Cloudflare Launches a DNS-Based Parental Control Service

Cloudflare introduced today ‘1.1.1.1 for Families,’ a privacy-focused DNS resolver designed to help parents in their efforts to safeguard their children’s online security and privacy​​​​​​ by automatically filtering out bad sites.​​​​​​​

As a goodwill gesture in these troubled times I will help you setup your modem/router (remotely via Teamviewer) for free if you need help in setting it up. Just mention this offer when calling.

Have you got an email sitting in your inbox that you don’t think is legitimate?

Cybercriminals target people in many ways, including phishing attacks.

They’re able to send out scam emails that are designed to look like they’re being sent out by a legitimate source.

For an example, an email might look like it’s coming from a family member or a business. An email might also:

• request personal information like passwords
• ask you to open an attachment that’s actually malware.

While a cyber attack may not seem scary on the surface level, it can have some serious real-world consequences, with the average cost of a data breach being 3.86 million dollars.

These threats aren’t uncommon, which is why you’ll want to make sure you know how to spot one. You’ll also want to learn how to respond when you do see a phishing attack. If you’re trying to determine whether or not an email is a phishing attack, you should look for these five things.

1. You’re being asked for personal information

Phishing attacks often appear to be completely legitimate. Cyber attackers go above and beyond to ensure that their emails look authentic. These emails might perfectly match the emails sent out by your employer or bank.

That’s why you’ll want to be wary of what the email is asking for. If an email is requesting personal information, such as a password, you can assume that it wasn’t actually sent by a trustworthy source.

You should be suspicious of any email that requests information you wouldn’t normally be asked for, such as your routing number or passwords.

If you suspect that an email isn’t legitimate, you should avoid replying or clicking any of the links in the email. Instead, you should reach out to the organisation directly and ask them if the email is legitimate.

Furthermore, a lot of companies will even go out of their way to warn you about phishing emails within their own emails or on their website, explaining what they will and won’t ask for and telling you what email address is actually trustworthy.

For the electricians at Smart and Fast electrical the need to appear professional is key. They rely on emails to communicate with clients, provide quotes and stay available at all times.

They explain that “even when we send back emails regarding a custom quote we make sure that our emails are written well and only ask for information that we actually need. A lot of people fall into the trap of giving away personal information just because a company they trust asks for it, however, scammers thrive on this trust and use it to their advantage”.

2. Email and web addresses don’t appear legitimate

In some cases, the addresses phishing emails are sent from look like they’re completely legitimate. Hackers often try to scam people by a company’s actual name in the body of an email and the address the email is sent from.

These details might look real at first glance, but if you look a little closer, you’ll see that the address isn’t genuine at all. For example, an email might be sent out from @mail.commbank.work instead of @commbank.com; these kinds of scams are very common.

Cyber attackers may also hide malicious links in a message. In some cases, the links might be right alongside real links. Prior to clicking any of these links, you should take hover over them and see where they’ll take you.

3. The email is poorly written

In many cases, you can recognise an email simply because the quality of writing is poor. You should read through emails and see if you spot any issues with the grammar or spelling. You should also be wary of emails that don’t appear to be written by a native English speaker.

Any email that was sent out by a major business will have been written by a professional writer. The email will have been carefully checked over before it was sent out to ensure that everything’s spelt correctly and that the grammar is perfect.

Emails will also be checked for potential legal issues. If you receive an email from a business that’s filled with mistakes, there’s a good chance that it was sent out as a phishing attack.

Some people believe that fake emails are poorly written on purpose. That way, only easy targets will be taken in by the scam.

For expert tattoo removalist Jayne Saunders of M.T. Medical, the conversational language used by potential clients can pose a challenge for many Australian businesses.

She says that “because we are often talking to people directly rather than companies, emails are far more casual. However, this makes the line between a casual conversation and a poorly written scam email blurred, so we have to be constantly aware if a customer is legitimate before we progress the conversation any further”.

This also highlights that not only are individuals at risk of being tricked, even companies need to be careful.

4. The email includes a strange attachment

If you receive a surprise email from a business that includes some sort of attachment, you should proceed with caution.

Attachments could wind up infecting your computer or network with malware or some sort of virus. You should always scan attachments with antivirus software before you open them, even if you think it’s legitimate.

5. The email was created to cause concern

Are you tired of being ripped off for minor fixes?

It could just be a single wire replacement yet you’re paying hundreds to replace.

From the moment your computer starts being problematic, the first thought that usually comes to mind is that maybe it’s time to take it for repairs locally.

However, there’s a pretty great chance that there are so many options to choose from and you’re going to want to choose the best.

When it comes to choosing a local repair shop, here are five tips to aid with your final decision:

#1 Always Get Referrals

If you’ve already got a pretty great idea of the computer repair service that you’re interested in, chances are you were referred to this one.

Nothing beats knowing that numerous people have had exceptional services from this particular service shop and there’s a great opportunity for you to experience the same type of service.

While personal referrals are fantastic, there’s a high possibility that you’re not really going to find a decent number that’s going to make you comfortable about this particular computer repair shop.

As such, we definitely recommend that you do some extra research online.

Soon enough you’re going to be completely comfortable since you’re going to see a ton of online reviews about services and of course customer care.

If you didn’t already know, Yelp is an awesome site that aids with this service and it even gives the location information on Google Maps.

#2 Big Ads Don’t Always Mean The Best

Simply put, fliers aren’t relevant enough to be considered as a referral.

This also means that ads fall into the same category and are not a referral and neither is a fully coloured ad in your local Sunday paper a referral.

So, don’t confuse what you see with what you think you know about a company because you only know what they’ve told you or rather wanted you to know.

No matter how much a company advertises, there is always going to be some form of biased message within the ad.

However, don’t get us wrong because the information can be completely honest, but you’re never really going to know too much from the size of an ad.

#3 Don’t Reward Failure

If you’ve ever had poor service at a local repair shop, it’s best to look at other alternatives.

There’s simply no reason to provide business to a repair shop that has already proven themselves unworthy on the first try.

#4 Do A Little Reconnaissance

You should take the initiative to spy on any potential business that you’re considering.

Most businesses tend to have a neat retail area at their business. However, larger retail outlets are typically affiliated with a chain service. When you visit their outlet, be sure to pay attention to customers while you browse.

This is the perfect opportunity for you to observe customers coming and going and you’ll be able to get first-hand exposure to the quality of service that they may have received.

Sydney wedding celebrant Darran Moran agrees and explains “I use my laptop for work every day. I can’t run my business without that hardware, so staying on top of repairs is key. I can’t risk taking it to a sub-par team, so I’ll look around, read reviews and get quotes. That’s how you make an informed decision.”

It’s also a great idea to observe the staff as well as their work ethic and professionalism while dealing with clients. If you’ve decided that you’re not satisfied, you can take your business elsewhere.

#5 Question Assumptions

Did you think on more than one occasion that big retailers were your only option?

Have you ever consciously avoided national chain services simply because they were too big? Simply put, it’s never a good idea to rely on assumptions.

Assumptions should never be the basis for your final decision when it comes to computer repairs. So, be sure to do some research and ask various people that you may know.

In most cases, the repair service deserving of your business is simply the one that gives you the best value overall without their ad or building size being an issue.

As a bonus tip, financial specialists Metro Bookkeeping recommend keeping all receipts. They explain “you never know when a receipt will come in handy. But it’s always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!”

What Next?

After you’ve decided on a company that you’re comfortable with, it’s a good idea to determine the best questions that you should aim to ask any repair professional.

It might also be a great idea to research the best answers to these questions as well.

When speaking to your potential service provider, be sure to thoroughly describe your problem and giving them a better head start at tackle your problem efficiently.

Looking to repair your computer or laptop? Chat to the experts from Come2U today!

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Written by: Deirdre Henderson