Working online safety requires that you learn how to protect your valuable information.
Many people come online to surf, read e-mails, download music or play games. For them, the ‘net is a relatively benign place .Others, hoping to start an online business, write or even teach classes, the ‘net is a very perilous place. Add to this the proliferation of IRC protocols like Exodus, Jabber, Mirc or PIRC, (variations of chat/instant messenger software), and things become much more problematic.
Hacking has become so much more common and the damage mounts accordingly. In this series of articles, we’ll take a look at ways to avoid being attacked, signs your system has been compromised, and finally where to go for help.
Connecting to the web is done using either dial-up or some form of always on connection, such as cable, dsl or fiberoptics.. Dial up connections are the safest in terms of not having a static IP or internet protocol address or number. What this means is it makes it much more difficult for a hacker to “lock” on to your computers IP. The always on connection however has a static IP, which can leave you wide open to a seasoned hacker.
Why people hack can range from a simple motive like “I just want to see if I can do it” to the much more malicious, “I’m going to get you” mentality. The bottom line is as long as people use computers, there will be others dedicated to ruining lives.
The first line of defense is always running an internet security suite, consisting of a firewall and antivirus application. But for the online professional, who uses the net for business, much more is needed to be truly safe. A firewall in your router will help block all but the most dedicated hacker. Belkin offers one which includes a surge protector in addition, and you plug your phone computer and even TV into it. A basic one from a store like Radio Shack runs around $69.00.
An external drive is another excellent way to protect your most valuable data. This appliance plugs in for uploading work into your machine, then is disconnected. You can safely keep your private work off line using this drive. Another option is doing your work on an unconnected storage computer that is never online. This is one of the safest ways to avoid putting your work at risk.
Don’t leave your computer on at night. Power it off or put it in standby mode. An always on connection means just that.. it’s always an open line. While you sleep, certain hackers can hijack your computer to surf sex sites or worse. There are some excellent auxiliary programs out there that can amp up your security. One of the best is TrojanGuarder. It hunts for the most hidden Trojans and open ports, and alerts you. Another is Hijacker Exterminator. This small app warms you every time an unauthorized program attempts a breach. And finally, SpyBot, a great little application, rids your machine of malicious adware and spyware.
I know some of you reading this article are thinking sheesh is it worth being online? My response is, yes it is. But we all need to realize that just as in offline life, there are sick and twisted individuals, who will hurt you, just because they can. Don’t make it easy for them to ruin your online experience. Take the time to read articles, visit internet security sites and get yourself web savvy. You’ll find that working and playing online will be a much safer, more enjoyable experience.
http://HackerElimintaor.com
http://www.spybotS&D.com
http://hacker-tracker.com/
http://lockdowncorp.com/
http://www.misec.net/products/
http://www.ifccfbi.gov/index.asp
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