Page 3 - 1708

October 2017 brave new world of ours, and what to do if
The leaves are turning (and falling), the Cubs
are in the playoffs and the Bears are in last
place. It must be October!
Apple and Samsung are making news with their
latest flagship phone releases, not only for the
features but also for the cost. Time will tell if
customers feel the incremental improvements
are worth the big bucks….
As noted in last month’s newsletter, the Win-
dows 10 Creators Update is scheduled to be re-
leased on October 17. This bears some further
discussion. To begin with, Microsoft does not
automatically install Creators Update on your
Windows 10 computer, as it does with other
Windows 10 updates. On or shortly after the
release date, Microsoft will prompt you to begin
the installation process. You must first enter
your choice of privacy settings, before the up- surers.
date can be installed. You will have several op-
portunities to delay installation, if you so choose.
Interestingly, I have just read a report at
“betanews.com” (published in late September)
that only 78% of Windows 10 users in the Unit-
ed States have installed the spring Creators Up-
date. Microsoft has apparently been sending
follow-up reminders to Windows 10 users who
have not installed that update, but no system is
foolproof. To be sure that your computer is fully
up to date in anticipation of the fall Creators Up-
date, go into Settings / System / About, and
check the Version number of your current Win-
dows 10 software. It should be 1703.
But the big news as 2017 winds down is the in-
creased frequency and seriousness of data
breaches and malware attacks. These have
been prominently featured in general news re-
ports, and highlighted in technology media. I’ve
shared with our members multiple reports and
tips from technology newsletters on this topic. If
you have not read them, please do so. If you
have, I suggest that you build a dedicated file of
advice about how to best protect yourself in this
3
something bad happens.
It is important to note that the recent Equifax
data breach represents something new. Our
name, date of birth and Social Security num-
ber are lifelong identifiers. We can cancel
credit cards, close bank accounts and take
other preventative or corrective actions
throughout our lives. These actions may be
a pain, but they can prevent future problems.
We cannot change our lifelong identifiers.
This means that anyone in possession of that
information can wait in the weeds for months
or years before trying to steal our identity.
Moreover, these identifiers are not just asso-
ciated with credit cards or bank accounts,
they are also associated with our medical
records (among other things). This offers the
opportunity for bad guys to use our stolen
identity to pay medical bills for themselves or
others, with the costs being borne by our in-
(Consider, as an example, your date of birth.
That can tell an identity thief that you are old
enough to have Medicare Insurance. If he
has your Social Security number he also has
your Medicare insurance number. With both
of those data elements, he can create a pho-
ny Medicare Insurance card. With commonly
-available address information, he can create
a phony driver’s license. With those two doc-
uments, he can get medical care almost any-
where. Your first clue that this is happening
is likely to be a bill from the provider for your
20% share of the Medicare-approved cost of
“your” treatment. Your second clue is likely to
be a Medicare statement of benefits, describ-
ing the care that “you” received.)
We will talk more about this at our October
meeting; for those of you unable to attend I
plan to encourage everyone to become more
knowledgeable in this arena and to share
their experiences and knowledge with fellow
(Continued on page 5)