Monty I.T. Solutions LLC

05/21/2025

This is a great article on the five things you can do to outsmart cyber criminals.

Summary:
1. Always be suspicious of unexpected or unusual information
2. Consider security alerts on your phone
3. Free WiFi is risky business
4. Lock your credit information down - put a freeze on at least one account, like Experian. Only unlock (thaw) it when you need to run a credit check.
5. Post intelligently - post after a vacation and be careful about what you put out there, as bad actors may use it to their advantage.

A former FBI agent and cybersecurity expert shares key internet safety tips to protect against financial crimes, deepfakes, and online threats.

05/21/2025

A friend of mine recently had his email hacked, and the perpetrator sent phishing emails to several of his contacts requesting money. I received one such email from his email. I called my friend right away to confirm my suspicion. Sure enough he had been hacked, but wasn't sure what to do next. Do you?

He contacted his email provider and informed them of the situation. He locked down his email and used an alternate account. That was his primary email, and it is unknown what information those hackers looked at or took.

I know it's an extra step, but do yourselves a favor and set up step verification and multifactor authentication using either a cellphone or an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. Strong passwords with numbers and special characters are recommended, but they may not be enough. Do yourselves a favor and apply these changes to your important accounts.

05/20/2025

In early May, the FBI learned that cyber criminal threat actor group called "###" set up fraudulent websites targeting users of the General Services Administration (GSA) Login.gov authentication website and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Finance Center (NFC) Employee Personal Page (MyEPP) Login page. The websites created by ### likely mimic the legitimate MyEPP and Login.gov websites to steal login credentials for financial gain.

Be careful with the links that you use to access these sites. If something looks suspicious, call a known support number. Stay vigilant.

02/21/2025

I use my Google Calendar daily. Even if you do not, consider this advice from Tom's Guide. “Be cautious if anyone sends you a link to download software from any unknown or unexpected sources. Know the signs of phishing emails and attacks and how to avoid them, and never click on unexpected links or attachments.”

Also, be cautious when downloading new software!!

“Because one of the main ways that infostealers are spread is through illegal software, make sure that you are only downloading software through legitimate websites and sources,” Tom’s Guide advised.

Lastly, remember to keep your systems up to date and whenever possible use multi-factor authentication to keep accounts more secure. Stay vigilant guys.

Getting hacked is never planned, but it seems that malware is infiltrating people’s calendars. New reports are warning Google users that malicious actors are attempting to infect Google Calendars, Slides and Docs with “info-stealing” software to gain access to emails, chat logs, browser data, ...

10/21/2023

Today, I wanted to recognize another amazing client that I’ve had the privilege of working with on several projects now. Renzo and his team at Aweclectic Works are one of the best residential and commercial remodeling teams in Northern Idaho. They really do amazing work and most of their business has been through referrals. To check out some of their recent work visit www.aweclecticworks.com and if you are in the market for a remodel, do not hesitate to contact Renzo.

07/04/2023

In the spirit of this holiday, Monty IT Solutions is offering 30% discount on any IT Service schedule between July 4th till the 14th. Veterans and Seniors can still apply their 10% discount on any service scheduled throughout the end of year. Happy 4th of July everyone!

06/03/2023

I read an article recently about a very dangerous botnet, called the horabot botnet. It's a particularly nasty piece of malware that is difficult to uncover due to its covert way of downloading via malicious email links.

Bottom-line, be aware of selecting unfamiliar links in emails. Call a known working number to verify the email was sent from a legitimate source, and remember; "When in doubt, throw it out!"

Good luck folks.

For more information on the horabot botnet: Google the name or select the link to the article I came across.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/this-new-malware-campaign-can-hijack-your-gmail-or-outlook-email-account/ar-AA1c4pfE?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=4f3e0b2c8c6249cd92386831b3c9e047&ei=21

06/03/2023

A quick shout out to my fans here. I appreciate your support! As I build Monty IT Solutions, I look for opportunities to address end-user needs. The world of IT is only growing, and it can sometimes feel overwhelming when you don’t understand a piece of tech or software. I’m here to help, so if there is anything that you have questions about, message me and I will do my best to answer them. Take care everyone!!

02/13/2023

Today, I wanted to give a shout-out to another one of our valued customers. Debbie McKeown the owner of Migliore Olive Oil in Coeur d’Alene https://www.facebook.com/MiglioreOliveOilCDA. Thank you for choosing us to service your security system. With the proper configuration, she was able to see her store cameras from her laptop and mobile device. Giving her business an additional layer of security and Debbie some peace of mind. Every business can benefit from a robust security system, if you're needing help with your security system or need one installed contact us at [email protected] or give us a call at (208) 352-0248.

Migliore Olive Oil in Coeur d'Alene has a wide selection of olive oils, seasonings, jams, and vinegar from around the world. If you’re in the market for “The Best” olive oil check https://www.miglioreoliveoilcda.com/!

02/13/2023

Monty Tip of the week - Nobody likes to work on a slow computer, it gets in the way of your focus, drive, and creativity. And while there could be several factors contributing to the overall performance of the computer, such as the age of a computer, the computer’s specifications (CPU, RAM), the type and number of applications running, the Operating System version, and pending software updates. Sometimes the problem can be attributed to the software the client has installed on their computer or permitted to run in the background upon starting up. To rule out software updates, type Software Updates in the Windows Search bar. Apply any software updates, then restart your computer. If it takes longer than 1-2 minutes to restart your computer, consider checking your startup applications. To do so follow these steps:

1. Either right-click the windows taskbar or press the (Ctrl+Alt+Delete) keys and select Task Manager.

2. In the Task Manager window find and select the Startup apps tab.

3. Scroll through the listed applications to identify what gets opened on startup.

4. You may want to consider disabling an app that uses a lot of resources or something that you do not use often.

Doing so may improve your computer’s start-up speed. However, a word of caution, if you are unfamiliar with the app that you are trying to disable you may want to research it first. If you contact us, we can help you with cleaning up your computer files, getting rid of nasty bloatware and helping you streamline your computer’s performance. Contact us at (208) 352-0248 to see how we can help you today.

02/01/2023

From time to time, we will be giving shout-outs to some of our valued customers. Today, we want to recognize Jake and his team at Electronic Age Tattoo. Thank you for choosing us to service your equipment.

BTW, these guys do amazing work, if you're in the market for a new tattoo I would definitely check them out!

https://www.facebook.com/ElectricAgeTattoo208