One of the most important things you can do if you connect to the Internet at all is to make sure that you have internet security in place. Internet security leads to prevention of several problems that can harm or even destroy your data. Some of the security issues for Internet users to be aware of include:

- Hackers: Hackers are users who work to find loopholes in Internet security systems and exploit those loopholes. Their intentions could be anything from a desire to copy confidential information to generally just trying to cause trouble. Regardless of a hacker’s purpose, Internet users are at risk and should ensure that they safeguard their computer and personal information.

- Viruses: Viruses are computer programs designed to infiltrate unsuspecting user computers, replicate themselves, spread to other computers, destroy data, and interfere with the operation of your computer. Viruses are most commonly spread through attachments in E-mails, instant messages, or other downloads.

- Spyware: Spyware is software that plants itself on your computer and collects personal information, usually for the purpose of targeting advertising. Adware is spyware that allows advertisements to pop up on your screen based on the information it has gathered from your hard drive. Not all spyware is harmful, but it generally ends up on your computer without your consent and users need to be aware of it, as it can disrupt your computer’s performance.

- Worms: A worm is a program that replicates itself and sends itself to other computers on your network, usually undetected. While a virus has to attach itself to an existing program, a worm does not–it can replicate and spread on its own. Worms can shut down computer function because of the bandwidth they use.

- Phishing Scams: Phishing is essentially tricking a computer user into giving away valuable personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, and credit card numbers. In a phishing scam, the user may receive an E-mail that appears to be sent from their bank asking for the user to confirm personal information. The goal of a phishing scam is to use this information against the victim of the scan.

- Spam: Spamming is the act of sending messages to multiple users indiscriminately in an attempt to flood the Internet with advertising or other information. While spam itself will not likely harm your computer, it can be a nuisance and distraction from the web content you’re really looking for. It’s also easy to hide viruses in links provided through spam messages.

There are ways to protect yourself from the above internet security issues. First, make sure that your computer is equipped with anti-virus software to detect and eliminate security issues. Second, make passwords difficult to guess and change your passwords often. Third, install updates as they become available. Finally, be smart about your online activities. Refuse to click on links that are from unfamiliar or suspicious sources. These issues can be hard to detect, but the available security measures should take care of most issues.

One of the chief concerns among Internet users is knowing that their privacy is safe and that the computers and personal information are secure from internet security threats. As more personal business is completed online, including shopping, travel planning, blogging, paying bills, web surfing, and sending E-mail and instant messages, Internet users are more and more likely to send confidential information online. Most Internet users enter their address, telephone number, bank account number, or credit card number as they participate in e-commerce without thinking twice. However, it’s essential to safeguard this information and make sure that confidential information stays out of the wrong hands.

Most Internet users assume that the information they search for online and the personal information they enter is private. There are several factors to be aware of when using the Internet that call internet privacy into question, including:

• Cookies: Cookies are a tool used to track a users web surfing. When a user visits a website, that site’s server receives the request for information, and sends the web content to the user’s computer. The user computer stores cookies on the hard drive without the knowledge or permission of the user. The information stored on cookies can be as simple as the name of a website, and as complex as credit card numbers to help automatically fill out forms later. Cookies have useful functions, such as helping web pages load faster, but it’s important to be aware that messages are sent between user computers and servers without the consent of the Internet user.
• Internet Service Providers: Because the only way to get online is through a provider of Internet service, everything you do online can potentially be logged by your ISP. Your provider should have information on how they protect your privacy.
• Data Logging: Many computers are set up to log all computer activity, which could risk a user’s privacy if the information got into the wrong hands through outside access to your computer.
• Spyware: Spyware enters a user computer without warning or permission to monitor activity and steer advertising and other web content toward the user. Spyware is more than a nuisance that hinders computer performance; it can gather and transmit potentially confidential information to third parties.

There are several reasons why other individuals, companies, or even computer programs would want to violate your Internet privacy. In some cases the goal is to target advertising tailored specifically for your interest. In others, people may be trying to steal your information for their personal gain. In today’s ago of information, information is power.

Protecting your computer and your personal information by changing passwords regularly, using effective anti-virus software, using only websites that have taken precautions to ensure your privacy, and screening your system regularly for potentially harmful activity is the only way to safeguard your Internet Privacy. The Internet is an amazing tool, but it can also be dangerous if users fail to take steps to protect themselves.

One of the most important things you can do if you connect to the Internet at all is to make sure that you have internet security in place. Internet security leads to prevention of several problems that can harm or even destroy your data. Some of the security issues for Internet users to be aware of include:

Hackers: Hackers are users who work to find loopholes in Internet security systems and exploit those loopholes. Their intentions could be anything from a desire to copy confidential information to generally just trying to cause trouble. Regardless of a hacker’s purpose, Internet users are at risk and should ensure that they safeguard their computer and personal information.

• Viruses: Viruses are computer programs designed to infiltrate unsuspecting user computers, replicate themselves, spread to other computers, destroy data, and interfere with the operation of your computer. Viruses are most commonly spread through attachments in E-mails, instant messages, or other downloads.
• Spyware: Spyware is software that plants itself on your computer and collects personal information, usually for the purpose of targeting advertising. Adware is spyware that allows advertisements to pop up on your screen based on the information it has gathered from your hard drive. Not all spyware is harmful, but it generally ends up on your computer without your consent and users need to be aware of it, as it can disrupt your computer’s performance.
• Worms: A worm is a program that replicates itself and sends itself to other computers on your network, usually undetected. While a virus has to attach itself to an existing program, a worm does not–it can replicate and spread on its own. Worms can shut down computer function because of the bandwidth they use.
• Phishing Scams: Phishing is essentially tricking a computer user into giving away valuable personal information such as bank account numbers, social security numbers, and credit card numbers. In a phishing scam, the user may receive an E-mail that appears to be sent from their bank asking for the user to confirm personal information. The goal of a phishing scam is to use this information against the victim of the scan.
• Spam: Spamming is the act of sending messages to multiple users indiscriminately in an attempt to flood the Internet with advertising or other information. While spam itself will not likely harm your computer, it can be a nuisance and distraction from the web content you’re really looking for. It’s also easy to hide viruses in links provided through spam messages.

There are ways to protect yourself from the above internet security issues. First, make sure that your computer is equipped with anti-virus software to detect and eliminate security issues. Second, make passwords difficult to guess and change your passwords often. Third, install updates as they become available. Finally, be smart about your online activities. Refuse to click on links that are from unfamiliar or suspicious sources. These issues can be hard to detect, but the available security measures should take care of most issues.

It seems like you hear about all the security threats on the internet everywhere these days.

On the news, in magazines, on the radio – everywhere you turn there seems to be all these warnings of pending doom for anyone who uses the net.

The fact is, there are a lot of threats but like any other news, all you hear about is the bad stuff. The media thrives on giving us bad news and then piling it on to make it sound like the end of the world is near.

That’s how they sell advertising.

The reality is, the threats are there but you’re not necessarily one step away from losing your identity, having your bank account cleaned out by some hacker and getting tricked into giving a bunch of money to some scammer through spam email.

A lot of this stuff is just using your common sense. The internet’s no different than any other form of communication. If someone called you on the phone and offered you something that sounded too good to be true, you’d probably think twice. You should do the same on the internet.

If you want to learn more about how to protect yourself and your family online without having to become a technical wizard, you might want to check out my Online Security Toolkit:

www.OnlineSecurityToolkit.com

It explains how you can protect yourself from things like identity theft, spyware and viruses, as well as how you can keep your kids safe from all the nasty stuff (and people) they can run into on the net.