2015-05-04 WTKM Talking Points (May 4th 2015)

All Win 7 & 8 users can upgrade to Win10 for free – for one year (only?).

Then licensing will kick in? Home user be careful! I assume MS goes to a subscription model, that is yearly licensing. Win7 is paid for and good until Jan, 2020, Win8 until Jan 2023.
2016 is free but you would have to pay again for 2017, 18,19 (20, 21, 22).

Macro malware is making a comeback with one nineties nasty infecting half a million computers, Microsoft says. It's 2015 and half a million people still click on stuff we knew was bad in the '90s. Users should stick to MS's decade-old advice and avoid executing macros

Have an LG cell phone? Running LG's Monitor software? If Yes to both your PC is at risk! LG Monitor disables UAC (User Account Control)..

Dell System Detect: All versions older than 6.0.14 are easily hacked! DSD does not get automatically updated, even if Dell's updater is running!

Motorola's DOCSIS 3.0 SBG 6580 cable broadband modem is very easy to hack! Could open your computer to the Internet. Arris, a spin-off brand, has same problem.

Verizon's Risk Assessment Team says that 2 out of 3 times a computer gets hacked the reason was a weak password. Runner-ups are clicking on links in emails and opening attachments.

If someone calls you and claims to be in any way affiliated with Microsoft IT IS A SCAM! 

Download portals (cnet.com, download.com et al) are huge malware slingers.
 
Have your DNS settings been tampered with? Test here (but know what is correct…).

Hackers move away from Java and to Adobe Flash. Check version and update! Per 5-03-15 version 18.0.0.95 is most current. Beware: Many false downloads!