Archive for category Internet Security

Top 5 Internet Security Threats

The Internet is a very scary place. If you don’t have internet security software, you are playing a risky game. That’s a very simple and direct statement but a powerful one. I am sure most PC users have had some form of malware on the PC. We all have been the victim of a virus, spyware, adware, phishing or spam mail. All these have the potential to cause crippling damage to your PC, threaten your privacy or expose to your personal information.

Since 2004 online shopping, banking and digital trading has increased 25% each year. If you are performing any of these actions without the aid of internet security software, you are being very foolish and making hackers very happy. It has never been more risky to shop online. The Spam/Spyware industry alone has become a billion dollar underground network. Your information is valuable. Hackers are will to invest time and resources to obtain. Therefore, it is more important than ever to learn how to combat these threats with internet security software and educate yourself on safe surfing techniques. Here are the top five threats to your internet security.

1. Spyware

Spyware is an all inclusive term that includes most malware such as Trojans, adware, pop up ads, modified cookies, keyloggers etc. This term does not include virus which is engineered to replicates itself, not spy or steal. Spyware is usually engineered to watch your online activity and uncover security flaws. This is usually the first step in setting you up for some time information theft. Hackers have developed sophisticated tools such as keyloggers that can record every key you type. Yes that means passwords, banking information, and email entries can be uncovered using this software. A quick tip is to avoid free anti-spyware. This has been proven to be ineffective and sometime can be spyware itself. Remember that spyware works by exposing flaws in your internet security. So search for the anti-spyware program with a major magazine endorsement. Here is a link for more information on spyware removal. Visit the site below for more info a products for spyware removal. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cyber Insecurity vs Internet Security

Pandora’s box has been opened and the explosion of information both personal and non-personal seems to be limitless and increases exponentially. And according to the National Opinion Poll taken in January of 2007 half the UK harbors a “deep mistrust” due to security concerns. Not only is there a deep public mistrust but, the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology are inquiring into the need for personal Internet Security because of the growing use of home computers, expansion of broadband, internet banking and commerce (Brent MacLean “A new look at Internet Security” Monday September 10, 2007).

Every one is talking extensively ( ISP Associations, Richard Clayton of the Cambridge Security Lab, John Carr of the Children’s Charities Coalition on Internet Safety, as well as Johnathan Zittrain of the Oxford Internet Institute and many others), gathering evidence of information and compiling it all for what? Sadly, most businesses and citizens still do not take the threat posed by cyber-insecurity seriously.

You would think with dependency of economies relying on certain infrastructures involving the Internet and information exchange between key service providers, that a disruption would certainly result in loss of lives, loss of property, and the collapse of public confidence globablly. Today simple domestic hacking is not the issue that will bring on devastating destruction like those designed by terrorist activities directed at nuclear plants, banking systems, hospitals, air traffic control as well as domain name servers, the possibilities are limitless. However, it is imperative to remove these personal and public computers from the arsenal of cyber terrorists as well as cybercriminals. With 225 million Internet users in North America (Nielson-Netratings), the personal computer dominates the Internet and at the same time is the most vulnerable. Millions of PCs are under the control of “zombie masters”. Red Herring, the technical business journal, estimated that in 2005 a 172,000 computers were hijacked and taken over each day and became “zombies” and under the control of a hacker. By 2007, Secure Computing, which tracks the Internet landscape, identified more than 500,000 new zombies per day that were hijacked and under the control of “bot” herders. Triple the level only two years earlier. The FBI says that because of their wideley distributed capabilities, botnets are a growing threat to national security, the national information infrastructure, and the economy. Read the rest of this entry »

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