PotterVilla Applied Technology

01/22/2025

If you get a scam popup message like this--call us first.

Have you ever seen an overwhelming page popup on your screen like the one pictured below before?

Chances are most of us have clicked an advertisement or link, and then suddenly the computer tells us it has a virus and needs support immediately. First reactions would prompt us to immediately call the number to be rid of the virus, however, the “support team” on the other end is more interested in your banking information than helping. The reality is the computer is perfectly fine, and all that has happened is a website with the guise of Windows Defender or another antivirus company is attempting to scare you into calling their number. Fortunately, there is a very easy fix to this problem, which we'll discuss below.

IF YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS, CALL US FIRST.
We can help quickly and support under 15 minutes is covered for free if you're a Freedom Club member. :-)

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01/10/2025

We invite you to like the Freedom Club page where Kolin and Micah from our residential department will be posting new content regularly.

As always, for business, residential or install services we are happy to help. Give us a call at (517) 588-3030 or email [email protected].

Call now to connect with business.

09/06/2022

Update Google Chrome! | Zero-Day vulnerability patch available

Security Updates are a great part of what keeps software and computers safe every day. Google has released a new security patch for a Zero-Day vulnerability that was found in the Chrome Browser. A “Zero-Day” vulnerability is a loophole or weak point in a system that is only known and accessed by malicious individuals or groups. Google has urged all users who use Google Chrome to update to the latest security update to ensure their solution to this issue is sent out to everyone. Let us know if you have any questions on this topic!

Google says a new vulnerability is already being exploited by cyberattacks, with Chrome users on Windows, Mac and Linux told to apply the fix as soon as possible.

06/22/2022

Google recently removed the ability to sign into Google accounts using legacy apps. We have noticed this was in use by many of us, and unfortunately, there are no good workarounds available. If you are experiencing issues authenticating a Google account with an older mail app, printer or other system, let us know. We are happy to help where we can to get you and your systems up and running in any way possible.

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/6010255?hl=en

06/21/2022

Phishing and Social Engineering attacks can be the most exhausting and stress-inducing scams anyone can encounter online. Not only do these methods of scams change and evolve over time, but it can also be very difficult to sort out what is legitimate and what is malicious. Here are some quick tips to check if an email is legitimate or not:

1️⃣. Check the sender’s address of the email. If it doesn’t clearly resemble the company it claims to be working with after the @ symbol, it’s a phishing attack.
2️⃣. Check for grammar errors/warped images. Emails from any business should be expected to be formatted and checked properly. If you notice grammatical errors or images that seem stretched or squished, you can be sure whoever sent that email is only trying to emulate an official email from that company (and didn’t do a very good job).
3️⃣. Asking to have you call their number. Any email asking you to call back or resolve an issue by calling them back only wants to get you on the phone. Working with you over the phone can be much easier and more efficient than attempting to hack through your device’s security.

As always, give us a call if you have any questions on this topic or would like us to review a potential spam email for you! We are always happy to help!

06/01/2022

Another core-rebuild complete! Always satisfying to see an older system being used again with up-to-date parts and software. ✨

05/27/2022

This is a bit of an odd motherboard, glad to see it getting upgraded during one of our desktop core rebuilds! Depending on the circumstances, we can offer what we call “Core Rebuilds” which replaces older components with up-to-date hardware inside a computer. ✨

05/02/2022

Looks like the wind isn’t the only reason why packages are going missing in Charlotte! Unfortunately, a package theft was reported from Matthew with his ADT camera system just last week. This is yet another reason why having a home security system is so helpful. Having a security system in place can help deter malicious activity with signs and visible systems. These systems can also alert and record if an incident does take place and provide proof of an incident. 📦

We are authorized dealers with ADT and can offer a free consultation from us to see how we can help secure your property. If you’re interested, feel free to reach out to us!

04/22/2022

If you’re not able to access your wowway.com email address this morning, you’re not alone. We found WOW’s email service is having trouble responding properly during a call with one of our members this morning. WOW doesn’t seem to have addressed this quite yet. This may be resolved and back online later this afternoon once WOW detects and addresses this issue.

04/19/2022

Yet another reason that makes having a security camera and/or doorbell camera system such a vital asset!

While closed for Good Friday, Amazon attempted delivery at our office. While investigating, we found that the package was left outside and blown away during last week's strong wind gusts. 🍃
(If anyone happened to save that package from the wind, let us know!)

Thankfully, this mishap was recorded on our camera system and goes to show how important of an asset having a doorbell camera or a few cameras can be. If you are interested in protecting yourself, your home and your packages let us know. We are happy to be offering FREE evaluations for our physical security and camera systems!

03/29/2022

Online Security for any device has always been incredibly important to manage for many years now. There is always an ever-increasing number of cyber security threats that continue to try to find new ways to find and exploit new vulnerabilities.

Recently, Kaspersky Labs, based in Moscow, has come under fire again when it was “…added to a federal list of companies that pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.”” This is not the first time Kaspersky Labs has dealt with controversy. A few years ago, we used several of their services professionally but migrated away once we noticed controversy starting to rise around customer data.

If you’re interested in having business-grade endpoint antivirus & antimalware protection, we would love to help! Send us a message with what systems you’d like to protect and allow us to help keep you and your data safe and secure.

*See the reference link for more information on this topic.

Antivirus software maker Kaspersky Labs has been added to a federal list of companies that pose “an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.” The Moscow-based cybersecurity …

03/07/2022

Well, the weather over the weekend was nice while it lasted… 🥶 It’s Monday now. We are open and available this week during our regular office hours of 10am – 6pm through Friday.

Hopefully, things warm up soon, it’s supposed to be springtime!