“The javascript runs as soon as the page (HTML attachment) is loaded and intercepts all posts to PayPal.com and diverts them to the actual phishing page to accept all your details, if you are unwise enough to fall for this trick.”

So other than being fooled into clicking on what seems like a legitimate link, just go directly to the website and ensure you have two-step verification enabled. So far, this is your surest bet to not be sucked down the rabbit hole of a phisher.

Why is this helpful? You can ensure your privacy when utilizing a public computer at a library, café, or other public space; you can open multiple account websites that limit you to one registered account at a time, e.g. Google; you can outsmart paywalls on websites that limit the number of articles you can read for free in a given month.

Read the full article to learn exactly how to access this mode on whichever web browser you use. And remember, incognito does not mean true privacy. Websites can still capture your IP address, ISPs, and your actions can still be tracked. The article also teaches you how to truly go private if that is what you wish.

Still not sure you’re doing it right or are wanting to be as private as possible, especially at work? Time to contact Optfinity and we can help ensure everything you do is private, secure, and safe! Our advice and assessments are always free to clients and potential clients!

If you get a pop-up asking you if you want to upgrade now, and decide to cancel just by clicking the “x” in the upper right hand corner of the box, you may be automatically and unwillingly allowing Windows to upgrade without your expressed permission. Want to be sure this doesn’t happen? Go into your settings and disable automatic updates.

Just remember, the upgrade is only free until July 29th, so be sure you don’t want it because down the road, it’ll cost you if you change your mind. Read the article for more information on this topic and if you’ve still got some questions, feel free to Optfinity“>contact one of our technicians! We love helping out our clients and prospects!

Unfortunately phone systems are not as flashy as cars, so the decision is a bit harder to make for many businesses. Many owners and decision makers will opt for constant fixes because it’s easier than having to throw down what may seem like a lot of money for a new system. But when you add up all those repair costs, most often it is far more expensive than just upgrading.

Problem is for many small and medium sized businesses, they do not have in-house IT support and expertise to help them make this call or find the best fit for their company’s needs. This is where having an external IT provider, like Optfinity, will help you in the short and long term. Not only can we provide you with free assessments, we also offer flat rate fees for our clients, so you don’t have to worry about those hourly rates many technicians will charge. And when it comes to buying new equipment, you can be sure we will recommend what is best for your business and not for our bottom line.

Phone systems been giving you some problems lately and not sure what to do? Contact Optfinity today and we’ll let you know what your options are, for free!

But don’t be fooled into a false sense of security just because your business is small. You and your company probably have hundreds, if not thousands, of clients’ information stored away in your systems. Hackers would love nothing more than to breach your systems and make a profit off of any holes in your security.

How do you protect yourself? By limiting what websites your employees can access, ensuring strong passwords are utilized, and always keeping all systems up-to-date on all patches, updates, and software upgrades. Two-step verification also is a great way to beef up your security.

If any of what you’ve just read sounds like a foreign language, or you just aren’t sure how secure your systems are, contact us at Optfinity and we will gladly complete a free assessment for you.

Not only is it important for you as a user to ensure all of your systems are secured by implementing software patches and security updates as soon as they are available, but if you’re a website owner, it is even more important to ensure you are keeping your site secured!

Do you use a strong password which includes capital letters, numbers, and special characters such as !#*? If not, then your accounts may be easily accessed by hackers looking to do damage to the clients that visit your site. If your site has been hacked, you could be opening your clients up to attacks on their computers and servers, even possibly ransomware.

Don’t be the weak point that allows your clients and guests to be hacked. Ensure your sites and servers are secure and protected. Contact Optfinity today for a free consultation and assessment!

On May 9th, 2016, a neighbor of ours in our building stopped by asking for assistance because all of his data was encrypted as he was a victim of ransomware. We are now in talks with him to bring him on board and assist him with trying to restore his systems without needing to pay the ransom, which the FBI urges everyone not to do.

Just as the US does not negotiate with terrorists or pay ransoms because if they did it would just encourage more attacks, the same goes for these types of smaller-scale cyber-attacks. Every time a business, hospital, or other organization pays the ransom, it just reinforces the success of their criminal activities. So what should you do? Contact the FBI if you’re a victim and work with your IT support services to help retrieve your data. Before you are a victim, you should do the following two things:

Prevention: Prepare using both “awareness training for employees and robust technical prevention controls,” including access controls, updated anti-malware tools and ensuring admin-level accounts remain locked down.

Backup/restoration: Create “a solid business continuity plan” for dealing with a ransomware attack, including backup up data, verifying backups’ integrity as well as ensuring backups aren’t connected to systems or networks that they’re backing up.

If you currently do not have an IT support provider or are not sure of their capabilities, contact us at Optfinity and we will do a free assessment for you to ensure your systems are properly set-up and protected. Don’t wait till after it happens like our neighbor! It will cost more and you run the risk of losing weeks, months, or even years of data!!

This, more so than the other two, might be even more important as it usually directly links to your credit card and bank account information. So while there are many, many risks to your email accounts (and especially Google as there are some pay functions that Google links to), nothing is more risky than allowing hackers to easily get their hands on your banking information.

So follow the steps provided and ensure that your PayPal accounts are safe from outside attacks! Still confused or need extra help? Contact our experts directly at info@optfinity.com and we’ll gladly assist in any way we can!

With some reverse engineering of the app’s communication protocols once the hacker has intercepted the communication between a user’s phone and Waze’s servers, they can issue commands directly to Waze’s servers. They then can create fake traffic jams to reroute users or monitor their every move.

Good news is you’re only vulnerable while you’re in your vehicle and actively running the app on your phone. As a precaution, you may want to consider setting your app to invisible mode so your phone is not broadcasting its information to the app. This will need to be done every time you turn on your phone. It’s recommended that you disable location-sharing on all mobile devices to prevent these types of hacks.