Several clients have called recently concerned that their Facebook accounts had been hacked, as friends reported new friend requests from them. Looking deeper into the situation, it turns out that their profiles had been cloned, not hacked. This is not a new problem, but with several reported to me in one month it's time to address the issue.

Why do hackers do this? Facebook accounts contain a lot of personal information, including answers to security questions, addresses, and other contact information. They can even let people know you are out of town, if you post while on vacation. So one reason to create fake accounts is to harvest information from you or your friends that can be used for identity, or other, theft. Another reason is to gain access to your friends and then try to scam them out of money by pretending that "you" are in an emergency situation. A third possible motive is to try to trick your friends into opening malicious links they think came from you.

How do I know if I've been impersonated? The first clue most people have are messages from Facebook friends, questioning why they would want to become friends a second time. If nobody has contacted you, but you are concerned and want to check,  log onto Facebook and search for your own name. You should only see items about you, or real, well used profiles of other people who share your name. If you see any profiles with your name or picture that aren't you, or clearly another real person, you are being impersonated.

What to do if you are being impersonated? The first thing to do is to report the impostor to Facebook. Next, post a message to your friends on your own Facebook timeline, warning them that someone is pretending to be you and telling them not to accept any new friend requests from "you". You should also change your Facebook password, just to be on the safe side. And finally, use this guideline to check and tighten up your privacy settings.

Social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family, but it can be misused by the bad guys out there. If you think you might have a problem and need some help, just give me a call!  

Several of the new Windows computers I've set up recently have been shipped with a version of Windows 10 called S mode, including some very nice consumer laptops, and Microsoft Surface computers. S mode means that the version of Windows 10 shipped with the system will only allow programs from the Microsoft Store to run on the computer.

This mode is meant to keep systems safe by not allowing insecure applications to run, but it can be very limiting, especially if you prefer to use browsers or other programs that are not provided by Microsoft.

Personally, I think Windows 10 S mode is great for use in schools or libraries. It might be best to keep a laptop purchased for your younger child in S mode. But for grownup computing, my immediate impression is that S mode is far too limiting for even an average user.

Fortunately, Microsoft allows you to switch out of S mode and into a full version of Windows 10 at no charge. The process involves creating (or signing in to) a Microsoft account, logging in to the Microsoft Store, and choosing to switch out of S mode. The switch out is a one way street - you can't, at the moment, switch back.

The bottom line is, if you buy yourself a new computer and find that it's blocking you from installing normal applications, you might be working in S mode. If you need help switching out, or if you want me to do all the setup and system migration for your new computer, just give me a call!  

As in previous years, I will be hosting a booth at Medfield Day. The festivities are a week earlier this year, on Saturday, September 14th, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. I'll be in booth 91 on North Street, right in front of the Montrose School.

Please stop by and say hi! I will be raffling off free ComputerMom services, and handing out my famous screen cleaning cloths and webcam covers. There's also plenty of free candy for the kids.

Hope to see you there!