I love tips and “tricks” in Windows 10. I actually love Windows 10, and I know some of you don’t. Sorry. Windows 10 looks like it will be here for a while, so I have a good article of tips HERE.

Maybe some of them will help you like it more. Maybe it will take some getting used to? If you haven’t upgraded yet to 10, there’s a link HERE to help you do that.

Of course, if you hate Windows 10 enough, then you can consider switching to a Mac. There are all kinds of articles helping people switch from one to the other, and so, I’ve got one on switching to a Mac right HERE.

This week in the national news was how Jeff Bezo's iPhone was hacked back in 2018. He had recently shared his contact information with Prince Mohammad Bin Salmad of Saudi Arabia.  Not long after he received a WhatsApp message that contained some silly stuff but also a bit of malicious code that allowed a third party to gain access to his files including photos that the party tried to use to blackmail Bezos.

So, if the founder of Amazon can fall victim to phone hacking through social media, how can regular people prevent bad actors from getting access to their phones and personal information?  While this incident happened on WhatsApp, it could have just as easily been a text message, or on Messenger or in your email.

Follow some simple rules
Keep your apps up to date.  Updates often include security patches.

Do not click on links!   Do not open videos or chain letters, or pass them on.  I do not open or pass them on.  While they may be harmless, they are a way that malware can spread.  Be wary of messages from unfamiliar names but be equally careful if your great Aunt Viola sends you a video.  Many of these are spoofed messages and the real sender is hidden.  

​This include sharing on Facebook or taking quizzes.  You are giving away your privacy.   

Microsoft has developed a new version of it's not so popular web browser Edge. I know that's not much of an endorsement, but I think it's worth checking out.
An article about the new Edge is HERE.
I use Google's Chrome mostly. Apparently, most people use Chrome. I have mixed feelings about it as I understand there is an enormous amount of data mining done in that, meaning, no real privacy. While Google may plan on keeping your info secret, I don't know how realistic that is, considering all the hacking going on. 
I've been using Firefox more since it is generally considered the more secure and private browser. While I have no preference, for me, a browser is a browser, but there are some very clear differences, so you should consider what you want from your browser. While you can read a review of browsers HERE, I don't think it really wants to criticize Chrome.
A more scathing article on Chrome can be found HERE. While it seems apparent that all the advances in programs we are getting for free actually come at the cost of our privacy, it is your responsibility to decide how far you want to let that go. 

Most of us have seen those spoof e-mails, when a personal e-mail address has been commandeered for the purpose of sending spam, but in this case, to everyone in your address book.

I received an e-mail from a good friend the other day, and it seemed entirely out of character for her. Red flags immediately popped up, and I knew that her e-mail Address Book had been compromised. Here is the text of that e-mail (exactly as it appeared):

Best goods and best service!

i would like to introduce a good company who trades mainly in electornic products.
Now the company is under sales promotion,all the products are sold nearly at its cost.
They provide the best service to customers,they provide you with original products of
good quality,and what is more,the price is a surprising happiness to you!
It is realy a good chance for shopping.just grasp the opportunity,Now or never!
The web address **********
(I removed the Web address to which it referred.)

I noticed that this e-mail had not only been sent to me but apparently to everyone in her Address Book, many names being familiar to me. A phone call to her confirmed my suspicion that she did not actually send the e-mail herself, but rather some cyber-ne'er-do-well had hijacked her Address Book. Of course, her first question was, "How could this happen, and what can I do?"

Here are a few ways it could have happened:
Malware of some sort found its way onto your computer, and its sole purpose is to harvest e-mail addresses, which are then sent along to someone else for the purpose of sending spam e-mails. Someone who has your e-mail address in their Address Book actually has the malware on their computer. Some Web sites actually harvest e-mail addresses from a computer, especially those that presume to share things with others or invite friends, and so on; or perhaps people who are members of those sites have ways to harvest e-mail addresses from their friends. While doing some research for this problem, I ran across a guy who claimed that this very thing had happened to him when he joined StumbleUpon, and another who claimed her Address Book was hijacked through Facebook, and yet another who had joined Fanbox.What to do:
​
Scan your system for malware. I discussed spyware removal tools in a different blog piece, which can be found here. Two tools I might recommend are Malwarebites and Hijackthis. And since some malware might resurrect itself through a Registry entry, perhaps running CCleaner would be prudent as well. However, consider the risks of running a Registry cleaner. I wrote about that in another blog piece, which can be found here. Make sure your antivirus software is installed and is up to date with the current virus definitions. Make sure your Windows OS is current with all security updates. Be careful of (or avoid) some (or all) of those social Web sites, especially ones that share e-mail addresses. I won't presume to know all the good ones from the bad ones, but I avoid all such sites. I might be one of the few people without a Facebook or MySpace account, but I simply resist joining any of those types of sites. If your computer is clean, and you're certain you weren't compromised at a social networking site, send an e-mail to all the people in your Address Book to give them a heads-up that someone in your e-mail circle might be compromised. I would suggest sending them one at a time or with a blind CC, however, since I advise people to never send mass e-mails -- although we probably all do it from time to time in certain cases.

​https://www.techrepublic.com/blog/user-support/hijacked-address-book-how-did-it-happen-and-what-to-do/

I take pretty crappy pictures with my iPhone. It's not the iPhone's fault, it's mine. Likewise, you can't just expect a better camera to automatically take great pictures all the time. The iPhone 11 has a really advanced camera in it. Cameras and their lenses go back and forth, iPhone comes out with the best camera, then the competition, then iPhone. It's a never ending cycle which benefits the consumer. It also ups the price of these phones, but that's another topic.
As I said, I do not take great pics on my phone, though I sometimes get lucky. If you are interested in purposely taking better pictures, on whatever smart phone you own, then read the helpful article HERE. 
​