Security and the Net.

How can you raise your security awareness
before you make an online purchase?
Take a look at these easy tips.

First of course is to prepare your PC so you can guard
against any unwanted intrusions. Make sure your security
software (anti-spyware, anti-virus, and firewall) is up-to-date,
and that you have them in the first place. It’s important
to do this before making any online transactions.

When shopping online and providing your payment details,
always look for the mark of a secure site, the URL should
begin "https://" the "S" indicates a secure connection where the
information is being encrypted. You can also check your
browser window for a padlock icon, another indication
that a website is secure.

Stick to companies you know and trust and well-established
retailers, be aware that cyber criminals will try to use social
engineering tactics to deceive you into making a purchase.
If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Consider using a separate credit card with a low credit
limit for online transactions. In the event that your credit
details get into the wrong hands, you can cut your losses.

And never give out your password, login details, pin numbers,
if anyone asks you for this sort of information they are not
who they say they are, even if the mail seems to come from
your bank or whatever, cyber criminals recreate the real
companies mail and logos and it looks like the real thing.

John Booth.
Posted 15th November 2008.

Near holiday times like Christmas, Easter that sort of time those cards go round saying that you have missed a parcel and that you need to ring this special number, once you do you have just been fleeced for at least £15, do the checks, if the post office leave you a card it will be from the post office, are you expecting a parcel, if you are not check with people who might be sending you one before falling for one of these scams.

Now onto the internet, anyone who uses the internet without a virus checker installed is a fool, sorry to be so blunt but that’s it, if you use the internet without a virus checker installed it’s a fact that a computer will be infected on average in about 15 seconds, security will help save your computer and save you a lot of heartache and inconvenience, a lot of people don’t bother thinking that it’s just company’s that get targeted, that’s a mistake there are more home users now than ever before and with most only knowing the basics are prime targets for all kinds of theft like identity, bank account details and passwords.

Keep safe, install a virus checker they are a lot cheaper than the computer you have paid for, never buy downloadable programmes that claim they can scan your computer and look for problems, a huge amount of stuff offered on the internet is fake, they offer to keep you safe from maleware, spyware, viruses and all kinds of stuff that would make the novices hair stand on end, some places call themselves PC Health Check Centres, the truth is a shed full of this stuff infects your computer with some of the stuff I mentioned above and guess what, you paid for it.

The advice.

Only buy anti virus programmes with a name you know or from a recommendation from a relative or friend and avoid downloading them from the internet.

Buy an antivirus programme that includes a firewall, this is an additional safety feature that will protect you from hackers, people trying to gain access to your computer while you are on the internet, it does this by hiding you so they can’t see that you are on the internet.

Try and buy an anti virus programme that includes a spam filter, this if set correctly will dump junk mail in the trash can.

Remember, if someone or some company is offering security while you are on the internet and you accept the offer, you could be paying them to infect your computer, if you accept a download they gain access to your computer while that download is taking place, only take downloads from sites you know you can trust or sites that have been recommended by people you know you can trust to give you correct information.

If you get mail telling you that a new virus has been found and the big anti virus Company’s don’t know how to stop it, DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT, if it was true it would be in the papers or on the telly, these e-mails go round and round the world on a weekly basis, they are designed to create huge amounts of e-mail and slow down the Internet Service Providers that we use and pay for to connect to the internet, this slows down the mail that you want or send to others, do us all a favour, if you get one of these messages please don’t send it on like it says, delete it, this sort of mail is called Spam and is responsible for over 85% of all the internet traffic in the world, so when you get one of those times that you are waiting for that important e-mail to come in, it’s because of stuff like this that your waiting, and you are passing this junk onto your family and friends, lovely. Do us all a favour, just delete it.

Get a good virus checker with a firewall have faith in it, they work better than you might think.

If you need some advice about internet security e-mail the group mail box and I will get back to you as soon as I can, usually within 48 hours.

John Booth.
Posted 2nd November 2008.

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