August 2017 - MyPCHeroes.net

Why do passwords need to be so complex?

Hi, this is Paul with My PC Heroes with your 60 second Shield Protection tip!

You created a new on-line account and now comes the moment when you must create a password. They want at least 8 characters including numbers, letters and special characters. Why can’t we just use something simple?

There is a good reason; Given that hackers want to access your information no matter what website, creating a complex password is the first step to protecting yourself.

The more characters a password has exponentially increases the possible combinations a hacker would have to try in order to guess your password.

Here’s why; An 8-character password containing just letters has over 200 billion combinations. If you also include upper/lower case letters and numbers and special characters, the possible combinations increase to over 6 quadrillion. This makes your account almost impossible to hack!

Need help creating a strong password? Bookmark the LastPass password generator website. Click here and learn the most common symptoms of computer virus infections.

If you have a question or comment, please leave it below. This is Paul with My PC Heroes with your 60 second Shield Protection tip!

By PAUL MURILLO| 2017-08-21T11:27:23-05:00 August 21st, 2017|Password Management|0 Comments

Learn what prompted me to start My PC Heroes

A few months ago, Hurdie Burke interviewed me. I share with him my path to creating My PC Heroes was well as some of the basics of keeping safe while using your computer. This is a 30 minute audio interview so listen at your leisure.

Is your computer running slow?

Check to see if any of these programs are installed on your computer. If so, you may have a spyware on your computer. Call us today to remove it (512) 693-8070

By PAUL MURILLO| 2017-08-21T11:15:54-05:00 August 14th, 2017|History of My PC Heroes|0 Comments

How smart computer users avoid phishing emails-60 second video

Hi, this is Paul with My PC Heroes with your 60 second Shield Protection tip!

Email Phishing is still a very popular scam. You receive an email that appears to be legitimate that tries to get you to click on a link contained in the email.

Many popular Phishing themes are:

Verify your account information
Verify your order
There is an issue with your purchase
There is an issue with your return

Here’s an example of a Phishing email I recently received – This one pretends to verify my Chase account

There are three red flags:

I don’t have a Chase Account. But if I did I may be inclined to investigate
The second is the source email. Chase emails logically have chase.com in the address
Third is the verification link. Notice when we hover over the link, the true web address does not contain chase.com anywhere

Taking just a few moments before clicking on a link in an email like this will keep us protected

If you have a question or comment, please leave it below.

This is Paul with My PC Heroes with your 60 second Shield Protection tip!

Curious if you have a possible spyware installed on your computer? Check out our List of Known Viruses and Spyware.

By PAUL MURILLO| 2017-08-07T13:41:55-05:00 August 7th, 2017|Phishing Emails, Uncategorized|0 Comments