successful if your computer’s speed increased and it stopped from hanging.

It has been featured with our previous entries that a computer cannot have 2 or more antivirus programs installed. Now, how do you uninstall of the other antivirus programs? Simple, thru “add or remove programs” or “programs and features” in control panel. It is pretty simple and it works in most cases.

A previous case had issues with his programs after uninstalling his free antivirus software.  He also mentioned that a lot of icons in his desktop went missing and that several startup programs stopped launching; when all he did was to click on the uninstall button at the Programs and Features list in control panel.

Here’s the problem: there are other add ons on your antivirus program that may not be listed in the programs and features list. Some are, but you can’t uninstall them; thus causing problems like inability to browse, error messages on startup up to losing internet connectivity.

Even I, as a technician, get problems after uninstalling some antivirus program. Most commonly when removing an antivirus software bundle. I’m not saying that these bundles are not good; they are actually good and gives your computers security from all sides. Just like what I’ve previously mentioned; some add-ons are not that easy to remove because they are all over your system – your browser, your firewall, your registry. More often, these components are related to each other and if a component is removed it would just crash down altogether, causing damage on other components of your computer.

I’m pretty sure that this side problem has been raised to antivirus software developers. Some don’t really know this but each antivirus software has its own removal tool. Some of the popular ones I’ve listed below:

• Norton products
• McAfee products
• Trend Micro prouducts
• Kaspersky products
• AVG products

Instructions on how to use them are also included on the page.  Its quite simple really, all you have to do is to download the tool, install it and run it.

However, in cases where problems are encountered, most especially when network drivers need to be reinstalled or the firewall and/or the browser add-ons need to be reconfigured.  Depending on the situation; in worst cases, you just end up reinstalling everything.

End result: not only did we successfully remove other components of the antivirus program; but we also made sure that everything was in good working condition.  Another happy customer with a working computer.

How can Techie Now help?

Antivirus programs can be very tricky when you’re trying to uninstall them.  There are several components scattered all over your PC to give you all around security.  At most cases all components cannot be simply removed by the built in windows uninstaller and may cause instability to system crash on your computer.  Let Techie now take care of the hassles so you can ensure a working and safe pc.  We’ll also give you our expert opinion because we care for your computer as if its our own.

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