How To Protect Your Identity Online

Surfing the Internet is a daily occurrence for an increasing number of people these days, as technology expands and online services continue to grow. Many people go online to carry out banking transactions, shop, check e-mail, and catch up on news. That’s why it’s more important than ever to protect your identity while surfing the web. As identity theft becomes more prevalent, it’s necessary for everyone to be extra vigilant in protecting personal information – before it gets into the wrong hands.

Every time you go online and conduct some type of transaction, whether it is monetary or an exchange of information, you put your identity at risk. Unfortunately, criminals use the Internet too, making use of the technology to perpetrate identity theft. This type of cyber-criminal gathers personal information online and either sells it to others for profit, or uses it to his/her own purpose.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to stay one step ahead of these “bandits” and keep your identity as safe as possible. The Internet landscape is always changing, so you need to keep on top of things if you want to remain as safe as possible.

The first thing you need to do is learn how to avoid phishing scams. Phishers use fake e-mails and websites to pretend they are actual, trustworthy companies and institutions, such as banks and insurance companies. When people receive a fake e-mail or are directed to a counterfeit website, they are tricked into revealing passwords, credit card numbers, and other such information. Be warned: the criminals are good at what they do, so you must be very careful when dealing with e-mails from your bank or other organization. The key thing to remember is that real institutions never ask you to verify personal information online – be cautious and contact the sender directly, over the phone, to authenticate the request and, if necessary, provide any information they might actually require.

Because many phishers use spam e-mail as a way to obtain your personal passwords and information, install a good spam filter to keep out as much spam as possible. If you strain out most of the problem e-mails from the get-go, you won’t have to worry about dealing with too many suspicious messages on your own. Also, avoid sending any sensitive information via e-mail or instant messengers. Scam artists are notorious for intercepting e-mails and IMs. Use common sense when dealing with e-mail as well. For instance, avoid opening e-mail or IM attachments that you deem suspicious. Only open files from someone if you know the sender and what they are sending you.

And NEVER send your social security number over the Internet. No one should be requesting it, but if you are asked for it, confirm who is requesting it and send it directly to that person.

Another great way to prevent ID theft is by password protecting all your computers, laptops, and PDAs. For each item, come up with a unique user name and password. The same rule should be followed when selecting passwords for any online activity. Why? If one password is discovered by an individual with ill intentions, and all your bank accounts, credit cards, and other private logins use the same password, he/she could gain access to everything. When selecting passwords, create them with letters, numbers, special characters, and make up nonsense character strings not found in the dictionary. These will be much more difficult to decipher by a potential scammer.

Keep the amount of personal data present on your computer to a minimum. In the event that your computer is hacked or your laptop is stolen, you will be much less prone to ID theft because you won’t be giving the thief much to work with. Another good idea is to install a personal firewall program. Although systems such as Windows already contain a basic firewall program, setting up another program will ensure that your computer is hidden from hackers, stop intruders from reaching sensitive information, and let you control Internet traffic.

Purchase antivirus software and keep it updated. A high-quality virus protection package can help prevent and eliminate viruses, Trojan horses, and other dangerous items designed to steal your personal information. It will also scan e-mail and IM attachments for viruses.

In addition to antivirus software, be sure to equip your PC with the latest in anti-spyware protection. Although a great many of the spyware programs out there simply monitor your online actions for the purposes of marketing, some have been created for malicious reasons, including keystroke logging and, of course, identity theft.

One last tip: when you decide to update your computer and throw away or sell your old one, remember to remove all your data from the hard disk. Many people mistakenly believe that simply deleting files makes them disappear – but this is not the case. When you delete files they are still present on your hard drive, and have to be erased prior to handing the machine over to another person. Software known as wipe programs or shredders can be used to overwrite data with zeroes or random patterns making it completely unreadable.

It’s well worth the effort to take the precautions necessary for keeping your personal information under lock and key. Trying to clean up the mess left behind by an identity thief can take years, and will cause you a headache or two. So take charge and protect your personal information, using common sense and a few good tech tools to keep the cyber-thieves at bay.

Security Software Options And Their Prices

The Internet is no doubt a wonderful development. Without it we wouldn’t be able to check the scores of games that aren’t on television, have a child find out what makes up the earth’s atmosphere without leaving home, or conveniently gather any number of other information sources important to people for their various reasons. With the ease of being able to find out just abut anything you need to know when you need to know it, comes a price beyond the mere expenses of hardware, software, and Internet access. That is, with this convenience we all open ourselves and our computers to many of the threats that lurk on the information super highway.

When a computer connects to the Internet, it exchanges data with other computers around the world that simultaneously allow villains to potentially infiltrate your computer. This can not only harm your computer but also allows “cyber thugs” to extract personal information that you have stored on it. (That is especially dangerous when it comes to identity theft.) Even without the threat of stealing personal information, connectivity to the world allows your computer to potentially be “infected” by computer viruses and worms that can damage or destroy the programs and files you have stored, even without being connected to the Internet. It is a serious problem and needs focused attention.

The best means you have today of addressing this threat is to ensure your computer is fully equipped with security software such as a firewall, anti-virus program, anti-spyware program, and anti-spam software. A program that also thwarts adware is fairly critical as well. These will protect you from scammers and hackers waiting for unsuspecting or naive people who don’t take the risks seriously (or they simply do not know). Before you purchase any security software, it is important to know how much you will need to pay and the safety level you can expect to gain in return for your money. Below are a few sample prices to consider during your research before heading to the store.

For the budget conscious individual, there are some very reliable software security manufacturers in the industry. SpyWare Doctor and Webroot Spy Sweeper are both around $30.00 and work well to detect and remove spyware from your computer. For other non-budget breaker security programs you may want to consider AVG software which provides a firewall and anti-virus program that helps keep you protected without spending any money at all. Zone Alarm is another option; its cost is roughly $50.00 and works seamlessly to ward off hacker attempts and other suspicious software.

Zone Alarm offers an all-in-one security package containing spyware busters, a firewall, and an anti-virus program for only $65.00. Norton, which is one of the leading manufacturers for security protection, has an anti-virus program that takes care of spyware as well for only $60.00 plus the cost of updates over ensuing years. If you have a multitude of computers for a business setting, you may want to consider BrightMail Anti-Spam which at a hefty price of $1500 works extremely well for larger businesses.

Now that you know some of the security software available and rough price ranges, you should take aggressive steps to determine the best options for your computer and wallet (if you haven’t already). You do not need to spend much money to install basic security on your computer, and just the peace of mind alone is worth the price.

5 Tips to Protect Yourself From the Spam in Your Inbox

You will inevitably receive some spam in your inbox – there is no getting around that fact of life. How you handle this unwanted junk mail will go a long way toward reducing or increasing the amount of spam you will receive in the future. It may also protect you from viruses, credit card fraud, identity theft and other forms of cyber-crime. Next time you log into your inbox, keep these 5 tips in mind to stop the spammers dead in their tracks.

Do not Preview

If you are able to preview your entire email messages in your inbox, you should disable the message preview pane. This is important because some spam email contains code that is specifically designed to compromise your computer and leave you vulnerable to viruses, Trojan horses or worse. Review the options offered in your email program and change the settings.

Do not Fall for the Phisher’s Hook

Many spam emails are cleverly designed hoaxes, which are intended to get you to unwittingly divulge private information. They claim to be from your credit card company, bank or other financial institution, and attempt to fool you into divulging personal information such as your social security number, bank account number, password or other private, identifiable information.

This fraudulent practice is called phishing. Responding to this form of spam would leave you vulnerable to identity theft, credit card fraud and other financial cyber-crime.

Friend or Foe?

Just because an email has been sent to you by a friend, do not assume that it safe for you to open any attachment that comes with it. Contact your friend and verify that they did indeed send it.
Very often, spammers will attach a virus to their spam, which, if opened, will hijack your email program and mail itself out to every email address in your address book. This fraudulent email will appear to the recipients to have been sent by you. If they in turn, open this email attachment, the same malicious cycle is repeated.

Read your Email in Plain Text

Spammers often use Javascript to embed malicious code in their spam. It may, for example, be designed to infect your system with a virus that can install itself in your computer, and give a hacker or other scammer access to your private and financial information – without your ever knowing it. You can protect yourself against this by changing the settings to display the email messages in plain text. This effectively disables many harmful scripting features

Never Respond

Do not click on any banner advertising or send a reply to a spam message. Doing this lets the spammer that yours is a “real, live” address, which will only result in a deluge of even more spam. Unless you have specifically subscribed, do not click on any unsubscribe messages contained in junk mail. Most of these are only intended to fool you into confirming your address as valid. Also, do not forward any junk chain letters you may receive.

Above all else, common sense is the most important form of spam protection you can have. Be vigilant when you check your mail – even the most advanced anti-spam filter available today cannot keep 100% of all spam out of you inbox.

Bank Safely And Securely

In this age of the Internet, there has been a transformation in the way people bank. Most transactions can be conducted online, and one can access cash fast from innumerable ATMs strewn all over cities and towns. What is more, with internal tie-ups, you can even use ATMs of banks other than your own. All of which makes banking very easy and user-friendly.

At the same time, it also makes you vulnerable to cheating by tricksters and identity thieves, who steal your money by accessing your information. Cyber crimes have become very common these days, and if you are not careful, you could lose your hard earned money to these unscrupulous people. Although most banks have data encryption security, it is still not 100 % hacker proof, in spite of the claims made by banks.

One of the first canons of safe banking is to exercise caution while using the ATM. For example, when withdrawing money, stand in such a way as to prevent a bystander from spying what you are keying in. The password being vital, you need to make sure not to disclose it to anyone, or write it on a piece of paper, or even store it on your computer. It is important to keep changing your password occasionally, and not use the same one for different accounts.

Avoid replying to mails that ask for your bank details. Cheats have a way of sending you mail posing as your bankers, and claiming to update your records by asking for your details. Be aware that no bank would do this, as they are cognizant of the security risks this would entail. In case you have concerns about a purported query from your bank, call up and make sure of the authenticity of the inquiry.

Banks keep sending you many details through the post, like statements and various other kinds of correspondence. Since they usually contain some part of your information available with the bank, you need to shred these papers thoroughly when you discard them. It is a common trick used by identity thieves to rummage through discarded rubbish in search of exactly such details.

Online banking transactions should be conducted in a secure place like your home or your office, avoiding public servers. Wherever you access your account, it is important to ensure that there is virus protection and firewall software installed. Moreover, beware of rogue software programs that are sent to your mailbox, which allows the sender access to the information available in your mailbox, and even read your keystrokes and get the entire details of your Internet usage. After you finish your work, always make sure to log out, especially if you use a public server. If you fail to do this, anyone using the terminal after you will be able to access your account information quite easily. Avoid making online purchases which require you to use a credit or debit card, for you can never be sure about the security features of the concerned website.

Banking has now become hi-tech, and offers the ease of conducting it from the comfort of your home or office, through online facilities. However, care needs to be exercised while banking online, in order to prevent cheating and fraud, and to make sure it is safe and secure.

Making Sure Your Wireless Home Network Is Secure

As more and more people make the switch from wireless networks to secure networks in their homes, there are a whole new range of security issues to be aware of. Too often people set up their wireless network and forget about the security implications.

However, this can be a serious oversight as people can easily access your personal information and is a common cause of fraud. In this article we advise you on some of the steps you can take to make sure your wireless network is secure.

Almost all computers with recent operating system and wireless capabilities will have the option to turn on a built in firewall. If you are using an older operating system you may want to install a third party firewall. Although this alone will not stop third parties from accessing your network, it will act to secure each computer on the network from unwanted network requests.

Creating secure user accounts is also advisable. Weak username / password combinations are exploitable should a hacker try to gain access to your networked computer via your wireless network. Stronger passwords will generally contain mixed case alphanumeric characters. You can easily find advice on writing secure passwords on the internet.

Most wireless routers allow you to access their configuration with your web browser. Be sure to change the default username and password that allows you to administrate your router to prevent unwanted access. If you do not, almost anyone could breach your network.

In addition, every network capable computer will have at least one MAC address that identifies it on your network. Granting access to your wireless network based on MAC addresses will filter out unwanted users and network capable devices. It is not foolproof, but it will discourage most would-be hackers.

Wireless routers also broadcast an SSID which is basically a name of the network that appears when a computer picks up its signal. By default, this will usually be the name of the manufacturer of your wireless router. Many companies identify their networks using the SSID and it can be a handy way to identify Wi-Fi hotspots when you are out and about. However, for the sake of your home network it is not really necessary so it is a good idea to stop broadcasting it entirely.

It should also be possible to encrypt the data that is sent between computers on your wireless network. However, you must ensure that all computers have the same encryption settings.

One of the main reasons that wireless home networks can have security issues is because the signal can often reach beyond the boundaries of your home. One major financial institution recently lost millions of credit card records because it did not have its wireless system properly secured.

Another method that is commonly used to secure wireless networks is static IP addressing. IP addresses are often assigned automatically on wireless networks. However, networks are much more secure if the IP addresses of all computers on a network are set by hand. This is not foolproof but will keep out casual hackers.

If possible, place your wireless router in a part of your house or apartment where the signal will not travel too far beyond the boundaries of your home. If your home overlooks a street, do not put your router too close to this part of your home. In addition, if you are going on vacation or are going to be away for an extended period of time you should turn your router off while you are gone.

Even if you do not have a wireless network in you own home, it is important to know how to keep your notebook secure when you are out and about. You should make sure that your notebook does not auto-connect to other wireless networks. By default, both Windows and Mac OSX will display a warning before connecting to unknown networks and both will allow you to identify which networks you trust for automatic connection. When you are connecting to outside networks that you do not know, make sure that your firewall is turned on.

Too many people overlook the importance of securing their wireless networks. The steps outlined above should not take long to implement. While they may not guarantee 100% security, they are likely to deter any would-be hackers.

These are just some of the steps you can take to make your home wireless network more secure. There are millions of networks out there that are very poorly protected so if you take the time to put even a few of these safeguards in place you will most likely deter any would-be hackers.

Are You Ready For A Wi-Fi Network In Your Home?

One of the fastest growing segments of Internet connectivity today is Wireless Internet. Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, is Internet connectivity over dual band networks that are classified by a set of standards most commonly referred to as 802.11, 802.11a, and 802.11b. Although there are several other standards, these three are the most common at this time. Access over these types of networks is available in most major cities in the United States, and the technological standards used to define Wi-Fi access are in use in many other countries.

The 802.11 standards can be classified by several unique features, as well as the potential speed available. 802.11a and 802.11b are currently considered the two fastest wireless network standards offering uploads up to 11mbps and downloads at a brisk 54mbps. Clearly these speeds can compete with any satellite or DSL Internet offering, and many cable services are significantly slower.

Security Issues:

The convenience and ease of use of Wi-Fi connectivity also comes with several security issues. Along with the standard security concerns inherent in a wired connection, data sent and received via a wireless connection can be intercepted and received almost anywhere within a given range. With the introduction of Wired Equivalent Privacy, or WEP, encryption has become a standard security measure with almost every wireless high speed internet connection. Even with a WEP key in place the wireless data can be captured, it is simply unlikely that the information would be useful. Of course a determined hacker could eventually access the data, but this would be the exception not the rule.

A more common Wi-Fi security problem is referred to as an Evil Twin Attack. This type of attack takes place when a hacker hijacks a wireless network signal. The hijacker creates a wireless access point in their own laptop computer, basically offering a wireless network to anyone within range of their signal. The hacker then enters a popular wireless access area such as a coffee shop or mall and makes their network available. When a user tries to log into the network offered by their favorite coffee shop, it is possible they mistakenly choose the hacker’s wireless access point. This is a way a hacker can bypass many security measures often including encryption. Every packet of data sent or received via an Evil Twin is available to the hijacker. There are several security measures that can be taken to avoid an Evil Twin attack as well as other dangers. These include:

• Use WPA or WPA2 security. This configures all security keys at the router, and prevents any unencrypted data from being sent. This is often only available with a home service.

• When setting up home wireless access, rename the network from the factory preset to something unique. This will insure that the correct network is always used.

• Never log into a wireless network that does not use Secured Socket Layer (SSL) security.

• Use a smart software client that encrypts all data before it is ever sent to the Internet.

• Try to only use a wireless connection that provides Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). WPA further strengthens the security provided by WEP.

Securing Your Wireless Internet Connection

The widespread use of Wi-Fi Technology is bringing to light many security issues that may have gone unnoticed by the average user. Traditional wired connections have obvious security precautions that most users are accustomed too, but extra measures must often be used when transferring data across a wireless, and sometimes public network. A wireless Internet connection without security can easily give anyone access to your files, email, and even gives others the ability to make changes to your computer.

These types of security problems will probably have little impact on most users. Occasionally surfing the web at a coffee shop or having a wireless adapter set up on a printer will likely not bring down the house. To a business holes in security can cost time, money, and could possibly be a legal violation. A badly secured Wireless Internet connection is an open door for hackers to use the technology to cause general mischief or to even commit crimes. The most common methods currently in use to secure a Wi-Fi connection are SSIDs, Wi-Fi Protected Access, and WEP.

SSID (Service Set Identifiers)

Every data packet sent over a Wi-Fi connection has a specific identifier attached to it. This identifier, or SSID, can recognize particular wireless networks and everyone accessing a particular network must have the correct Service Set Identifier. From a security standpoint SSID alone offer almost no protection, but it does give a network a specific name making is clear what network a user in connected too.

Knowing where you are connected too has become increasingly important due in part to a wireless internet attack called The Evil Twin. While this may sound like something Dr. Evil would use, it’s a common hacker technique. The way it works is a hacker takes in a mobile wireless access point, usually set up on a laptop, and then enters a public area where an access point already exists. If no SSID is set up, then someone may actually log on to the hacker’s computer giving them access to all data sent and received. This is a great way to get access to usernames and passwords.

Even with SSID a hacker is going to name their network something confusingly similar. If you are at your favorite coffee shop and are about to log on, check the names of the networks carefully. Be careful if you see two possible networks with very similar spelling like these:

• CoffeeHouse
• CofeeeHouse

The hacker is hoping his network shows up first in the list, and that users will log on so quickly they won’t realize what they are doing.

WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access)

WPA was originally designed as an answer to security holes that were becoming apparent in the widely accepted WEP technology. Wi-Fi Protected Access is an attempt to create standards within the wireless security industry, and begin a move towards unifying the market. The Wi-Fi Alliance designed the technology and a scattered market is beginning to see a unified method of security on the horizon.

The two main differentiators between WPA and WEP are key size and the number of packets that actually carry the key. The number of characters in a WPA key is considerably more than a WEP key, and it would taking sifting through many more data packets to actually put a WPA key together.

WEP (Wired Equivalent Protection):

Wired Equivalent Protection uses encryption to protect data as it travels via radio waves from transceivers. This means that when you send your email from your laptop it becomes encrypted, is sent out wirelessly on radio carrier waves, is received by a wireless access point, is then decrypted and sent on to the Internet as any wired connection would. As the name implies this security was designed to provide the same level of security a wired connection would. This is not the case, but the security is usually strong enough for most users.

The reason WEP has never become as secure as a wired network is there is simply no way around the fact that anyone can intercept radio wave and get the data out of them. The level of encryption that the data has will mean the information is meaningless unless the interceptor has the WEP key. The problem here is that all data packets carry a piece of the key and that in time, with enough packets, the key can be produced. This is a lot of trouble to find out where a user has been surfing, but maybe not too much to acquire hundreds of credit card numbers. Again if you are not targeted by a hacker, WEP is surely enough protection. WEP is currently installed on almost all wireless routers available to consumers.

SSL Certificates Offer Website Security

What is Secure Socket Layer (SSL)? Basically, it is the standard security technology used to encrypt online data. SSL offers encrypted communication between the web server (server-side) and the customer’s web browser (client-side) when transmitting personal information such as credit card number, name and address. The SSL protocol uses Certificate Authority (CA) to issue ‘digital certificates’ to the authenticated company.

The whole SSL process involves authenticating the server’s identity, the website’s identity and once the authentication is verified, the message will be sent in the form of encrypted information to the one who asked for a certificate. Usually, a browser requests a SSL certificate and in turn the web server supplies its public key with the requested certificate. Then, the browser has to verify whether the certificate issued is valid (certified by the authorized parties) and also should verify whether the SSL certificate issued comes from the particular website for which the request has been made.

An SSL certificate contains important details of the owner like his e-mail address, validity period, Distinguished Name along with the Common Name and also the certificate identification of the person who issues this information. The Certification Authority (CA) maintains an extensive list in which we can find names of the signed certificates and also more information about the revoked SSL certificates. Additionally, SSL increases the accountability and visibility of the company and creates goodwill and positive image among the customers. The certification maintains the integrity of the data passed to and fro between the browsers and web server (this is private and confidential). Thus, it’s a good tool to meet the security, privacy, safety standards required to protect sensitive and personal data.

SSL is especially important when we give our credit card, personal information to e-commerce websites. SSL certification cannot easily be accessed by hackers because the certificates have the proper key to encrypt the data. Therefore, the security of the certificate is taken care off in all aspects so one can really rely on the Certificate Authority (CA).

The internet has undoubtedly created new opportunities for e-commerce. However, that development is also attracting an ever-increasing number of cyber criminals. A fraudulent web site made to look very alike to a legitimate website may try to entice innocent customers into revealing personal information unknowingly. The only solution to this problem is to take advantage of the Secure Sockets Layer technology and implement it on your website. On the bottom line, every website that deals with sensitive information like credit card numbers or any other critical person information should have proper SSL certifications in place to protect them and their customers.

Security – An Ethical Hacker?

If an online company is large enough they might consider the services of a white hat hacker.

Typically when you hear the word ‘hacker’ it conjures up someone who, with ill intent, searches for ways to mine your company data and destroy or replace data. However, a white hat hacker is someone who could use their abilities to harm your business, but they make the choice to help uncover security failings in your system and then assist in finding ways to protect your company from other hackers.

The reason this approach is helpful to many companies is that if they can revamp their online store to close backdoor entrance to would be hackers then their company data can be safeguarded. Customers often experience an even greater level of trust and security in the online store resulting in improved performance in online sales and uptime.

Maybe this explains why so many of the larger online businesses seem to have less downtime and experience fewer problems. Most hackers know they will have a harder time getting into these systems than smaller companies that may not have the resources to investigate every possible security leak.

That being said, it is important for any online business to make sure they take proper precautions by installing anti-virus protection, spyware removal tools and firewall protection. This should not even be a debated position. You customers deserve the safety that only you can provide through appropriate protective measures.

Hackers don’t always target a specific site so much as they work to create software that looks to find an entrance to your online store data and then they investigate what can be found inside those sites they can infiltrate.

Some hackers have said they mean no harm; they simply are curious and have found new ways of finding out information. Too often this is information they should not have access to.

The truth is some hackers consider what they do as a means of making the online environment safer for individuals and businesses. If they can disable an online store or take over a website they figure this proves what they have been saying all along – sites are not as safe online as some think.

To their credit what hackers have learned has often resulted in a better way to secure websites in general, but the other, and even more important side to this security coin is that online business must remain vigilant in the safeguard of their company data.

This whole process is a bit like the progression from small town America where everyone left their doors unlocked because it just wasn’t polite to take something that didn’t belong to you to the point where alarms are tripped if someone tries to enter your home after you set the alarm.

Things have changed in an online sales environment and applying strong security measures to your site is not only in your best interest, but also the interest of your customers who place their trust in your ability to safeguard their data.

The Results Of A Hacker Finding Your Personal Information

Everyone has heard of the latest scandal regarding the Monster.com site being hacked and vital information for over one million people being stolen. Now what would a hacker want with the information some would wonder? The though behind a hackers motives in most cases, is to just be able to hack the site that says it is “hack proof”. In other cases involving fraud, it is to obtain your personal information and either uses it for spamming or to sell it to scam artists. In any case, a site that is hacked has legal responsibilities one would think.

The latest Monster.com scare is more than likely just the theft of work history and name along with references. Now if the information also included Social Security information or annual salary requirements as well as cell phone numbers and credit card or bank information, people are going to have major problems. This type of activity happens all the time, but we only hear about the big news companies such as Monster.com or others in the spotlight. Now if a pet product site that is just starting out and is not a well-known name, they are not going to divulge that information and if they do, it will not make the news headlines.

Everyone uses the Internet for one reason or another and if you are like most people, you may shop, look for work, play games or just browse. In any cases, you need to be careful how you supply your information. A secure site to display your information needs to contain encryption to protect your information if it is for buying and gaming as well. Anytime you give out personal information about yourself, you want to know your information is protected. With the latest scare with Monster.com, people have to wonder, what will they do with that information?

As hackers become more devious in their endeavor to hack into websites and steal the information, more IT technicians will work harder to make the sites and products to secure the sites even better. All the scares that we encounter with our Internet experiences are just another form of criminal activity, unfortunately, it can cause problems for the entire world. Protecting yourself and your computer from a hack attack is top priority and every day, businesses are upgrading their systems and infrastructures to protect vital information.

The best way to protect yourself some had said is, never give out personal information. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. If you want to shop, look for work, do some gaming or sign up for important newsletters and promotions, you have to supply the pertinent information. Therefore, using a little caution as to what sites you use is great, but as it was proved with Monster, even the best of sites can endure problems. This however, is no reason to stop using the Internet.

You just need to be aware of the treat and use good judgment when you visit a website. Some day we will see a system to track and stop hackers from stealing vital information. Companies who make the software and other software for security measures work hard every day to find new ways to stop a hacker. As the hacker gains more strength, software developers gain more security knowledge to stop them in their tracks.