Technology is affecting the way we perceive reality. National news sources are starting to highlight the difficulty of discerning between real and fake videos. It is important for tech-users to at least be aware that such a technology – called DeepFake – exists.
When I started this blog a year ago, I had some important decisions to make. I needed to come up with a design and a premise. (“Technigal’s Failed Attempts at Cooking” would likely be a flop when compared to the amazing food blogs out there.) I needed to purchase some space on a web server (known as “hosting”) and I needed to decide on a URL.
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If you were surfing the internet and suddenly find yourself looking at a scary website, or staring at a popup window that will not go away, do not panic. (And do not click on anything.)
If the message says you have 1,892 viruses, chances are you do not – even if the message “says” it’s from Microsoft.
If the message says that your entire computer is encrypted, chances are it is not – even if it is making scary noises at you.
If the message says that you have been tagged by the FBI, chances are you have not – even if the message has a lot of scary text or legitimate-looking images.
The goal is to scare you into clicking on the window. Clicking on the window will download a virus. That alone is cause for alarm.
If an unwanted window pops up, do not click the “x”. While this is a typical way to close a window, even the “x” can trigger the virus to download.
Instead, remember 3 simple buttons: CTRL, ALT, and Delete. Pressing these three keys in unison (on a Windows machine) will bring up a blue screen with a menu. At the bottom of the menu is a link to the “Task Manager”.
The “Task Manager” will save you.
Once you launch this fantastic app, it will give you the option to “End Task”. Select the task for your Internet Browser, and click that little “End Task” button.
Your virus pop-up will disappear.
If you happen to click the pop-up, or if the pop-up does not go away, turn off your computer. This will also end the task, and it will prevent the virus from doing further damage. Call your friendly neighborhood tech-hero and let them know what happened. They should be able to run a virus scan and take care of any remnants left behind.