Keep Yourself Secure from Hackers | Corona, CA

Data Breach

During this election season, you hear all about other countries hacking our elections and trying to rig it every which way. It has all of us on edge, because even our social media accounts can get compromised. Since October 2004, the National Cyber Security Division within the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Alliance has sponsored National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is focused on encouraging individuals to be cautious and to use protection while accessing the internet. Let’s face it – the internet impacts our lives on a daily basis. We use the internet to connect with family and friends, to handle business and banking online and rely on it for many other services, like electricity and even transportation, which are supported by online systems. Technology has prompted advancements in life as we know it.

And while technology does help our lives, it also makes us more vulnerable to risks of theft, fraud and abuse. No one is immune to cyber risks at this point. As individuals, cybersecurity risks can threaten our identities, finances and privacy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself, your assets and personal information safe online:

  • Create strong passwords and do not share them with anyone.
  • Keep operating system, browser and other critical software’s up to date by installing updates.
  • Raise awareness by talking openly with your family, friends and community about internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you share online and use privacy setting to avoid sharing information widely
  • Be very cautious about what you receive or read online.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Staying Virus-Free | Corona, CA

Now that we have been quarantined to our homes, we are using the internet more than ever in order to keep ourselves entertained. Coronavirus has taken over our lives, but there is one more virus we need to keep in mind – the computer virus. Because we are going to be using the internet for things like searching for information, work, shopping, schoolwork and even banking, it is important that we prevent our computers vulnerable to hackers with the personal information held in there. Here are a few tips to lower your risk of contracting a virus:

Anti-virus software. Having an anti-virus program installed is a great benefit for your computer. The ant-virus programs scan for viruses that try to get into your emails, operating system or files. Make sure your anti-virus is set to update automatically for the most protection.

Install a firewall. Firewalls can help alert you of any suspicious activity, while also blocking viruses, hackers or worms from attempting to download malicious programs onto your computer. Some systems have a built-in firewall but are usually shipped in “off” mode, so be sure to turn your firewall on. Make sure to keep your firewall updated regularly.

Pop-up blocker. Avoid clicking on pop-up ads by using a pop-up blocker. Most pop-ups are created by advertisers, but they may contain a harmful or unsafe code.

Use spam filters. Emails can contain computer viruses, so before opening an email, make sure you’re receiving it from a known address or sender.

Strong passwords. Make sure to choose a strong password to protect yourself for potential hackers. Don’t choose something simple as your password; some hackers have a program that can try every single word in the dictionary.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

The ABCs of Malware | Corona, CA

Virus Alert

In the day and age that revolves around the internet, it is important that we make sure to protect ourselves from anything that can affect our way to stay in touch online. That is why it is very important to know the difference between the things harming your computer. You may have heard of the term virus, but a virus is just the common term for a bigger threat – malware. The term “malware” refers to any type of malicious software that’s designed to infect your computer or mobile device, including a computer virus and is designed to specifically hard and infect host systems. Let’s break them all down:

Virus. This is a contagious program that attaches itself to another piece of software, and then progresses to reproduce itself when the software is running.

Adware. Adware is the least dangerous and most profitable malware. It displays ads on your computer.

Spyware. This is a software that spies on you by tracking your internet activity in order to send adware back to your machine.

Worms. This is a program that replicates itself and destroys data and files on your computer. Worms are designed to “eat” the system operating files and data till the drive is completely empty.

Trojan horse. The most dangerous, Trojans are designed to discover your financial information and take over your computers system resources.

Ransomware. If you see a screen that warns you that you have been locked out of your computer until you pay for your cybercrimes, you have ransomware. Even if you do pay to unlock your system, you are not free from of it locking you out again.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Prescott Valley and all surrounding areas.

Computer Issues? Let’s Make Sure. | Corona, CA

Virus Alert

There are plenty of reasons a computer will need some type of technical support, whether it be from something simple to something much more complex. Because computer issues are more a headache if you don’t have any idea what is going wrong, here are three of the ore common reasons your computer is on the fritz:

Malicious software. Viruses, adware, spyware, worms, trojan horses and any other type of software that is designed to cause mischief with you or your computer. You can get malware anytime you’re browsing the internet, downloading an email attachment, accessing a different computer through a network, or when you’re plugging in an infected flash drive.

Slow computer. Like a new home or car; if you don’t take proper care of your computer, you’re going to have problems so it’s very important to make good use of your computer resources. Every computer has a limited amount of storage space, ram memory and processing speed. The more programs, documents, music, videos, pictures and tool bars you have, the slower your computer will run.

Hard drive failure. If you’ve been hearing your computer make loud noises it’s never made before, be scared because those noises could be coming from your hard drive. The hard drive is where everything is stored and hearing a clicking noise when you access data is one of the first signs of hard drive malfunctions. Hard drives can stop working for a myriad of reasons, but they typically crash due to mechanical failure, a violent shake, electrical surge, or even viruses.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serve Corona and all surrounding areas.