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Take steps to prevent hackers from infiltrating your home/business computers
When you go on the Internet to do my work, check your e-mail or do some personal banking, you have to admit you rarely worry about how secure your connection is. But do you fully realize how potentially hazardous cyberspace could be? A recent study by AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance examined computers from more than 350 households, they found that 80 percent lacked core protections like “recently-updated anti-virus software, a properly configured firewall and/or spyware protection.” About one in five of the computers was infected with at least one virus and 23 percent of users received at least one phishing attempt within a two-week period via e-mail.
Phishing scams use e-mails that appear to come from a legitimate business in order to acquire sensitive information like Social Security numbers, passwords or credit card numbers.
This is certainly cause for concern. But don’t permanently shut down your computer just yet. Here are 10 ways you can protect yourself.
1 Keep your software updated. Updated systems make it more difficult for hackers to infiltrate your operating system. Your computer should be configured to do automatic updates daily. You can verify this is happening by checking this setting found under your Control Panel if you’re using Windows or under System Preferences on Macs.
2 Install anti-spyware and anti-virus programs. A study by the University of Washington’s Department of Computer Science found that one in every 25 Web sites contained invasive software. We are please to recommend Panda Internet Security 2008.
3 Install a firewall. Firewalls can prevent hackers from gaining access to your computer. Both Windows and Macs offer optional firewalls. But your best bet is to purchase a quality one on your own. This is especially true if you’re using Windows.
4 Never assume your protective software is foolproof. You may have the latest anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection, but that doesn’t mean you should let down your guard. Before you open an e-mail attachment or download anything from the Internet, ensure it comes from a reputable source. Though some sites will only slow down your system with their adware, other sites contain spyware that enables hackers full access to your system in less than four minutes. Be wary of sites that offer free downloads. According to the University of Washington study, game and celebrity sites present the highest risk. About one in five game sites include spyware programs. On the celebrity sites they examined, this was true for one out of every seven.
5 Don’t do your online banking at the local internet cafe. Having access to free Wi-Fi is great, as long as you remember that the guy sitting at the next table may be spying on you. Don’t type in anything you wouldn’t happily share with those sitting around you. Make sure your laptop is not set up to share files with a network and never access sensitive information in a public place.
6 Even if you’re in the security of your own home with plenty of spyware protection, never give away sensitive information on a site that is unsecured. About one in 10 adults who shops on the Internet will become a victim of online fraud. Be careful of making purchases at a Web site you’ve never heard of before. Ensure the site posts a physical address that they operate from. Also verify that when you give payment information the Web site is encrypted or secured. The address should change from http to https or shttp.
7 Don’t fall prey to phishing attacks. If you receive an e-mail asking you to update personal information on an account, do not reply to it or click on any links that are meant to lure you to a sham Web site.
8 Choose effective passwords. This excludes using your Social Security number, your name, nicknames, your kids’ names, pets’ names, phone numbers, keyboard sequences (asdfg) or a series of numbers. An effective password should include seemingly random letters and/or numbers. You should also be able to type it quickly to throw off “shoulder surfers” (people who would try to steal your password by looking at your keyboard). For added security, passwords should also be changed periodically throughout the year. How often depends on how critical the information is that you’re trying to protect. Experts also agree that you should never write passwords down. But let’s face it. If you shop online, bank online, check your e-mail, book travel reservations, etc., etc., that’s a lot of random passwords to memorize every few months. I don’t know about you, but I just don’t have that kind of space available in my memory bank. Instead, Whitfield Diffie, chief security officer at Sun Microsystems suggests that you write your passwords down (not on your computer) and stash them in a safe place. He says, “your wallet is a lot more secure than your computer.”
9 Unfortunately, for every program that is created to protect your computer, there are digital demons out there working to infiltrate it. You cannot completely protect your computer any more than you can protect your car from ever being stolen. But, you can do your best to prevent your car from being an easy target by staying away from bad neighborhoods and installing a security system.
10 The same is true for your home computer. If you make it difficult for hackers to break into your system, they’re likely to seek out easier victims.
If you are experiencing difficulties with any area of protection on you computer,
please contact us for further details.
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