March is here, bringing rainy days and the hint of spring in the air. After a long winter indoors, I'm sure we're all looking forward to being able to visit outside again!

I have been seeing more and more hacked email accounts, with unpleasant consequences. Learn how to protect yourself, and what to do if you are are hacked. Next, an update of an older article about cookie notices on webpages. And finally, my quarterly Facebook Roundup.

Please stay well!

Regards,

Julie Marto

508-359-8176
508-333-8176 (cell)

P.S. Need a quick fix? I often can remote into your system and fix your problem the same day you call!
Hacked Emails 101
Unfortunately, I have seen a huge increase in the number of hacked email accounts in the last year. At first it seemed to be mainly Comcast accounts, but now the hackers are targeting Microsoft accounts as well. Who knows when they will move on to AOL, Yahoo and Gmail, so please read this to learn how to protect yourself.
How the hackers gain control: There are a few ways the hackers can gain initial access to your account, but the most common approach seems to be phishing emails. These emails look like official notifications from your email provider, telling you that some system change is occurring and the you must log in to accept the changes. If you click on the link in the email it takes you to a fake website to enter your credentials, and the hackers now have your email address and password. If you don't have two factor authentication set up, they can just log right in and do their dirty work.

What happens after they gain control: Typically, once the hackers are in, they start by making changes to your account so you can't see what they are doing. Changes I have seen include:

  • Filters that automatically send any incoming mail to the trash or another folder they set up, so you won't see your incoming mail
  • Creating a fake "lookalike" account, which they will forward all your emails to. This allows them to continue to scam your friends even after you have regained control of your account, and also gives them time to go over your emails and look for other opportunities to scam you
  • Deleting all your contacts so you will have trouble knowing who they might be targeting and who to send warnings to
  • Blocking incoming email from contacts and any financial institutions, so you cannot see them questioning your requests for money
  • Adding bulk spam webmail sites to your "safe sender" lists so your inbox will fill up with spam

After making the changes to your account, they send emails to all your contacts to initiate a conversation. Once they get someone to reply, they will attempt to scam your friends or family out of money, typically by asking for a gift card for some purpose. This is where they start, but who knows what else they plan to do with access to your email account.

How to protect yourself: It's much better to keep your account safe than to clean up afterward, so here are my recommendations to keep your account from getting hacked.

  • Change your password - NOW. If you have been using the same password for more than a year, or if your email password is also your password at other sites, you need to change it to a new and unique password. Use something with at least 8 characters, the more the better, and include numbers, letters, upper and lower cases, and symbols.
  • Turn on multi-factor authentication, and make sure your email account is associated with your cell phone number. This will stop scammers from logging in even if they manage to get your email address and password
  • DON'T click on any links in any emails purporting to be from your email provider - if you think you have a legitimate request from them requiring you to log into your account, open a new browser window and go directly to their website to log in, rather than going though a link. If you are unsure about an email, you can always forward it to me for my opinion
  • Apply these rules to old, unused email accounts too. They can be hacked as well, and have old contact information in them. Treat them as carefully as you treat your main email address, or else shut them down if you are no longer using them.

How to recover if you have been hacked: If, in spite of everything, your email gets hacked, there is a lot of clean-up to do. You will probably find out you have been hacked through your friends, who will no doubt contact you to see if everything is ok. Other signs are missing emails, a huge increase in spam, or emails returned to you that you didn't send. You MUST act fast, as there is a possibility that the hackers can permanently lock you out of your account if you don't stop them immediately.

  • The first thing you need to do, immediately, is change your email password. You will have to log into the account directly to do that - it can't be done from an email client like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Windows 10 Mail. Once you have changed your email password, you will have to log in again on all of your devices and email clients.
  • Open up the settings for your email account and look for filters, forwarding addresses, and blocked email addresses. Reverse any changes the hackers have made, but make sure you write down any forwarding email address they might have set up, so you can alert your friends
  • Look in the contacts folder and see if your contacts have been deleted. If so, you can check the deleted contacts and see if they are still there. If they are, great, you can restore them. If not, you are going to have to rebuild your contact list
  • Compose an email to all your contacts, informing them that your email account was hacked, and warning them about any lookalike email addresses if it appears the hacker has created one. You want to let your friends and family know you are fine, but not to trust any email requests that appear to come from you.

I know this is a lot of work, and some of these settings are difficult to find or understand. Please call me if you have any concerns about your current email security, need any help securing your email account to avoid a hack, or need assistance fixing issues if you have been hacked. I can help you through either an on-site or a remote appointment.
Cookies Redux
I continue to be asked about cookies many times a month, so I am updating an article I wrote 2 years ago about the topic.

it seems like every time you go to a new website, you are greeted with a big bold alert informing you that the website uses cookies, and asking for your permission. The use of cookies is nothing new, but the barrage of consent requests is.
Cookies are actually generally useful - they are small text files stored in your browser that contain two items - the website's name, and a user ID. When you visit a website, it checks your browser for its cookie, and, if it finds one, it connects your user id to the information it has stored about you on its server. Cookies let Amazon welcome you by name, they are how Target knows what you left in your shopping cart, and they allow you to your pay bills online without getting a new code from your bank each time you log in.

However, just because cookies make life more convenient doesn't mean they can't be problematic. Companies can use cookies to track your activities across the web. So the European Union enacted some pretty stringent laws about the use of cookies for their members. One of the EU requirements is that websites need to notify you that they use cookies, and get your permission to put them on your computer.

We are not members of the EU, but we certainly visit many websites that are, and many EU members visit US websites. So, the reason you are continually asked to allow cookies is merely the attempt by almost every legitimate website to meet current EU standards. Annoying, yes, but my advice is simply to agree, and then enjoy the website. I don't worry too much about cookies - they make my life a lot easier, and there are certainly worse dangers on the web to be concerned about. However, if you still want to get rid of your cookies, here's how to clear them on every browser.
Facebook Roundup
Every month I post several articles of interest on my Facebook page. For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, here are some of the stories I've featured in the past this few months

  • I love solid state drives for their incredible performance, but when they fail, they can fail fast, and often with no warning. Microsoft has added a built-in warning for imminent drive failure into Windows 10 - if you get ever a warning like that, stop what you are doing and immediately back up your data!

  • And, in more solid state drive news. there are concerns about wear on Apple's non-replaceable SSD's in the new M1 MacBooks. I will be sure to monitor this situation, and keep you up to date, but in the meantime, it's probably best to invest in a long AppleCare warranty if you buy an M1 MacBook.