Trust is the new attack surface.

Hello from PCRescue -

This was a heavy week in the news.

A scam where the voice on the phone wasn't who you thought. A breach at Canvas that hit thousands of schools during finals week. And a quieter story about a piece of code called Axios that very nearly made it into millions of apps with malware tucked inside.

Three different stories. Same underlying pattern. Trust is the new attack surface.

Today's email pulls the whole week into one usable page.

The cheat sheet for the fridge, the desk, or wherever the phone lives

I made a one-page printable you can stick on the fridge, slide next to the phone, or print and hand to your parents.

It's the four-line version of the entire week:

• Strange call? Hang up. Call back on the number you already have.
• Strange email or text? Don't click. Open a browser, type the site yourself.
• Strange ask from someone you know? Reply on a different channel than the one they used.
• Strange update prompt? Only trust updates from your operating system or the official app store.

The full one-page version is attached below.

In case you missed this week's posts

Monday - That Voice on the Phone Wasn't Who You Thought How voice cloning works in 2026, and the one move that stops it cold.

Tuesday - Your Kid's School Got Hacked. Here's What Actually Got Out. The Canvas breach in plain English, and four things to do for any student in your family.

Wednesday - Why a Hack You've Never Heard Of Probably Touched Your Phone The Axios supply-chain story — what it means that "borrowed code" is everywhere.

Thursday - Three Stories. One Weak Spot. The unifying playbook: verify the channel, not the message.

A small ask

If this week was useful, the best thing you can do is forward this email to one person - a parent, a sibling, a friend who's gotten one of those weird phone calls -and tell them to subscribe.

The reason the cheat sheet works is that two people in a family use it. Not one.

Forward to a friend →

If you want a second set of eyes

"Can you take a look at my computer and just make sure it's safe?

The answer is yes, that's exactly what a remote session is for. I'll help you go through vulnerable accounts, lock down the obvious problems, walk through the cheat sheet, and you get peace of mind for less than the cost of one fraudulent gift card. If you have family members you think could use this, I can help them too.

Schedule a remote session →

Request a callback first →

Stay sharp,

Mike PCRescue Portland, ME

P.S. - Next week we're switching gears completely: Should I get a new computer? Computer prices are climbing, Windows 10 extended security update stop in October, and a lot of you are asking the same question. I'm going to spend the week giving honest answers -refurbished Windows 11, Mac, even putting Linux on the machine you already own. By Friday you'll know which path is yours.