Futurelawyer

Android Security - Be Careful Out There...Or Not

The latest Android security threat is nothing to worry about | Android and Me. Usually, when I post about computer security, there is a serious risk that I want you to understand and prevent. However, some of the hype online about computer security risks is just that...hype. The so called PayPal Trojan can, if activated, trick your phone into sending money via PayPal to a rogue account without much input from the user. The key phrase here is "user input"; because this scam only works if you are the dumbest computer user on the planet. First, you have to intentionally enable your phone to download apps that aren't sourced on Google PlayStore. Then, you have to intentionally tell the phone to bypass several security layers. The only thing you need to remember here is to only download apps from the PlayStore. In addition, get a Lookout Mobile Security app and install it. It will scan your apps on a regular basis and keep the bad guys out. Now, relax and have a nice day. There's nothing to see here.

Backup Your Drive - Save Yourself From Disaster

Amazon.com: WD 4TB Black My Passport� Portable External Hard Drive - USB 3.0 - WDBYFT0040BBK-WESN: Computers & Accessories. Have you backed up your computer data today? If not, you are flirting with disaster. Your entire life and law practice reside on your computer's drive. Imagine waking up one day and not being able to access your law practice client data, your legal documents, your emails, your texts, your photos, your whatever you use your computer for data? What if your computer crashes (they all do)? One of the accessories I have connected to a USB port, both at home and at the office, is a little 2 by 4 inch plastic box housing a 4 Terabyte hard drive from Western Digital. You can get one of these for under $100 on sale. I have automatic backups scheduled daily at night while I am sleeping. Every few days, I run an imaging backup that stores the entire drive and can be restored in the event of a crash. If you aren't doing this you are heading to disaster. Back up. Do it now. Do it all the time.

If Tech Support Calls, Hang Up

When Tech Support Calls You About a PC Problem, it%u2019s Probably a Scam. Sometimes, things really ARE too good to be true. For instance, if a guy calls you on the phone and tells you he is from Microsoft, or Google, or some other big company, and tells you that there is a problem with your computer, ask yourself a very simple question. What is the likelihood that, of the billion or so users of Microsoft products, that there is an employee whose top focus today is to help you with a computer problem you didn't know you had? The IRS or the local Sheriff will never call you on the phone and threaten you with jail. Microsoft or Google will never call you on the phone and tell you they want to help you. The only threatening call you are likely to get is from an ex you owe money to. Now, be careful out there.

Google Is A Stalker - Here's How To Show It Who's Boss

How to delete your Google Search history. What if you had a stalker that followed you everywhere, and knew everything you said, did, or talked about? What if the stalker knew everything you were interested in, and kept a detailed diary of your every movement?  Pretty creepy, huh? Even worse, what if a lawyer with a subpoena could call your stalker as a witness and get all that information in pending litigation? Welcome to Google, the computer stalker that is everywhere. While your search history, and complete history of your daily internet use might be valuable to a lawyer doing ediscovery, most of us don't want everyone to know the places we go on the Internet, no matter how innocent our intentions. In fact, Google search histories have figured prominently in murder and serious crime investigations. But, for most of us, knowing how to remove that data from our Google chain is a good thing. And, Google wants to make it easier to remove. Go to the activity page and see what Google knows about you. Then, delete it before your mother sees it.

You Could Be A Troglodyte If...

Seven Signs Your Law Firm%u2019s Technology is Outdated - Law Technology Today. When I was a young lawyer, I had a side gig as a computer consultant. I would go into law firms and install case management, time and billing and other productivity software. I gave up when I realized that the computers and tech in the offices was old, outdated and underpowered, and I got blamed when the software wouldn't work properly. I hope every one of those firms, and any other firm interested in productivity and efficiency, reads this article, and asks some hard questions. If your computer monitors weigh 25 pounds, you might be a troglodyte. If all the computers in the office are beige boxes running Windows Vista, you might need to update your systems. If your idea of computer security is locking the front door of the office every night, you might be...well, you get the picture. You do, don't you?

Your Facebook Account Was Hacked. What Do You Do Next?

4 Things to Do Immediately When Your Facebook Account Is Hacked. Okay, you have ignored my advice to set up two factor authentication on your Facebook account. Now, your friends are telling you they are getting phony friend requests from you. You think you have been hacked. What do you do? First, read this article and follow the instructions. Check the logins to your account, and you will know if your account has been accessed by someone else. Then, change your password. If the hacker changed it, try to reset it using the forgot your password link. Once you regain control, set up two factor authentication, which will require a code sent to your smartphone for future access. You are responsible for your own security. Now, go do it.

New Facebook Scam: Ignore Messages Allegedly From Friends That They May Have Been Hacked

New Facebook Scam: Your Account (Probably) Wasn't Hacked. In case you needed another reason to use two factor authentication on your Facebook account, some of us have been getting messages from friends that they have allegedly been hacked, and phishing us for a reply, which will result in a real hack. Don't respond to these messages. Just move on. There's nothing to see here. And, set up two factor authentication. Now. While you are thinking about it. Don't say you will do it later. We both know you won't. Just do it.

Facebook Data Breach - Change Your Password

Facebook breach put data of 50 million users at risk - CNET. It isn't pleasant to wake up to a data breach that affects 50 million people on a website that you probably use every day. But, the Facebook feature allowing users to see their profiles as others see them affects 50 million people. If you have two factor authentication enabled, you have an extra step that will make your data less attractive to hackers; but, change your password anyway. And, if you don't have two factor authentication enabled, do it now. Before breakfast. Before lunch. Before whatever meal you were planning before you read this. Be careful out there.

Malwarebytes Review -Is Your Data Worth $39 A Year?

Malwarebytes Review - 2018 Malwareybtes Free And Premium - We Hate Malware. You can try Malwarebytes Premium for 14 days free. But, as Bill Gordon writes here, the anticipatory protection provided by Malwarebytes Premium is worth the $39 a year cost. For $49 a year, you can protect 3 computers. It is light, fast, sits quietly in the background, and blocks nasty websites and viruses. It even provides protection against ransomware, which is becoming a problem in law firms and other organizations. Like Bill, I have tried them all, and I highly recommend this product. It occasionally gives false positives; but, I would rather that and be sure I am getting the bad stuff out. Along with using two factor authentication, you need to do this to protect your computer and your data. If you don't, don't call me when something bad happens. This is the first software I install when I get a new computer. Just set it and forget it. Boom. 

Two Factor Authentication - Dead Bolt For Your Computer

What is two factor authentication? | AndroidGuys. I feel like T.S. Eliot's Prufrock when I talk about computer security. No one listens. "I grow old, I grow old, I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled." Prufrock's lament against age and dying is how it feels to face the inevitable silence of computer users who refuse to lock their doors. If you can require a hacker to know more than your user name and password, and to have access to another piece of tech in your sole possession, like a smartphone, why wouldn't you do it? Seriously. Learn about two factor authentication, and use it. Otherwise, you deserve to be hacked.