But never fear, this article will help prepare you to stay well protected from any Internet Baddy.
So what dangers are there
Well, there are a lot. This articles intent is not to go into detail on these dangers, but just to help describe ways you can protect yourself while online.
Briefly, here's a list of the most common dangers:
Malware: These are little programs that can get onto your computer, either through email, by downloading "free" software that is infected by it or even just by surfing a site that exploits a bug in your browser. Malware includes things like viruses, trojans, spyware, and many more. Identity Theft: An individual farms information about a particular person, and at some point is able to take on that persons "identity" often for financial gain, and financial and reputational loss of the victim Phishing: A psychological threat where victims are fooled into giving up confidential personal information such as usernames, passwords and/or account numbers.
There are others, but lets get to how to protect yourself.
Firewall:
The firewall is a piece of software that monitors traffic going out of and traffic coming into your computer over the Internet. This piece of software is essential to any Internet user, as it will protect from automated hacking by little Internet spider programs, as well as from spyware and trojans, as it wont let important information about you get out of the computer.
The good news is that a good firewall can be gotten free. And its a darn good free firewall too. The firewall is called Zone Alarm, and by clicking here and then clicking the download link, you can go ahead and get it. The licence is for non-business use, so you can also go for one of their business packages, which is a more advanced version.
Anti-Virus
Anti virus is also a good thing to get. If the firewall doesn't stop something getting in in the first place, then a good antivirus can find it and remove it. Once you do have a good anti-virus, it is a good idea to scan your computer regularly for viruses.
The good news is that you can also get good free antivirus. The Internet really can be a good place. Its called AVG Antivirus and by clicking here you can start downloading this great piece of free software.
Anti-Spyware
Spyware is a program that has morphed from a nuisance to a down right menace. Spyware is designed to capture information on your computer activites. Some spyware use that information to put pop-ups onto your screen with advertising that the developers think is relevant. Other spyware simply gathers information in order to defraud you. Whatever the reason, you have to get spyware protection.
Some more good news. There is also free anti-spyware software available. By going here and then clicking on the link on the left that says "Adaware Personal" then clicking the "Download Now" button, you can get free anti-spyware. Its that easy.
Phishing
Now, there really hasn't been anything good come along to protect Internet users from this relatively new problem. But simple common sense will prevail here.
Phishing is an attempt to defraud a potential victim. Normally a potential victim recieves an email from some source they normally trust. Often these emails will try to get the user to click a link inside an email to go to the site and use their login details. These sites are actually then not the genuine sites, but spoofs of the originals. It is simply done to try and phish (see the relevance now) for account detials which the fraudsters can then use for financial gain.
So, if you recieve any email with a link to a site asking for user name and password details, dont click the link. Rather open your browser (like Internet Explorer) and type in the address yourself to that site. If the email was accurate, the details should be there as well, so no harm was done.
Generally, with the right tools, and a bit of common sense, an Internet user can remain safe without having anything nasty happen to them. And I sincerely hope that many people read this article, so that the Internet is just that much safer.
Gareth McCumskey is the Managing Director of Nexus Interactive, a South African based IT company that aims to provide companies and individuals with one provider for all their IT needs.
[tags]malware, firewall, antivirus, spyware, phishing[/tags]
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