10-12-2011, 04:38 AM
One of the most widely asked questions is how do I protect myself online?
Seems like Ed Bott from ZDNet has answer to your question. In the post below he shares some very useful tips every pc and of course mac owner should know to protect herself from malware, scareware, phishing sites, and other online scams.
Many people think that security begins and ends with antivirus software. I disagree. Should you run antivirus software? As I’ve said before, if you don’t know the answer to that question, then the answer is yes.
So let’s stipulate that you’re running a well-supported, up-to-date security program—whether you use a PC or a Mac. What else do you need to do? In this post, I share the five steps I teach to friends, family members, and clients who want to avoid malware, scareware, phishing sites, and other online scams.
These days, threats can come from unexpected places: Google (and Bing) search results, compromised websites, deceptive ads, seemingly innocent downloads. You don’t have to be doing anything out of the ordinary to inadvertently stumble across one of these potential threats.
Secret 1: Do not Panic
When in doubt, stop. Think. Ask for help. If you’re truly worried, pull the plug on your Internet connection temporarily until you can call a knowledgeable friend or drag the machine in to a specialist for a thorough diagnosis.
You should, of course, have a regular backup routine. Mechanical failures (a crashed hard drive or a dropped notebook) can be even more devastating than a malware attack. With Windows 7, you can use the built-in backup program to save an image backup on an external hard drive; you can do the same thing on a Mac using Time Machine. Restoring a full backup is easy, especially if the alternative is spending hours trying to track down a well-hidden infection.
And don’t be paranoid. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard from otherwise smart people who break out all sorts of terrible tools—registry cleaners and system optimizers being the worst offenders—at the first sign of trouble. Those snake-oil programs, in my experience, tend to make the problem worse.
Secret 2: Stay up to date
Bad guys prey on the weak, technically unsophisticated, and ill-informed who don’t update regularly. You really, really want to avoid being a part of that group.
Fortunately it's somewhat easy to keep yourself updated. Almost all operating systems come with update managers installed.
Secret 3: Learn how to spot a Scam
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, social engineering is the weapon of choice for online criminals these days. Attacks can take all sorts of forms, from conventional phishing e-mails to sophisticated and convincing malicious download sites. The best countermeasure? Education.
You’re asked to make trust decisions many times every day. Some of those decisions involve programs, people, and businesses with whom you have lots of experience already. But others involve complete strangers, and still others ask you to decide with only limited information.
Any time you open an e-mail message or visit a web page, you face a possible trust decision.
Secret 4: Never install any software unless you’re certain it’s safe
The biggest trust decision of all arises when you’re considering installing a new piece of software on a PC or a device. If you have any doubts about a software program, you should not install it. Period.
One great way to remain safe online is to set a high bar for software. You need solid, up-to-date information to help you decide whether a file is safe, unsafe, or suspicious. Then you need information about whether the program is reliable and useful, whether it’s compatible with other software you use, and whether it can be easily removed.
Secret 5: Be smart with passwords
You might not be too concerned that someone can log on to your Sony account and pretend to be you. But what if someone goes to Google Mail or Hotmail and tries your email address and that same password? If you used the same password as the one on your Sony account, the bad guys are in. They can send and receive messages that appear to come from you. They can download your email archives, which can include correspondence from your bank and from online shopping sites like Amazon.com. In a very short period of time, they can do a very large amount of damage.
Repeat after me: Never use the same password in multiple places, and be especially vigilant with passwords for e-mail accounts.
It’s a royal pain to create and remember unique, hard-to-guess passwords, but that is nothing compared to the misery you will experience if a determined thief starts messing with your identity and your finances.
Read Complete post here: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/stay-safe...-know/3542
Seems like Ed Bott from ZDNet has answer to your question. In the post below he shares some very useful tips every pc and of course mac owner should know to protect herself from malware, scareware, phishing sites, and other online scams.
Many people think that security begins and ends with antivirus software. I disagree. Should you run antivirus software? As I’ve said before, if you don’t know the answer to that question, then the answer is yes.
So let’s stipulate that you’re running a well-supported, up-to-date security program—whether you use a PC or a Mac. What else do you need to do? In this post, I share the five steps I teach to friends, family members, and clients who want to avoid malware, scareware, phishing sites, and other online scams.
These days, threats can come from unexpected places: Google (and Bing) search results, compromised websites, deceptive ads, seemingly innocent downloads. You don’t have to be doing anything out of the ordinary to inadvertently stumble across one of these potential threats.
Secret 1: Do not Panic
When in doubt, stop. Think. Ask for help. If you’re truly worried, pull the plug on your Internet connection temporarily until you can call a knowledgeable friend or drag the machine in to a specialist for a thorough diagnosis.
You should, of course, have a regular backup routine. Mechanical failures (a crashed hard drive or a dropped notebook) can be even more devastating than a malware attack. With Windows 7, you can use the built-in backup program to save an image backup on an external hard drive; you can do the same thing on a Mac using Time Machine. Restoring a full backup is easy, especially if the alternative is spending hours trying to track down a well-hidden infection.
And don’t be paranoid. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard from otherwise smart people who break out all sorts of terrible tools—registry cleaners and system optimizers being the worst offenders—at the first sign of trouble. Those snake-oil programs, in my experience, tend to make the problem worse.
Secret 2: Stay up to date
Bad guys prey on the weak, technically unsophisticated, and ill-informed who don’t update regularly. You really, really want to avoid being a part of that group.
Fortunately it's somewhat easy to keep yourself updated. Almost all operating systems come with update managers installed.
Secret 3: Learn how to spot a Scam
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, social engineering is the weapon of choice for online criminals these days. Attacks can take all sorts of forms, from conventional phishing e-mails to sophisticated and convincing malicious download sites. The best countermeasure? Education.
You’re asked to make trust decisions many times every day. Some of those decisions involve programs, people, and businesses with whom you have lots of experience already. But others involve complete strangers, and still others ask you to decide with only limited information.
Any time you open an e-mail message or visit a web page, you face a possible trust decision.
Secret 4: Never install any software unless you’re certain it’s safe
The biggest trust decision of all arises when you’re considering installing a new piece of software on a PC or a device. If you have any doubts about a software program, you should not install it. Period.
One great way to remain safe online is to set a high bar for software. You need solid, up-to-date information to help you decide whether a file is safe, unsafe, or suspicious. Then you need information about whether the program is reliable and useful, whether it’s compatible with other software you use, and whether it can be easily removed.
Secret 5: Be smart with passwords
You might not be too concerned that someone can log on to your Sony account and pretend to be you. But what if someone goes to Google Mail or Hotmail and tries your email address and that same password? If you used the same password as the one on your Sony account, the bad guys are in. They can send and receive messages that appear to come from you. They can download your email archives, which can include correspondence from your bank and from online shopping sites like Amazon.com. In a very short period of time, they can do a very large amount of damage.
Repeat after me: Never use the same password in multiple places, and be especially vigilant with passwords for e-mail accounts.
It’s a royal pain to create and remember unique, hard-to-guess passwords, but that is nothing compared to the misery you will experience if a determined thief starts messing with your identity and your finances.
Read Complete post here: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/stay-safe...-know/3542