Internet Safety

No matter what software you use, you can still get hacked by unscrupulous people who have a reason to get into your accounts and snoop around. In many cases it may not be your software's fault that you were hacked into; but it may have been your own fault for being way too complacent about your own security practices. I hold my hand up high... I am guilty! How many of us sign up to different internet sites with the same user name and password we use for our personal Internet files such as for your online banking? This is a very bad practice. When you are choosing a user name and password we should choose one that would not be easily guessed. I would suggest using a variation of letters and numbers and symbols.

Never ever use the same user name and password for every online account that you have. Pick a different one for each account. You will probably need to keep a little diary of all your accounts and your passwords and user names in order to keep up with them. I have to do that, because I have no memory when it comes to the different sites. Without making note of my credentials, I can't get into my sites. Even though this may be inconvenient, it is better to create a separate user name and password because if a hacker wants to get into your account, it can be done if you aren't extremely careful. Another word about passwords: it's not a good idea to save them to your computer. It is better to clear your cookies and cache files when you leave a site. Every time you click on a site you are sent a cookie from that site. They have a connection to you through that cookie even after you leave the site.

If you are signing up for games and sites like Cash Crate and Pay Cage and other sites just like it to do those to do surveys to get paid, you will be bombarded with emails. Don't use your main email address for these accounts. An advertiser or survey that you click on could be packing malware, such as spyware, a trojan and viruses. If these sites send their emails to your main account, a spy can sit in the background unnoticed taking note of everywhere you surf and take note of all the passwords you use and your user names. It would be a really bad thing if your bank account was hacked into, for no better reason than you didn't use a separate address for those paid to click sites.

If your computer didn't already come with one, you will need to install a good virus scanner to detect any back door programs and trojan horses. I use AVG Free Edition. Don't let your virus scanner expire. Keep it updated; if you don't your computer may fall prey to malware just as soon as you connect to the internet. It is amazing how fast a brand new computer can become corrupted, and in some cases they will crash without any warning. There is no such thing as to being too careful when it comes to protecting your computer from malware sent from the internet. If you have a wireless connection, do not log into a site unless it is a secure site. You will get a warning if the site is not secure. It will ask you if you want to proceed. It is better to log out of that site and wait until you can hook up to a more secure source.

Should you get an invitation to download a program that you did not subscribe to, or you are not familiar with, be weary of it. Don't download the program unless it is something that you checked out yourself. Be careful because it could have a hitchhiker on board. Another thing to be very leery of is attachments. Don't open attachments that you don't know the sender. Even if you do know the sender you could get infected if your sender's computer files are infected. You should always have a virus scanner that tells you that your attachment is free of viruses.

Windows XP comes with a firewall already in it when you buy it. Make sure you turn it on when you first start up your computer. If your computer doesn't have one, you can download a good one for free or you can purchase one. When you are finished using your computer for the day, be sure to log off and shut it down properly. I've made the mistake of being logged on all night when the computer is not in use. I've done it day after day and I believe I picked up a virus that way, because the sites I have logged on to still had a connection through the cookies in my computer. I have since learned to clear everything and shut it down. It's called living and learning.

It is a good idea to back up all your files. Make copies of them to store on a CD or flash drive, just in case your computer crashes, or your files get corrupted for some reason. You will be able to do a factory reboot to restore it, and then you can restore all your files back onto your computer.

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