" Well, as through the world I've rambled, I've seen lots of funny men. Some rob you with a six-gun, some with a fountain pen"
From the song "Pretty Boy Floyd" by Woody Guthrie
In a written contract you would scrutinize the small print to avoid being 'had' - transactions on the internet, whether for business or pleasure, also need your attention to ensure your security is not compromised.
This opener is not intended to cause panic, let's get something straight with a few questions:
Q: Is your PC secure?
A: Probably not.
Q: Will you suffer as a result of a lack of security.
A: You may suffer to some degree, but once again probably not - it depends what you use your PC for.
You may be concerned about the security of your online transactions with shops, or while using e-banking. Your concerns may simply be due to the unfamiliarity of the environment, or a lack of understanding of new technology involved in these transactions. Maybe you are concerned that your credit card details will be stolen or misused, or that you will not receive the products you have paid for.
Alternatively you may be concerned about strangers stalking you online, and even tracking you down at home; you may believe that a stranger could 'hack' into your PC; or you may simply be concerned that your PC will become infected by a virus. This section deals with these issues and gives you the information you need to know you will be safe.
There are a number of options available to you, which you choose to use will depend on the degree of security you require. The main choices available to you are:
A useful security tip is to use a different password for logging on secure sites (such as ecommerce and e-banking) than for logging on non secure sites, e.g. hotmail accounts and forums.
There are many ways your PC can become infected by a virus
Once your PC is infected you could unwittingly infect your friends PCs as many viruses propagate by sending themselves to everyone in your address book. There are many different types of viruses, some are just a nuisance; while others may attempt to delete data off your PC; or may install a program which allows someone else to access your PC, or to steal passwords/credit card details.
Virus checkers can be bought from shops, alternatively an evaluation copy can be downloaded and installed from a web site. Unless it is a time limited evaluation, the only real drawback of an evaluation copy is that it keeps reminding you that your copy is for evaluation, however as a rule you can just click ‘OK’ and the reminder goes away until next time. A variety of sites permitting these downloads may be found on the links page.
But it is not enough to install a virus checker. New viruses are created on a daily basis, so unless you update your virus checker regularly then you may fall foul of a new virus. I would advise updating at least once a month - but weekly or fortnightly would be better.
The McAfee website states “Virus hoaxes are more than mere annoyances, as they may lead some users to routinely ignore all virus warning messages, leaving them vulnerable to a genuine, destructive virus.”
If you receive a mail message warning you about a virus and you forward that one message to all your family and friends, and each person receiving it does the same, then it may end up being sent to hundreds of people.
9 out of 10 mail messages warning you of a virus are almost certainly hoax messages. Please check their authenticity before forwarding them to other people. This can be done by checking McAfee's hoax page where all the current hoaxes are listed.
View the latest virus threats, virus infections, and hoax viruses
If you make purchases from online shops, or use ebanking then you need to ensure your version of IE is secure.
Open IE, click on ‘Help’, then click on ‘About Internet Explorer’ - a box similar to that shown below will be displayed:
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For secure e-shopping and e-banking the 'Cipher Strength' needs to be at least 128-bit. IE version 6.0 will be 128-bit, however if you have version 5.0 or 5.5 then your copy of IE may need to be updated. Updating to 128-bit cipher strength can be done by installing Service Pack 2 for IE - this can be found on the Microsoft web site. The Service Pack may take a while to download, so if you have a slow internet connection you may wish to install a patch instead - I will check which (if any) will update the security to 128 bit and add the details here. Many patches and service packs are available on the Microsoft site both for IE and for your windows operating system – you may decide you need some of these but not others. You can tell if your copy of IE has been patched because 'Update Versions' will show the patch details, e.g. "Update Versions:, SP2, Q321232" indicates Service Pack 2, and patch number Q321232 have been applied. |
A firewall is designed to monitor your connection to the internet and help prevent unauthorized access from the internet to your PC, some also protect against malicious email attachments. Zone Labs explain in more detail why a firewall is a useful addition to your PC. Firewall software is available from shops, but some manufacturers will allow you to download a copy of their software and use it for free - provided it is for personal use. ZoneAlarm and Sygate are two examples of these.
When meeting a complete stranger face to face you would not give them details about yourself. It is even more important not to do this with a ‘faceless’ stranger on the Internet - for all you know that nice ‘Mary’ may really be a total weirdo named Paul!
In the interests of your safety, avoid giving out your full name, also avoid giving details of where you live - the general area is close enough, e.g. South West of England, or Kent would be preferable to the name of your town/city.
It goes without saying that you should not arrange to meet up with such strangers, however if you do choose to meet them then play it safe - take someone with you, meet in a very public place, or ensure that someone knows exactly where you are going and has all the details available regarding who you expect to meet.
Also check your hotmail account by sending a message from it to a second email address. Make sure that your full name is not specified in the ‘from’ field of the email. Some accounts (including Yahoo) will show your full name by default, if you do not wish this to happen then you will have to edit your details within the hotmail account.
In a worst case scenario you could become a victim of ‘identity theft’. This is where someone gains information about you and does something in your name, e.g. opens bank accounts or applies for credit cards, store cards etc. For more information see: the BBC website, an Identity Theft website, or a government website regarding identity theft.
