Welcome to April - can you believe the year is already one quarter gone? I'm greatly enjoying the milder weather and the longer days!

The SOTM for April is Smishing, those sneaky, scammy text messages which have become all too common. Next, a security change for Gmail users. And lastly, a way to run mobile apps on your PC or Mac.

Enjoy the spring, everybody!

Regards,

Julie Marto

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

P.S. Need to update your operating system? Drop your computer off with me to ensure it's done safely, with no data loss!
Scam of the Month - Smishing
I see so many scam and hack attempts that I am adding 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 Smishing - text messages with malicious links designed to steal your credentials or install malware.
What is it: Smishing, a portmanteau of SMS (the technology used to send text messages) and phishing (malicious emails designed to steal credentials) is a word created to describe scam text messages with links, designed to trick you into clicking on the link and activating the bad actor's scam.

What they are trying to do: Some of the links will direct you to a website that looks like the official site for your financial institution - the goal is to have you attempt to sign in, so the scammers can capture your log in credentials. And some of the links point to malicious software downloads, which attempt to install malware on your mobile device.

What else can happen: Once you have entered your log in credentials on a fake site, you have given them to the scammers. They can use those credentials to attempt to gain access to your account and steal your money or your identity. Even if you change the password for that site, the scammers can use credential stuffing software to try the email/password combination at many sites, so if you are reusing passwords you are at greater risk. Additionally, sometimes clicking on the link will automatically send the same smishing message to all your contacts, so you can potentially be spreading the scam, just by clicking on the link.

How to avoid the scam: Be very cautious clicking on links in any text messages from unknown sources. Because many legitimate businesses, including your bank and your doctor's office, send out offers, warnings, and reminders via text, it can be difficult to judge whether a message is real or fake. Some signs to look for:

  • Links that demand immediate action - very rarely do you need to act immediately on any legitimate offer
  • Texts from banks, credit card companies, or other financial institutions saying there is a problem with your account with a link to "fix" it
  • Any text that claims you won a contest or a cash prize
  • Unexpected texts with tracking information from FedEx or other shipping companies
  • Texts that seem to come from friends who want to show you something interesting with little context
  • Texts from unknown senders with poor grammar or non-standard English

What if you fall for it - If you have entered your credentials in a scam site, you need to change that password as soon as possible. Contact your financial institution and tell them your account has been comprimised. You should also contact one or more of the major credit reporting agencies to put a fraud alert on your account. If your phone shows signs of an infection (pop-ups, applications you don't recognize, etc) call me or another tech professional to look it over and clean it up. It might need to be backed up and reset.

Preventative Action - Keep your mobile devices updated - that is your best defense against installing malware. If you get a text from your financial institution alerting you to a problem with your account, call them directly rather than clicking on the link. The same goes with unexpected text messages from friends - give them a call, and ask if they actually sent you that link. If you get a text message you are concerned about, you can email a screen shot of it to me to evaluate.
Gmail and "Less Secure Apps"
If you use Gmail and pick up your mail any way other than going directly to Google, you might have gotten some warnings that, as of May 30th, 2022, Gmail will no longer work with "Less Secure Apps". I've gotten several calls from clients wondering what that's all about, and how to handle picking up their Gmail going forward.
If you are using an email client to collect your mail, Google now requires that you connect your Gmail account using something called OAuth - basically, when you add your account to your email client, it opens a browser window for you to sign directly into your Google account and give permission to access email. In the past, if your email client wasn't capable of using OAuth, Google allowed you to go into your Google Account settings and authorize the use of "Less Secure Apps". Starting May 30th, 2022, that option is being removed.

If you are using an older email client, you have until May 30th to make a change to how you sigh in. The email clients I commonly see that won't work with OAuth are Outlook 2013 or older, Windows Live Mail, Mac Mail from systems using MacOS older than El Capitan, and the mail applications in older IOS (prior to IOS 11) and Android devices. Truthfully, some of these systems are so old that they are no longer secure, and should be upgraded if possible, or replaced, if not. However, some programs, like Outlook 2013, are still in support, and make sense to continue to use.

Fortunately, if your email client doesn't support OAuth, there is an alternative authentication process you can use, called Application Specific Passwords. To ensure uninterrupted email access, you should set this up prior to the May 30th deadline. If you need any assistance with this, please feel free to give me a call!
Using Apps on Computers
One of the main differences between phones/tablets and computers is the use of apps - icons on your screen that easily perform a single, specific function. For example, to do banking on your computer you hove open up a web browser, navigate to your bank's website, and then log in to your account. On your phone, you just tap on the icon for your bank and it takes you directly there. There are thousands of IOS and Android apps for games, streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, financial institutions, healthcare portals, and myriad other functions.
I'm sometimes asked if phone/tablet apps can run on computers, and up to now have mostly said, no. However, that is all changing very quickly. Starting last fall, Mac users with the new Apple processors can use the App Store to install iPhone and iPad apps on their computers. And now, Windows 11 users can install Android apps on their computers.

To tell the truth, I haven't done this yet myself, or seen anybody else using apps on this way. However, I believe this is the future of computing - blurring the difference between devices, and simplifying how you access different sites. If you want to try using apps on your new Mac or your Windows 11 system, click on the links to learn how!