Wednesday 11^th July 2018

Windows Featues

Arthur asked about Windows Features. If you go to Control Panel (just click the Start button and begin typing Control Panel), Programs and Features you will initially see a list of all the installed programs. If you click on Turn Windows features on or off (in the left-hand column), a window will open which lists various Windows features. These can be turned on or off by ticking or unticking each item. Most users never need to venture into this area and I would recommend that you only make changes here if you know what you are doing or are under guidance from a trusted source.

This article, although somewhat out-of-date, explains more about some of these features:-

https://www.howtogeek.com/250228/what-windows-10s-optional-features-do-and-how-to-turn-them-on-or-off/

Firefox on Vista

Arthur mentioned that Firefox is ceasing support for Windows Vista. Windows Vista is an obsolete version of Windows and no longer receives security updates, so is potentially risky to use, if connected to the Internet. Firefox has continued to support its use on Vista, but there will be no further updates to Firefox on Vista after August this year - see:-

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/end-support-windows-xp-and-vista

With support for Internet Explorer and Chrome on Vista having already ceased, web browsing on Vista is increasingly risky. Vista users should really consider moving onto a supported operating system.

Signing Into Email

Ray asked about signing into web mail. Usually, the browser can remember your password (for any web site). In Chrome, for example, you can enable it to remember passwords by going to the 3-dot symbol, Settings, Advanced (at bottom of window) and scroll down further to the Passwords and Forms heading. Click on Manage passwords and ensure Offer to save passwords is turned on. When you next sign in to the web site, a pop-up should ask if you want Chrome to remember the password - agree to this. Also, if the logon box offers a "Keep me signed in" box or similar, make sure this is selected.

Chrome (or any other browser) can open any web page when it is launched, including a web mail page. On Chrome, for example, you do this by going to the 3-dots, Settings, scroll down to the On start-up heading and select Open a specific page or set of pages. Click Add a new page and enter the address of the web mail site - you can first go to the web mail site and then copy its address from the Address Bar and paste it in.

Launching Chrome with the above settings should automatically log into your web mail page.

I also demonstrated how to delete emails using my own Gmail and Yahoo accounts.

2-Factor & Authenicator Apps

Signing into my Gmail and Yahoo accounts to demonstrate the above led to a brief discussion on 2-Factor Authentication (2FA). This requires something other than the PC to be used to complete the sign in - although this is only needed when you sign in on a new PC or browser for the first time. 2FA would prevent someone who had stolen your password from being able to sign into your account, so it adds a significant extra layer of security and I would recommend using it.

For more information on Google 2FA and to activate it, go to:-
https://www.google.com/landing/2step/

The second factor can be a text (SMS) message to your mobile phone. Google can also send a code to another email account. They also allow you to produce a list of single-use codes which you can print and keep with you - you might use these, for example, if your mobile phone was not working or available.

The second factor can also be a one-time code generated by an authenticator app on your phone, such as the Google Authenticator - see this link for more detail:-
https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/1066447?co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid&hl=en
After initial synchronisation with your Google account, the app will produce a 6-digit code which is valid for 30 seconds. Using an app like this to generate a 2FA code will work without a mobile network signal when an SMS message would not.

The Google Authenticator app can also generate 2FA codes for other logons such as Amazon, Dropbox, HMRC, etc.

Windows 10 Anti-Virus
Tony raise a question which led to some discussion on anti-virus programs.

Malwarebytes is an excellent program for scanning for viruses and other unwanted software. Initially, it installs as a full AV program for 14 days. I recommend that you just install it to perform a scan when necessary, then completely un-install it again and check that Windows Defender has re-activated as your AV protection.

To check the status of you AV protection, do the following:-

1. Click the Start button and then just begin typing Control Panel.
2. The Control Panel desktop app will appear at the top of the search list - click on it.
3. Control Panel will open.
4. Make sure that View by (at the top right) is set to Small icons.
5. Click on Security and Maintenance.
6. Click on Security to expand the list and verify that Virus protection says Windows Defender Antivirus.

If the Security section in Control Panel indicates that you have multiple antivirus programs, this will seriously slow down your system and you must remove one of them. Windows Defender will automatically de-activate when you install another AV app and it will re-activate when all other AV apps are removed.

Crypto-Mining Malware

This is a new way for criminals to make money. Unlike other sorts of malware, such as ransomware, which require interaction with the human user to get them to pay over some money, crypto-mining malware just steals some of your computer’s time. Crypto-mining, also known as cryptojacking, uses some of your PC’s processor time to generate crypto-currency. Crypto-currency, such as Bitcoin, Etherium, Monero, etc, require complex mathematical problems to be solved to generate each coin. In many cases, the cost of running the computers to generate such coins exceeds the value of the coin! However, if the crooks can steal small amounts of time on thousands of computers, they make money without any of the costs.

Provided you follow the usual precautions – keeping software up to date, treat links and attachments in email with caution, run an anti-virus (such as Windows 10’s Windows Defender) you should be safe from such malware. For more on staying safe, have a look at my notes on IT Security – bit.ly/CE-ITSecurity.

You will find a number of articles on the internet covering the subject of cryptojacking, such as this one:-

https://www.zdnet.com/article/cryptocurrency-mining-malware-why-it-is-such-a-menace-and-where-its-going-next/

IT Security

We had a very brief look through the above IT Security document mentioned above. You can also find this document (and all my other documents) via the link on the right of this blog to All Roger's documents. Please have a read through the IT Security document to refresh your knowledge of this important area.

In particular, we noted the importance of keeping the Operating System (e.g. Windows) and other software up to date. Windows 10 has a major feature update twice a year. Each version of Windows 10 is only supported with security updates for about 18 months, so it is important to ensure the big feature updates do happen.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Web Apps are apps that run entirely within a web browser (i.e Edge, Chrome, Safari, etc), rather than being installed onto the PC or device. One of the oldest examples of web apps is web mail (e.g. gmail.com, outlook.com, etc) which allow you to operate your email from within a browser. We have previously mentioned office.com which provides free access to Microsoft's Office apps from within any browser. PWAs allow developers to produce more of their apps as web apps which run in a browser. This means the developer only has to write the apps once, rather than creating one for Windows, one for iOS and another for Android. If you would like to read more about PWAs, have a look at this article:-
https://www.howtogeek.com/342121/what-are-progressive-web-apps/

Image Backups
We had a quick discussion about image backups. These backup an entire system, including the OS, all installed programs, and all your data. For more on how to create and restore an image backup on Windows, click on All Roger's documents to access my web site, then go to Computer Essentials (on Google Drive) and look for the Image Backup document.

Next Session

Wed 8^th August 2018 1:30 to 3:30pm.