August 27th, 2008 | |
Posted in Security
You would truly be amazed the number of small business and individuals that continue to fall victim to internet pranksters’ or cybercrimes every day. A recent 2007 study by Consumer Reports estimates that the cost of cybercrime to U.S. consumers at a whooping $7 Billion dollars. Fear not all is lost since most hackers are looking for that “open front door” by following a few simple steps you will be able to ward off these opportunistic cyber pirates of the modern day;
Use anti-virus software.
Chose then protect your password wisely
Watch out for those email attachments
Install a firewall on your computer.
Update security patches for your operating system and web browser.
Log offline when you’re done for the day.
Back up your data.
Viruses spread rapidly and can damage or destroy your computer. New ones appear daily. It’s critical that you install and update anti-virus software regularly. Use the program to scan all the files on your system once a week, deleting the infected ones.
A virus can hide in an attachment. Opening it will unleash the virus. Don’t open an attachment from anyone you don’t know. Even if you do know the sender, an infected attachment may have been surreptitiously sent from an infected machine. The safest thing to do is to scan the attachment with anti-virus software before you open it. I most often use a free email address when shopping online, requesting services, or participating in online forums, this is a great spam filter.
Most people use passwords that are based on personal information and are easy to remember. However, that also makes it easier for an attacker to guess or “crack” them. Consider a four-digit PIN number. Is yours a combination of the month, day, or year of your birthday? Or the last four digits of your social security number? Or your address or phone number? Think about how easily it is to find this information out about somebody. What about your email password—is it a word that can be found in the dictionary? If so, it may be susceptible to “dictionary” attacks, which attempt to guess passwords based on words in the dictionary.
A virus can hide in an attachment. Opening it will unleash the virus. Don’t open an attachment from anyone you don’t know. Even if you do know the sender, an infected attachment may have been surreptitiously sent from an infected machine. The safest thing to do is to scan the attachment with anti-virus software before you open it.
A firewall is a software program that blocks unauthorized access to your computer. This is particularly important if you have a broadband connection, such as DSL or a cable modem. Windows XP, Vista and Mac OS X have built-in firewalls, so make sure they’re activated if you use those operating systems.
You’ve probably read about security “holes” that turn up periodically. Once they’re discovered, you can download fixes. For Windows users, an easy way to update your system is by clicking on the Windows Update option under the Start menu or by pointing your web browser to this link: http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/.
Left face it we are most vulnerable when connected to the internet so why not log off and shut down your computer at the end of the day? Not only will you be shutting the doors on the cyber pirates you will be doing your part towars the conservation of energry.
Okay this one is my personal favorite, having a backup copy of all of your files and keep it in a different location. For many this is a strange concept as they may have a secondary drive on their computer that they use as their backup. Although this approach effective in the event that your files may become corrupted and you need a quick restore however in the event that your computer becomes stolen then your back up is gone as well. I suggest using an external hard drive device, they are relatively inexpensive, and easy to use. You can remove your device and store it when you have an extended period of time that you will be away or not using your computer.
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Security