Security News

Computer security is a high priority concern for most all users. Keeping your systems secure and your information safe is likewise a high priority for R & D Consulting. Following are some tips to help you manage your security. We are happy to assist you in every aspect of securing your systems.

1. Keep your system updated. This applies equally across all platforms – Windows, MAC, and Linux. Agreed, this can be a hassle sometimes such as when an update requires an immediate reboot and you’re in the middle of a heavy computation or composition. Most often these updates include security fixes and patches necessary to prevent security breaches. Fortunately, these annoyances can be minimized by correct scheduling. Let us help you to be sure your systems stay current with updates while minimizing interruptions and inconvenience.

2. Install a good antivirus and/or antimalware program and keep it updated. There are numerous good programs for this available including those sometimes built into the operating system such as in Windows 10. But – to be an effective defense, these must be updated often and consistently. Most will automatically keep your protection current; however, some free versions may rely on manual updates.

3. Be cautious (even suspicious to paranoid) when opening e-mails. Set your e-mail program to show a preview of the e-mail before it’s opened. Then look for anything strange or out of character for the sender. A good tip-off that something is amiss is poor grammar and spelling. A good rule of thumb is, “If it looks suspicious, don’t open it– delete it”. If you think the e-mail is useful to you, then, if possible, query the sender by phone, text, or e-mail to ascertain if the e-mail was legitimate.

4. Use extreme caution when clicking on a link in an e-mail. Before clicking a button or link in an e-mail, hover the mouse pointer above the link a few seconds. This will reveal the internet address that clicking that link will take you to. If it looks suspicious, don’t click on it. Most American organization's web site addresses (URL) will end in .com, .net, .org, .tv, .gov, etc. Foreign sites will have a different ending such as .ca for Canada, .cn for China, .in for India, .ru for Russia, and so forth. Go here for a complete list of country codes.

5. Be aware of phishing scam e-mails. These e-mails usually want the recipient to click on something to verify their login, passwords, or account numbers, or other sensitive information for the purpose of hijacking your personal data. Your bank, credit card company, government agencies, and most businesses already have this information and will not ask for it – they don’t need to. If in doubt, make a phone call to your institution to see if you need to communicate with them and delete the e-mail. If there’s ever doubt if something is legitimate, give us a call. We’ll walk you through it safely.

6. Beware of things that suddenly appear on your computer screen giving dire warnings of catastrophic consequences if you don’t call the number on the screen immediately. Known as 'ransomeware', these scary screens are often accompanied by a computerized voice piling on additional scary warnings. Generally, the user will not be able to close these windows or perform other tasks. If this happens to you, first close all windows and applications that you can. Then try to restart the computer. If the restart is disabled, hold down the computer power button for over five seconds to force a shutdown. Wait a few seconds and turn the computer back on. If the warnings do not reappear, you’re usually OK to continue. If the warnings do reappear, you will need some assistance in removing the offending programming. R & D Consulting has the tools and knowledge to eradicate these nuisances and deep scan for any additional infections.

Computer and information security is critically important and is everybody’s job. Be on guard and follow the above tips – that’s at least a good start. R & D Consulting stands ready to assist you anytime you need it.