A reader named Karen asks:
“I received a message in my Hotmail inbox that said that I’d been hacked and I should change my password. How do I do this?”
If you think your Hotmail account has been hacked, go to the Reset your password page.
Karen didn’t say whether the message appeared to be from Microsoft or if it was from a friend who received an email from her that looked suspicious (a sign that your account might have been hacked.)
If you receive an email about the security of your account, this could be a scam. Don’t click links in any emails unless you trust the sender. Instead, reset your password.
Get more security tips for Hotmail and learn how to help protect yourself from email and web scams.
Maybe she wants flowers, but a more practical gift this mother’s day might be to make sure your mom knows some basic rules about keeping your computer updated and creating strong passwords.
Read our six basic online safety tips.
You can also download the tips in an easy-to-print card for mom.
Since these tips are free, consider springing for the flowers too. Or how about a new Windows Phone?
We recently received an email from a concerned reader who’d heard that digital picture frames might contain viruses. While this is not a common problem, the truth is that anything that you plug into your computer and use to transfer files onto your computer , whether it’s a digital picture frame, a USB drive (also called a “thumb drive” or a “flash drive”), or even your own smartphone, can contain viruses.
Here are a few tips to avoid viruses from external devices that you plug into your computer:
Install Microsoft Security Essentials. Microsoft Security Essentials is popular antivirus software that you can download for free. When you transfer files onto your computer from any device, Microsoft Security Essentials will scan the files automatically.
Use external devices with caution. Don't put an unknown flash (or thumb) drive into your PC. Even if you trust the owner of the drive, don’t open files that you weren’t expecting.
Use the Microsoft Safety Scanner. If you think you might have already downloaded an infected file from a digital picture frame or other external drive, use the free Microsoft Safety Scanner to check your PC.
For more information about how to boost your malware defense and protect your PC.
A reader asks:
“When should I upgrade my web browser?”
If you browse the web with Internet Explorer, you should be using the most current version, which is Internet Explorer 9. It’s free and easy to upgrade. We suggest that you do it now.
Download Internet Explorer 9.
Internet Explorer 9 includes Tracking Protection, SmartScreen Filter with Application Reputation, and other features that help protect against viruses, fraud, and privacy thieves.
According to software maker Net Applications, Internet Explorer’s popularity has been increasing, while other browsers popularity decreases.
Learn more about the security improvements in Internet Explorer 9.
Note: If you’re a real geek and you like providing feedback on new products, you can download the consumer preview for Windows 8, which includes the preview version of Internet Explorer 10.
According to recent research conducted by Microsoft and AARP, social networking and other online communications help to bridge the generation gap. Of those surveyed, 83 percent said that going online was a “helpful” form of communication among family members. Although more and better communication does not necessarily close the generation gap, a sizable number of respondents in all age groups said going online helps them to better understand other family members or helps other family members better understand them.
Just as technology is connecting the generational divide there’s still a gap in offline communication between generations. For example, nearly half of parents state that teens know to come to them when they see something online that makes them uncomfortable. Yet, less than a third of teens report they would know to do that.
Get more information about our Connecting Generations research and helpful resources to help your family interact safely online.
Microsoft releases security updates on the second Tuesday of every month.
The bulletin announces the release of 6 security updates:
Get the updates.
Watch a video about the updates.
To get more information about security updates and other privacy and security issues delivered to your email inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
A recent article in The New York Times claimed that the ubiquity of social networking encourages college and high school spring breakers to limit their public displays of risky behaviors now that they know that everyone (including parents) could potentially watch them online.
We’ve written about how everything that gets posted online (by you or by someone else) can potentially be seen by college admissions officers, employers, health insurance providers, and others. Here are some safety tips to keep your spring break from ruining your future.
For more information, see:
Yesterday the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) posted details about the April security updates. On Tuesday, April 10 at approximately 10 AM Pacific Time Microsoft will release 6 bulletins.
The easiest way to get the updates when they're available is to turn on Windows automatic updating. For more information about how this works, see Understanding Windows automatic updating.
The Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification Service offers details about security updates approximately three business days before they are released. We do this to allow customers (especially IT professionals) to plan for effective deployment of security updates.
Advanced Notification includes information about:
For more information about the security updates that will be released on March 13, see Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for April 2012.
For official risk and impact analysis, as well as deployment guidance, visit the MSRC blog. If you are on Twitter, you might want also want to follow @MSFTSecResponse.
Seniors in Los Angeles are getting into the social gaming craze. The new “Exergamers Wellness Club” combines exercise, health education, and overall health tracking.
Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 serves as the exercise platform and HealthVault helps the seniors store and track their health information online. The program is sponsored by Microsoft, the City of Los Angeles, the Partners in Care Foundation, and St. Barnabas Senior Services.
For more information, see Online Safety & Wellness for Seniors in L.A.
No matter what your age, these social networking guidelines can help prevent identity theft when you’re using social gaming platforms or sharing health or other sensitive information online.
Get more tips on social networking safety or download our social networking safety brochure.
Microsoft, in collaboration with the financial services industry, successfully executed a coordinated global action against the Zeus botnet. Zeus is a type of malware that can monitor your online activity and record your keystrokes to commit identity theft.
Learn more about the botnet takedown.
If you think that your computer might be infected with the Zeus botnet, we recommend you:
For more information, see the Microsoft Virus and Security Solution Center.