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When did you last change your password for Zoom? If you can’t remember, your account is in danger. In fact, any account you’ve used for an extended period of time is likely in danger. With Zoom, however, an account in danger could be sold to a hacker or used to Zoom-bomb a meeting. The longer you use a particular password, the more susceptible that account will become.

Best Practices for Password And Account Security:

• Most experts recommend changing your password at a minimum twice a year, if not more frequently.
• Never use the same password for multiple accounts. Using credentials across multiple accounts can lead to all those accounts being vulnerable if one of them is hacked.
• Make them complex! Use special characters, spaces (if allowed) and numbers.
• Mix up the cases of your letters. (Use both lower case and capital letters)
• Don’t repeat letters or numbers (XXX555).
• Don’t use a series of numbers or letters (123XYZ).
• Because time in use can compromise security, do not re-use old passwords.
• The more factors to guess, the less likely a brute force or credential stuffing attack will work.

Unsure if your accounts are safe? There are websites which can tell you if your email address has been discovered on one of the credential selling sites. Have I been Pwned and Am I Breached? are two of the most reputable sites for checking your account status. You should check a few times a year to see if your information has been stolen. Even though many of the breaches happen on sites you are not actively using any longer, lazy security practices such as re-using credentials can leave more important accounts vulnerable.

What Should I Do If My Account Was Compromised?

First of all, change the password for the account in question. If you can’t log in to do so, try using the “forgot password” feature on the website. Once that’s done, make sure to change the password on any other website where you used the same username/email and password combination. Finally, if you need help, we’re here for you. Call us, and we can walk you through the steps needed to change all of your passwords. We can even suggest a good secure password manager.

As a small business that has been in this community a long time, we want to reach out and see how everyone is doing. So here we are, checking in. We know the past month has been stressful. Are you stuck at home? Did your working hours change?

This past month has brought unprecedented changes for us all. Though we’re all doing our best, sometimes it gets overwhelming. So we here at Cherry Tree Technology are reaching out. How are you? Did you find toilet paper before the rush? Is your family safe? Do you need help finding resources?

Here at the office, we’re doing well. Some of our team is spending more time working from home, keeping their children focused on school. We have also been working hard to keep you working from home. While our focus has shifted a bit, our mission has remained unchanged. We are making tech just work, so our clients can just use it. With all the stresses in day to day life, we believe your technology shouldn’t add to them. That mission is more critical than ever right now.

Most of the nation has had to change how we work, how we relax, and even how we socialize. For many of us, this has resulted in a lot more stress on our home networks. If you find yours struggling to keep up, we’re here to help. Through remote support, in-office repairs, and even in-home help, we are helping Tucson keep working, even when things outside our homes are grinding to a halt.

Can We Help?

Let us know if we can help you connect to needed resources, find you something you need for your work from home, or fix your network to keep you sane. We’re here and listening. And if you feel like checking in with us, we won’t mind that, either.

We’re now in the midst of a global pandemic. Due to COVID-19, many of us have a great deal of stress these days. Worries about working from home or keeping your wi-fi running shouldn’t make it worse. Cherry Tree Technology is here for you. We can do remote support for software issues, or come to you to make sure your hardware stays healthy. We’re working hard to keep you working.

Who We Are and How We Can Help:

We are a small local IT company. Our size means that we’re flexible. We have the ability to pivot to what our clients need from us. Right now, most of our clients, old and new, seem to need help making sure they can work from home. Due to the restrictions in place from COVID-19 social distancing measures, many people are working from home for the first time. As more people head home to work, the demands from home networks grow.

Many people who have never had to work from home are struggling to set things up on their own. Cherry Tree Technology has 16 years experience helping residential clients keep their tech working for them, rather than against them. We also have experience with establishing secure remote work environments for our business clients in fields ranging from Engineering to Law and Medicine. We can help you keep working too.

What We’re Doing In Office to Stay Safe

We’ve been maintaining social distance in our office, washing our hands all day long, and making sure that our clients have what they need. We’ve expanded our own work from home abilities. If any of us feel under the weather at all, we stay home. We’re taking our vitamins, resting as much as possible, and keeping ourselves cheerful. While COVID-19 is a lot to cope with, we’re all in this together, and we will pull through — stronger than ever.

If you need help with any technology issues, from your work from home setup to your streaming media set-up, please give us a call. We’ll be here for you. And when you need us to come and work on your hardware, we’ll be there for you too.

So your TV is upgraded and your streaming media device does everything you could ever want. What’s a good fun gift for you? A game console. These days, there are more than ever. What makes a good one? That depends on what you want.

Looking for portability?

Only the Nintendo Switch offers it. The full-console offers gaming from wherever you are, including your own living room. Pause your game and pick it up in bed or on the bus. Buyer beware, however. The Lite version is only a portable and unable to hook to your TV.

Looking for a really deep back-catalog?

While not as capable as its big brother, the PS4 Pro, the Slim has the same access to the PS Network, including all of the retro titles available for download there. The Slim can stream in 4k, but cannot natively play its games in 4k, so if you’re in this for picture quality, the Slim isn’t for you. Try the PS4 Pro if you want both the Playstation Network and high quality native graphics.

Looking for incredible graphics?

What it lacks in back catalog, it makes up for in robustness. While the PS4 Pro comes close, nothing beats the XBox One X in sheer graphic beauty. While the XBox and XBox 360 titles are currently limited in availabilty, Microsoft says they will soon bring more of them to their online offerings.

Looking for that authentic retro experience?

There’s good news for you, as well. Both the Sega Genesis and Super NES have re-released versions this year. The Super NES Classic comes with 21 games, including Super Mario World. At nearly twice the price of the Sega Genesis Mini, though, it’s likely a gimmick for Nintendo Fanboys only. Or you could buy the aforementioned Genesis Mini. With twice the retro games at half the price, it’s a better deal for your retro game fix.

Once you have your lovely new game console, give Cherry Tree Technology a call! We’ll get it plugged in, connected to your network, and playing nice with all of your other devices. Make your post-Christmas gaming as pain-free as humanly possible.

Last time, we talked about Smart TVs. While those are a great option for many, not everyone wants to replace their television. If you want to keep your current TV, but still want streaming options, then this list is for you! Streaming media devices make great gifts. They offer you many of the same features as a Smart TV, but in a small device that can be added to any TV you already own. There are many options on the market. Everyone who makes devices seems to have made their own. But which one will make your techie smile?

If you still have your 1080p TV:

The Roku Express is the most budget friendly streaming media device. It doesn’t have 4k compatibility, nor will it sync with Alexa. But for watching Netflix, Hulu, or even Prime Video, it gets the job done. At a mere $29, it will fit into nearly every budget for gifts, too.

If you’re after bells and whistles:

The Fire TV Cube has nearly every update that a streaming media device might need. 4k compatibility, voice commands, and even the ability to sync with any other smart device in your home (assuming they’re Alexa compatible). Built to seamlessly integrate into your smart home, this is definitely the streaming media device for you if you already have your home set up for smart devices.

If your techie is also a gamer:

The Nvidia Shield TV. will let you stream games via both Google Play and GeForce Now. It’s compatible with most current Bluetooth game controllers, or you can buy the Shield controller (sold seperately). While it’s not as robust as a standalone game system, it’s definitely far more gamer friendly than any other streaming media device. Look for more exciting streaming device/game system developments from the Shield in the future.

As always, if you have your heart set on a seamless, easy Smart Home, but don’t know how to get set up, we’re here to get your favorite tech gifts working the way they should. Cherry Tree Technology can get your network working, so you can play.

Now that you’ve got your network in order, let’s take a look at some other gifts. Today, we’ll consider some of your best options for a new Smart TV.

When it comes to big gifts for the whole family, a Smart TV can’t be beat. The right one will give you access to countless hours of movies and shows with your loved ones. Choosing the right one, however, isn’t always easy. Much like many other tech industries, the TV industry likes to use jargon in their descriptions. It’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting.

We hope this breakdown helps you choose your gifts well.

Best Budget Smart TV:

If you want a new Smart TV for the Holidays, but don’t have much to spend, this 43″ TCL Series-4 is your best bet. Less than $250, but a whole lot of bang for your buck. While not as crisp as a higher-end model, this TV gives you everything you need to stream whatever you like with good picture quality and sound.

Best Overall Quality for the Price:

Though of course there is always debate around these sorts of things, because taste is subjective, this LG OLEDB8P series television is consistently ranked highly by reviewers. The price is middle of the road, but the quality is definitely high. OLED TVs have better brightness and broader viewing angles than LCDs or even QLEDs. They deliver quite a lot of visual impact.

Best High End Picture & Sound:

If your budget for tech gifts will stretch, the very best rated picture and sound this year are available in the Sony Bravia Master Series. In sizes from 55″ to 77″, this TV would make an ideal focal point for a home theater.

After You Make Your Choice:

With 15 years of experience with home entertainment and networking, Cherry Tree Technology can help you set up all of your gifts once you get them home. We can install network cables, set-up your wireless network, and even make sure all your smart devices are playing nice with one another.

Christmas is sneaking up on us. Time to start thinking about what to get your loved ones. Got a tech junkie in your life? These gifts should fit the bill.

Your router and modem. They sit in the corner and do their job well. Usually, you only think about them when a hiccup occurs. But if you need more from your network, an upgrade will keep your shows streaming and your gamers gaming far into the future. Most people think they’re too mundane to give as gifts, but a techie will love a better connection.

Modems

Your cable modem, along with the speed you pay for, is the first make-or-break bit of home network technology. If you’re trying to give the gift of increased speed to yourself and your family, this is the place to start.

If your internet plan is 600mbs or under, the best modem for you is most likely to be a Motorola MB7621. This modem is Docsis 3.0, so it’s not bleeding edge, but it’s more than enough for most families.

If the techie in your life has already subscribed to gigabit and needs a modem to match, then this will be one of the gifts they remember. The MB 8600 is a much faster modem, useful for anyone who has more than six devices running on their network. If bandwidth is what you need, this modem and a gigabit connection have you covered.

Routers

The modem and the internet plan are in place, great! Now to get that amazing speed to all your devices! For that, you need a router. Which router you want will depend on many factors. Among those are what speed your network is, how many devices are on it, and what you use those devices for. Though routers aren’t traditional gifts, they really can make your techie happy.

The average home network has approximately 5-10 devices running at a time. Streaming media players, laptops, tablets, phones, even doorbells can all take their share of the network bandwidth. You want to make sure you have enough to keep everyone happy. For most families, even those who have up to 25 devices on their network, the Netgear Nighthawk is a solid choice.

Trying to give gifts to gamers who need even more speed than that? The best bang for your buck will be something they can keep a long time. High speed, stable, and able to cope with whatever you throw at it. For that we recommend the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AX11000.

As always, if you need any help installing and configuring your lovely new tech, Cherry Tree Technology is here to help. Call us to help set up your new modem, router, network, or anything else. Because freeing up time to spend with your techie is worth more than any of the gifts you could buy.

Most of us understand the need for an antivirus program on our work PC. Business information is valuable in a way we all understand. But what about your home computer?

There are many different types of antivirus (AV) software available. Free ones, paid ones, active monitoring ones, and those that only scan on demand. How does one make sense of the options? We’re here to help!

What is Antivirus Software and What Does it Do?

Antivirus software has been around for several decades now. In fact, the very first attempt at antivirus was made in the 1970s. As bad actors have gotten more sophisticated over the years, so too have our efforts to fight back. The first attempts were viruses designed to spot and remove other viruses. Deployed after an infection was spotted, they spread through the system and removed the specific virus they were made to fight.

These days, antivirus is usually a program installed on a PC, rather than a worm designed to clean up after bad actors. Generally speaking, the program searches through your installed data to make sure nothing you have saved is going to do harm to your PC. The very best programs monitor your actions in real-time. They often warn if you’re visiting a suspicious website. Real-time monitoring can even prevent clicking on a link that might download malware.

Even the best monitoring software can make a mistake, of course, so most modern antivirus also runs periodic scans. This helps identify suspect files and isolate or remove them. Removal before damage is done isn’t as good as stopping the malware from being installed, but it’s a good second best. The very best modern AV software will allow outside monitoring — alerting a trusted computer repair tech if something dangerous has appeared on your PC.

Why Does this Matter at Home?

At home, the data you have is not generally of monetary value. Though important on a personal level, we often don’t think about our pictures or music collections as data that could be lost. Most people only start worrying about protecting their home computer once it’s too late. A virus, a worm, or ransomware could erase those memories in an instant. At which point, most of us would be willing to pay nearly anything to get it back.

How do I Pick Good Antivirus Software?

These days, the antivirus market is flooded. We’re spoiled for choice. Back in the Wild West days of the 1990s internet, there were two credible choices: McAfee and Norton. Oh how the mighty have fallen. These days, both programs have become so bloated that they actually harm computer performance. They’re also no better at monitoring (and often worse) than some of their lesser-known counterparts.

At home, due to budget concerns, many people stick with free antivirus. There are tons of options out there, of course, and many of them are somewhat useful. Microsoft Security Essentials is the example most people think of. But being well-known doesn’t always mean something is the best. In fact, the antivirus we recommend is Avast. They do offer a highly ranked free version, but for ultimate peace of mind, we recommend the paid version.

Paid versions of antivirus often offer advantages over their free counterparts. In the case of Avast, those advantages include protecting your webcam from outside spying and allowing a trusted PC repair technician (like ourselves) to remote in with your permission. Repairs and virus removals that used to require your PC and your tech to be in the same place can be accomplished remotely.

Avast is affordable, reliable, and well-trusted. The developers are constantly updating, providing new virus definitions and more reliable operations. It has been trusted for 30 years to stay on top of malware and other threats. There is a reason Avast has more clients worldwide than any other AV company. We would be happy to work with you to get your PC protected by Avast. Call today for a tune-up, and let us install peace of mind on your PC.

Over the past few years, scammers have begun posing as antivirus companies. Sometimes, they send you pop-ups, claiming you have a virus. Sometimes, they call. Here’s how to know if the alert is real and what to do.

Pop-up virus alerts

If you get a pop-up telling you there’s a virus on your PC, you should think before you click. Do you recognize the program? Is it trying to send you to a website? Is there a phone number? If you don’t recognize the program, that’s a red flag. A phone number or external link? Also a red flag. Reputable antivirus programs, such as Avast, will never ask you to call a number or go to a website to scan.

The biggest red flag of all is asking for money to remove the virus. While a good antivirus program will often have a subscription cost, it will never demand money for virus removal.

Antivirus phone calls

Unless you have a managed service provider (MSP) or pay a local IT firm (like us!) to monitor your antivirus, you will never get a call about viruses on your PC. Any strange person claiming to need access to remove a virus from your computer is probably a scammer.

Before you agree to allow someone access to your computer over the phone, use caution. Ask yourself: do I know this person? Is this a company I trust? Did I contact them, or did they call me unsolicited? If they claim to be from a company you trust, tell them you need to call back, and then contact that company’s customer service line. Never call back a number that you were given in the unsolicited call. They can easily pretend to be a reputable company when they answer their phone.

I already gave them access, now what?

If you already fell for a scam of this sort and need help with your computer, please contact us! We can help you get your computer back to normal if possible, and help you find an appropriate replacement if not. We can even install Avast for you, which will mean you have a reliable antivirus program in place for the future.

A British woman has discovered that a simple screen protector can defeat the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on the Galaxy S10.

Because of the way the Galaxy S10 reads fingerprints, a simple screen protector can be enough to defeat the security. While Samsung touts their scanning method as more secure, it’s actually been thwarted multiple times so far. The first time, it was undone with a $450 3D printer. This time, the exploit seems to be more serious.

This is far from the first time Samsung security has been called into question. In 2017, the Galaxy S8 facial recognition feature was hacked with a photo. The vulnerability, one which had been common to all facial recognition, was solved by other companies more than 5 years earlier.

Though all of the previous exploits were problematic, they needed planning. You can’t 3D print a fingerprint or print a photo of a person unless you know them. This exploit is far simpler and more serious. Almost everyone keeps a screen protector or case on their phone to prevent damage.

If keeping a screen protector on your Galaxy S10 is all that it takes to let anyone unlock it with their finger, no one’s phone will be secure. Samsung needs to address this vulnerability as soon as possible. This sort of issue could well kill enthusiasm for the phone.

We here at Cherry Tree Technology take the security of our client data very seriously. If you have concerns about the security of any of your devices, from your router to your PC, contact us. We’d be happy to help you ensure only you can access your information.