McLean Data Solutions LLC » Security

Windows 10 is history on October 14, 2025

MDS Editor — Sat, 06 Sep 2025 20:48:20 +0000

Microsoft Windows 10 will be end of life on October 14, 2025. Businesses should inventory all existing equipment pronto, individuals also need to verify their operating system. If you navigate to Windows Update and check for latest updates and your machine supports upgrading to Windows 11 – do it now, if the machine does not support upgrading to Windows 11 you need to upgrade your hardware which means a new machine and that will come with Windows 11 preinstalled.

Transferring everything to a new machine successfully can be challenging, be careful to itemize the data that you need to copy/move to your new machine.

Be aware that “programs” can’t be moved, they need to be reinstalled so prior to making the move you should make a list of all programs currently in use and verify you can download and install on the new Microsoft machine.

Watch for another post soon as to McLean Data Solutions preferred method of setup for new Microsoft Windows Machines, whether it be Mac or Microsoft the initial setup is an important step and just clicking “next / agree / next / etc” and accepting the default choices is often not the best option.

You as a user are not a “default” and these initial choices should be tailored to you for long term safety and satisfaction.

2 factor authentication NOW

MDS Editor — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:18:43 +0000

Now that we are all many days in to the shutdown from COVID-19 and many are working from home there has been a huge increase in support requests from clients existing and new that have had accounts compromised. Email and cloud storage accounts alike are victims of hacking and most of the time that is due to weak passwords or machines that have been infected through download of malicious items and/or clicking on links that go to malicious sites. McLean Data has assisted multiple people recently that have had their email password compromised however the hacker does not change the password or do anything that would alert the average user for a while as they read your emails and apply “filters” to divert email or “forward a copy” of all future emails to the hacker.

*Create strong passwords and don’t use them in multiple places!

*Use 2-factor authentication anywhere it is available, this cannot be stressed enough, if you can enter your mobile number as a second factor of authentication required before any changes to your password or other information can be made……do it.

*Keep your machine secure with up to date antivirus, home machines and work machines alike must be secured.

Be vigilant about opening email!

MDS Editor — Thu, 20 Jun 2019 15:25:18 +0000

The following incident occurred to the city of Riveria Beach, Florida very recently after one of it’s employees opened a suspicious email that contained ransomware.
It cost them $600,000 and then some.
See Here

It is of paramount importance that when receiving / opening email you perform due diligence before clicking to open the email or opening attachments, take a look at the “from” address, if the email address doesn’t match the content of the email you are receiving it should be an immediate red flag. Look for broken English and poorly constructed sentence structure or faulty logic that would seem out of character for the expected sender. People can spoof email account addresses and construct email to look legit, you as a user have to take every action you can to verify before you open, you CAN NOT just say “oh there’s antivirus” or “oh it’ll be fine I don’t have to worry about it”…..your a/v may be out of date or it may be a brand new variant of a virus that the major a/v manufacturers have not yet classified for protection.

The first line of defense for you as an individual or at your workplace is you. These ransomware attacks that encrypt data and charge for it’s release are dramatically increasing, the article referenced in this post depicts many other victims and there are many others that do not report.

If you or anyone you know uses WhatsApp you need to read this.

MDS Editor — Tue, 14 May 2019 15:55:17 +0000

See this article for a critical issue if you have the App “WhatsApp” installed on your phone, this was just announced May 13, 2019 so it’s worth double checking.
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2019/05/14/update-whatsapp-now-one-call-could-give-spies-access-to-your-phone/

It’s a scary read and the long and short of it is you need to update the app immediately if it’s not the current most up to date version.
While Apps are convenient and sometimes integral to the use of your mobile device, McLean Data recommends:

*Install only the Apps you need.
*Uninstall unnecessary Apps.
*Set Apps to automatically update to the most current version.
*Be aware of their security risks.

The number 1 reason not to use the same password everywhere.

MDS Editor — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 15:46:43 +0000

Recently Facebook had yet another security issue wherein a huge amount of passwords for it’s users may have been exposed, see here ……McLean Data recommends you NEVER use the same password for multiple accounts although many people in practice do just that, once any of the sites are compromised that contain one of your “favorite” passwords there is a real chance many of your other accounts are at risk also. It is a pain to keep track of all the different credentials but to operate safely in the technical world we live in it is mandatory, please act accordingly.

Secure your accounts properly.

MDS Editor — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 13:33:46 +0000

Recently one of the largest companies, Facebook had a security breach in which millions of accounts were impacted/compromised, this brings to the forefront the fact that you are your own security expert in this on line world, many sites offer you the opportunity and even encourage you to sign in to their site using your Facebook credentials.

No – just No.

Combining multiple accounts to use the same set of credentials creates a single point of failure, if the account credentials of the main account are compromised there is a risk of other accounts then being accessible.

McLean Data advises avoiding this in any form, facebook, google and any/all accounts you use should have independent credentials so as to avoid security concerns, if you have an issue with one account it does not have the ability to impact others.

As a side note, not a big fan of these “remember all your password apps” and autofill them all based on one set of credentials, there are several of these apps that go by different names and are made by different companies that many people use and they potentially create a treasure trove of all you passwords if the single app is compromised. It is a pain to keep track of and remember so many account credentials individually but don’t make the mistake of sacrificing your security for convenience.

Security / Hacking / Warning

MDS Editor — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 18:34:02 +0000

In the last couple weeks McLean Data has received concerned communications from multiple users that have received an ominous email which includes a real password that is in use by the recipient of the email, the email furthermore attempts to extort money or “intimate” information will be disseminated to all the users contacts. This link perfectly illustrates the verbiage and intent of said email scam ……Please take a brief look –>> SEE THIS LINK –> Hacking Scam

The probability is that it is unlikely the users computer is compromised rather a database of usernames(email addresses)/passwords that is stored on line wherein the user has previously created/registered an account that has been compromised, this allows the holders of the compromised data to send an email to a user including a password only that user knows making the threat seem all the more legitimate.
=================================

The broad view and warning/lesson that should be learned from this type of scam/data breach is NEVER use the same password for multiple sites, if one of those sites databases gets hacked and they have your email and a password you use frequently it’s just a matter of time before you have a very big problem on your hands and it’ll be a lot bigger than everyone in your contacts list thinking you’re a porn addict.
==================================

Don’t dismiss the latest warning from FBI

MDS Editor — Wed, 06 Jun 2018 18:55:24 +0000

Recently an alert went out issued by the FBI referencing a large number of WiFi Routers that may be compromised and unsafe to use, see original statement HERE.
Many articles state that you should be “rebooting” / restarting your WiFi routers, others say you may need to update firmware on your devices to the latest version in order to be more secure, there are multiple brands/models known to be targeted, out of respect to WiFi Router manufacturers we’ll refrain from listing them here without concrete verification but the Brands/Models can be found on the web with a little research. McLean Data has assisted with remove/replace of some of these devices at current clients – at the very least re-start your WiFi Router, potentially upgrade the firmware and for maximum security if you have one of the specific models/brands on the list….throw it away and replace it.

Caller ID Spoofing

MDS Editor — Tue, 02 Jan 2018 21:37:11 +0000

As of late several clients have experienced receiving calls from people who claim they received a call from them and are calling them back, the problem…said person never initiated a call to the party returning their call, this is indicative of Caller ID Spoofing wherein a nefarious party places calls and inserts a bogus caller ID number in order to appear as though the call has initiated from a local area code among other reasons. Even more concerning is a scenario in which you may receive a call that someone has placed to you and spoofed the caller ID of your bank or other financial institution that you may have stored in the address book of your phone in hopes that you will divulge sensitive information or account details. Be cautious when receiving a call asking for this type of information and to be on the safe side terminate the incoming call and start a new call directly to your desired party and verify there is a concern or need for account info, in short at this point with current technology you cannot be sure the number calling you is really the number calling you. Be vigilant about your security and personal information. Just prior to writing this a person within earshot made the comment out loud “how can I be receiving a call from myself?”……she showed me her phone and there was her name and number as the incoming caller on her own phone, the party calling wanted her to push some number on her phone to initiate securing of her account, she hung up. Be careful out there.

Keep your identity secure.

MDS Editor — Tue, 19 Sep 2017 12:52:53 +0000

The latest breach of one of the credit bureaus should cause everyone to evaluate their protection. Many just assume things will be ok but you may not know you have a problem until it’s too late. A recent USA Today article provides information and a link to see if you have been impacted. USA Today …. “Scroll down to How do I know if I was affected” and check your information, many clients McLean Data works with have seen one of two different responses, either your information has not been compromised or your information may have been compromised. Deciding what to do with the results of your test results is everyone’s personal responsibility but the reality is there will likely be more attacks on identity information so identity protection may well be a necessary cost of doing business in and living in an on-line world.