Data Doctors Tech Tips

One of the most common things that we tend to do these days, is pop on to the Internet and do a Google search whenever we hear about some type of breaking news. For the most part, people believe the if Google has indexed the website, it must be safe, but despite all of the technical know-how they possess, they can't vet everything that appears from their indexing in real-time. The bad guys know this, which is why they tend to use breaking news stories to create fake web pages with outrageous headlines. Since you know that Google, with all of its tech tools can't stay ahead of this, choosing a different approach for the information on a fast-breaking story is much safer. Your go-to should be the news sources you already trust, whether it's through their website or a new app that you already have on your smartphone. Scammers are very clever and constantly adjust their approach based on what they see the masses doing, so from now on, to avoid potential scams surrounding breaking news, stick to your trusted sources.

With the sudden need to work from home, sharing the same computer that you use to remotely work with your kids is a bad idea. If you don't have a separate computer for your kids, an alternative to a second expensive computer is a laptop-like device known as a Chromebook. Google created the web-concentric operating system that many hardware companies have embraced. This is by no means a replacement for anyone that needs to install specific Windows-based programs on their computer, but it's perfect for anyone that essentially does everything online. These machines generally cost a couple of hundred dollars and they have an added benefit of being immune to the various malware that targets macOS and Windows users. Since most kids tend to only need access to the Internet for the things they want to do, a Chromebook could be the perfect solution. You don't have to be an Android phone user to make this option useful, but the integration between your smartphone and Chromebook is pretty slick. Start your exploration at: and#160;https://www.google.com/chromebook

Businesses and employees of businesses are the target of choice of today's hackers and their favorite tool is the phishing scam. What makes this approach so desirable is that it only takes one person to trip up in any company for the bad guys to sneak in and begin wreaking havoc. My suggestion to business owners that are truly interested in minimizing this threat is pretty radical: Stop Using Email - for internal communications that is... and#8232; The most effective email attacks appear to be a message from a co-worker or worse, someone of authority in the organization requesting urgent action. and#8232;The logic states that since you can't provide employees with black and white rules on what a suspicious email looks like, avoiding it altogether is safer. Moving company communications off email and onto collaboration platforms such as Slack can also provide other benefits.and#8232;and#8232;It's as ubiquitous as email and works on any device, platform or device with the ability to try it out before you sign up for a paid account at: https://slack.com

In times like these, scammers and those with malicious intent are creating lots of websites that are designed to do you harm. Avoiding any website you've never heard of is advice that some might suggest, but with tens of millions of websites, how practical is that advice? A better approach is to use tools specifically designed to rate the safety or trustworthiness of any website before you actually go to it. We like what Trend Micro offers at https://global.sitesafety.trendmicro.com because it's simple to use and easy to understand what's questionable and what's safe. They've compiled a huge website reputation database for sites all around the Internet that you can check against whenever you have a website you aren't sure about. Just type the web address into the tool or copy it from any link and within seconds you'll get information about how safe or suspicious a website may be, along with a summary of what you can expect if you visit. Malicious websites are being posted and shared all around the Internet, so now you can get a pre-visit analysis so you don't have to guess whether a link is legit or not. https://global.sitesafety.trendmicro.com

Paying attention to what and how much you eat are critical components to staying healthy and getting basic calorie counts is getting easier when you go to a restaurant. Having a good idea of what you're buying from a nutritional standpoint at the grocery store can bet a bit more complicated and time-consuming. Wouldn't it be great if you could have a nutritionist helping you make good choices? Well, there's an app for that and it's called Fooducate. The app lets you pull up a wealth of health info just by scanning the barcode on thousands of common items you shop for every week. Calories are a good start, but how about sodium or sugar levels, how processed the product is or if it has any questionable ingredients. It can even make suggestions on healthier products when you scan something that's a bit out of your comfort zone. This free app is available for both iPhone and Android users, so you if want more data about what you are buying, check it out at: https://www.fooducate.com

Would you believe there is a scientific connection between bedtime and math? Well, a group of researchers studied the effects of including some form of math during bedtime stories and the outcome is encouraging. An app called Bed Time Math was used in the study and it showed math skills could be honed by using it. The app makes solving math problems fun because it's incorporated into bedtime stories instead of the usual way math is taught. The value of doing this wasn't only if it was done every night as a once a week use of the approach had measurable results. At first, I was skeptical of a study that specifically promoted an app, but since it's free, it's worth trying if you have children that don't do well in math. It's also a more comfortable way for mom and dad that feel math-challenged themselves to present the lessons that don't feel like a lesson on a device that the kids love using. If all this sounds like a worthwhile approach, check out more info or download the app for some fun family math at: http://bedtimemath.org/bedtimemath-app

Maintenance is critical part of making just about everything we care about function better and last longer, so doing it regularly makes good sense. We know this for the most part, but some how, the thought of actually maintaining a computer seems to be a foreign concept. Just like with your vehicle, running it until it breaks down is both inefficient and costly in both time and money. With this in mind, I'm hoping to use today's tip to get those that haven't thought about it to do something pro-actively. For those running the Windows operating system, there's a simple to use to valuable tool called Disk Cleanup that you should become intimate with. This tool will scan your hard drive to find all the junk that accumulates with regular usage that takes up unnecessary space and can impact your overall speeds. You'll need to be patient if you've never used this utility or it has been a while because it's going to have more work to do. We recommend that you create a routine around this tool, so that it's done at least once a month if not more. Once you've added this process to your schedule, it will go a long way to helping your computer run at its best.

When a loved one or even a stranger goes into a condition of medical distress near you, jumping into action quickly can be essential. Knowing how to administer CPR or other life-saving techniques is something we should all know, but many of us don't. Knowing some basic first aid techniques can be helpful for a variety of situations, not just those that are life and death. If you'd like to get some help understanding what to do and when to do it, there are lots of apps that you can use, such as those available from the Red Cross. Pre-installing a first aid app on your smartphone is a solid approach to being there one someone else needs you. These apps don't require an Internet connection, so the advice is there even when you are off the grid. It's not an everyday app, but I think it warrants being at your fingertips since none of us know when we will be called upon to help another person. Check out all of the Red Cross apps at: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps.html

I've said it before and I'm going to say it again; when you use the same password on multiple accounts, you're making it too easy for the bad guys to compromise you. The primary suggestion for avoiding this mistake is to use a management tool, of which there are many free options such as https://www.lastpass.com or https://www.roboform.com Now, some people find these programs to be too confusing or complicated, so my next suggestion is to simply write them down yourself. You can create a generic file that doesn't have any reference to the word 'password' that contains all of your usernames and passwords. As an extra layer of protection, create your own secret code, like 4 characters that mean nothing in front of the actual password, so if anyone finds the file, they still won't figure out what your password without breaking your secret code. With the number of companies that you work with every day getting compromised on a regular basis, if you have to decide whether to use the same password everywhere or write down long, complex but unique passwords for each account, its pretty obvious which is safe

Most of us view our Wi-Fi routers as the device that allows us to connect to the Internet wirelessly, but it plays a much more important security role as well. It's a form of firewall that shields the devices connected to it from direct access via the Internet. If you have an older router, there's a security step that most of you probably haven't taken as it pertains to the default administrator's password. The admin password is what allows you to configure the router and make changes that affect every device that attaches to it. The bad guys don't have to guess what your default password is, because helpful sites like https://www.routerpasswords.com have every default password for every router on the market in their database. If a hacker sends a clever email message that's booby-trapped to sneak into your router and you fall for it, they can make changes to your settings without you ever knowing. The biggest risk is that they can capture all of the traffic that goes through the router, including usernames and passwords for lots of your online accounts. Because this isn't traditional malware, your Internet security software is powerless to stop this type of threat. It's actually very easy to avoid becoming a victim of this attack by simply changing the default password on your router, so if that's too complicated for you to figure out, get some help!