Geek Easy Computers

The plows have been working overtime, but our side street Whitcomb is still quite a mess and our driveway is difficult for most vehicles. We recommend if you can avoid coming to see us in person until the severe winter weather passes, that would be advisable.

Travel discouraged as road officials warn drivers to slow down, give plows space Road conditions across West Michigan remain dangerous as blowing snow, slick pavement and rapidly changing temperatures continue to impact travel.

Hope everyone is staying safe in the inclement weather out there!

We will be closing at 12pm on Wednesday, December 31 and closed through January 2.

Wishing everyone a happy 2026!

Geek Easy Computers will be closed this Wednesday, December 24-26.

We will also be closing at 12pm on Wednesday, December 31 and closed through January 2.

We hope everyone has fantastic, relaxing holidays and comes out energized for the new year!

It's a short week this week since our Office will be closed Thursday and Friday for the holiday.

Wishing everyone out there a happy Thanksgiving!

It's all over the news right now for Gmail users that you should change your password, but a lot of it is panic vs legitimate concern. The only people who should immediately be concerned are:

1) People using only a password to login, especially if this password is used on other sites.
2) People using weak 2FA like a text code only.

Anyone who is using passkeys or authentication app 2FA for their Gmail accounts is fine.

However, if you re-use your Gmail passwords anywhere (and you should NEVER REUSE PASSWORDS anymore), then you should change your Gmail password and immediately change the password anywhere you're re-using that password.

If you haven't changed your password in a while but use strong 2FA, it might still be a good idea, but it's not an immediate threat. There's a part of the concern that is ramped up phishing of user passwords and 2FA. Google support will hardly ever reach out to people. If you were an affected user who needed to change your password, you will have received an email. But we would caution people to never click links inside an email even if it looks legitimate. Instead open a new tab, go directly to Gmail, then use the settings there to access your account info and update your password.

If you'd like to know how to use long, strong, unique passwords everywhere and manage your 2FA codes like a champ, call the experts at Geek Easy Computers, and we help you navigate the world of password managers and how to secure your accounts in the modern era of data breeches and phishing attempts.

Google issues warning to billions of Gmail users Cyber criminals known as ‘ShinyHunters’ have previously targeted AT&T Wireless, Microsoft, Santander and Ticketmaster

Attackers can use invisible text in emails to give instructions to Gemini that are executed when you use Gemini to summarize an email.

This can allegedly be used to generate fake prompts that appear to be legitimate messages from Gemini that your password has been compromised and direct you to a malicious link to "fix" your problem.

We would recommend staying away from unsolicited AI that's being bundled into your productivity software because Google and Microsoft are more interested in getting you to want it so they can profit from it than making sure it's secure and safe to use.

The GenAI Bug Bounty Program We are building for the next generation in GenAI security and beyond.

Geek Easy will be closed Friday, July 4th for Independence Day. Enjoy a safe holiday weekend, and we'll see everyone next week!

Power is currently out at our office while Consumer's Energy is working outside. We're not yet sure when power is going to be back on. We will return any voicemail or email as soon as we are able. Thanks!

Update: Our phones are down as well...

If it's too good to be true, it's probably a scam. Especially if you found it on the Internet.

Apparently malware developers are now using fake AI generated tutorials spread on TikTok that claim to provide free access to paid programs but instead install malware on the user's computers. The instructions say to run a command provided to install the app for free but instead download and install whatever virus, keylogger, etc. instead.

It's never a good idea to just blindly follow instructions given to you on the Internet, especially if you're not aware of what you might actually be doing.

Warning: AI-Generated TikTok Videos Want to Trick You Into Installing Malware Cybercriminals are promising free access to premium software if TikTok users run PowerShell scripts, but they instead install information-stealing malware.

Beware of fake or suspicious extensions in your web browser! One thing we see consistently on all types of computers are extensions that are either causing advertisements or malicious pop-ups on systems. They can also sometimes hijack and redirect your web searches.

Like any program you run on the computer, it's important to find out if a browser extension is from a reputable company before installing it. If you're unsure, it's usually better to ask a professional or just live without the browser extension.

Data-stealing Chrome extensions impersonate Fortinet, YouTube, VPNs A Google Chrome Web Store campaign uses over 100 malicious browser extensions that mimic legitimate tools, such as VPNs, AI assistants, and crypto utilities, to steal browser cookies and execute remote scripts secretly.

Update: we're back online.

We're temporarily without power and phones while the crews clean up trees on our street.

A new proof-of-concept ransomware has been written by a security researcher that can install as microcode on the processor itself. If system hardware like the CPU or firmware becomes more susceptible to ransomware, devices themselves could be locked down vs just the files saved on drives.

World's first CPU-level ransomware can "bypass every freaking traditional technology we have out there" — new firmware-based attacks could usher in new era of unavoidable ransomware A cybersecurity expert has created a proof of concept for CPU ransomware.