 October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month — and we promise, this is the good kind of awareness. No scary stories. Just four simple habits, one a week, that stop the overwhelming majority of online trouble. Total cost: about an afternoon. Here's the lineup. This Month, One Sunday at a TimeOct 4 — Stop Reusing Passwords The real danger isn't a weak password — it's the same one used everywhere. Meet the free helper that remembers them all so you only have to remember one. |
Oct 11 — Turn On Two-Step Verification The best two minutes you'll spend on safety all year. The deadbolt behind the doorknob, and why your email is the account to lock first. |
Oct 18 — Spot the Phish A 10-second check that catches the fake email — plus the part almost nobody does: reporting it so it protects your neighbors too. |
Oct 25 — Keep Everything Updated The free protection hiding in that "update available" nudge — and the one device everyone forgets to update (hint: it's in the closet). |
From Jerry When folks hear "hacked," they picture a genius in a dark room. After all these years, I can tell you it's almost never that. It's a reused password that showed up on a breach list. It's one click on an email that looked real. That's it. That's how most of it happens. Which is actually good news, because it means you don't need to be technical to stay out of trouble. You need four small habits, and that's the whole reason for this month: one strong password each (let an app remember them), two-step verification turned on, a ten-second pause before you click, and updates left running. None of it costs anything. All of it together is an afternoon, tops. I'll be honest — I love this stuff, and October's my favorite month to talk about it. If any of the four trips you up, that's exactly what I'm here for, and you stay in control of your own accounts the whole way. Read along, take a ten-minute course, or pick up the phone. Whatever gets you those four habits in place. — Jerry | | |
Skits' Tip of the Month If you only do ONE thing this month, lock your email with two-step verification. Here's why it's the big one: your email is the master key. Every "reset my password" link — for your bank, your Amazon, everything — lands in your email. Protect that one inbox and you've protected the door that opens all the other doors. Two minutes. Go do it before you forget. | | |
Quick Win Hover, don't click. Got an email with a link and you're not sure? On a computer, rest your mouse over the link (don't click) and the real web address pops up in the corner. If it doesn't match who the email claims to be from, you just dodged a trick. | | |
Scam Alert Heads-up for spooky season, not a scare: phishing follows the calendar, and the holidays bring a wave of fake "your package is on hold" texts, fake charity sites, and too-good-to-be-true deals. The defense is the same every time — slow down ten seconds, check who it's really from, and never click a link to "pay a small fee" or "confirm your account." When a charity appeal arrives, give through the charity's own website, not a link someone sent you. And report the ones you spot: use your email's "Report phishing" button, or forward scam texts to 7726 (it spells SPAM). Reporting protects the whole neighborhood, not just you. |
Free Microcourses to Go With ItPassword Security 101 →
"Strong, unique passwords without the headache — and the free helper that remembers them for you. About 10 minutes." Stay Safe Online: Spotting Email Scams →
"Spot a fake email with real examples, at your own pace. The single best 10 minutes for scam season." Safe Surfing for Seniors →
"Confidence online, in plain English. Spot the fakes before they reach your accounts, your money, or your photos." This Month We Can Help With A thing we do: set up your everyday protection and keep an eye on it, so you don't have to. • Managed support — $45/month per computer. We quietly handle the updates and keep things current so you're not the one remembering.
• Managed antivirus — $69/year. A watchful eye on the door, in the background.
• Automatic cloud backup with LiveDrive — $69/year. The safety net that makes even a bad day survivable. You stay in control of your own files. We'll match the plan to how you actually use your computer — at home or at the office — and we're here if you ever need a hand keeping it running. In person or remotely, serving Winchester and Frederick County.
Around Winchester• First Friday in Old Town (Oct 2) — shops open late, music on the Walking Mall, the first crisp-fall one of the season.
• Halloween (Oct 31) — trunk-or-treats and trick-or-treating around the neighborhoods. Keep the porch light friendly and have a fun, safe night.
• Clocks fall back Saturday night, Oct 31 — an extra hour of sleep, and the classic weekend to change the smoke-detector batteries (and check that your backup ran). Follow Skits on FacebookSkits posts plain-English tech tips, scam heads-ups, and local Winchester moments all week long. Come say hi → facebook.com/sharedknowledgets Two Easy Ways to Get a HandTwo easy ways to get unstuck:
• Chat with Skits any time (his office is open 24/7)
• Or call Jerry, a real neighbor → 540.303.2410 |
