New Orleans latest Major City attacked by Ransomware, VISA warns of Gas Station POS malware, Windows 7 support ending

New Orleans hit with a cyberattack, 4K computers affected

The city of New Orleans was the latest major U.S. city hit by a cyberattack this past Friday, December 13, 2019.  It follows attacks on Atlanta in 2018 and Baltimore earlier this year.  The malware was discovered in the morning.  The IT staff ordered all computers to power off to avoid the malware from spreading.  The outage caused the city to declare a state of emergency. Luckily no data was held for ransom, but the recovery process will be costly and lengthy.

No request for ransom has been received thanks to the attack being stopped in the early stages.

"But there were still headaches and disruptions as city employees arrived at work Monday, and New Orleans police were forced to use paper and pens to conduct basic tasks like writing arrest reports."

According to NOLA.com:

"Mayor LaToya Cantrell said about 4,000 computers will need to be scrubbed. She added that 400 servers were affected. The exact nature and extent of the attack were unclear, but it appears to have started about 5 a.m. Friday, when city officials first noticed suspicious activity on their network. Reports of suspicious activity picked up as employees got to work around 8 a.m., and officials decided to shut down the system after 11 a.m."

The police department, 911 and 311 were unaffected, and the fire department is operating off old-fashioned hard copies. Sounds like NOLA had functioning backups, unlike many other cities that have recently fallen victim to ransomware.

To read more follow the link to Nola.com

https://www.nola.com/news/politics/article_0a132564-2061-11ea-8d52-53848745f381.html


VISA warns of POS malware incidents at gas pumps across North America

VISA says it's aware of POS malware being deployed on the networks of five North American fuel dispenser merchants.

The payments processor said that gas station operators are under attack by cybercrime groups who want to deploy point of sale malware on fuel dispenser networks.

"POS malware works by continuously scraping a computer's RAM for what looks like unencrypted payment card data, which it collects, and then uploads to a remote server.
The VISA Payment Fraud Disruption (PFD) team says cybercrime groups appear to have found a weak spot in how gas stations and gas pump operators work."

The problem basically is out of date readers that do not accept cards with chips but rely on the magnetic strip.  When a card is swiped the data is sent unencrypted and that is when the crooks intercept the data.

"VISA said the easiest ways for fuel dispenser merchants to safeguard customers is to either encrypt card data while it's being transferred across a network or stored in memory or shift to a chip card acceptance policy."

The entire article can be found at the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/visa-warns-of-pos-malware-incidents-at-gas-pumps-across-north-america/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=27630927001468733386426006914379


Take your cybersecurity seriously.  Make sure your computer OS and anti-virus are up to date.  Apply firmware patches to your routers and beware when opening emails, even if it purports to be from someone you know.  A lot of phishing attacks use spoofing to gain the confidence of the target.

Support for Windows 7 ends 01/14/2020.

After January 14, 2020, Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or support for PCs with Windows 7. Upgrade to Windows 10 now to keep your employees productive and secure.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4057281/windows-7-support-will-end-on-january-14-2020


DForce Intel Gen 8 & 9 Workstations

How to be Safe Shopping Online during the Holiday Season. Top 3 Phishing attempts of 2019.

FBI shares security advice for online shopping
FBI: Use credit cards rather than debit cards, don't use public WiFi, keep your devices updated, and more.

The FBI has issued a list of 12 things you should do during the holiday shopping season.  If you do fall victim to a holiday scam the FBI wants you to report the crime to it's Internet Crime page
By reporting the crime you help the FBI to understand trends and help it in fighting these activities.

Read all the tips at the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/fbi-shares-security-advice-for-online-shopping/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791

Microsoft details the most clever phishing techniques it saw in 2019
This year's most clever phishing tricks include hijacking Google search results and abusing 404 error pages.

In the year 2019, Microsoft said that out of the total volume of emails analyzed by the company,  phishing emails grew as a percentage from .2% in January of 2018 to .6% by October of 2019.

There were 3 attacks identified by Microsoft as being most clever;

1.  Hijacking search results

The first is a multi-layered malware operation through which a criminal gang poisoned Google search results.

2.  Abusing 404 error pages
When a 404 page is displayed it indicates that the link is broke or non-existent.  Hackers are using links that takes one to a supposedly non-existent page but is hosted on phishing website.  If a security system scans the link and receive a 404 error it will ignore the site, however, if a real user clicks on the link the phishing site could detect the user and redirect to a phishing page.

3.  MitM-based phishing  (Man in the Middle)

I've written about this attack in previous blogs.  It is one that my Office 365 online users will be familiar with.

An attacker will send a phishing email, usually saying that something is wrong with your Office 365/Exchange account or that you have received an attachment, a PDF or Voicemail.  Upon clicking on the link you will be presented with a familiar login screen.  Web pages are easy to duplicate by capturing the underlying source code.  The key to being safe from these phishing attempts is looking at the URL displayed in the address space.

To read more about these phishing attacks click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-details-the-most-clever-phishing-techniques-it-saw-in-2019/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791

Beware of Fake Software updates... Malware Attacks on Hospital are rising fast

This fake software update tries to download malware onto your PC even when you click 'later'

According to W3Techs, WordPress powers 34% of all the websites on the Internet, including those without a content management system (CMS) or with a custom-coded CMS. Or to put it another way, WordPress powers over one-third of the web! And if you limit the data set to only websites with a known CMS, WordPress’ market share gets even more dominant.  WordPress holds a 60% market share for content management systems on websites with a known CMS.  (Kinsta.com)

That said crooks are hacking into insecure WordPress sites through a vulnerability in the theme plugin and interjecting malicious redirect scripts into the site.  What happens when the script runs is an alert will pop up with a fake Flash update message.  The user can click on Update Now or Later, either way, the redirect still occurs and the malicious payload is delivered.  

The payload is what is known as a RAT, Remote Access Trojan which allows remote access to the compromised computer.

A second known way the RAT payload is delivered is if the Chrome Browser is being used to visit a compromised website, a message that the 'PT Sans' font wasn't found and to update the browser.

Be careful and vigilant, especially with the upcoming holiday season when cyber-crooks will be active trying to cash in on consumer holiday buying.

To read more click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-fake-software-update-tries-to-download-malware-onto-your-pc-even-when-you-click-later/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791


Two-factor authentication.  What is it and how to deploy.

The single most important security precaution you can take with high-value online accounts is to enable a mobile device as a secondary identity factor. Which authenticator app should you choose? The correct answer might involve multiple apps.

Malware attacks on hospitals are rising fast, and the problem is about to get a lot worse

The healthcare industry stores some of the most sensitive personal information there can be about people: hackers know this and are looking to exploit what they view as an easy target.

Alongside names, addresses, dates of birth and other information that hackers can use to commit fraud and other cybercrime, the nature of health data means hospitals store extremely sensitive information about patients, something which attackers could exploit.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/malware-attacks-on-hospitals-are-rising-fast-and-the-problem-is-about-to-get-a-lot-worse/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791

Coming in the next blog post, the best way to protect your credentials/online identity.

Two-factor authentication.  What is it and how to deploy.

The single most important security precaution you can take with high-value online accounts is to enable a mobile device as a secondary identity factor. Which authenticator app should you choose? The correct answer might involve multiple apps.

don't miss this important info.


Driving Force Intel Gen 8 and 9 Workstations

Dark Mode, What is it and how to enable it in Windows 10

Dark Mode in Windows 10

If you are like millions of computer users the constant glare of bright white backgrounds on your computer screen can take a toll on your eyes.  Maybe you have heard about Dark Mode for Windows.

Dark modes aren’t just for emos or for those who like dressing in black. They are better on the eyes and use much less battery which is ideal for phone and laptop users. I find webpages shown within a dark browser easier to read too. Something to do with the contrast I guess.

If you haven't heard of it and you suffer from eye strain then you owe it to yourself to try Dark Mode.  I didn't like it at first but it was because it is so different, but now I really prefer dark mode.  When I switch to the default white screens my eyes feel it instantly.  Dark mode provides instant relief.


To enable Dark Mode in Windows 10 you have to click on the Settings button, then choose Personalization.

Next click on Colors, select Dark for your default Windows mode as well as your default app mode.

Upon turning on Dark Mode, the most noticeable differences will be Windows Explorer and title bars on certain applications.

To really get the full-blown effect of Dark Mode across your entire computing environment, you need to change settings in Office 2016/365 and Google Chrome.

Dark Mode in Microsoft Office

To enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Office, (BTW, this is supported in Office 2016, 365 and 2013), follow the instructions provided by the following link;

https://www.howtogeek.com/360470/how-to-enable-dark-mode-in-microsoft-office/

Dark Mode in Google Chrome

Firefox and Microsoft Edge were leaders in the implementation of dark mode.

Now Google's Chrome browser also has a dark mode feature.  To enable dark mode in Chrome, you first have to enable it on Windows 10 as described above.  Once you have enabled it on Windows 10, open Chrome and type the following in the address bar;

chrome://flags

Next search flags for Dark Mode, it is an extension that you can enable or disable within the browser.

Enable the dark mode extension.

  Firefox and Microsoft Edge were leaders in the implementation of dark mode.

For a less techy approach, use the following link and read how to change Chrome to dark mode and customize the look;

https://lifehacker.com/how-to-enable-google-chromes-new-dark-mode-and-more-1833265661

DFORCE Intel Generation 8 and 9 workstations

Malware alerts, Ransomware and Sextortion emails, Alexa and Google Home eavesdropping

Phishing alert: This fake email about a bank payment delivers trojan malware

An old highly customizable trojan malware is being distributed via email in a new phishing campaign claiming that a payment is being made to your bank account.  This trojan first appeared in 2016.  It is known as the Remcos remote access trojan and has been modified since its first appearance.

Available to crooks for as little as $58, the malware is an information stealer and surveillance tool, using capabilities including keylogging, taking screenshots and stealing clipboard contents to secretly take usernames and passwords from infected victims.

The email is delivered with an attached zip file containing the malicious code.  It attempt to trick you into opening the zip file which purportedly contains info about the deposit into your bank account.  The zip file contains a gateway to a .TXT extension which will run a PowerShell script installing the malware onto the Windows machine.  It will add itself to auto-start when the machine is powered up.

Read more at this link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/phishing-alert-this-fake-email-about-a-bank-payment-delivers-trojan-malware/

Major German manufacturer still down a week after getting hit by ransomware
Pilz, a German company making automation tool, was infected with the BitPaymer ransomware on October 13.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/major-german-manufacturer-still-down-a-week-after-getting-hit-by-ransomware/


Ransomware: These are the most common attacks targeting you right now

An analysis of ransomware reporting over the past six months shows that while there's a big focus on big targets, going after individual users is still very popular.

Recent ransomware attacks targeting schools, hospitals, and local governments might suggest that cybercriminals have shifted away from distributing file-encrypting malware to individuals in favor of going after whole networks. But the most common ransomware campaign of the last six months is targeting home users.

The most common ransomware targeting home users, over 56% belongs to one family of malware which first appeared in 2018.  Known as Stop - aka DJVU, it is almost karma since it is mainly distributed by torrent websites.  These sites typically distribute cracked software and movies where individuals attempt to get the product without paying for it.  The malware is often hidden in these cracked versions.

to read more about this, click the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/ransomware-these-are-the-most-common-attacks-targeting-you-right-now/

Phorpiex botnet made $115,000 in five months just from mass-spamming sextortion emails

Sextortion emails look silly for most of us, but there are many users who take them at face value and pay up.

Recently there has been a rise in emails purporting to have compromising images of their targets acquired from their webcam by the placement of a trojan or malware when the targetted user visited an adult website.  In all cases, the sender of the email wants to blackmail the target by threatening to send videos or pictures to the targets contact list.   The payoff is to be made in bitcoin to a link within the email.  These are known as "sextortion schemes".

There have been 5 waves of these schemes since April 2019.  In some of the emails, the spammer will even have an old password acquired through one of the many breaches of banks, credit cards, and other valid sites.  BTW, if you have received one with an old password and still employ that password, be sure to change that password on any site you still use.

This uptick in use of this attack has been attributed to a spam botnet, call Phorpiex or "Trik".  The Phorpiex botnet made $115,000 in five months just from mass-spamming sextortion emails

"According to a report shared with ZDNet last week, some of these mass-mailed sextortion waves peaked at 27 million emails per campaign, with some of the Phorpiex-infected computers sending out up to 30,000 sextortion emails per hour -- when the botnet was maxing out."

This botnet is not new and researchers now say most targetted victims were part of a breach and could have found they were compromised within the "Have I Been Pawned" database.  How many blogs have I written imploring readers to check to see if they were part of a breach?  https://haveibeenpwned.com/

To read more, use the links below;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/phorpiex-botnet-made-115000-in-five-months-just-from-mass-spamming-sextortion-emails/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=27630927001468733386426006914379

Inside the mind of a sextortion scam artist
Do they really have access to your browsing habits and data?

https://www.zdnet.com/article/inside-the-mind-of-a-sextortionist-scam-artist/


Alexa and Google Home devices leveraged to phish and eavesdrop on users, again.

Exclusive: Amazon, Google fails to address security loopholes in Alexa and Home devices more than a year after first reports.

It should be no surprise that Smart Assistants are being utilized by hackers to eavesdrop on unsuspecting owners and trick them into handing over sensitive data.

Technically, the attacks against Amazon and Google Home smart assistants aren't new.  The first attacks against the devices surfaced in April 2018.  Countermeasures and patches were enacted then, however, hackers are finding new avenues to exploit the devices.

The latest was discovered by Researchers at SRLabs.  Backend code that both Amazon and Google provide App developers is being used by hackers for phishing and eavesdropping. 

These backends provide access to functions that developers can use to customize the commands to which a smart assistant responds, and the way the assistant replies.

The SRLabs team discovered that by adding the "�. " (U+D801, dot, space) character sequence to various locations inside the backend of a normal Alexa/Google Home app, they could induce long periods of silence during which the assistant remains active.

to read more, click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/alexa-and-google-home-devices-leveraged-to-phish-and-eavesdrop-on-users-again/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=27630927001468733386426006914379


New DForce Intel Generation 9 based Workstations

Intel's Generation 8 and 9 based workstations represent huge improvements over prior generations.  Performance gains from the increased number of cores and larger cache are two of the many enhancements you gain from a new workstation based on these CPUs.  SSDs (solid-state drives) have never been so affordable and the read/write performance is dramatically noticeable.

'Unpatchable' Flaw Can Jailbreak (and Hack) Older iPhones

A free tool from security researcher axi0mX exploits the 'bootrom' in iPhone 4s through X, and promises to make older iPhones permanently jailbreakable, regardless of iOS version.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/371032/unpatchable-flaw-can-jailbreak-and-hack-older-iphones

Microsoft releases Emergency Security Update, please update ASAP

Microsoft releases out-of-band security update to fix IE zero-day Defender bug

Generally, Microsoft releases updates on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.  However an emergency update was issued yesterday by Microsoft and it is urging Windows users to install these updates as soon as possible.

The updates patch 2 bugs, one an Internet Explorer zero-day bug is the most serious and has already been exploited in active attacks in the wild.

The attack requires luring an Internet Explorer user on a malicious website, which is a rather trivial task, as it can be achieved by various methods such as spam email, IM spam, search engine ads, malvertising campaigns, and others.

for more details about this and the other bug fix, click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-releases-out-of-band-security-update-to-fix-ie-zero-day-defender-bug/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791

Huge Patch Tuesday update, Security News: States brace for ransomware assaults on voter registries

Microsoft patches two zero-days in massive September 2019 Patch Tuesday

Microsoft's September 2019 Patch Tuesday comes with 80 fixes, 17 of which are for critical bugs.

Yesterday was the 2nd Tuesday of the month which means Patch Tuesday for Windows users.  This patch includes fixes for two Zero-Day exploits.  If a system downloads the malware and infects the host, an attacker can run malware on the system using administrator privileges thus spreading on a network and outside the organization.  One of the exploits impacts the Winsock service, very bad malware.

"As usual, Microsoft didn't reveal any details of how the two bugs were being exploited in the wild, only acknowledging a security researcher from Qihoo 360 Vulcan Team with discovering the first."

This Patch Tuesday update is larger than all previous Patch Tuesday updates released this year.

To read more click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-patches-two-zero-days-in-massive-september-2019-patch-tuesday/?ftag=TREc64629f&bhid=2219791


States brace for ransomware assaults on voter registries

Hackers have recently shutdown municipal computer in Texas, Maryland, Florida, and New York.  In each case, the affected users have their files held hostage and databases threatened to be erased unless a ransom is paid.  Atlanta was the subject of a massive cyberattack that began March 2018.

"In response to this hack, Atlanta devoted $2.7 million to contractors in order to recover, but later estimated it would need $9.5 million.[12] 

On November 26, 2018, the Department of Justice indicted two Iranian hackers for the attack, charging that Faramarz Shahi Savandi and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri were part of the SamSam group and created SamSam Ransomware"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Atlanta_cyberattack

Today officials are concerned that the same types of malware will be used to shut down voter registration and polling stations in the upcoming 2020 elections.

Illinois plans to move its voter registration to a closed optical network that will be offline from other State computers and networks.

"A successful ransomware attack at a critical point before an election could limit access to information and has the potential to undermine public confidence in the election itself," DHS spokesman Scott McConnell said in a statement.

Full article at the following link;

https://www.cnet.com/news/states-prepare-for-ransomware-attacks-on-voter-registries/?ftag=CAD090e536&bhid=21042726186831923270015874178287


Other News of Note;

Wave goodbye to passwords: Soon you could unlock your PC just by holding up your hand

Hitachi Europe has developed Biometric technology that could allow PC users to unlock their computer via their webcam by scanning veins in their fingers.

Password management is a critical component of IT maintenance.  Many users do not take password security seriously, using easily guessed weak passwords to protect critical information.  Biometrics are already being used on modern smartphones and Microsoft's Hello technology that allows you to login with your face.

Entire article at;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/wave-goodbye-to-passwords-the-veins-in-your-fingers-could-soon-unlock-your-pc/?ftag=TRE0fb9d06&bhid=2219791

Apple unveils new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

Apple has introduced 2 new iPhones as well as a new iPad.  The base starter phone, iPhone 11 is even priced $50 less than it's predecessor.  However,

"Apple kept the starting prices of its more advanced models, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, at $1,000 and $1,100. The company unveiled the new phones at a 90-minute press event at its Silicon Valley campus."

Apple has rebranded its iPhone line to make the iPhone 11 its entry-level option while adding a “Pro” label to its more expensive models.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/10/technology/iphone-11.html

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/apple-hardware-event-new-iphones-apple-watches-and-more.html?__source=facebook%7Cmain&fbclid=IwAR21xsWe9ebXPC9DSnCSmyDnEFj8cxRI74ooaKmW82JdvWzJVI64H7NNOOQ


George Soros offers rare praise for Trump and how he’s handled Huawei in the trade war

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/soros-offers-rare-praise-for-trumps-handling-of-huawei-in-trade-war.html

Windows 10 Report Card after 4 years. Fake News: Mr. Science Bill Nye - Chromebook better than Windows

Windows 10 after four years: A solid report card, but serious challenges ahead

Every year, some pundits declare the PC dead. But sales are holding steady and are even up year over year, as mobile professionals, gamers, and corporate IT departments decide that there really isn't a credible alternative yet. Maybe next year.

After 4 years, 6 major feature updates Windows 10 is on track to hold 80% of the Windows market by the time support for Windows 7 ends in 2020.  However, a number of corporate users refusal to upgrade sparks concerns that a resurgence of malware such as the WannaCry ransomware outbreak that struck Windows XP when support ended for that OS.

All in all Windows 10 has been a successful venture other than the misstep that occurred with the rollout of version 1809, (score under Upgrades and Updates).

ZDNet grades Windows 10 in 6 areas;

1.  Adoption Rate:  C-

2.  Upgrades and Updates:  C+

3.  Privacy:  A,  The competition (Google and Apple) has made this category too easy for Microsoft.

4.  Security:  A/B

5.  Apps:  Incomplete

6.  Hardware:  A-  Apple is stumbling badly in the Mac market, criticized for the quality of its keyboards, a lackadaisical approach to design, and a lackadaisical attitude about its professional customers. This year, the run of bad news for would-be Mac owners continues with the news that recent-vintage 15-inch MacBook Pro models are banned from airplanes because of the risk of battery fires.

To read the entire ZDNet article click the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-report-card-after-four-years-serious-challenges-ahead/

The above article segues nicely into our next news item, Mr. Science Bill Nye becoming the face of Chromebook.  Is it time to take Mr. Nye's well paid for opinion and buy a Chromebook over a Windows notebook?  After the Chromebook ad featuring Mr. Nye appeared, a ZDNet reporter decides to pay a visit to a retailer and find out which is selling and which is the best system to own.

Windows or Chromebook? A Best Buy salesman told me it isn't even close

After Google hires Bill Nye to explain that people are just scared to leave their decrepit Windows laptops for Chromebooks, I thought I'd get another opinion. It was harsh.

To read the surprise finding of the visit, please click on the following link;

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-or-chromebook-a-best-buy-salesman-told-me-it-isnt-even-close/?ftag=TRE-03-10aaa6b&bhid=2219791

Free Dark Web Check - see if your email and information is compromised on the Dark Web

Dark Web Check, Deep Web, Clearnet.  Deep Dark secrets of the Internet.

There is a place on the Internet that is the domain of criminals, hackers, and others that are inaccessible to most users.  They are only accessible via the use of special browsers or access to P2P (peer to peer networks) maintained for use only by members.

In this deep forbidden layer, SSNs, credit card, bank info, personal info, email addresses and of course passwords are for sale along with other items.  Drugs, vile pornography maybe even human trafficking occurs in this realm, transactions often protected by indecipherable Bitcoin accounts and links to hide identities.

Wikipedia:  The Dark Web, The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets, overlay networks that use the Internet but require specific software, configurations, or authorization to access.  The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the Web not indexed by web search engines, although sometimes the term deep web is mistakenly used to refer specifically to the dark web.

The darknets which constitute the dark web include small, friend-to-friend peer-to-peer networks, as well as large, popular networks like Tor, Freenet, I2P, and Riffle operated by public organizations and individuals. Users of the dark web refer to the regular web as Clearnet due to its unencrypted nature.[8] The Tor dark web may be referred to as onionland,[9] a reference to the network's top-level domain suffix .onion and the traffic anonymization technique of onion routing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_web

With the latest Information breach at Capital One affecting over 100 million Americans, it is a good idea to check to see if your information is available on the Dark Web.  There is a website that I have written about here before, "Have I Been Pawned" where you can enter your email address and it will report back how many breaches and what breaches your information has been compromised through.

When I first wrote about the Have I Been Pawned website in November of 2018, https://dforceatl.blogspot.com/2018/11/email-and-identity-theft-has-your.html
there were over 5.5 billion compromised accounts.  Since that post the number has grown to 8.2 billion pawned accounts.

I have 4 main email accounts that I use, 1 for non-business related email, 1 I use to communicate with my clients and 2 Outlook accounts I use when in the field.  In November my non-business account I found on the Dark Web but my business-related account was not listed.  Today, the original account found on the Dark Web is on there but now my main business-related account is listed 3 times with recent hacks.  One of my Outlook accounts is on the Dark Web, associated with the River City Media Spam list so my only risk there is an increase in spam.

The "Have I Been Pawned" site is safe to use and it is the same website that is used by Experian, Equifax, and other credit monitoring agencies.  By going directly to the website, you don't have to provide a credit card or create an account with the Credit agency to check your info.

I cannot stress enough practicing good Password Policy!

That link again to "Have I Been Pawned" is https://haveibeenpwned.com/


Support for Windows 7 is ending

January 14, 2020 is the end of support by Microsoft for Windows 7.  If you are still using Windows 7,
this means that your Intel processor and operating system are old and more vulnerable to security risks and viruses.

If you continue to use Windows 7 after support has ended, your PC will still work, but it may become more vulnerable to security risks and viruses. Your PC will continue to start and run, but Microsoft will no longer provide the following support for your business.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-windows-7-support


New DForce Intel Gen 8 & 9 processors with Windows 10 and Solid State Drives.