Professional I.T. Services

Using Windows, Mac or other operating systems, Google how to keep your Operating System up-to-date. These updates are very important as it include security patches, bugs fix, and enhanced features. As long as your devices are capable to receive these updates, it is highly recommended to check for these updates at least once a month, download and install them.

Do you know, many issues can be fixed by simply restarting your device frequently, at least once a day. When you experience issues, remember to try restarting your device, you will be surprised how a simple restart can get your device acting back to normal.

If you are done using your computer device, before going to bed simply shutdown your computer device. This gives you peace of mind as it is no longer visible on the Internet. Also, it is like you are giving your computer some rest, as you go to bed to rest and recharge, think similarly about your computer device, it needs to rest too at night.

Do you know you are the first defense of your computer devices? Imagine you built a strong house with a strong fence, gate and powerful security system. However, you need to always remember the person opens the gate to let people in, is you. So, no matter how strong your house is or a security system you have, good judgement to whom you let inside is what only matters! Thus, never trust links or attachments in e-mail or text messages from people you know or do not know. Do not click links or open attachments without checking with the person who sent it first. The sender could have been a victim of a malware attack, this malware took control over their address book and sent on their behalf without their knowledge the message you had received, and once you click the link or open the attachment, like when you open your house gate or door, this malware will do the exact same thing, will enter your house (computer device), circulating itself without your knowledge infecting you and many other people. Find more at:

What is Phishing? - YouTube

3 ways to #DefendYourDevice from malware - YouTube

Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre

If you receive calls from people claiming they are from Dell, Microsoft, your bank branch, etc. and start asking personal questions or offering you "free" remote assistance to fix your computer issues, know that these all are phishing attacks, simply hang up. As an example, if you have purchased a computer from Dell and have Windows running on this computer as your operating system, neither Dell nor Microsoft will call you offering remote assistance to fix your computer issues or ask for personal information. Do not trust any calls asking for personal information or offering remote assistance (this ends up installing malware and forcing you to pay them money to remove it), simply hang up.

Searching for something online may lead you to visit a malicious site. Be very diligent when browsing the Internet. Do not click on a web site unless you are 100% sure this web site is legit and safe, if you are in doubt do not click. A good start is to use https://www.virustotal.com where you can inspect the site link before visiting it, this is not 100% guarantee that the site is safe, but it is a good start. Find more at: Online Safety: How do you stack up? - YouTube

When traveling, threat to data and personal information are varied and numerous. There are number of precautions you can take to protect yourself and your data while traveling. Some examples include, using privacy screen filters, disable access to and from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices, take a vacation from social media, do not discuss your trip details with strangers or in public places, keep your devices close. Being aware of surroundings and acting in secure manner while traveling will help ensure you keep yourself and your data safe while on the road. Find more at: Travel Security in 2 Minutes - Security Matters at U of T - YouTube

Passwords are an essential part of life online - and if we're not careful about keeping them secret, they can cause big problems. By understanding the risks and making passwords stronger, we can feel a little more secure. Do not use simple password like "Fido", or use a word from a dictionary. These type of passwords are easy to guess or can be easily hacked by a computer program, instead use a phrase. Use this as an example to create a strong password, think of a phrase easy for you to remember such as "Jack and Jill went up the hill back in 1961", your password then could be "J&Jwuthbn1961". This way this password will be easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. Find more at: How to Create a Strong Password - YouTube

It is important to change your passwords frequently, some change their passwords every 3 months, some every 6 months, some every year. Just mark your calendar a time to change your passwords. If you think this is hard, actually it is very simple to do while you still want to keep your favorite password and do not want to change it entirely. As an example, start, put in middle or end your password with "10", for example "10J&Jwuthbn1961", then next time you are changing your password just increment by 10, for example "20J&Jwuthbn1961", and so on. Most systems remember up to 5 passwords, this means after your fifth time you can go back to "10J&Jwuthbn1961". If you got hacked, you must change your password entirely by a different one immediately for all your accounts and apps.

CIRA Canadian Shield protects you from malware and phishing with the same threat feed data that powers CIRA DNS Firewall used by organizations. CIRA brings in dozens of threat feeds and add powerful AI from Akamai to analyze billions of DNS queries globally every single day. This detects over 100,000 new threats daily to help keep you safe!

CIRA Canadian Shield is a public DNS resolver, which means they connect you to the websites you're trying to visit. When CIRA do that they also double-check to see if the websites you are visiting are malicious, and if CIRA know they are, CIRA will stop you from visiting them. In addition to malware and phishing CIRA also block sites with a high likelihood of being fraudulent or online scams. Find more at:

CIRA Canadian Shield