Laptop/PC Purchasing Advise

Many people when they decide that it’s time to purchase a new laptop head straight for the High Street where prices are around £400-£500 at this time.

These new computers are usually good machines but in my opinion have specifications that are well beyond the needs of most people. There is absolutely no need to pay up to £500 for a new computer unless you are going to be doing something like processing high resolution video or high-end gaming.

The other thing that happens on the High Street is that customers are ‘cross-sold’ antivirus products and Microsoft Office and other things like accidental damage insurance.

Customers assume they are getting sound advice, but the advice revolves around selling another product that isn’t necessarily needed. Since fear plays a big part in ‘staying safe’ online - it’s even easier to persuade a customer to buy one of the well known AV packages.

Due to how quickly technology advances and how quickly consumers swap out old technology for the newest, latest model - the secondhand market is saturated with fully working, reasonably priced laptops that are actually more suitable for your average computer user than a brand new £500 machine. The actual electronics inside usually last pretty well and with a quick refurb, SSD upgrade & Windows 10 installed - they will perform well without breaking the bank.

I typically look for specs as follows;

• Windows 10

• i5 processor

• 4GB Ram

• SSD

Windows 10 now has a good level of security built into a standard and free antivirus packages are readily available and perfectly adequate for most people. In my opinion you don’t need to spend £50-100 per year on antivirus. You would be better served by updating all your online passwords since that is a security risk that is more of an issue for most people.

It’s often easy to find such a laptop with a 12 month warranty.

If you are unsure of buying a refurb I can do it for you (for a small fee) and transfer your data over from your old machine. I do this regularly and will purchase the machine, check it over, install a free version of office & free antivirus and transfer your data and deliver (assuming you are in Cardiff and/or surrounding areas).

How to make up good passwords ?

I received an email a few days ago informing me that one of my passwords had been exposed in a data breach. This is where a (usually) large company has been hacked & a list of usernames and passwords have been exposed.

Hackers use these breached details in a few ways. One of the most common things they do is to try logging into a person's other accounts using the same details, this is because so many people use the same email address & password combination across all the sites they use on the internet.

I received the email by subscribing to a service on https://haveibeenpwned.com/ I advise signing up so as to be notified of any passwords that you should change. You can also check to see if there have been any compromises on your mobile number.

Password Managers

I recently started using a password manager to organise all my passwords and it is relatively easy to use. I am using a free one called 'Bitwarden' https://bitwarden.com/. You can conceptualise it like a safe containing all your passwords and you only need to remember the password to the safe to gain access to all your passwords and/or generate new ones.

Many people use words and names that can be cracked relatively quickly using a technique called a 'Dictionary Attack' where the hacker uses a large list of the most commonly used passwords from previous security breaches. It therefore stands to reason that a password that isn't actually a word is harder to crack.

Password managers will generate passwords that are special characters, symbols, letters & numbers. You can choose the kind of characters it will contain & how long it will be and also do a quick check to see if it has already been used online.

Whenever you sign up to a website and are asked to make up a password, you can generate one and copy & paste it into the fields (this avoids typing mistakes). You then save the entry in the password manager for safe keeping. The password manager can be on all your devices so that you have access to your passwords whether you are using a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Two-factor Authentication (2FA)

The other key security measure to put in place is two-factor authentication. This will require your usual login and an additional layer. This additional layer attempts to zero in on who is attempting to login by requiring the user to enter a unique (and timely) code that is sent to the legitimate user's mobile phone. There are other methods like authenticator apps that generate a code every 30 seconds or so. 2FA is highly recommended.

Has the number of scams increased during COVID ?

The short answer is probably 'Yes!'.

Scammers leverage fear & uncertainty to create their opportunities, and so Covid has created a unique set of circumstances for them to exploit.

Pre Covid a scammer's bread & butter would be targeting older people who have not bridged the technology gap.

Older people who did not grow up with computers and/or computer games have a significant disadvantage in today's tech driven world. I mention 'computer games' too because they are actually a good way to become familiar with how things like menu systems (and how to navigate them) work and that knowledge can be carried over to other pieces of software. It's really about familiarity and repetition that helps somebody become comfortable using a computer.

Scammers are organised as businesses with many running call centres where employees clock on and off just like a legitimate job. They have performance bonuses and monthly pay-cheques.

The names and details of any people who have been successfully scammed are listed as prime targets for more of the same treatment going forward. If you are interested - have a look at the video below showing some of the workings of an Indian Scam Call Centre.

Landlines

One of the main things that I have seen evidenced is the leveraging of traditional Landline telephones by the scammers. There will be many reasons why this is so;

• large coverage via mass automated calls

• proportionately more senior people using landlines as primary telephone

• older people have a different / more trusting value system

• cheaper and easier to hide vs mobile lines

• easier to pose a some kind of service provider

The common or garden Tech Support Scam

This is where a target is cold-called and are informed that 'Microsoft' (usually) are calling and that a problem has been detected with their computer. The scammer then tries to connect to the target's computer, lie about the results of a scan and attempt to 'fix' a problem for a fee.

This scam is targeting the older, less tech savvy person who doesn't realise that Microsoft don't know what state of repair an individual person's computer is in and they never cold call people either.

If you consider the Data Protection Act for a moment, it would suggest that it would actually be illegal for any company to monitor your computer without your permission. Add to that the logistics of Microsoft cold calling all their customers - it isn't plausible

The 'No Hang-up Scam'

This scam is where the target is cold called by the scammer posing as their bank. They are told that there is some kind of urgent problem that needs addressing & that they need to call their bank ASAP.

The scammers do not hang up the line on their side, and hand the call off to another member of the scamming team who then pose as the bank and attempt to extract the personal information that they want.

This is a callous trick that would be much more difficult to pull off on a mobile phone.

The Hallmark of many Scams

Many times during a scam, the customer will be persuaded to allow 'remote access' or hand over control of their computer.

This is actually the place where any potential target needs to stop and re-evaluate what is going on. You could go as far as to say that if you are cold-called & then asked for remote access to your computer then it is most likely a scam.

Remote access to a client's computer is not a problem in and of itself, but the problem is the fact that the target was cold-called and does not know the person in control. Once the scammer has control of a target's computer - the tone of the call can often change for the worse, Scammers have been known to regularly hide or delete a target's folder of Photographs (or something else along those lines) to use as leverage to get what they want.

It's advisable to always just refuse everything, hang up and go and search the internet to see if there are any reports of anything that sounds similar (there often are). To combat this the scammers will probably try to introduce some kind of urgency or time constraint to the situation.

Covid Scams

During Lockdown more people are at home and anxiety levels as a whole are generally higher, and because scammers are so callous this presents them with an opportunity.

Many new scams that relate to Covid and/or the NHS have popped up recently using tactics such as; Covid compensation letters, requests for donations and false offers of financial support. The best way to spot fake solicitations like this is to look for spelling and grammar mistakes, look carefully at the logos and any contact details and also check phone numbers and website addresses which may for example only have 1 character that is different from the real website. Many of these scams are fake Government/NHS sites because it has the appearance of legitimacy to most people. Always do a google search to see check the legitimacy of any unsolicited contact.

Protect Yourself

Be vigilant and never be persuaded to do anything immediately.

If you are asked to provide any sort of PIN, bank details or for a stranger to take control of your computer, then refuse and end the call.

Take your time, do some research and consult a family member or friend.

You could also sign up for the Which scam alerts email which should give you a head start & a flavour of what you might expect. Here is the link; https://campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alert-service/