WyzGuys Tech Talk

Many homes an businesses are using wireless networking  to connect their computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, printers, televisions, DVD and DVR players and other smart devices and appliances to the local household or business network, and to the larger Internet beyond.  Wireless networking devices such as wireless routers and access points are usually ...

Love this sign I found in the men’s room at my favorite pool and spa company.

In the last month there have been several notable web site breaches where the cyber-thieves made off with databases full of user credentials. New additions to the list (Target, Michael’s, Neiman Marcus) now include PF Chang’s, Goodwill Industries, Jimmy John’s, eBay, and most recently, CNet.  I have had to change my eBay password, which means I changed my PayPal password as an added safety measure.  I also changed the password on my CNet account.  CNet is a technology publisher, and ...

In the July issue of Microsoft’s free Security for Home Computer Users newsletter(sign up here), there was an article entitled “Is that Call from Microsoft a Scam?”  The answer in a nutshell was: yes, it is a scam. 

Microsoft is not going to call you.  Neither is Hewlett Packard, Dell, Symantec, Comcast, your ISP, Google, Yahoo, or your email service provider.  If you get a call, and they are trying to tell you that they can ...

“Give a man a Phish and he eats for a day, teach a man to Phish and he eats for a lifetime.”

When you get an email that is spoofed as the example below has been, this is called a Phishing email.  The object is to “hook” the recipient into doing something that will be harmful to their wealth.  I got one just this morning that for me was a new look, and included the threat of legal action.  If you ...

In a great article on Wired.com, Andy Greenberg details how he used the smartphone app KeyMe to create a key that allowed him to access his neighbors apartment (with permission of course).  The KeyMe app allows you to store copies of your keys online so in the event you lose or misplace you keys, or lock yourself out, you can have a key made using 3D printing and open the door you need to open.  Sounds ...

I just read an article on Sophos that shows all the steps in a typical phishing exploit.  The example they used was a spoofed iTunes scam, where the attackers warn you that unauthorized persons are buying songs on your account.  If you really want to learn how to spot and avoid these threats, you should make the click over to their site.  But basically the exploits starts with an email (as many of them do.)

The red flags in ...