Online Security

Online security what is it? We protect our homes, our cars and our family. Why are we so careless with our online security? Even the best of us can get caught as I discovered at the beginning of December 2005. Three days later the machine which had the problem was sort of running... I could look at my emails only if I guessed correctly which Icon to click.. By being prepared I had a chance to recover my data and repair the damage. I have learnt my lessons from years of experience, but judging by the number of emails and neighbours a calling, many obviously do not understand the problems of online security! Lets be honest no one wants others to know the details of our online shopping, like passwords, credit card numbers etc. So why tell them!

So some simple advice and recommendations to help in preventing the unwanted attacking your cyber presence!

So just who is watching you?

Eyes may follow you... but why let them put their hands in you pockets or into your cyber space and then steal what is yours!

Protect yourself no one else will!

Alternatively what are other uses of you computer looking at? It is known that children at a very young age are now being exposed to pornography in its various forms. The increase in violent pornography on the internet should be a worry to all parents. Do you know what your children are viewing? If in doubt protect with this FREE family safe porn filter Recommended!

Anti Virus

Anti Virus lets try and cut down the chance of the unwanted accessing your computer from cyber space. Computer viruses, trojans, worms all have one thing in common, that is to cause as much chaos to the recipient as possible. Deleting your data, stealing your address book are just two probabilities. Ever thought what else is going on the background, what you can't see?

Some malicious code could be looking for set sequences of numbers... Yes your CREDIT card! Your National Insurance Number, Your Bank Account and what ever goodies you have stored unprotected on your computer. So if you are in business buy good antivirus software if you are a home user there are plenty of good quality free home user versions

Fire Wall

A little piece of software you install which puts an interface between your computer and the internet again there are the professional versions for business and the often free lite versions for the home user.

Any good firewall should indicate Allow / Deny when a program on your computer is trying to access the internet, some of the programs can learn what you say is good or bad and remember it for the next time. You can block malicious web address in some, block ads with another, again it is just the scale of your protection, at corporate level often with hundreds to thousands of machines to protect you buy wisely for maximum protection.

At home user level Zone Alarm is free for non commercial use and is recommended.

Spy Ware

Called many other names like scum ware, malware this is the area where most cyber interference occurs, probably because you installed it your self... Oh yes you did! That free utility, that game someone gave you. Even when you have deleted the software the malicious code remains, doing what ever its creator wished. This can range from allowing adult ads / popups to appear when browsing with Internet Explorer to the more malicious of logging key strokes to see what you do where you go. Tracking your surfing habits is big business and worth big money, you can be targeted with ads and popups. Every time you leave one website the new one you have just arrived at knows where you have come from! Worrying...? It could be, depending on your view point.

That is why a firewall which asks you if you want to Allow / Deny a program on your computer accessing the internet is so important. The fine line between Viruses and Spyware is so fuzzy now and is open to different interpretations trojans and worms are all Malware what ever their name .

At home user level SpyBot is very good spyware / malware remover, Microsoft has a new addition called Windows Defender which is also excellent.

Crash Companion

Back up, back up, back up...

So you are ready if and when failure occurs... and it usually does!

Like every computer user the world over I have favourite programs, which apart from the operating system I can't live without, so to make things easy I compiled my crash companion. Years past this was a CD disk but in these times of bigger programs I now use DVD/R. All I do is collect my favourite software, e-books etc, then I copy them onto CD/DVD.

When disaster happens whether it be through Cyber Attack, Hardware failure or user error, I have the means to quickly re-install my favourite software with little wasted time. If you have hardware failure or are unable to access your computer... Its no good having that wing ding super software you downloaded, un-accessible and possibly lost for ever is it? Bet you keep the license key / info on the computer as well... Didn't you?

For the small price a CD/DVD disk costs, the savings to you in time and stress are immeasurable.

So make your Crash Companion now! Save your favourite software which you have downloaded, that firewall , that graphics package etc and save the license information for each product... While you're making your Crash Companion I'm sure you will think of other items to add, I did!

Backing UP

If you are in business you should be backing up your critical information on a regular basis. How you back up is just a matter of scale. Networked computers can be within building or building to building, town to town, country to country. Basically all your customer data should be backed up, no point in having customers otherwise. We back up every time a file changes but retain archived copies for roll back all to CD/DVD RW.

There are many programs to do this, many do not come close to doing what is required. We have found that the all singing all dancing backup programs rarely understand business needs. The simpler the program is to use, the better. With the primary function of backing up your system, not added on as afterthought. We recommend Second Copy its simple and does what it says on the box as they say...

PC self Diagnostics Visit our Computer repairs section

Instant messengers

Never ever give out credit card information, banking information or PIN numbers. These services may be convenient and extremely useful but they are NOT SECURE and any information exchanged may be opening a back door into your finances, DON'T DO IT!

Emails

Banks and financial institutions do not send out emails asking you to fill in your account details and password. If you receive such an email "YOU ARE BEING ROBBED" end of story. Don't become another victim. Once you have committed your details, you will lose your money and probably your identity. Identity theft is one of the biggest growing crimes with over 9,000 Canadians in ten months falling victim. In America the total number of residents affected is a staggering 10 million. For further reading on Identity theft. Email attachments often contain more than you expect, don't click / open an attachment unless sure of what it is!

Old Computers

Just because you have finished with your computer does not mean your responsibility with it is finished. Many computers are recycled often ending up in African schools and other less fortunate countries. We all like to help. But have you wiped the data thoroughly before you took it for recycling? If you have erased the data incorrectly then any one who has access to your old computer can recover your personal data, bank details, pin numbers, addresses. Your identity is at risk as is the siphoning of funds out of your bank account. It is happening now in the UK. Want advice on wiping your data then email us for info, we are currently reviewing sites for the best advice and will post a link as soon as possible.

So to summarise:

Make up your own Crash Companion
Find yourself a Back Up program
Install Anti-Virus software
Install a Fire Wall
Use good Anti-Spyware software
Banks & Financial institutions NEVER ASK for account details "YOU ARE BEING ROBBED"
Don't open email attachments unless expecting them, they carry Virus's and Malware

Below are some official UK websites... Each country has its own version to protect its citizens!

www.cifas.org.uk Practical identitytheft advice from UK's consumer credit companies

www.iwf.org.uk Internet Watch Foundation. Illegal content reporting

www.cardwatch.org.uk Banking industries credit card fraud

www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Trading standards dealing with financial scams

www.nhtcu.org The National Hi-Tech Crime Unit

www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com Dealing with childrens chatroom abuse, by adults trolling for sex. Bringing together the resources of police forces from 184 different countries.

www.naomifilter.org FREE Porn filter. Protect the family from the sleazy side of the internet with this FREE filter. Recommended!

So would you?

If an unknown caller on your telephone asked you where you kept your front door key would you tell them which flower pot it is under? Where the jewellery was hidden? No you would not! So why do computer users tell their bank account details, passwords and many other personal details? You have been warned don't do it!