Microsoft makes a free download that will scan your PC for malware, viruses and other baddies. It’s a one-and-done operation and it won’t conflict with your full-time antivirus. You can download the Microsoft Safety Scanner here. If you’re already protecting your computer with Microsoft Defender Antivirus, this scan tool probably won’t do much for you. … Read more
Please avoid online piracy. And by piracy, I mean: Downloading movies/music/software from ersatz sources without paying for them. Just don’t do it. You’ll live to regret it. I won’t preach or get all moral about this. That’s for other people to do. And I can’t judge; I’m sure I’ve poached an album or two, back … Read more
Update for 2024: This doesn’t surprise me. With the US ban on Kaspersky Antivirus, the Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool has also been removed and made unavailable. You could use a VPN to chase down this tool, but it’s easier to just use a different program. Here’s another freebie that can do a one-time virus scan … Read more
Stinger is a quick scan tool for your PC that can detect and remove a specific set of viruses and trojans. If you have reason to think you’re infected, you can download Stinger for free and use it anytime. It won’t conflict with your full-time antivirus, and it won’t try to sell you anything. There … Read more
There’s a lot of news about the powerful spyware named Pegasus. And it is some nasty stuff, being able to infect a phone without anyone clicking anything! You can read about some basics about Pegasus here. Unfortunately, this is one of those news topics where the media can be more inciteful than insightful. For example, … Read more
Smartphones are pretty well-defended against viruses, but there are a few ways to abuse them that avoid detection. One of the ways that iPhones get hijacked is through “Profiles”. The Profiles part of the iOS is typically only used by employers or schools on iPhones that they assign to their staff. For some companies, there … Read more
The answer to this is a bit dicey. Or nuanced. But the explanation is worth it for your safety. The Basics Facetime is an Apple-owned iOS app that allows you to video chat with people on their iPhones and iPads,. To date, Facetime has only been able to connect you with other iOS devices. That … Read more
This is a pretty scary topic, but let’s go through the scope of this problem. It may not affect you at all, but if it does, I’ve got some advice for you. Reformatted from Afar Yesterday it was reported that some people’s Western Digital external hard drives were erased! And the attack is not the … Read more
The Chrome browser offers a choice of protection as you surf the net. If you use Google Chrome, you should review your level of protection, and change it according to your needs. If you go to this website, Google will tell you the steps to follow, in order to check your “Safe Browsing” setting. Make … Read more
Norton Power Eraser is another one-time scan tool for Windows computers. Similar to AdwCleaner and Stinger, it will scour your PC for malware and other baddies and offer to remove them. If you are concerned that something got past your full-time antivirus, this is another good tool to run. https://support.norton.com/sp/static/external/tools/npe.html NPE is a little different … Read more