Defending Your Computer Against Malicious Websites

Innovations in technology have made Websites and Web browsers increasingly complex, allowing users and Webmasters to enjoy new freedoms with their communications. Many of the liberties that we can now take are the result of innovations that allow Websites to support numerous individual sessions when a large number of users are interacting with the site.

Cookies are identifiers that a Website sets on your computer to distinguish you from other users. Some cookies operate only during a session; others maintain contact in between sessions. The latter types are referred to as persistent cookies. They "remember" your identity between one visit to a Website and the next, allowing you to set your preferences and customizations on a site, for example, so they'll be displayed automatically whenever you visit.

Unfortunately, hackers and other less-than-reputable people sometimes take advantage of this technology to monitor users' online activity, corrupt their computers, and even perpetrate identity theft. One method of doing this is to set up a phony, black-hat Website whose purpose is to download malicious code into a visitor's computer. The purpose of this code may be to plant viruses, delete files, or install a program known as a key logger that can record and transmit keystrokes in the hopes of attaining bank, credit card and PIN numbers and other sensitive information.

Oftentimes, these perpetrators lure victims through e-mail. Be wary of any message that you may receive from an unknown sender that urges you to visit a Website that you haven't heard of before. Clicking on the attached link may only bring you to a page with a message that runs like this: "Catch you later!" By then, it may be too late. Good antivirus software will block known viruses from being downloaded into your computer; but hackers always endeavor to stay ahead of the game and write viruses that even the most up-to-date software isn't aware of yet. Also, your antivirus software may not recognize incoming spyware.

The best defense is to avoid these sites altogether. An e-mail spam blocker will weed out a good percentage of these baited messages before you even see them. Configuring your Internet security setting at "Medium" or "High" will give you added protection when you browse the Web. There is also a cookies setting that enables you to block third-party cookies that use personally identifiable information without your consent, or that do not have a compact privacy policy.

If you take these precautions, your computer will either remain invisible to malicious sites or else be equipped to fight off their attempts to infiltrate it. Then you can browse in peace, knowing that the disreputable element online will be obliged to look elsewhere for easy prey.