Antivirus Blog

While the internet is an incredible innovation that offers a convenient way to do things like shop, communicate with friends, and even pay your bills, it is also riddled with viruses and other types of malware, as well as thieves that are out to steal your personal information. Anyone that uses the internet should know how to avoid these types of threats.

Computer Viruses
There was a time when viruses were distributed almost exclusively through email attachments. While that is still a very common way that viruses are spread, there are even more ways nowadays. Some viruses can be contracted by simply visiting a website that is hosted on a virus infected server. Harmful code may be downloaded by your web browser upon visiting such as site that is then saved to your computer. For this reason, you should always be cautious about clicking links to websites that you are not familiar with.

Phishing
Phishing is a malicious and often times criminal practice of tricking web surfers into divulging personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and more. Most phishing attempts are made via email, by sending fraudulent emails made to look like they are sent from legitimate sources, requesting personal information. It is important to keep in mind that no financial institution is going to ask you to submit your personal information back to them, by email or by any other means. They already have this information on file, and it is usually against their policy to ask you to furnish that information anyway. Often fraudulent emails will contain links that take the unsuspecting web surfer to an imposter site that is set up to look exactly like a legitimate site to gain the trust of the victim. The user is then prompted to login with their sensitive information and it is then stolen by the criminals. PayPal customers are a big target for this type of scam. Always check the address bar to make sure you’re actually on the site that you appear to be.

Online Shopping Precautions
The convenience of shopping online is definitely a luxury, but there is substantial risk associated with it. However, with a bit of caution the risk can be eliminated. First of all, only shop from sites that you trust. If you’re unsure about the reputation of any particular website, do a quick Google search to see what people are saying about it. If there is anything fraudulent about the site, you’ll likely find out about it. Also, as mentioned earlier, be sure to check the address bar while you’re on the site and make sure that the website address matches the site that you are on.

If you decide to make a purchase, be sure that the checkout page is secure. In many browsers this is indicated by a padlock symbol somewhere at the bottom of the window. You can also tell by looking in the address bar. A secure page’s address will begin with https:// as opposed to http://. This indicates that any information you transmit through that page will be encrypted so that it can’t be intercepted by a third party (such as a hacker).

Using all of the above information will vastly improve your chances of remaining unscathed by viruses and other malicious threats online, but in order to fully protect yourself, youíll need high quality security software. You can get antivirus and antispyware products separately, or you can purchase and entire security suite that will give you all-inclusive protection. Do your research online to find which security software is best for you.

Today’s internet has become a breeding ground for scam artists along with their clever and sometimes not-so-clever scams. If you are relatively new to the internet, there are a lot of things you need to learn about how things work online in order to protect yourself from such scams. Even those who have been online for a very long time are still not immune to being taken advantage of by scam artists. Scammers are constantly evolving their methods and developing new ways to cheat people online.

On the other hand, the internet is also a revolutionary invention that allows communication and exchange of information at a level far beyond anything that ever existed before. The internet offers several advantages, but in order to safely use it, you need to know how to properly protect yourself.

First and foremost, don’t open emails from unfamiliar senders. This is the most common way that viruses are distributed. Harmful programs are attached in emails and if the unsuspecting user downloads the program, their computer will become infected, at which point their personal information and data may be compromised.
Aside from the distribution of computer viruses, what are some other online scams to look out for?

Whenever you follow a link to a website, always check the address bar to ensure that the address matches the site you thought you were going to. Sometimes crooks design sites to look exactly like a trusted site, such as a banking site, in order to trick visitors into entering their personal information.

Dating scams are also very prevalent online. Con artists pose as singles looking for a partner and lure in unsuspecting victims by chatting with them. The goal is to eventually convince the victim to send money to the con artist, usually by convincing the victim that the money will be used to buy a plane ticket so that they can see each other. Once the payment is made, the decoy then disappears.
Some websites can harm your computer simply by visiting them. Once you visit such a website, a harmful code is executed in your browser and subsequently saved to your computer. Having an up to date antivirus program installed will limit the chances of your computer being harmed by this type of site.

Email scams from countries like Nigeria have gained a lot of attention in recent times. Con artists in Nigeria or other nations where there is little chance of prosecution target people online with an elaborate story about how they have a great deal of money tied up and need an American to help them access it, and of course they are willing to share the expected cash in return for the help. At some point they ask that you send them a few thousand dollars (or more, in some cases) to help cover expenses, after which the con artist disappears.

Another email scam concerns supposed lottery winnings. Emails are sent out to thousands by scammers telling them that they’ve won the lottery, and that all they need to do to claim their winnings is send a check to cover the taxes on the winnings. Surprisingly, several people fall for this scam every year.

Before doing business with any website that you donít absolutely trust, it doesn’t hurt to a little research first. Simply Googling the name of the site should return results that will help you decide whether or not they are a legit company. If a site has been involved with any type of scam activity, you will likely find consumer reports about it. You may also visit the Better Business Bureauís website to see what the companyís rating is.

The internet has become a way of life for millions of people. Paying bills, shopping, and communicating with friends have all become activities regularly done online as opposed to the old fashioned ways. People are also using the internet to handle car loans, apply for credit cards, even to do their personal banking online.

All of this activity results in significant amounts of sensitive, private information being transmitted over the internet every single day. Some people are confident in the security of conducting such business online, while others are a bit more wary. Many people refuse to do it altogether. For instance, some people prefer to do all of their shopping online, while others won’t even submit their email address to a website. While it is true that there are some potential security risks associated with transmitting personal data online, with the right software and familiarity with the way the internet works, these risks can be minimized and such tasks can be performed safely.

Identity theft is a very common crime. Having your identity compromised can have serious consequences. In the event that your identity is stolen, criminals may use your information to:

• Create fraudulent utility accounts
• Take out loans
• Obtain credit cards
• Open fraudulent checking or savings accounts
• Commit bank fraud
• Obtain fraudulent government documents, such as IDs and passports

Some people think that because they have a fair or poor credit score that they don’t have to be as concerned with identity theft as someone with good credit. This is definitely not true, considering that some of the things mentioned above do not require a positive credit record, and can result in a significant headache. Once negative items appear on your record, even if they’re fraudulent, it can be a lengthy process to prove that they are erroneous and have them removed.

Internet Security Software

All major security software companies offer products that feature Internet security. Having this software installed on your machine greatly decreases your chances of having your information stolen.

Has Your Identity Been Compromised?

You should check your credit report on a regular basis. The sooner you spot suspicious entries the sooner you can get the problem resolved before any new ones arise. There are several credit monitoring services available online. You can also obtain one free credit report each year, so at the very least you should take advantage of that.
Shop at Secure Websites

Do not make any purchases from websites that appear suspicious, and as a general rule you should only make purchases on sites that use security encryption. Encryption makes it so that all information you transmit to their site is scrambled until they receive it, making it difficult to intercept and virtually impossible to use by thieves.

Keep Your Software Up to Date

Sometimes people have spyware running on their computers and they have no idea. More malicious types of spyware are designed to steal your personal information and relay it to the thieves that created the harmful software over the internet. Other types of spyware are more harmless, but should still be removed to protect your privacy and keep your computer running efficiently. The best way to combat spyware is to make sure your computer’s security software is constantly up to date with the latest information pertaining to new types of spyware. Most types of modern security software can be set to automatically update.

Although identity theft is a real danger and unfortunate reality, with a little bit of precaution it can easily be avoided, and you can still take advantage of all the conveniences the Internet has to offer.