Tag Archives: Tips

Panda Security

Do you stand by all your tweets?

A wise man once said: “You should never share anything on the internet unless you are ready for it to be seen by the whole world”. This is certainly something you should keep in mind especially if in fear of judgment… This is also something to be careful about if you are a business owner and you want to turn your dream of a company IPO into reality. Hey, you should even watch out for your posts if you are a recent graduate looking for your next employment opportunity.

Twitter made it easy for you to search their feeds and some tweets are now even indexed on Google. Your thoughts are now visible to the whole world and this is something you need to consider every time you make your thoughts public.  We have seen so many stories of people whose lives have been turned around due to a single tweet. Today’s world is not what it used to be and individuals and businesses alike need to adapt and care for their reputation.  It’s a common misconception that only a live tweet could damage your reputation, tweets from years ago may be just as harmful as the ones you send out on a Friday night.

Years ago when Twitter was on the rise, many people created profiles tweeting things they wouldn’t necessarily agree with today. You would be surprised of the things people would say when under the soft blanket of internet anonymity. However, today’s internet is not as anonymous as it used to be. The toddler Twitter, which was just making its first steps into the world about ten years ago, grew up big and strong enough to place everything you said within reach of whoever is interested in digging for it.

The importance of managing your digital prints

Panda Security suggests you may want to do some research into your Twitter feed yourself. Get your hands dirty, do some digging of your own. Twitter history can reveal a lot of things for your personality which you may not necessarily want to share with the whole world, i.e. your mother’s maiden name, DOB, PayPal email address as well as your physical one, or the primary school you went to. Staying on top of your digital prints has never been as important as it is now.

However it is not all gloom and doom, there is a way out! It’s not an easy task to search through thousands of tweets but luckily, Twitter has an option for you to request your personal archive. You can go to ‘Settings’ and hit the ‘Request your archive’ option. You will get an email containing a zip file that includes all of your tweets since the beginning of time… or well the beginning of Twitter. The email usually takes a few working days to receive but once you get it, you will have the opportunity to search through all of your Twitter history in an easy way, mimicking the real interface of Twitter.

If you don’t want to wait for a few days just go to your Advanced Search option and search through your tweets. In the ‘From These Accounts’ field, enter your username, and in the ‘Words’ fields the key-words you are trying to find. Once you get the result you were looking for, you can delete the unwanted content. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

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Panda Security

5 simple tricks to boost your PC security

Because we rely on technology to manage every detail of our lives, devices are a natural target for criminals. Why steal your wallet when they can grab your online banking password and empty your account remotely?
Keeping your PC and other devices secure is incredibly important. Here are five ways you to avoid becoming a victim of cybercrime.

Security Tips:

Use your PC’s built-in tools

Since the launch of Windows Vista, Microsoft has included a feature called “User Account Control” in every version of their Windows operating system – including Windows 10. This built-in security function prompts you to enter a user name and password every time a new piece of software is installed. Without the password, the software will not be installed.
For many people, this constant prompting for a password is extremely annoying – so they simply disable User Account Control (UAC). Once turned off, software can be installed silently – making it much easier for viruses and malware to infect your PC. If you have disabled UAC, you need to re-enable it now.

Treat email with caution

There are over 205 billion emails sent every day, making it one of the most popular communications methods available. This is why email is used so often to launch cyberattacks.
From infected attachments that install malware, to phishing scams that trick you into disclosing sensitive information, your inbox is a potential minefield. You must learn to treat incoming email with caution, double-checking attachments and links before clicking them.
If you can get into this habit, your mailbox will be a lot safer place.

Install antivirus and internet security tools

Cyberattack methods are constantly evolving, and staying on top of security developments is a full-time job for seasoned IT experts. You can reduce the risk of becoming a victim by installing a trusted anti-malware solution like those offered by Panda Security.
Antivirus and internet security tools are designed to test files and we links automatically, blocking and removing harmful content before it can infect your PC. Preventing malware infections is much more effective that trying to remove them later.

Don’t reuse your passwords

The average internet user has 26 different online accounts. It’s no surprise then that we tend to use the same logon details over and over again – we typically share the same five passwords between our accounts. But if a password is cracked by hackers, they have everything needed to access all of the accounts that share that same word.

If you really can’t remember all of your different passwords, a tool like a Password Manager can. This apps generate unique, “strong” passwords and store them securely. When you need to logon, the password app “remembers” the correct logon details for you automatically.

Treat “free” WiFi with caution

When out and about, free WiFi hotspots can be a lifesaver, but everything is not always as it seems. Criminals have been known to set up wireless networks in public places in order to trap unsuspecting victims. These fake WiFi hotspots then collect all of the data sent and received by people connected to it – including sensitive data like credit card numbers and passwords.

You must always check that the hotspot is from a reputable provider – if you’re not sure, don’t connect. You can always ask a member of staff for assistance. If you will be using your device on public networks regularly, you should also consider whether a secure VPN subscription would help to keep you even safer.

Although keeping your PC safe may feel like a battle, many of the challenges can be overcome through the use of good security tools, and your own common sense. For more help and advice on how to keep your PC secure from criminals, please get in touch.

The post 5 simple tricks to boost your PC security appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Panda Security

Are your children ready to go back to school?

It is this time of the year when children are heading back to school. Not only will they be taking with them their memories from an amazing summer spent chasing Pokemons, and their hopes to have fun while learning more about the world… they’ll also be taking lots of consumer electronics. A recent study by the Consumer Technology Association suggests that consumers will spend more than $15 billion on back-to-school technology; this is a colossal sum. No matter how old your children are, they’ll either have a cell phone, a smartwatch, portable memory sticks, a tablet or a laptop. For some of them, this may even be the first time they are alone with the new technology you’ve just bought them. And with great power comes great responsibility.

Here at Panda, we’ve drawn up a list of products that your children will most likely be taking to school with them this Fall:

Cell phone

Cell phones could be a distraction and are forbidden in a number of schools here in the USA. However, there is now a way around it – connected smartwatches. They connect straight to the LTE network making it possible to make and receive calls.

Cell phones are the main focus of new hacker attacks and malware, so don’t forget to install a security product to protect your children. Moreover, in many cases security products can also protect and monitor smartwatches.

Laptop and Tablet

Delivering a presentation and taking notes has never been easier. Having a laptop or a tablet at school is a must, almost every publisher offers digital versions of their textbooks. Say goodbye to the heavy backpack!

Make sure you install trustworthy programs and remember, you should always have the latest version with all security patches applied, this prevents security holes from being exploited by viruses.

USB Stick

Every day children exchange pen-drives with schoolmates. Make sure you have the tools needed to protect your PC and Mac. Most of the time kids don’t even realise their pen drives are infected.

Did you know that many infections occur directly from USB drives? To protect against this type of infection, be sure to choose an antivirus which, when any USB drive (external hard drive, device, USB, etc.) is inserted, offers the possibility to scan it and clean it in case of infection, so you can use it without risk.

PC/Mac Software

Whether it’s the latest graphic design software or simply a tool that helps you solve math problems, the software you have on your children’s learning devices is as important and as the devices themselves.

Nowadays, technology and BYOD devices are a huge part of the learning process and our children’s lives and future have never been so reliant on technology. Let’s make sure we teach them how to take advantage safely of the benefits the 21st century offers them. All these products can be protected as Panda Security detects and blocks 99.9% of threats no matter what devices or platform they are using. So sleep tight while we work on detecting the remaining 0.01%.

The post Are your children ready to go back to school? appeared first on Panda Security Mediacenter.

Panda Security

How to protect your children from cyber-bullying

PandaSecurity-ciberbullying-parental-control

As a new school year begins, many schools sadly will be setting out to tackle one of the most serious problems now spreading across classrooms: cyber-bullying. While new technologies have opened a whole new world of possibilities for children and adults alike, they have also opened the door to a new type of bullying, where bullies use phones and computers to send photos and threats to their victims.

Recent studies show that in fact, most bullying is now perpetrated online – according to  Professor Jose Antonio Casa of the University of Cordoba, eight out of ten cases of school bullying are committed in this way. As such it is natural for parents to want to ensure that their children don’t suffer from this scourge, and fortunately, there are ways to fight back.

Firstly, there are some obvious key steps. Understanding what constitutes cyber-bullying by attending talks provided by schools is an initial step that parents can take in order to identify the threat and fight back.

It is also important to keep an eye out for possible changes in behavior that could indicate that something is amiss and of course, to let your children know that you are there to give them the support they need, especially if something happens to them.

In addition to these first steps (and others such as getting to know the language that young people use today), there are also technological solutions to help combat cyber-bullying.

Use Parental Control tools

In general, it is practically essential to use parental control tools to protect your children. The reason is to be aware of what kids are writing on the devices they use and to monitor their activity on computers, tablets and smartphones. Whilst you can achieve this by literally looking over their shoulder, it is far easier to take a technological approach.

Panda Protection Service includes a range of tools to protect kids from cyber-bullying as well as the other threats they face on the Internet. In addition to blocking inappropriate content, the service lets users ensure that photos and other files remain private. Moreover, it doesn’t just monitor Web browsers on numerous devices (computers, tablets, smartphones…), it can also control the apps downloaded onto all mobile devices.

 

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Panda Security

Post-vacation Security Tips for your Business

password panda securityExcept for the few of us who choose to visit faraway places at other times of the year, for the majority of us, our vacation time is coming to end. Whether we are refreshed or nostalgic for our summertime getaway, let’s make sure to take into account our IT security while we get back on track.

Memory, Oh Memory

Recent research has proven that the last weeks of summer are an especially sensitive time of the year for some vacation side effects. Many of us are so relaxed we can’t even remember our passwords!

In that case, it’s easy to restore passwords, but we also have to be very careful while doing so. 77% of people who forget their passwords deliberately choose easier ones to replace their former passwords. Of course they do this to avoid another memory lapse, but they must also remember that this makes their password much less effective and lowers their security—in addition to the IT security at their workplace.

Check Out Your Well-Traveled Devices

When a laptop or mobile device leaves their usual space, they can be exposed to a higher number of threats because cybercriminals can connect to these devices (with or without your knowledge) while you’re accessing Wi-Fi networks at hotels, cafeterias and other public spots.

If you have been careful while using these access points it doesn’t mean something will happen. However, during the times of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), all you have to do is review the devices that access the company network (laptops, mobile phones, tablets etc.) at the end of the summer. We hope you don’t have an unpleasant surprise waiting for you.

Recycling and Good Practices

The best time to revise routines or implement better practices is right after vacation time. This is also an ideal time to conduct an employee training, if your business permits it, in order to update workers on the latest threats. With proper training, your workers will be less likely of biting the “phishing” hook that comes after them.

September Novelties

While the weather is cooling down in the month of September, the technology sector is also getting ready for the hottest presentations of the year. Tech giants like Apple and Google always announce their newest updates and innovations. Companies await security developments regarding the new terminals and operating systems and as soon as the new versions are released, they are reviewed and updated. If your devices are obsolete and no longer support the upgrades, this is a great time to renew them.

Keep these tips in mind without forgetting to take precautions that we must bear in mind throughout the year, as is to have a good  cybersecurity solution that allows us to enjoy a  safe surfing on our corporate network.

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Avast

Forget TV ads – clean your slow PC with a product you can trust

Avast_Cleanup_Housekeeping Get rid of junk you didn’t know you had, with our most advanced cleaning tool yet.

Many of us use the same laptop for multiple purposes. If you’re like me, you watch Netflix movies, answer business emails, and do personal banking on the same machine. It’s no surprise that it eventually gets sluggish with junk – everything from the leftover files of uninstalled programs to accumulated browser cache or unwanted toolbars.

We redesigned our Cleanup software so that with a single click you can run a scan, easily see what scrap files you want to remove, and then wipe away up to 30GB of junk from your PC.