Advances in computer technology is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it affords us quick and easy access to numerous conveniences such as bank statements, favorite shopping centers, school and health records, and more. On the other hand, it can also grant the same access to those who aren’t supposed to get it. Although it’s a rare occurrence, hacking has become the biggest criminal nuisance in computer history.

Make no bones about it. There’s nothing innocent or cute about the hacker. Today’s hackers aren’t the pimply-faced teen rebels that you might be thinking of. Instead, this generation of hackers are grown individuals who are more than likely earning a living by stealing the identities of innocent, law abiding individuals and then selling those identities to others who want to slip by the system. And the only protection against these seedy people is prevention.

Computer security couldn’t be more important than it is today and that’s why we’ve taken the time to introduce it to you. You can reduce the probability of experiencing identity theft by making your computer as hacker-proof as possible. All that’s needed is a little software and a lot of common sense.

1. Install an anti-virus/anti-spyware program. Anti-virus/anti-spyware software will stop malicious code from downloading and installing onto your computer while you peruse the Internet. Known as viruses, worms, or spyware, this malicious code can destroy important files and render your computer good for only one thing: sending sensitive data back to the server of an identity thief.

2. Don’t store sensitive data on your computer in the first place. Should your computer get infected with a virus, worm, or piece of spyware, you can thwart the individuals responsible by not storing your personal information on your PC so that when and if your computer does send back data – it won’t be anything valuable. Hackers look for things like full names, social security numbers, phone numbers, home addresses, work-related information, and credit card numbers. If these things aren’t saved onto a computer, there’s nothing critical to worry about other than restoring your computer to a non-virus condition.

3. Don’t open files without scanning them with an anti-virus/anti-spyware program. In the past, the warning was to avoid opening files from people that you don’t know. Today it’s really not safe to open files from anyone (without scanning the files) because that’s how viruses get spread – through files – even by mistake. So even though your co-worker may have emailed a funny video, it’s no more safe to open than a video downloaded from a complete stranger. Be safe and scan each and every file you download from the Internet or receive through email regardless of where it came from.

4. Create a barrier between your computer and prying eyes. Anti-virus/anti-spyware programs are only effective after the effect. But you can prevent identity theft from occurring by installing a firewall. A firewall is software that checks all data entering and exiting a computer and it then blocks that which doesn’t meet specified security criteria (user-defined rules).

5. Don’t click on website links in spam messages. In an effort to obtain personal information, some spammers will send email that asks you to click on a link. The email messages are often disguised as important messages from well-known online establishments, and they often try to scare their readers into clicking links with threats of closing an account of some sort. Sometimes the links are harmless and attempt to con the reader into volunteering personal information (credit card number), but other times the links attempt to download harmful software onto a computer.

Your best protection against computer crimes is your own knowledge. Hopefully the suggestions above will prompt you into taking appropriate action and into protecting your computer with the suggested tools. In doing so, you’ll not only protect yourself, you’ll prevent the spread of these malicious activities and protect others at the same time.

Like electronic identity theft, computer viruses, and the spread of other computer crimes, software piracy is on the rise. The problem with software piracy is that software costs make this illegal activity appealing to the end user. After all, who is it going to hurt? Rich software companies?? This article investigates software piracy as a whole and the impact that it has on the computer using industry.

The most vulnerable victims of software piracy are software businesses or independent programmers who create and distribute commercial software or shareware. We described shareware in another article, but because both commercial software and shareware require payment, they’re the target of pirates who seek to make these kinds of programs free to use.

Depending on their binding legal agreements, licensing typically allows the use of a single program on a single computer. This set up is usually fine for a user who uses software at home on one computer. But in an environment where there are five, ten, twenty or more computers, buying a license for each computer can be down-right costly. So costly that the temptation to pirate a little software here and there can be pretty tempting.

Co-workers are familiar with this temptation and they’re often the ones who “share” purchased software among those who need it. However the same temptation also prompts others to knowingly or unknowingly buy bootleg copies of commercial software or registered shareware.

As tempting as it is, it’s still illegal and the punishments/fines for sharing commercial or registered software is too much for one to bear. In recent news, “Yahoo China loses music piracy case (AP via Yahoo! News) A court has ordered Yahoo Inc.’s China subsidiary to pay $27,000 for aiding music piracy, the company and a music industry group said Tuesday.“ Additionally, “EU lawmakers approve prison terms, fines for major commercial piracy (International Herald Tribune) EU lawmakers voted Wednesday for legislation that would set prison sentences and fines for large-scale commercial piracy, but exempt patents and copying carried out for personal use.”

Fortunately, there are alternatives. Schools can research student versions of commercial software or ask for a school discount. Just because school rates aren’t advertised, it doesn’t mean that they aren’t available. Freeware or open source software (also described in another one of our articles) is another alternative to pirating commercial-ware, as well as shareware. And using older versions of programs could additionally reduce the costs associated with commercial versions.

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That’s right, you’ll receive the entire Online Security Toolkit, including the following manuals for just $9.99:

	Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Learn the 5 types of identity theft and how they can ruin your life. You’ll learn about the methods identity thieves use to steal your information and what to do if it happens to you. Most importantly, you’ll find out how to lock down your personal information so identity thieves won’t be able to target you.
	Secure Your Computer Against Online Threats Find out how spyware, adware and viruses can infect your computer, even if you’re careful. You’ll also find out how they can cause your personal information to be made available to hackers and identity thieves. But the critical thing you’ll learn is how to lock down your computer so these things can’t infect it (and how to do it for minimal cost, even free!)
	Protect Your Kids From Online Predators Kids are using the internet at younger ages all the time, and there are a lot of predators out there that know it. You’ll find out how to ensure your children are safe online, and how to make sure they don’t accidentally share more information than they should with someone they don’t know. Plus, you’ll learn how to monitor your kids activity without resorting to "spying" on them.
	Secure Your Inbox Against Spam Learn how spammers get your email address and what steps you can take to stop it from happening. Find out how to stop virtually ALL spam that’s coming into your inbox (even if you’re getting hundreds of junk messages a day). Plus, you’ll learn how to spot phishing emails and other scams that try to steal your personal information through email.

Over recent years, computers have become synonymous with viruses and viruses don’t show any signs of disappearing any time soon. In recent news, LiveScience.com reported that “Before the month is even done, April has set a record for virus e-mails.” In the past, we would be comfortable in telling new computer users not to worry about viruses and that catching a computer virus is rare. Today, that would be some of the worst advice we could give anyone. As reported in countless news reports, computer viruses are rampant and they’re extremely worrisome. This article will describe what viruses are and then point you in the direction of some rather unique protection and prevention.

In short, a computer virus is a software program designed to destroy or steal data. It attacks computers via distribution – often unknowingly – through email attachments, software downloads, and even some types of advanced web scripting. Viruses that destroy data are known as Trojan horses, viruses that explode their attacks are called bombs, and viruses that duplicate themselves are called worms. Some viruses are a combination of each, however they can be further identified according to where they’re located on a computer.

A virus originating from the boot sector of a computer is a boot-sector virus and this nasty devil does its dirty work the moment a computer is turned on. A virus that attaches itself to (infects) other programs is a file virus and activates the moment that an infected program starts. File viruses may also be referred to as parasitic viruses, however should a virus work from both the boot-sector and from an infected program, the virus is then known as a multipartite virus.

Why viruses exist remains a mystery, however we had privy access to the mind behind a virus programmer who explained his motivation behind his destructive inclinations. Apparently, this person had a deep grudge against a popular online service which shall remain unnamed. In this hacker’s mind, the online service failed to do a quality job in protecting children from online smut and as retaliation, he created and distributed a virus to as many file libraries of this service as he could. His intentions were to disable the computers of the online service’s users so much that they wouldn’t be able to connect for days. In his mind, the loss of connection meant loss of revenue for the online service.

Although the malicious code that this person generated may have worked for a small percentage of users, sufficed to say, the online service continued on and still exists today. Despite his motivation or intention, his efforts were null.

We wouldn’t be surprised to learn if other motivations behind spreading viruses were similar to this person’s, but that doesn’t justify the damage that viruses do. Innocent people become pawns for the evil plans of others who’ve convinced themselves they’re doing the “right” thing.

To protect a computer from getting a virus, or clean a virus from a computer system once infected requires the use of an antivirus utility. But may be something else we can do. Perhaps we could make an effort to educate the people who want put viruses into the public about ways to display dissatisfaction with a service or product that don’t involve harming innocent parties. In doing so, we just might reduce the number of virus news stories and protect our own investments at the same time.

It’s an unfortunate fact of reality, but children are the most victimized computer users on the Internet today. The good news is that there are some practical steps you can take to protect your children from sexual predators, hackers, and other seedy individuals who want to cause harm. This article will describe a few of them.

The first step in protecting your children at the computer is to prevent their access to passwords. This will keep them from sharing passwords with others and inadvertently enabling hacking into your system. If you think about it, there’s no reason why a five, seven, or even twelve year old needs to know the passwords to sensitive areas on the computer unless you’ve given them permission! In fact, children don’t need to know the password used to access the Internet either. It may be a hassle to type it in each time they want to get online, but it’s better to know the times that they connect than to have them sneak online without your permission and knowledge of their activities.

The second step towards protecting your children online is using the computer together. Siting next to your child while he or she peruses the Internet, you can guide him or her to make safe and intelligent decisions. You can approve websites and bookmark them together. You can monitor the conversations your children have with their friends and teach them appropriate online behavior at the same time. You can make recommendations and create a private time for quality time as well.

The third step involves blocking access to inappropriate areas altogether. You and your children may not always agree about what’s appropriate, but as a guardian, you’re in control and you’re ultimately responsible for their safety. Take the time to investigate software tools that put you in control and allow you to block access to certain websites. If you use an online service like AOL (America Online), you can use its internal Parental Control settings to block access to various chatrooms and websites. You could even block instant messaging and email from anyone who isn’t a fellow AOL user.

Other tools available online operate similar to the way that AOL’s Parental Control settings work, however no collection of tools could replace the reinforcement of mom and dad. Never let your children speak with strangers and never leave them alone at the computer unattended. Children just don’t have the experience that adults have and they don’t have the skills required to handle inappropriate conversations, emails, or images found online.

NOTE: Some of these tools include kid-specific web browsers that will visit pre-approved websites. Others include browser plug-ins that won’t allow access to online areas that contain forbidden keywords.

Another step requires teaching your children to never ever volunteer personal information. Under no circumstances, should children give their personal names, home addresses, phone numbers, or school information to anyone over the Internet regardless of the situation. In the even this information is required to enter a contest of some sort, be sure that you’re the one who makes the decision to supply it and that you’re the one who does it.

Performing all of these steps won’t be easy. However you can help minimize resistance to your monitoring efforts by explaining why you’re taking these precautions. Smaller children will probably enjoy the time you spend together at the computer, but older children and pre-teens may resent it. To help build a case for your concern, you might want to show your older children a few news stories that exemplify the dangers that unsupervised children are exposed to. The newspaper is unfortunately full of examples but with your help, we can reduce them world-wide.

The Internet is an amazing tool that people rely on more and more in several aspects of their lives. One of the fastest growing demographics of Internet users is children. Unfortunately, children are also one of the demographics most vulnerable to being taken advantage of online, making protecting children a chief concern of both parents and software developers. There are several keys to making sure children are protected when using the Internet.

The most important thing that can be done to help a child stay safe when using the Internet is to educate the child of the dangers that exist online. Children should know that while sites such as chat rooms seem like a lot of fun, that there could be dangerous people looking for pictures or personal information of children.

Social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook are becoming increasingly popular among teens, but users should take precautions such as setting profile pages to “private” to control who is authorized to view the child’s page. Personal information such as phone numbers and addresses should never be posted in a public place on the Internet.

One of the tools that parents often turn to in order to keep their children safe online is filtering software. This software is designed to examine web pages for content that might be offensive, inappropriate, or unsafe for children and to block the site from being accessed from a user’s computer. This software is effective and helpful, but should never be considered a replacement for supervision from parents.

There are often sites that somehow find loopholes in even the most effective filters, so parents should still monitor computer activity. One of the downsides to filtering software is that pages that are inoffensive may be blocked, hindering the user’s ability to access needed information from a harmless website. Filtering software should be password protected so that children can’t give themselves access to the entire Internet.

Many parents monitor children’s Internet activities by tracking where they have been online. Checking browser history and other files stored on computers as users surf from web page to web page is a good way to make sure your children are staying away from harmful or offensive sites. However, many children who use the Internet are smart enough to know how to cover their tracks, so relying on tracking the history of web sites visited is not enough in most cases. Several filtering programs send parents a weekly report of web sites visited and time spent online, a more accurate way to track a child’s Internet activity.

Setting house rules for computer and Internet use is another effective way to protect children who use the Internet. Some rules could include keeping the computer in a public room in the house, limiting the time and hours each day that the Internet can be used, and maintaining a list of approved websites for children to visit.

A parent’s responsibility is to use a combination of all of the above tools and ideas to make sure their children who use the Internet are protected.

Most of us get spam trying to sell us things, most commonly prescriptions, cheap mortgage rates, online gambling and other, more “adult” topics. Most of us just delete them or hit the “spam” button and move on. There are some other types of spam that are a little more serious, however.

One well-known example, circulating for years now, is the Nigerian bank scam. The sender, allegedly the wife or relative of a former dictator or government official (usually in Nigeria, hence the name) tells the sad story of how millions were deposited in a bank account which is no longer accessible. In exchange for your help, they’re willing to share this wealth – for a few mere thousands from your bank account for ‘expenses’. As ludicrous as it seems, people fall for this every year. In one well-publicized case an elderly Czech man who had lost his life savings to this scam shot the Nigerian consul in Prague.

Some Internet scams offer investment opportunities with huge paybacks. They usually claim to be risk-free, but once they have your money, you’re very unlikely to see any return. Another common scam involves offering credit cards for those with bad credit ratings – just send a security deposit and processing fees. In return you get – that’s right – nothing. And by the time you start to investigate, the scam artist has disappeared.

These scams can also effect legitimate businesses you might be dealing with. Because there is so much spam these days, the email services are working hard to filter it out. These filters can sometimes stop legitimate messages, however, and you may not receive something you wanted.

How To Avoid Getting Scammed

Never reply to spam. Doing so simply indicates to the spammer that your e-mail address is valid, and you’ll receive more spam than before. Some spam contains a message offering to remove your e-mail address from their mailing list. Don’t use even this service – it’s nothing but another method for verifying e-mail addresses.

Above all, never give your credit card number, bank account details or private data to anyone unknown over the Internet. PayPal, for example, and other legitimate online businesses will never ask for your password in an email. One common scam is to fake return addresses and tailor subject lines and content so the message appears to be from them or another financial institution ‘confirming’ your information. Don’t fall for them.

How do you know whether it’s spam? Since, one man’s spam is sometimes another’s welcomed advertisement, there’s no perfect answer. But there is one good rule of thumb: if you don’t recognize the sender, it’s probably not someone you want to hear from. After all, how many former dictators in Nigeria are you likely to know?

There is a great deal of debate about this history and evolution of computer viruses. Although many experts may disagree on the origins of viruses, their history is an interesting one. Computer viruses have evolved over the years as the measures taken to detect and disable viruses have become more effective. There is a constant struggle between programmers who write viruses and the programmers who create anti-virus software, with one group trying to stay a step ahead of the other. Computer users can more effectively defend themselves against viruses when they have an understanding of how viruses work and their origins.

In 1949, a mathematician named John Von Neumann introduced the concept of programs that could be taught to replicate themselves. Although this thinking was way ahead of its time, the roots of computer viruses can be traced to the principles Von Neumann was describing. Nearly 20 years later, in the late 1960s, computer users created a game called “Core Wars,” where they would attempt to occupy all of the existing memory on other player’s computers. Programmers at the time had no idea that they were writing computer viruses.

The first known personal computer virus was called the brain virus, and it began infecting PCs in 1986. The Brain Virus was created in Pakistan and was a boot sector virus that affected disk space as opposed to hard drives. The virus would render floppy disks unusable by eliminating their available space. The Brain Virus was a “Stealth” virus, or in other words a virus that tried to affect machines without being noticed by the user. The first anti-virus program was created in 1988. The program was designed specifically to deal with the Brain Virus, detecting, removing, and protecting disks from future problems with the virus. The first Trojan horse virus was also created in the mid 1980’s.

In late 1987, the first “memory resident file infector” was createdóa virus that was embedded in a file and attacked only once the program was ordered to execute by the user. The first of these viruses was called the Lehigh Virus, as the first computers it attacked were at Lehigh University. A month later, a similar virus, called the Jerusalem Virus, attacked in Israel, becoming the first virus that replicated itself within infected files.

In 1990, several companies started selling anti-virus software, including IBM and McAfee, with Symantec introducing Norton Anti-Virus software in 1991. Viruses were become more stealth and more effective than ever before and the need for anti-virus software was growing for PC owners. Ironically, only a few years later, most computer experts felt that anti-virus software would no longer be necessary once Microsoft released its 1995 version of Windows, a fact that is hard to believe in retrospect.

Nearly every year since the mid 90’s, another new virus has been created, detected, and rendered ineffective by anti-virus software. The tug of war between programmers who write viruses and anti-virus software programmers will likely continue for years to come.

One of the most frustrating experiences that a computer owner can go through is to see files lost or damaged by a computer virus. Hackers are continuously creating new virus threats and it’s important to protect your files and computer hardware by having virus protection in place. Many of the newer viruses are designed specifically to circumvent to virus protection that currently exists in the marketplace. Although no anti-virus software can guarantee to keep 100% of viruses from affecting your system, there are two very important things that computer users can do to make being affected by a computer virus less likely.

First, computer users should have reliable anti-virus software and update that software whenever updates are available. There are several anti-virus software options available for all types of computer users and in all price ranges. A free anti-virus program that you download usually won’t provide the same level of protection as an anti-virus software package purchased specifically for your computer, but it will still be better than nothing. The typical activities that you participate in online should also have a bearing on what type of anti-virus software you use. For instance, a user who downloads music, movies, or games is at greater risk of being exposed to a computer virus than one who uses the Internet strictly for E-mail, but neither user is 100% safe.

Along with using effective anti-virus software, it’s important to update your computer with security patches and other updates as they become available. As new viruses and hacker techniques become more common, providers of anti-virus software work to stay ahead of the curve in preventing damaging virus attacks. Most computer viruses are fairly slow moving and makers of anti-virus software are generally able to get remedies out to their users fairly quickly, but it’s up to the users to install and use these software updates.

The other important way to protect yourself from computer viruses is to practice safe habits when using the computer. There are several sites that allow users to download music for instance, but some are much more reliable than others. Sites that charge more for music downloads also provide a much higher level of security than sites that provide cheap or even free downloads. If your Internet activities open you to more risk of accidentally downloading a virus, it’s a good idea to spend a little extra money for better protection. In addition, never download anything that comes from an unknown source or click on links embedded in e-mails when you don’t know the sender. Part of protecting yourself from viruses is being smart enough to avoid situations where a virus could endanger your system.

Computer viruses come in all shapes and sizes and can do various extents of damage, from damaging files to physically damaging hard drives and other equipment. Virus protection can be costly, but not nearly as costly as the process of trying to recover lost or damaged files. Staying up to date with anti-virus software and practicing smart computer habits can keep most users out of trouble.

If you use e-mail at all, chances are you receive spam messages from time to time, probably more often than you realize. Most e-mail providers filter spam and send it to a “junk mail” folder where it is never seen or accessed. Many e-mail boxes receive hundreds of spam messages each day. Spamming is the process of sending bulk electronic messages to multiple e-mail addresses in hopes that a small percentage of recipients will read the message.

Spam is not limited to e-mail, although that is what it is most often associated with, but rather is used through various electronic mediums. Spam has not always been a part of the Internet, but it’s interesting to take a look at spam’s beginnings.

The popular belief is that this junk e-mail was called “spam” because of a Monty Python sketch produced in 1970, long before electronic spam was in existence. The sketch portrayed a cafe where everything on the menu was some variation of Spam, the canned meat. In the background, patrons sing a loud song about Spam, drowning out the restaurant staff’s attempt to speak to customers, thus “Spamming” the conversation. Unsolicited, junk e-mail became known as spam because it made it difficult to filter through and retrieve the messages that were solicited and welcomed by the recipient.

In 1998, the dictionary added the following definition to the word spam: “Irrelevant or inappropriate messages sent on the Internet to a large number of newsgroups or users.” Before spam was being sent to e-mail boxes however, it was being used in other ways on the Internet. The first known unsolicited electronic message sent for commercial purposes was in 1978. Throughout the 1980’s, before e-mail was so popular and widespread, spammers annoyed users of message boards and chat rooms by flooding the conversations with commercial messages. The flooding of message boards and chat rooms was called “flooding” or “trashing” before it became known as “spamming.”

Unsolicited electronic messages are not unique to the Internet. In the 19th century, unsolicited junk telegrams were sent regularly. Today, spam can be in the form of unsolicited instant messages, junk text messages sent to multiple wireless phones, or even pre-recorded messages left on voice mail systems.

When unsolicited junk e-mail became known as spam, the maker of the canned meat, Hormel, brought legal action to prevent these unwanted messages being called Spam. Eventually, Hormel came around, insisting only that when publishers are referring to the canned meat as opposed to the junk mail, they use all capital letters.

Today, there are over 12.4 million spam e-mails sent every day. It is estimated that over 40% of all the e-mail sent over the Internet is spam. The average person receives 2200 spam messages every year. Although spam is a tremendous waste of space and time, it continues to be used because it works. Over 8% of Internet users have bought a product directly because of a spam message. Avoiding spam is nearly impossible, but e-mail providers today are doing an increasingly better job of keeping it separate from legitimate electronic messages.

If you have an e-mail address, there’s a good chance that you are already familiar with spam. As of 2006, over 40% of the e-mail sent on the Internet was unsolicited, junk e-mail intended for commercial purposes, better known as spam. The average person receives over 100 spam e-mail messages every day. E-mail service providers have done a good job at figuring out how to filter spam out of inboxes and send it to a junk mail folder, but even with incoming messages being screened and filtered, spam continues to be a nuisance to most people.

Although it may be impossible to avoid spam entirely, there are several things that e-mail users can do to reduce incoming spam, including:

Control your E-mail address

The more frequently an internet user enters or posts an e-mail address online, the greater the chance of spammers adding that e-mail address to their list. Avoid posting an e-mail address on a message board. Many people create a disposable e-mail address, one that they use when they need to enter an address to sign up for something online. Their personal e-mail address, or the main address that they prefer to use, is given only to people and businesses that are known and invited to use the address.

Watch out for check boxes

As our world becomes more electronic, we are often asked to register in order to use certain websites that we need access to. Quite often, the registration process includes questions regarding the registrant’s desire to receiving related offers via e-mail. In most cases, these check boxes are already checked for you, and you need to un-check the boxes to avoid being barraged with junk e-mail. Much of the spam that is received in e-mail boxes is invited because of these check boxes.

Disguise your E-mail address

There are times when users have to post their e-mail address in a place that could be seen by other web users. One way to avoid attracting spammers is to disguise the posted address. For example, instead of posting your actual e-mail address of joeblow@hotmail.com, you would post “joeblow AT hotmail DOT com.” Programs that scan web pages for e-mail addresses will not detect this disguised address. It’s also a good idea to search online for your e-mail address. Typing your actual e-mail address into Google will tell you whether or not it can be found in public places online.

Read Privacy Policies

Many of the websites that Internet users register for have terms and conditions that most people never read. Within these terms and conditions, there is a privacy policy that should state ways that your information will be kept confidential. If you are not satisfied with the measures being taken to protect your information, you should not register at the site.

There are several other tricks and tips to avoid spam e-mail, but taking the above steps will be a good start. If spam is a problem for you, consider starting over with a new e-mail address and practicing the above habits.

There are several types of computer viruses that Internet users need to be aware of. These viruses can be contracted and infect a computer in a variety of ways, ranging from mild annoyances to destructive forces to computer files and hardware. Viruses can enter your computer in a number of ways, but are generally avoidable with a combination of effective anti-virus software and safe surfing habits when online. However, it’s good to know of what types of viruses and other threats could impact your computer.

Viruses

A virus is a computer program that is written to enter your computer, overwrite existing program data, and replicate itself without the knowledge of the owner of the computer. There are several varieties of viruses, including boot sector viruses, companion viruses, link viruses, and macro viruses. Viruses can enter a computer in various ways but they all have one thing in common: they must be executed by the computer user to affect a computer. The amount of damage done by a virus varies greatly, some viruses are never even detected while others erase program data, destroy information on hard drives and disks, and are a hassle to detect and remove.

Worms

A worm is similar to a virus, but it spreads from computer to computer over a network connection. A worm is not likely to afflict a single computer, but is a common and troublesome problem in some computer networks. Worms are designed to enter computers and then scan systems for security flaws and look for areas that are unprotected. A classic example is the ILOVEYOU worm, an E-mail that had a subject of “I love you” and an attachment inside. When the attachment was opened, the worm entered the computer and destroyed several different types of files. The worm also sent itself to the user’s entire Outlook address book, afflicting computers all along the way. In 2004, an estimated 45 million computer were hit with the ILOVEYOU worm in just one day.

Trojan Horses

A Trojan horse is a program that is downloaded by a computer user that does not destroy data or files. Instead, a Trojan horse allows files to be accessed by outside parties. The problem begins with a download of a file that seems innocent – perhaps a song or small program file. Trojan horses are a serious concern because of the rising seriousness of identity theft and the importance of protecting the privacy of sensitive information. The key to avoiding a Trojan horse is to download only content that you are 100% certain is from a credible and safe source.

The best way to avoid viruses, worms, and Trojan horses is to make sure anti-virus software is reliable and up to date. Many computer owners take the first step of purchasing good anti-virus software, but they fail to install patches and updates as they become available. Because the creators are viruses are getting more and more creative, it’s essential to keep security measures up to date on your computer.

One factor that is curbing the growth of identity theft that we have seen for so many years is that the word is finally out on how to protect yourself from having your identity stolen. Education has been the key to making it difficult for identity thieves to operate. The problem has not disappeared by any means, but criminals are finding it necessary to be more creative in order to get the information they seek.

There are several new scams that are important to understand.

Most people are familiar with phishing. Phishing is a technique used by identity thieves where they send consumers E-mails that appear to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank or credit card company. The E-mail will ask the consumer to verify some important pieces of information, such as account numbers, credit card numbers, or even social security numbers. When the e-mail is returned with the information that was requested, an identity thief has all he/she needs to start buying things and spending money in your name.

Phishing was much more effective in the early part of this decade when fewer people were aware of the scam, but twists have been added so that the phishing scam still works for criminals. A common twist is for the E-mail to warn consumers of phishing scams, remind them not to send sensitive information online, and instead ask the consumer to call a toll free number to verify important account information. The provided phone number is routed to the scam artist, who poses as your bank to take the information that is sought.

Another newer scam being used via the Internet is among people searching for employment at sites like monster.com or careerbuilder.com. A “perspective employer” will make contact with an individual who has posted a resume and ask the applicant to submit to a background check.

Job seekers thinking that the information is being requested by a legitimate source gladly provide a social security number and any other information that is requested. The lesson is to never trust anyone with your sensitive information unless you are 100% sure that it will be protected.

Spoofing is an attempt made by an identity thief to gain access to a secure website or secure information by posing as an authorized user. Spoofing is a tool the identity thieves have found some success in using. One example is creating a website that mirrors an existing website that users feel comfortable sharing information within.

There are several variations of spoofing, but the less remains the same. Internet users should refuse to enter sensitive information anywhere online where they are not 100% sure that the information is secure.

There are countless other scams used by identity thieves to gain access to information, but the basis for each idea is the same. Identity thieves get information from consumers by first earning their trust. Being aware of these scams will help people to avoid them and avoid the damage caused by identity theft.

One of the most alarming elements of identity theft is that it’s a crime that can very often go on for weeks, months, or even years before it’s detected. By the time the victim realizes what has happened, the amount of damage that has been done is catastrophic.

Financial losses can add up without a consumer realizing it, and victims of identity threat often see their credit scores adversely impacted, leading to more financial stress in the future. The key to minimizing the negative consequences of identity theft is discovering early on that someone is using your personal information for their financial gain.

There are several red flags to watch for that will help keep damage to a minimum. Some of these include:

1. Unidentified Items on Credit Reports: There are three major credit reporting agencies that consumers should be aware of: Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. It’s a good idea to pull your credit report at least annually to make sure that there is nothing unfamiliar open in your name. There are also agencies that will monitor your credit report in your behalf on an ongoing basis for a small fee. Alerting these agencies of any red flags you find is also a good idea.
2. Unexplained withdrawals from bank accounts and credit charges: Unfortunately, there are many people who receive bank statements in the mail and either fail to open them or fail to check them thoroughly. It’s important to be able to account for every transaction with your bank account. It’s easy to monitor most bank accounts online, an activity that could become a weekly habit to keep identity theft damage to a minimum. Credit card statements should also be examined thoroughly to ensure all of the charges are accounted for.
3. Unknown Collectors Calling: If you hear from a collector asking about repayment on a bill that you’ve never heard of, there’s a chance that an identity thief has opened an account and spent money in your name. Do not assume these calls are a mistake. Ask for all of the information that the collector can provide in writing, including a history of the debt, to get an idea of how long the problem has existed.
4. Missing Statements and Other Mail: Once an identity thief is using your credit card or bank account, a common practice is to change the mailing address on your accounts so that statements don’t arrive in your mailbox. Pay attention to when monthly statements normally arrive and investigate if you’re statement is missing. When possible, elect to receive bills and statements online to minimize chances of stolen mail leading to your identity being stolen.

Identity theft can cause serious problems in your financial life today and in the future, as identity thieves will not only spend money in your name now, but ruin your credit for years to come. Paying attention to the above red flags will help you to keep problems to a minimum if your identity is stolen.

One of the most heavily avoided software programs that computers are susceptible to is spyware. Although there is spyware on the market that serves useful purposes, such as logging internet and keyboard activity for parents, most spyware is little more than a nuisance.

Spyware is designed to track a user’s online activity and send messages to advertisers that should target that particular user. Spyware can create much slower computer performance or even cause a hard drive to crash if it consumes too much processing power. Most computer users are eager to get rid of and avoid spyware as much as possible. There are several factors that computer users who wish to avoid spyware should consider.

There are several signs that may indicate that a computer is infected with spyware. First, there may be an unusual increase in pop up ads. These advertisements open in new windows and may even pop up on your computer when you’re not surfing the web. Second, if your internet browser settings change unexpectedly, such as a new home page, there is a good chance spyware is involved.

In addition, some spyware will add toolbars to your internet browser that you don’t remember downloading or adding. Some spyware comes in the form of hardware rather than software, as some companies will give away new keyboards that contain spyware internally. Finally, increasingly slow performance may indicate that spyware is taking memory from your computer, reducing speed and performance.

Spyware is difficult to remove by nature. Software makers who produce spyware are good at hiding files so that many times the user doesn’t even realize that the spyware is on the computer. Once the spyware is detected, removing it can prove even more difficult. Many Internet Service Providers are including anti-virus and anti-spyware software in their standard Internet service, reducing the likelihood of spyware causing problems today compared to in the past. Microsoft’s Vista operating system also comes with a program called “Windows Defender” to help deal with unwanted spyware. This program can be downloaded for free for XP users.

If you know that spyware exists on your computer, some can be removed simply by visiting the “Add/Remove Programs” screen and deleting programs that are unfamiliar or unnecessary. Most spyware is hidden more effectively than that, however, and a software solution needs to be purchased to deal with the spyware and eliminate the problem completely. Most of the major anti-virus software makers have programs that specialize in spyware. There are also free downloads online, however these are generally less effective and may actually install more spyware on your computer.

Some of the programs that are most well known for handling spyware problems include Ad-Aware, eTrust Pest-Patrol Anti-Spyware, and Spybot Search and Destroy. With spyware, it’s essential to download security patches and updates as they become available to guard against new spyware threats. Some spyware is programmed to disable anti-virus software so that it can run undetected, so it’s important to stay vigilant in keeping unwelcome spyware off of your computer.