Well, we've made it though the darkest months of winter. With its longer, milder days, the beginning of spring is always welcome. Here's hoping for better times for all.

The SOTM for March is Facebook Quizzes, seemingly innocent little games that can have a sinister ulterior motive. Next, how to tell if it's time for a new Mac. Rounding things out, what to do about those Windows 11 upgrade nags.

Stay safe and well, all!

Regards,

Julie Marto

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

P.S. Windows 11 causing issues? Call me to straighten things out!
Scam of the Month - Facebook Quizzes
I see so many scam and hack attempts that I have added a feature to my newsletter - Scam of the Month. In these articles, I hope to explain common scams, how to avoid them, and what to do if you fall for one.

The SOTM for March is Facebook Quizzes, those seemingly harmless little questionnaires that pop up on your feed.
How it works: If you spend any time on social media, you can't miss them. Cute posts that ask questions like "if your first car broke down, where would you take it to be fixed" or "if you could relive your honeymoon, where would you be?" They might claim that "only a genius can get this question right" and then present a problem or a puzzle for you to solve. Or challenge you that "if you know what this item was used for, you are really old!".

What they are trying to do: These quizzes can be part of an amalgamation of personal information collected to create a profile for identity theft. Your Facebook user name already links to a lot of identifiable information - your name, a picture, your general location, your family relationships, etc. By collecting answers to seemingly random questions, scammers can compile enough personal information to try to guess your answers to security questions.

What else can happen: Once you have answered a quiz, you have attached your profile to it, and shown that it belongs to a real person. Hackers can then use malicious programs to try to trick you into installing malware that allows them to take over your profile. They can also simply click on your profile and harvest your personal information to use for future scams.

How to avoid the scam: Just say no to Facebook quizzes. No matter how harmless they might seem, you never know the agenda of the quiz creator. Even if you give fake answers, you are adding your Facebook account to the thread, and putting yourself at risk.

Preventative Action - If you can't resist Facebook quizzes, or you have already answered many of them, follow the steps in this article to lock down the privacy settings on your Facebook account. Also, switch any accounts you can from relying on security answers, to using two factor authentication.

Facebook Quizzes can seem fun and harmless, but someone out there is creating them, and they often have underlying intentions that you know nothing about. There are plenty of other ways to entertain yourself on the internet!
Is it Time for a New Mac?
Apple makes excellent hardware that tends to last much longer than other manufacturer's products. Many of my clients have older Mac systems that have chugged along reliably for 10 or more years. They often look brand new, and yet, when I see them, I have to break the news that it is time to replace them. How can you tell when it's time to replace your old Mac? It all depends on your version of MacOS, the Mac Operating System.
The way that Apple keeps their systems safe on the internet is through operating system updates. Safari (the Apple web browser) and other internet enabled applications, like iCloud, are built in to the MacOS and can be potential hacking targets, Apple keeps careful watch for any vulnerabilities, and releases frequent updates to patch them. However, Apple only issues security updates for the last 3 major revisions of their operating system. Once your system can no longer run one of the last three versions of MacOS, it's no longer safe to use on the internet, and it's time to replace your Mac.

To add to the confusion, Apple has changed how it numbers its operating system versions, and it also assigns them names. Until 2016, MaxOS was called OSX (Operating System 10) and the versions were numbered 10.x.x. The last 10.x version was 10.15, also called Catalina. That is the only 10.x version which is currently in support and getting security updates. There are two newer versions of MacOS after Catalina - MacOS 11, also known as Big Sur, and MacOS 12, also known as Monterey.

Fortunately, MacOS upgrades are backwards compatible for many years. However, eventually your hardware will be too old to run a newer version of MacOS. So, how do you know what version of MacOS you have, if it can be upgraded, and if you are now out of support? Start by clicking on the Apple menu, choosing "About this Mac", and looking on the "overview" page. If your OSX version number is 10.14.x (Mojave) or lower, you are out of support, and need to take action. In many cases, the "overview" screen should also tell you the year and model of your Mac. If it doesn't, you can look it up using your serial number.

Here are the Macs that can run versions of MacOS that are currently in support, from oldest to newest:
MacOS 10.15 - Catalina







MacOS 11 - Big Sur







MacOS 12 - Monterey
  • MacBook (Early 2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (Mid 2012 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or later)
  • Mac mini (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac (Late 2012 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017)
  • Mac Pro (Late 2013 or later)

  • MacBook (2015 or later)
  • MacBook Air (2013 or later)
  • MacBook Pro (Late 2013 or later)
  • Mac mini (2014 or later)
  • iMac (2014 or later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 or later)
  • Mac Pro (2013 or later)

  • 12-inch MacBook (early 2016 and later)
  • MacBook Air (early 2015 and later)
  • MacBook Pro (early 2015 and later)
  • Mac mini (late 2014 and later)
  • iMac (late 2015 and later)
  • iMac Pro (2017 and later)
  • Mac Pro (late 2013 and later)
If you can't find your Mac on this list, it's time to replace it, period. If your Mac can run Catalina or Big Sur, but cannot run Monterey, it's time to budget for a replacement - expect Catalina support to end next fall, and Big Sur support to end fall of 2023.

If your Mac can run Catalina or higher, and you are on version 10.14.x (Mojave) or older, you should upgrade to a newer version of MacOS. You need to have at least 20GB of free storage space on your internal drive, and if you are running 32 bit applications like Office 2011 or older versions of Adobe Photoshop, expect that you will have to replace those applications. Make sure you do a Time Machine backup first, as there are major file system changes that will occur, and I have seen the upgrade fail. In general, if you are several generations back, it's much safer to upgrade to Catalina first, and then do a second upgrade to Big Sur or Monterey. If you would like me to handle the MacOS upgrade for you, I do that as a drop off service.

In the last few years, Apple has made major changes to their product line, and there are a lot of new Mac models to pick from. If it's time to replace your old workhorse, feel free to contact me to help you choose an appropriate new system, and migrate your data and settings.
Windows 11 Upgrade
Windows 11, released last fall, is now the standard operating system shipped with new PCs. Microsoft also offers free Windows 11 upgrades for eligible computers. If your system meets Microsoft's minimum standard for Windows 11, you should expect to see an escalating series of nag screens, prompting you to upgrade.
I've gotten many calls from clients asking my opinion of the Windows 11 upgrade. As of the moment, my advice is to hold off, if you can. Although there are many differences between Windows 10 and Windows 11, none of them seem compelling enough to justify the risk of upgrading at the moment. Additionally, the Windows 11 interface has just enough differences and quirks to make for a rather frustrating learning curve. Many of those will be fixed or refined in future versions, so waiting it out make sense. Thus, unless you really want to check out Windows 11, I recommend clicking on the "stay on Windows 10 for now" link in Windows Update.

If you have already successfully upgraded to Windows 11, you should be fine. If you want to upgrade your system yourself, I suggest you do a full system backup prior to upgrading. And if you want me to do the upgrade for you, please feel free to give me a call.