Isidore's Corner

What the bad guys don't want you to know

internethoax.info is a web directory, a web site with lots of links to other sites, offering information about internet hoaxes, virus problems, anti-spam solutions, fraud prevention and other unfortunate issues related to the use of the Web.  While many links are offered, the sites are not described or evaluated so you may have to click on a few to find what you want.  But it is nice to know that there are some looking out for us.

The Scary World of Cybercrime

PC World is beginning a new series on cybercrime - detailing the type of people who are making life on the Internet less safe as well as why and how they do it.  It's good reading just to make one more aware of the need to take proactive steps to protect your computer and your privacy.

The Internet has a good deal of good on it but also a good deal of stuff that is not so good and the users of the Internet often mirror the diversity of the material that can be found there.  While the Internet has made it easier to find lots of information about a wide variety of topics of interest to the student and the researcher, it has also made it easier for criminals to find out information about you.

Unfortunately, the criminals often know much more about using the internet than their victims do.  Education is power and we would all be doing ourselves a favor in trying to become educated in this area.

This should not keep us from using the Internet - although some talk about the need to set up an alternate Internet free of all these problems or just throw out their computers all together.  It means that just as you wouldn't walk through a major city without taking steps to keep yourself secure, you don't want to do that on the Internet either.  Most of the people you meet will be helpful or at least not harmful - but you do need to know that not everyone in the Internet city behaves the same way.

Basic Steps to Protecting Your Computer

Before you begin "surfing" the web, you should protect your computer against the wide variety of malware or bad programs that are out there.  After all, an unprotected computer can be infected after only using the Internet for a few minutes.

So, here are some basic steps for keeping your computer safe and working properly:

• If you use Windows - be sure to keep your Windows operating system updated!  Go to Microsoft Update.
• Because viruses, worms and trojans take over your computer, causing it to send out spam and more viruses or cause other problems such as compromising your private information, you should have an anti-virus program on your computer [especially if you have a PC] and make sure it is regularly updated.
• Never, never, never download an e-mail attachment, picture, or file sent to you by someone you don't know! If you receive an attachment from someone you do know, but weren't expecting, always e-mail the sender first to make sure that they sent the attachment to you before opening it.
• Some good sources of information on viruses are:
  • Panda Software Virus Information - Up to date information and security advice about virus threats.
  • Secunia - Major site of information about virus threats as they happen. RSS feed.  
  • US-Cert - United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team - The US Government offers a number of RSS feeds related to computer security news and bulletins which can be found here.
  • Viruslist - Information about viruses and other malware.
• Some good anti-virus programs are: [Fee-based protection gets you free technical support included and updated anti-virus protection sooner.]
  • AVERT Stinger - Stinger is designed to remove specific viruses, it is not a replacement for full anti-virus protection. Instead it is useful for helping to clean a computer that may already be infected. [FREE]
  • Norton Anti-Virus [FEE-BASED]
  • Trend-Micro [FEE-BASED]
  • AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition [FREE]
  • AntiVir Personal Edition [FREE]
  • Avast Home Edition [FREE]
• Spyware can reveal confidential information about you that you wish to keep private.  Adware causes "pop-up" ads to appear on your browser while you are on the Internet.  Both can slow down your computer as well as violate your privacy.
• Some anti-spyware programs are better than others, so it is useful to have at least to running together but only use one program with real time blocking.
• Using an alternative browser, like Firefox, that blocks pop-ups is also helpful.
• Good anti-spyware and adware information:
  • Topix.Net - Continuously updated news about the spyware threat. XML feed.
  • Spywareguide - Information about spyware programs, the threat they pose, and the means to detect and eliminate them. Offers free online scanner for spyware on your computer.
• Anti-Spyware/Adware Programs:
  • Spyware Blaster keeps spyware off your computer [FREE]
  • Ad-Aware SE Plus blocks spyware and adware. [FEE-BASED]
  • Spybot S&D removes spyware/adware [FREE]
  • Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition removes spyware/adware [FREE]
  • CounterSpy removes and blocks spyware/adware. Top rated by PC World. [FEE-BASED]
  • Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware(Beta) removes and blocks spyware/adware [FREE]
• Be sure to install a firewall.  Windows XP SP2's firewall blocks only external attacks on your computer, so you should have a firewall that protects both from external attacks and against internal problems should your computer become infected - like Zone Alarm. [Free]
• Protect yourself against phishing.  Phishers try to deceive you into revealing personal information by pretending to represent reputable companies such as eBay, banks or credit card agencies.
• Phishers may send fraudulent e-mail claiming that you need to update your account information by clicking on a link in their e-mail or they may try to trick your web-browser to going to a web site that looks authentic, but isn't.
• Phishing protection helps to identify fraudulent web sites but you should never give out personal information in response to an e-mail. If your bank/credit card company/eBay is really having a problem with your account, just log on directly to the respective site to find out - do not go to the site from any links in suspicious e-mail!
• You can get good, and free, protection against phishing with the Netcraft Toolbar for both Internet Explorer and Firefox Browsers. It helps you to identify fraudulent sites and allows you to report fraudulent sites so as to protect others.