Online Shopping in a COVID-19 World | Corona, CA

Online Security Protection Internet Safety

Let’s face it – 2020 has been a wild year and on that has us relying on the internet to take care of our families. Whether we are working from home or ordering groceries, being online is a way of life. And this is why it is more important than ever for us to protect ourselves from online hackers and identity theft. Make sure that you have all your security measures in place. The holiday season is a time where cybercriminals are still very much at large, so let’s start this new year safer than ever. The following tips are recommended while you’re doing your shopping online:

An amazing deal. One common tactic that cybercriminals like to use is using very low prices on popular items to lure potential victims in.

Credit over debit. Use your credit card instead of your debit card because if your credit is used for something that you didn’t purchase, it’s easier to resolve issues with your credit card company than with your bank.

Stay alert. Take advantage of your credit card alert features. These instant alerts can alert you when there’s abnormal activity so you can get issues resolved immediately.

Safe apps. For safe online shopping through apps, you must make sure they are downloaded from a trusted source, like the Apple store or Android market. Be sure to read through the various permissions the app is asking you to grant.

Update security features. Keep your cyber information safe by ensuring that all of your security software is updated. Once an update is available, cybercriminals have all the information they need to attack your device.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

When It’s time to Call an Expert | Corona, CA

computer repair service

Whether you use your computer for work or just pleasure, when something goes awry, it tends to cause a bit of panic, especially when you aren’t a computer expert. But when is the time to ask for help? For many of us, we are always unsure. But it is important to know that it’s okay not to know what is happening when your computer is on the fritz. So, if you find that your computer is acting funny, keep these tips in mind:

Little problems nearly always become big problems. There are several key things that a casual computer user does on a daily basis that can result in a massive problem down the road.

  • Overuse of cleaning programs and efficiency scanners
  • Refusal to acknowledge error messages
  • Failure to clean out old programs and files
  • Not getting routine maintenance

When you don’t correct these problems immediately, they get worse. Proper care of a computer and routine check ins with an expert are both important to proper health and your wallet.

Be able to relay what’s going on. Proper communication can mean you get your device back faster than if they have to guess what is wrong. Sometimes the simplest act of giving them a call, and describing what is wrong, can ease your mind about what is happening.

Everything expires. Even with steady replacement of bad parts, good care, and a proper use of a computer it will eventually die. Learning how to judge when enough replacing is enough is an art as much as it is a science.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Keep Yourself Secure from Hackers | Corona, CA

Data Breach

During this election season, you hear all about other countries hacking our elections and trying to rig it every which way. It has all of us on edge, because even our social media accounts can get compromised. Since October 2004, the National Cyber Security Division within the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Alliance has sponsored National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

National Cyber Security Awareness Month is focused on encouraging individuals to be cautious and to use protection while accessing the internet. Let’s face it – the internet impacts our lives on a daily basis. We use the internet to connect with family and friends, to handle business and banking online and rely on it for many other services, like electricity and even transportation, which are supported by online systems. Technology has prompted advancements in life as we know it.

And while technology does help our lives, it also makes us more vulnerable to risks of theft, fraud and abuse. No one is immune to cyber risks at this point. As individuals, cybersecurity risks can threaten our identities, finances and privacy. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to keep yourself, your assets and personal information safe online:

  • Create strong passwords and do not share them with anyone.
  • Keep operating system, browser and other critical software’s up to date by installing updates.
  • Raise awareness by talking openly with your family, friends and community about internet safety.
  • Limit the amount of personal information you share online and use privacy setting to avoid sharing information widely
  • Be very cautious about what you receive or read online.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Windows 10: Working from Home | Corona, CA

Now that many of us are adjusting to the new way of doing business, we are looking for quick new ways to streamline our schedules in the easiest way possible. And while Windows 10 has been available for a while, many of us haven’t really explored its features – features that can make juggling work, home-schooling and family a bit easier during these challenging times.

Task scheduler. Type ‘task scheduler’ in the search box and follow the instructions to add necessary tasks.

Microsoft defender. Windows antivirus protection is better than it’s ever been before, so for many of us, a third-party company isn’t necessary. But if you host or communicate sensitive, business data, you may want more protection.

Lost disk space. All you have to do is type ‘disk clean-up’ in the search bar and a new Windows utility will pop up showing you all the files you can get rid of and it’s a simple one-click to Clean Up System Files.

Computer stickies. Are you a note taker? Do you have notes scattered everywhere? Now there are stickies you can post on your desktop, keeping every reminder in one place. Just type ‘sticky’.

Remote assistance. With the new Windows 10 you can even get assistance without downloading any additional tools from technical assistance by simply typing ‘remote assistance’.

Print to PDF. No reason to download a third-party PDF maker. Microsoft now has “Print to PDF” as an option.

Screen activity recordings. A big step for Windows 10 that many people were waiting for was the ability to record your screen and activity.

Document search. If you’ve ever forgotten the title of a document? Now documents and Office documents to be completely searched including the entirety of the document’s contents.

Reminders. Windows 10 made their new reminders much more detailed so you can save images to them, more details, and even add them from a locked screen to make it easier for you to stay on task.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Mythbusters: Computer Repair Edition | Corona, CA

headache over computer problems

There is nothing worse than having a computer on the fritz. We rely on this piece of technology so much that without it, we feel lost. But then we are faced with the question – can you repair it yourself? Unless you’re a computer repair technician, that answer is a no. And it’s likely because there are many myths and misconceptions when it comes to computer repair. So, let’s take a minute to debunk those myths:

Myth #1. My computer technician can fix some problems I’m having with a website.

Unfortunately, no. A technician may be able to tell you why you’re having problems or tweak some setting, but they won’t be able to do much more.

Myth #2. I would know if my computer was infected with a virus, spyware or other malware.

Malicious software is typically designed to run quietly in the background so it can log the keys you press, website you visit, and attempt to steal data and passwords, sending them back to the culprit/hacker.

Myth #3. I found a computer for less than $500, so it’s better to replace my computer than repair it.

Computers that you can buy for $500 or less are typically very low-end, cheaply made machines. They’re usually equipped with low-grade processors, little RAM, small and slow hard drive, and are cheaply built.

Myth #4. I need to be a computer technician to repair every problem I have with my computer.

There are many things that you can do before you have to take your computer to a computer repair technician. Check websites with tutorials and tips about computer repair. It may be something simple.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Slowing Down the System | Corona, CA

computer consulting

Technology has sped up all of our lives in many aspects. That’s why it is somewhat alarming when our PCs begin to slow down. A slow running PC can start occurring after years of having it, or in some cases it occurs after only having your PC for a few months. It could be caused by bugs in the operating system, failing hardware, or even static electricity from carpet. Before taking your computer in for repair or buying a new PC all together, try out these quick fixes:

Unused programs. When buying a new computer, it usually comes with programs pre-installed and over time your computer compiles more programs. Delete these programs.

Temporary files. When you use the internet all of your browsing history remains deep in your computer, and the same goes for when you install something. Get rid of clutter to free up space on your system.

Hard drive storage. If you have too much on your hard drive, it will affect the speed of your computer. Recording media or video is likely to cause your hard drive to become full.

Unnecessary start-ups. Every time you start up your PC, there are some programs that automatically start to run in the background. Every application that is running will use your PCs memory and slow it down. You can stop this.

Clean it up. Dust gets sucked in by the cooling fan and can clog the airflow of the computer causing it to overheat and slow down. Use a vacuum on a low setting to gently clean out the insides. Make sure your computer is disconnected from all mains.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Ransomware Attacks: June 2020 | Corona, CA

In this day and age, ransomware cyberattacks are happening every 11 seconds on various industries, making it a big business – a big business that is estimated to cause $20 billion worth of damage by 2021. Manufacturing and government are the hardest hit according to industry, the United States by country.

Ransomware attacks surged again in the month of June with Covid-19 related phishing techniques still proving popular with cybercriminals. Notable attacks include Honda, who had their European operations significantly affected, and the University of California who reportedly paid $1.14 million to recover academic data related to its Covid-19 research. Here is a roundup of the incidents we uncovered:

We start the month in South Africa with telecoms firm Telkom SA SOC Ltd. We found limited coverage of the incident, but it was reported that the attack led to outages across several systems with remote staff unable to connect to the servers or VPN.

Up next is Columbia College in Chicago who were attacked just one week after the attack on Michigan State University. On the Netwalker blog the cybercriminals claimed to have exfiltrated very highly- sensitive data during the attack.

Hackers continued their spree on US colleges when they hit the University of California on the same day. Important Covid-19 research was encrypted during the attack and the school paid out $1.14 million to recover the data.

The City of Florence in Alabama became the next victim on June 5 when an attack shut down the city’s email system. The city reportedly paid over $250K to recover the encrypted data.

The next attack took place at VT San Antonio Aerospace, the US subsidiary of ST Engineering Aerospace in Singapore. The ransomware attack resulted in the exposure of confidential data including government contracts.

Automotive giant Honda suffered an Ekans ransomware attack which targeted its offices in the United States, Europe and Japan. The attack forced many offices to shut down in what was likely the most publicized ransomware incident of the month.

Earlier in the month Australian beverage giant Lion disclosed they had been the victim of a cyberattack, they later confirmed it was ransomware. The company’s data was said to be available on the Dark Web but at the time of writing the company did not have any evidence of data being exfiltrated.

Over to New Mexico next where nuclear missile contractor Westech International was the victim of a Maze ransomware attack. Hackers were able to access sensitive employee information, but it is still unconfirmed whether any classified military information was accessed.

Next up is Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, Europe’s first attack of the month. Local reports indicate that company servers were hit with an encryption attack which led to downtime. The overall extent of the damage has not yet been disclosed.

Fisher and Paykel, a whitegoods manufacturer based in New Zealand disclosed they had been targeted by Nefilim. Although quickly identified, the hackers did disclose an initial leak of the company’s corporate files on the Dark Web.

New York company Threadstone Advisors, a mergers and acquisitions firm whose client list includes Victoria Beckham, were hit by Maze ransomware. The gang insists that they had exfiltrated and encrypted the company’s data.

An overnight attack hit the City of Knoxville in Tennessee. Fortunately emergency services were not affected in the attack but by the time it was noticed by the IT department the ransomware had already encrypted multiple systems. Knoxville joins a list of affected cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver and New Orleans.

Back to Europe now where this time it was European Energy giant Enel Group. The incident was the work of the Snake ransomware group who were also responsible for the attack at Honda earlier in the month.

Rhode Island-based Care New England (CNE) was victim of a cyberattack that hit its servers on June 16. The suspected ransomware attack forced the shutdown of its website and other internal systems.

Up next is Florida based ConnectWise who hit the headlines when it was revealed that their partners were hit by ransomware through a software flaw in their platform.

Electronics giant LG is reportedly being threatened by the Maze ransomware gang, however at the time of writing no official statement had been issued by the company.

Closing out the month is another suspected attack on car giant Mitsubishi. The Doppelpaymer gang are allegedly threatening to leak data from the organization, although at the time of writing there has been no official statement from the company.

To read more about the ransomware attacks of 2020, click here.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Keep Your Hard Drive Safe | Corona, CA

The world is full of online security products, because you can never be too safe. It seems there is always another virus or hacker trying to steal someone’s identity or private information. So, we have all of these ways to back up our information. The cloud is secure but can be hacked. It is important that you have a physical hard drive that can keep everything together, in case something happens to your information or internet storage.

Your hard drive is where all of the information on your computer is stored. But like everything, it will begin to develop natural wear and tear, and over time they will start fail. A failure could happen at any time, and without warning. Because of this making sure your hard drive is backed up is also very important.

As your hard drive begins to age, it will begin to show these common signs. If you keep them in mind, you won’t be surprised if it happens to die on you at a moment’s notice.

  • If Windows is always telling you that it needs to check the consistency of your hard drive, it could be trying to tell you your hard drive is about ready to fail.
  • If your computer begins to make strange sounds you don’t typically recognize.
  • Files you use are beginning to suddenly have unexplained errors.
  • A computer begins to slow down doing regular tasks will eventually lead to a complete freeze or crash.

If your computer begins to give you trouble, there’s no need to panic. Make sure that you have everything backed up as much as possible and you won’t become overwhelmed by computer issues.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Staying Virus-Free | Corona, CA

Now that we have been quarantined to our homes, we are using the internet more than ever in order to keep ourselves entertained. Coronavirus has taken over our lives, but there is one more virus we need to keep in mind – the computer virus. Because we are going to be using the internet for things like searching for information, work, shopping, schoolwork and even banking, it is important that we prevent our computers vulnerable to hackers with the personal information held in there. Here are a few tips to lower your risk of contracting a virus:

Anti-virus software. Having an anti-virus program installed is a great benefit for your computer. The ant-virus programs scan for viruses that try to get into your emails, operating system or files. Make sure your anti-virus is set to update automatically for the most protection.

Install a firewall. Firewalls can help alert you of any suspicious activity, while also blocking viruses, hackers or worms from attempting to download malicious programs onto your computer. Some systems have a built-in firewall but are usually shipped in “off” mode, so be sure to turn your firewall on. Make sure to keep your firewall updated regularly.

Pop-up blocker. Avoid clicking on pop-up ads by using a pop-up blocker. Most pop-ups are created by advertisers, but they may contain a harmful or unsafe code.

Use spam filters. Emails can contain computer viruses, so before opening an email, make sure you’re receiving it from a known address or sender.

Strong passwords. Make sure to choose a strong password to protect yourself for potential hackers. Don’t choose something simple as your password; some hackers have a program that can try every single word in the dictionary.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.

Keep It Clean, Folks | Corona, CA

To say that we need some form of computer to survive these days is almost an absolute truth. Between smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs, it seems we all have at least one of these products. And not having them easily accessible and running correctly is imperative. Now that we are all on high alert about germs and infections, how often are you cleaning your electronic equipment?

One of the telltale signs that will tell you that it’s time to give your computer some TLC is that it begins to run a lot slower. If it begins to run a lot slower, chances are high that anything can cause a crash. Could you imagine losing everything on your computer because you neglected some simple cleaning tips? Here are some simple tips to keeping your computer equipment clean and running smoothly:

Outer beauty. Let’s face it – we are kind of gross when it comes to our computer stuff. We eat around them and rarely dust our keyboard, mouse, etc. Cleaning your PC’s exterior will improve your computer’s performance. Here’s how: Start by turning the power off. Clean your keyboard using compressed air and a safe cleaning solution. Wipe down your mouse. Then proceed to use the compressed air to clean your actual computer.

And now for the inside… Now that we’ve a spic-and-span exterior, it’s time to clean out the junk we’ve compiled. Here’s how: Start by deleting junk, duplicate files and programs that you no longer use, then reorganize your files, folders and desktop. Lastly, check your PC for adware, viruses and other malicious software that’s slowing your system down.

Call Up & Running Computer Solutions in Corona, CA for help with your computer issues at 951-737-8558. Learn more at our website at www.urcs.net.

Up & Running Computer Solutions proudly serves Corona and all surrounding areas.