Monday 24 July 2017

How to stay safe on public Wi-Fi - Optima Computers

How to stay safe on public Wi-Fi


No matter if it's your local cafe, BT Openzone, or hotspots from your mobile phone provider, public Wi-Fi networks continue to proliferate. Especially in urban areas, you're more and more likely to find a high-speed network you can connect to when you're away from home.

However, accessing that network usually requires that you give up some personal details. Once connected, you'll often find yourself sharing the network with a host of other people—some of whom might want to peek at your online activities. Here are some tips for using a public Wi-Fi network and protecting your information at the same time.

 

Know the risks


Don't stay online longer than you need to.

Public Wi-Fi is inherently less secure than the private network you've got at home, because you have to share it with dozens or even hundreds of strangers, rather than a handful of people you know and (we presume) trust. So, if you want to absolutely 100% guarantee your privacy and safety on public Wi-Fi, just don't use it. And if you absolutely must, then be aware that you're taking the risk of having total strangers snoop on your browsing session.

How does knowing the risks help you? Well, with some common sense and caution, you can be reasonably confident that you'll survive your public Wi-Fi session unscathed. Wherever possible, avoid doing serious business like banking or accessing your work email. Stick to the lighter activities—checking sports scores, browsing news sites, and so on—where it won't matter so much if someone peeks at what you're doing.

As well as being careful about what you do on public Wi-Fi, follow these rules:
  • Keep your browsing time down to a minimum,
  • Disconnect from the network when you're finished
  • Make sure your laptop or phone software is always up to date. 

These tips will prevent your device from getting more exposure than you want.


Read the small print


Don't ignore any privacy policies that pop up.

Reading the small print is something we all know we should be doing—not that we actually follow that advice. But this is particularly important when you're connecting to a public Wi-Fi network. What are you giving up in exchange for your wireless access? How will your email address or phone number or whatever else you're surrendering be used?

You're essentially putting your trust in the company or person who's set up the network to not spy on you. Take a big-name coffee shop chain: The brand is less likely to secretly monitor its customers' web browsing activities, but more likely to collect a little personal data for marketing purposes. So weigh up the options and make your choice accordingly.

For more information, you can do some reading in advance. For instance, check out McDonald's Wi-Fi terms and conditions, or Cafe Nero's Wi-Fi. If you know where your travels will take you, it's worth scouting out a few locations in advance so you know where to go when you want to browse.

Look for HTTPS connections


The green HTTPS link signals a more secure connection.

When your web browser hits a site whose URL starts with "https://", a green padlock will appear. This means you're on a site marked as Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure, or HTTPS—internet jargon that means you've got an encrypted connection with the site you're talking to.

Essentially, the tech behind HTTPS encrypts your activity on a given website. This makes it much harder for someone sitting behind you at the coffee shop or running the router in your hotel to listen in on the information you're sharing. So stay on HTTPS sites whenever you possibly can.

As we mentioned above, it's best to stick to general purpose web browsing when you're on public Wi-Fi, rather than diving into your social networks or email. However, if you must access more sensitive sites, look for the green padlock and the HTTPS header to make sure you're safe. Fortunately, most big sites that require you to log in, from Google to Facebook, now use HTTPS.


Install a VPN


Choose a VPN, but ask an expert first.

Installing a VPN (Virtual Private Network) program is perhaps the most effective method of all for staying safe on public Wi-Fi. Again, however, it doesn't offer a complete guarantee of safety. As well as letting you spoof your location and watch foreign TV, a VPN encrypts all the data traveling to and from your laptop or phone. As with the HTTPS tech, it makes it much harder for other people on the same network to see what you're doing.

You need to take time to pick the right VPN though, because you're trusting its developers with all your internet traffic. For more information on VPNs, please contact us


Pick networks selectively

Not all Wi-Fi networks are created equal.

Not all public Wi-Fi networks are created equal. Because you've got a lot of them to choose from nowadays, you can be picky about which ones you hook up to. Any network that's harder to access—it requires that you buy a coffee, ask at the counter for a password, or pay a small fee—will probably be safer than a completely open network anyone can use. That's simply because those extra barriers limit the number of people using it.

For the same reason, stick to Wi-Fi networks offered by reputable, well-known companies and brands wherever possible, and avoid any Wi-Fi network that appears to have sprung up out of nowhere. For instance, if you can find hotspots offered by your mobile phone provider or ISP, those would be preferable.

Finally, while you're on your travels, we'd recommend sticking to the same coffee shop chain, or the same series of hotels, or even the same single hotspot. The fewer access points you're hooking up to, the fewer companies you're giving your personal details to, and the fewer network security setups you'll be at the mercy of.

Monday 15 May 2017

Global Ransomware Prevention







On Friday May 12, 2017, a new wave of ransomware known as “WannaCry” (detected by ESET as Win32/Filecoder.WannaCryptor.D) spread across the globe and infected tens of thousands of computers. This ransomware propagates by exploiting a Microsoft Windows vulnerability in unpatched computers.

ESET detects and blocks the WannaCryptor.D threat and its variants. With ESET’s network protection module, we are blocking the leaked version of the exploit on the network level.

We have issued an alert on our Knowledge Base site providing step-by-step instructions for our customers to ensure they are protected. This can be accessed via the following link:

http://support.eset.com/alert6442/

At ESET, customer safety comes first. We recommend users proactively update their operating systems, use caution when opening email attachments and enable LiveGrid on your ESET products.

If you would like further information on this event, a blog has been published and can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.welivesecurity.com/2017/05/13/wanna-cryptor-ransomware-outbreak/


Please contact our offices on 020 8445 6700 if you need your antivirus software to be upgraded to ESET.

Thursday 1 December 2016

Our introduction to the Synology NAS






You need to read this if you have several gadgets spread across your home, like smartphones, laptops, intelligent sound systems, Smart TVs and more. With your devices situated in your bedroom, front room, and across the house, are you looking for a device that can keep all your photos, films, songs and files from your gadgets in one location that is safe, easy-to-use and readily accessible?


Sharing photos and movies

With thousands of files stored across all your gadgets, finding specific photos, documents and videos can become a real headache. With a Synology NAS, however, you could consolidate all of these files in one location. Simply upload all the files and each device connected to the NAS and this works without a glitch. Once it was done, you will be able to find exactly what you needed in seconds. No more frustrating searches across all your devices and drives. A click on an app, and there are your photos. You could even tag them like Facebook, search by location or share them online publicly or privately.


Safe and Secure

Now you have all your files in one place, you should be concerned about what would happen if your NAS was damaged or your hard drives failed. No need to worry.. with Synology, you can setup RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) very easily. Enabling RAID means you can save to your NAS as usual and if a drive failed, you would have a backup already stored. Also, if you needed to replace any of the drives in your NAS, you can simply restore data as if nothing happened.


Much more than a NAS

The more you use your NAS, the more you will wonder how you ever managed without it. Sharing photos and movies with friends and family, or sharing files with colleagues at work was simplicity itself. And you can do it from anywhere there is an Internet/WiFi connection, even over 4G with your smart phone.

Your Synology NAS is full of surprises, going way beyond what you expect from NAS drives. With the free apps, you are able to use it as a home server, streaming all the content from your GoPro, as well as the movies and TV shows you have stored, straight to your Smart TV. When friends and family stay over, you can even stream movies, or music, to different rooms of the house... all from this one NAS.

If you’re still unsure or would like to find out more, then give Optima Computer’s experts a call on 020 8445 6700

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Be №1 In Google - SEO

optimacomputers.net/web

SEO is one of the most powerful and important online marketing strategies. We make sure your beautiful new website or current one is easily found on search engines. 

We use the latest google algorithms and social media marketing techniques to ensure your website performs well in the google rankings.


  • Website Speed Optimization
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Content Optimization
  • Social Media Integration
  • Keyword Research & Selection

Thursday 4 February 2016

Social Engineering Scam



Social Engineering
If you get an email or phone call claiming to be from your bank or credit card provider, a government department, a membership organisation, a website you buy from or the police – and it’s asking for confidential information – chances are it’s social engineering and is not legitimate.
If you get an unexpected phone call from a computer company or engineer telling you that you have a problem on your PC and offering to fix it, chances are that’s social engineering too.

Social engineering is the name we give to confidence trickery, because the criminals who perpetrate it have very clever and convincing ways to deceive you.

To find out how to spot social engineering and how to deal with it, have a look at the videos on this page. They describe three common types of social engineering, but there are many more.

Phishing Scam
You wouldn’t get certain types of emails from your bank, card provider or the police. So STOP & THINK!


Vishing Scam
You wouldn’t get certain types of phone calls from your bank, card provider or the police. So STOP & THINK!

Computer Support Scam

If a computer company calls to tell you that there’s a problem with your machine, it could be a scam.So STOP & THINK!