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Computer
Crime Prevention
Online security was once a corporate issue and not too
long ago firewalls were of no concern to home computer users. Hackers
got their kicks from gaining entry to corporate and government networks.
We might have had a picture in our mind's eye of such hackers as
geeks who didn't want to steal our money, but inconvenience us with
computer viruses.
Online crime as shifted and businesses have tightened their computer
security, hackers are going for private individuals, yep you and
me. Our private PC's are a wealth of information and stealing our
identity can be relatively simple. It is the amount
of information and data that we store on our computers not just
user names and passwords for online banks and commerce sites, but
e-mail addresses, instant message IDs, and even licensing keys for
expensive software.
We need to be
aware of the term 'phishing' and 'bots', they are components of
a massive crime wave committing fraud and extortion, by using spy
ware, worms and spam. Phishing begins with emails that appear to
be from a reputable source such as your bank … more.
Securing your computer
We lock our cars, we secure our homes but apart from installing
anti-vurus software (which is as only as good as its update), we
don't really secure our computers. When was the last time you downloaded
a security patch or updated your software such as Windows? Do you
check the the integrity of a laptop that is used between work and
home, it could be infected with a harmful virus.
If
you are using wireless networks turn on the encryption features
to secure your connection. Educating your family or other users
about internet security such as not clicking on unexpected e-mail
attachments. Show caution when using peer-to-peer products and services,
such as file-sharing networks.
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