It's about a little knowledge and simple



steps you can take to avoid these criminals.

Three out of five emails are "SPAM".

It's not surprising that it annoys us because there's so

much of it, and the content ranges from adverts to porn,

begging letters and scams.

With regard to emails spam means "unsolicited bulk email" -

Bulk email means sending the same message to many

thousands of people, a favorite with spammers. Someone

somewhere will click on it.

The email trick test will help you to avoid a very nasty

scam called "Phishing". You might receive an email:

"We suspect an unauthorized transaction on your account. To

ensure that your account is not compromised, please click

the link below and confirm your identity."

"During our regular verification of accounts, we couldn't

verify your information. Please click here to update and

verify your information"

They're trying to get information from you such as credit

card details, bank account information, Social Security

number, passwords, or other sensitive information.

Once they get your personal details, they go for the short

term gains by raiding your bank account and "maxing out"

your credit cards. They can also take out loans in your

name. You probably won't know about it until the loan

company's start chasing the overdue payments.

Legitimate companies will not ask for personal information

by email. Don't let the style of the email mislead you,

it's very easy to copy bank headers. Don't use any links

from these emails as they can make links look as if

they're going to one place, but they're being redirected

to another.

If you get an email with an attachment and you don't

recognise the sender, don't open it, delete it.

Attachments to emails can transfer a virus; it's often

launched when you open the attachment (usually by double-

clicking the attachment icon).

Malware - software designed to infiltrate or damage

computer systems. Malware commonly includes computer

viruses, worms, Trojan horses, spyware and adware.

Viruses - a computer virus behaves in a similar way to a

biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into

living cells. The negative effect of computer viruses

includes uncontrolled self-reproduction, which can

overwhelm your computer. They can erase files and corrupt

the operating system. They can arrive on a floppy disk,

from a download, or an attachment to an e-mail.

Worms: a self-replicating computer program similar to a

computer virus. A worms self-contained and doesn't need

another program to propagate itself. Worms tend to harm

the network and consume bandwidth, whereas viruses infect

or corrupt files on a targeted computer.

Trojan horses: Trojan horse programs can't operate on their

own like viruses or worms. A Trojan horse, technically a

normal computer program, does not possess the means to

spread itself. They will probably be part of a free game or

program.

In the background it might modify or delete files, change

the configuration of the computer, or even use the

computer as a base from which to attack other computers.

Spyware – it’s software that gathers information on how you use

your computer, and then transmits the data to another

source. It can also transmit the usernames and passwords

you've typed in online.

Adware - it's software that displays advertising on your

computer. Spyware and adware are often part of the same

program. But when the software starts silently spying on

you, it stops being harmless.

Hackers / criminals can run software on your computer,

place malicious code on your hard drive, and even copy

exactly what you're typing.

What You Can Do About It - It's Easy and Essential

First a few explanations

A Firewall examines the traffic/data coming into and going

out of a computer, and then either allows or denies this

traffic. If there's no firewall, a personal computer runs

the risk of being hi-jacked within minutes of going on the

internet. It becomes an open door through which anyone or

anything can enter.

Anti-virus - a virus can erase files and corrupt the

operating system.

Latest windows updates - especially those relating to

Security

Stop Spyware - malicious spyware programs that install

themselves without your permission and then sends data

silently to another source without you knowing.

Stop Unwanted email - a program that sorts out the spam,

not essential for everyone, but you will know when sorting

the email takes up too much of your time.

Regular backups are absolutely essential, because

sometime in the future you will meet a problem. With a

backup you can smile, if there's no backup you're in real

trouble.

Resources - that cover security issues mentioned in this

article:

Online Security: http://www.firewallguide.com/index.html

Windows free updates:

http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate

Anti Spam - Anti Phishing: http://www.cloudmark.com

Free Spam Blocker: http://www.mailwasher.net

Start with resource number one "Online Security" you will

learn more about the things you need to know, and there's

also quality free software available.

It's not very exciting checking your security, but it's

better than the emotional stress, or financial loss.

Think about it - seriously!

**Ezine editors / Site Owners**

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