Christmas email Con Season

With all the parcel deliveries and online purchasing going on at this time of year, fraudsters see a major opportunity.

Please be Careful opening emails.

Treat all with suspicion even if from a friend or relative.

DO NOT OPEN attachments suffixed .ZIP or .RAR unless you already know exactly what is in it because someone has told you they have sent it.  These can contain malicious programs hidden from your security software

Popular con's at this time of year include supposedly 'missed deliveries' and 'order queries' apparently from Royal Mail, DHL, amazon etc..
With the recent changes to BT Yahoo / BTInternet email logon, this is also a popular target.

Do Not follow links telling you that 'Your account has been compromised', 'You need to confirm your details', 'You have a suspicious transaction', they are all trying to draw out personal or financial detail.

Any doubts you have, you should contact your bank or the supplier directly. Do Not use contact details included in the email, they are likely to be false.

All the following in my SPAM folder are Malicious emails:

Have a Happy and Safe Christmas, 
Ged

Folders and Files

In 4 years of teaching PC and Internet the most common complaint from existing PC users is that they can’t get a grip of Folders.  This has always intrigued me but a revelation came when discussing them with my wife. “But that’s a File”, she said when I pointed to a Folder.

If you back away from computers for a moment and return to a traditional workplace, the Filing cabinet or draws contained Customer Files which comprised bundles of documents. A File of this type may be a bunch of papers held together with a ribbon or it may be placed in a large envelope, a Box File or sometimes a card Folder.

In PC storage, Files and Folders take on specific meanings and a ‘File’ is quite different from that described in the previous paragraph.

Files and Folders on a PC:

In PC speak, a File is an individual item, a Newsletter, a Photo, a Music Track, a Video etc..  
A File will be stored in a Folder.

A “Folder” is just a container, much the same as a card Folder available in stationery. The Folder icon is a representation of one of these.

Folders are given a name and can contain other Folders. e.g. A Folder named “Timesheets” may contain sub-Folders named “Jan”, “Feb”, “Mar”... etc.

In this example, the Folder "Apl" may contain the individual Timesheets for that month as individual Files.

Sort Out an Erratic Mouse

Your mouse will be one of two types, an 'Optical' mouse which has a light underneath when you lift it or a 'Ball' mouse.

Optical Mouse

There is no maintenance which can be carried out on an Optical mouse, other than changing the battery on a wireless device when the light doesn't come on any more.
Consider the surface you are working on. An Optical mouse works by detecting reflections of its light and is best used on a matt surface. It will happily work on a table cloth, arm of a chair but it won't work accurately on a reflective surface so a glass or highly polished surface should be covered with something non-reflective.
Mouse mats and backs of magazines with high contrast black and white patterns can also cause trouble.

Ball Mouse

If you have an old type mouse which has a ball underneath you may find that your mouse pointer doesn't move smoothly or accurately after some time. A couple of minutes will often restore it to as good as new.

The Ball mouse works by the ball, which rolls in different directions as you move the mouse across a flat surface, making contact with 3 rollers inside the casing. These rollers pick up grease and dust from surfaces and eventually this affects the contact. Removing this residue allows the rollers to once again make good contact with the ball.

WARNING: Do not remove any screws from the mouse casing. There are springs inside the assembly and re-assembly can be difficult.

1. Turn your mouse over so the ball is on top.
2. Look at the circular section of the base around the ball, you will see 2 arrows indicating a direction to turn.
3. Now place two fingers onto the ridged areas and twist the circular retainer in the direction indicated.
4. The circular retainer will pop out and release the ball. Upturn the mouse and drop the ball out into your hand.
5. Examine the inside through the hole and identify 2 horizontal rollers and one vertical roller which is on a sprung assembly. If they need cleaning you will see a line of residue around the horizontal rollers and along the centre of the vertical roller.
6. Use a small knife or a finger nail to gently scratch off the residue rolling the rollers with each scratch until all the residue drops off.
7. Turn the mouse hole down and blow out any junk.
8. Finally, give the ball a wipe over and drop it back into position.
9. Reposition the retaining ring positioning the lugs in the gaps and twist the opposite direction from the arrows to lock.

I have uploaded a video to YouTube showing this process here: http://youtu.be/im9ZUryfdAo

BT Internet email Changes

If you are a BT customer you will begin seeing communications regarding changes to BT Yahoo email.

New Home for BT email

BT's email was previously outsourced to Yahoo, hence "BT Yahoo", but this arrangement is coming to an end and these email accounts are to move to BT's own systems.
Read BT's news here: http://home.bt.com/news/btlife/the-bt-yahoo-mail-login-experience-is-changing-11363812900474?s_cid=con_FURL_yahoo_loginchange

After the change, you will sign into your BT email at a different page. I have no security concerns with the change itself which will be managed by BT.

SCAM WARNING

 

However, this is an opportunity for the con artists (scammers and phishers) and you need to take care.

Fake emails
Do not fall for emails, apparently from BT, asking you to follow a link to confirm your details or login to your new BT email. This is a common method crooks use to steal login details and bank details via a fake website. It is really easy to get a link in an email to read "www.bt.com" whilst having it actually go somewhere else.

BT will send links to advertising but they will NOT send a link for you to login, they will tell you to find your own way via bt.com.

Simple Precautions
These checks follow for web pages used for personal banking and shopping as well as email, anywhere that you are entering personal of financial data.

Correct Address?
Check that the address of the web page you are on is where you expect to be. The address is shown at the top of the screen. A BT.COM page will have "bt.com" before the first single slash, e.g. http://home.bt.com/  or http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayPnSHub.do?btheader_primarynav_index=2

Secure?
Before entering username and password or any other personal details, ensure that the address of page you are on starts https:// by checking at the top of the screen. The 's' on https indicates that this is a Secure site and you should also see a Closed Padlock symbol. If these are present then your details will be encrypted before leaving your computer.

Mouse Pointer vs Cursor

Any computer needs to know what you the human sitting in front of it want it to do, or to put it another way it needs "Input" from you.

Two well known Input methods are the Keyboard and the Mouse. On a laptop PC you will usually have a Touchpad with 2 associated buttons on the side facing you which performs the same function as a Mouse.

More recently, Touch Screens have appeared which you stroke and tap with one or more fingers or a stylus and products like Google Voice Search in Chrome allow you to provide your Input by talking to your computer. All of these are Input Devices.

Cursor vs Mouse Pointer

So that you know where the PC is going to respond to your Input, 2 helpers appear on screen, these are the Cursor and the Mouse Pointer. Both may be on screen at the same time so it is useful to understand which is which and its purpose.

Cursor
The Cursor is a flashing vertical line " | " and shows where the Keyboard is currently active. The Cursor only appears in places where text can be entered such as boxes in forms and in email and word processing applications.

If you are typing and nothing is happening, check where the Cursor is as you will sometimes need to deliberately place it where you wish to type. Alternatively, you may be looking at something which is read only and cannot be edited so the Cursor will not be displayed.

Mouse Pointer
The Mouse Pointer shows you where the PC will react to a Mouse Click and takes a variety of forms depending what it is over on the screen and whether or not a Mouse Button is currently pressed.

Here are some examples of the different Mouse Pointer appearances and their meaning:

Left Tilted Arrow; It's default General Pointer behaviour

Right Tilted Arrow; ready to Select a Block e.g. in the left margin on word processing

Upward Pointing Finger; when over a Link on a web page

Grabbing Hand; ready to Drag Page Content around, e.g. centre a map (left button pressed)

Capitol 'I' (or end of an iron girder); over Text. This shape makes it easier to align with letters and lines.

Left Tilted Arrow Dragging a Shaded Box; ready to Move a Block of Text in Word or Outlook and others by Dragging (left button pressed)





There are others including Double Headed Vertical, Horizontal and Diagonal Arrows when resizing the edge of a Window and some Programs allow it to become a Magnifying Glass to zoom in or out.

Some only seen in Tables and Spreadsheets:

  Select Cell

  Select Column



Resize Row Height



Resize Column Width


18 Jul 2013: 
I have changed some of the wording referring to "Input Devices" following feedback. 
Comments are always welcome.  Ged

Windows 8 Is Different

There is no denying it, Windows 8 is different.

In this post I am not attempting to tell you how to use it but discussing reaction to the change and ways of dealing with it.

Why the change?
My feeling is that, much as it is an inconvenience and learning overhead for millions of people, Microsoft did have to do this.

As more and more people use touch screen on smart phones and tablets in everyday life, the traditional Start button driven Windows Desktop interface would soon stand out as dated. The constant advance of technology means that touch screen is ever more present and, though there is a place for the traditional keyboard and mouse driven PC, it is being sidelined. Any new PC operating system needs to be able to deal with both types of input.
Other operating systems on Smart phones and tablets, e.g. Android and Apple's IOS, keep programs or 'Apps' open full screen all the time and you swipe from one to another. They also occupy the full screen with information rather than cluttering with controls in the form of menus and toolbars and the Windows 8 Tiled Start screen with its Metro style Apps follows this line.

How will you deal with it?
If you get a new PC, it will be loaded with Windows 8. People fall into several types when it comes to dealing with this. It is a hump in the road but it is negotiable and things will settle once you are the other side.

• Rejection - "I'm not changing."  

"I give up." Some people will simply accept defeat and abandon computing altogether which is a tragedy. Others will  probably do one of the following:

"I'm getting old Windows put back." These people will downgrade and have Windows 8 removed and Windows 7 installed on their new PC.  Some may even try to get an older version of Windows such as XP installed which is not a good idea as XP goes out of support this year and will receive no further security patches.

"I'll make it look like old Windows."  A Desktop interface which looks familiar to previous versions is available only one click from the tiled Start screen but it has no Start button. There are several programs available which put a Start button back onto this Windows 8 Desktop.

(There is a lot of gossip around that Windows 8.1 will restore a Start button but gossip it remains. Windows 8.1 will be a free upgrade delivered via Windows Update)

• Acceptance - "I'll work with it but look for the familiar."

As I said previously, there is a Desktop interface available only one click from the tiled Start screen though it has no Start button.  Using this Desktop allows you to run programs which look familiar rather than the 'Metro' style Apps which run from the tiled Start screen.
Desktop icons work in the same way as they always did and the absence of the Start button is easily overcome by use of Search in the Charms menu. The Charms appear when you take your mouse pointer to top or bottom right corner of the screen. Select the magnifying glass and you will see all the programs displayed as icons, if you see what you want click it, if not, start typing the name of the program you want, e.g. "Word" or "Internet Explorer" and you will see matching programs appear. As soon as you see the one you want, click it with your mouse.

I feel this is probably the best way to transition for most people. One student recently had found Windows 8 for Dummies useful and a quick look that I had impressed me.

• Adventurous - "I'll embrace the change."

Go for it! Do your best to use the new functionality and enjoy learning. You may decide to learn blind by experimentation or watch videos on YouTube.

• New to Windows -  "I've known nothing else."

I'm new to Windows anyway is an odd one. The world is full of earlier versions of Windows and will be for some considerable time and learning Windows 8 Metro interface only won't give you the skills to use older versions.

If you are expecting to only ever use your own laptop then Windows 8 Metro interface and Apps would appear the obvious choice but you may need help from friends and relations who only know the earlier versions. If the PC is purely for web browsing then the Internet Explorer App selected from the Tile on the Start screen is an excellent option.

If you are reliant on help then I think I'd recommend the Desktop approach under Acceptance above.

Happy Tiling!

Secure Online #1 - Dodgy Emails & Unsecure Passwords

Internet Cons
There is a degree of paranoia about Internet security and the risks faced when using it. I say that it is the same as all other areas of life, many cons which run on the Internet are the same ones that are traditionally carried out by post, 'phone and on your doorstep.
The phone call which says "you have a problem with your PC" is just the same as the uninvited visitor on your doorstep telling you that you have a roof tile loose and your house is in danger. It preys upon your fear and your self perceived lack of knowledge and skills.

Stealing card details happens in restaurants, shops and garages yet you still go to those and use your card. If you take a little care and keep you eyes open, the Internet is just as safe as the high street (or just as risky).

I hope to follow this with further posts on Internet Security. In this post I'll talk about Malicious emails and Bad Password practices.

Dodgy Emails
If you are very lucky then you won't be receiving any malicious emails but most people do get some.
Popular tricks are to make it look like something that may matter or be of interest to you. Suggestions of failed parcel deliveries, statements that your banking, shopping or social media account has been compromised, opportunities to buy shares, messages that you have money owed to you, a video of a recent news event.
If you open the email you will often find a link made to look as if it goes to a legitimate website. When you click on the link it may take you to a login screen or request you to confirm personal details. The site is fake and you are giving them your access or card details with which they can then steal your money and possibly identity.

Banks and Insurance companies will NEVER say "follow this link"; they will instruct you to login to you account by the method you normally use.

Surprisingly, it is frequently easy to spot false emails just from the presence of bad spelling, grammar, logo placement & poor quality of graphics. Most come from sources where English is not a first language.
You can often hover your mouse pointer over the link and see what it really goes to. The text may read "santander.com" but hovering may show something like "gatherer.ru/", a totally different website.
If in any doubt, contact the bank or company concerned directly, NOT using any contact details given in the message which may also be fake.

Do Not Reply!
Under no circumstances reply to malicious emails. Some people reply saying, "don't contact me again", or threatening legal action. All that this does is confirm that your email address is actively being read which simply increases it's value to the crooks. It will likely be sold on and you'll get even more junk.


Bad Password Behaviour
Having worked in IT for many years, it frightens me how often I can find passwords.
Names of Wife, children or pets;
Favourite football team;
If the user is on holiday, the Country or Resort they've gone to;
Common passwords include: 'pass', 'password', '1234', '12345678', '00000000', '123abc', '1a2b3c4d5e6f', 'iloveyou', 'querty', 'asdfghjk', 'zyxw';
Often passwords can be found on a post-it or equivalent on the edge of a monitor, on the wall behind the PC, under the keyboard, at the front of the top draw or on the back page of a notepad or diary on the desk.
If any of the above are true for you then you really should take more care. I'll discuss good behaviour in a future post.

Should I Install Updates?

Updates and Changes
An Internet connected PC will occasionally ask you if Updates can be Installed or Changes made to your PC. Often your eye will be drawn to a flashing icon on the Windows taskbar at to bottom of the screen which when you click it will show the request.
It's always a judgement call but unless you were expecting it, for instance you have just started installing something yourself or you know what it is, then the safer option is to say, "No".

Recommended
The following products do release regular Updates which include Security patches and I recommend that you take these as soon as they are made available.

I suggest that you say "Yes" to these but please read the Advisory at the bottom of this post first:

Microsoft Windows
This is your Computer's Operating System. Ideally it should be set to Install Updates Automatically but if not then you should permit updates when requested. 

MS Office
This is the suite of programs which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. Ideally it should be set to Install Updates Automatically but if not you should permit updates when requested. 

Adobe Flash
This is used to display video content. Moving adverts on Internet pages use it and catch-up TV players such as 4OD, itvPLAYER and BBC iPlayer 

Adobe Reader
This is used to display forms, booklets and maps, often downloaded from the Internet. User Guides supplied on CD with many products or Forms and Guides attached to emails require Acrobat to display. 

Java (from oracle corp.)
Java is used for 'active' content. Fancy Menus and rolling content are common uses.

ADVISORY:
It is normal practice for companies to try to 'piggy back' other products with downloads and updates.
Look out for Tick boxes saying to download add ons, they are usually the extras e.g. McAfee Security Scan with Adobe or Ask Toolbar with Java. Take care to Untick any boxes for these add ons and just take the base product.
No harm if you forget with these products, just a nuisance with more clutter on your PC when you are browsing the Internet.

Should I Upgrade to Windows 8?

I get asked, "Should I upgrade to Windows 8?".

My answer is, "Probably not!".

Windows XP Support will be withdrawn this year meaning that no more security updates will be forthcoming so if your PC in connected to the Internet you may wish to consider whether or not to upgrade or replace your PC. It won't stop working, it'll just become more open to security breaches.

If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7 there is no need to upgrade unless you relish the challenge. Windows 8 is very different and whereas progress from XP through Vista and onto 7 were easy, Windows 8 requires some relearning.

My own opinion is that unless you have a Touch Screen PC or Tablet, Windows 8 gives you nothing.
Windows 8 is designed to make use of Touch Screen technology and to converge the look and feel of Windows PC, Tablets and Smartphones.

Cold call Con "Your PC has a Problem"

If you receive a telephone call from a company which sounds like one you know telling you that your PC has a problem which they can resolve - it's a con!

Typical company names I have encountered include "BT Technical Support" and "Windows Support". These trade on people's worries about Internet security and the familiarity of a respected name.
The first is not in any way related to BT - British Telecommunications plc. - try asking, and the second misleads using the familiar "Windows" name which is a product of the company Microsoft.
All these con's work on fear of your own competence and are the same con's as the doorstep roof repairers etc. They are clever, they will guide you to look at event log screens which are always full of error alerts and look alarming if you don't know what they mean.

An ex-student of mine responded to one of these calls and agreed to pay a £50 fee for them to connect remotely and fix his laptop. This was a 2 week old laptop in perfect condition which I had installed security software on myself and know was in perfect order.
The company, based in India, did connect using remote access but fortunately didn't do anything malicious to the PC. However, they did take a 5 year payment at £50 per year (£250) from his account. It could have been much worse.