Monthly Mini-Bytes - April 2023

 

The Trinity of Security We get asked a lot: "Is it safe?" Well, no. It's not. Not really. The Internet is a seedy place and it mainly has three functions: to steal your money, your time, and your sanity. It is filled with scammers and crooks, and is akin to the worst neighborhood that you wandered into at one-thirty in the morning. But we need the Internet. It's how we do business, keep up with current events, pay our bills, and connect with friends and family. We can't just disconnect completely. It's not reasonable, so we all need to take common sense precautions. Security is not automatic. It takes work and discipline, but knowing the three biggies of the so-called Trinity of Security you will go a long way to protecting yourself and your data. #1 - Your Phone Your iPhone is not just a phone, it is the master key to all of your passwords. It allows you to confirm your identity, reset passwords, and proves to apps far and wide that you are who you say you are. The Wall Street Journal has been covering the latest scam where crooks observe you entering your phone passcode. Then they swipe your phone, and since they have the passcode, get in and lock you out of everything. With the phone unlocked they can now use it to complete multi-factor authentication and gain access to bank accounts and the like. What do you need to do? Keep your phone secure. Use FaceID or TouchID and have a passcode. Also, don't enter your passcode in a public place. Be discreet about it. If you'd like to watch the Wall Street Journal reports, here are the YouTube links: https://youtu.be/QUYODQB_2wQ https://youtu.be/tCfb9Wizq9Q #2 - Your Email Just like your iPhone, your email is a big dangly ring of keys that can be used to prove your identity, reset passwords, and complete multi-factor authentication. Lock it down! Use a reputable email provider Enable Two Factor Authentication Setup recovery options (passkeys, other phone number and emails) And if you haven't changed your password in 10 years, then change it right away. Don't make it easy to remember, because if it is, it will be easy for the crooks to guess. #3 - Bank & Investment Account Passwords You need to keep your bank and investment account passwords secure. They need to be complex and hard to guess. You also should enable two-factor authentication, setup recovery options, and enable all the alerts that you can. If your bank account gets breached, banks are not super helpful. You must be vigilant, and those passwords need to be complex and hard to guess. If you can remember them, they are too easy. Being safe and secure takes work and commitment. It requires good, strong passwords with a method to record and keep them safe. It means keeping your iPhone secure, and changing that email password if it is too simple, too old, or both.

Which Streaming Device is Best for You? When it comes to streaming, there are a multitude of devices out there. There are smart TVs, Roku, Fire TV, AppleTV, and others. But the biggest question is which one is best for you, or moreover, which one just works the best? Hey, we are all Apple people here. We are invested in the ecosystem with the iPhones, iPads, and computers. It just makes sense to stream using the AppleTV. It adheres to all the rigid standards that Apple puts on its products. The apps need to adhere to the same processes for testing and coding as does anything else at the App Store. The AppleTV out of all of the devices is the one that will work hand and hand with your iPhone, and that alone makes it easier to set up and log into apps. To find out more about the AppleTV, visit: https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/

Spring Cleaning Your Downloads Folder

It's not just you. Most people neglect to clean out their Downloads folder. It gets cluttered with pictures, documents, receipts, memes, and old installers. It can take up a lot of space on your hard drive, so this April get in there and clean it out. We'd recommend sorting through the contents to make sure there aren't any pictures or important documents. If there are, move them to somewhere else on your hard drive. To get to your Downloads folder, open a Finder window and choose if from the list on the left.