You wouldn't swim in shark-infested waters unless you were surrounded by nice steel bars, right? Well, on the Internet, while you don't have to go to that extreme, it's nice to know you can take steps to make sure you're never a victim.

Before You Begin - The Treasures You Protect

Let's first begin by realizing exactly what it is you want to protect! You need to secure your:

• Online Identity - What happens when baddies get your password? Make sure it never happens.

• Credit Card number - What happens when you submit your credit card in an unsecure location? I'll give you a hint - think "big expenses about which you know nothing!"

• Computer - If you don't have a firewall (software between your computer and the Internet), chances are hackers will see your computer and exclaim, yum yum! Think "viruses, trapdoors, and trojans, oh my!"

• Personal Reputation - Don't post anything you'd be ashamed for your Aunt Fanny to view or your Uncle Melvin to read.

Luckily, it's pretty easy to help protect yourself. Here's how.

Step 1 - Secure Your Computer

If you're on the Internet and you're not running a firewall, stop right this instant and grab your free copy of Zone Alarm. This will help block your computer from malicious attacks.

Next, make sure you aren't already infected with spyware (you'll probably be surprised at what you find!). You can freely test out your computer at ZoneAlarm or SpyWareInfo. If you need further help in removing spyware, grab a free copy of Ad-Aware. This will let you remove the majority of malware (otherwise known as "major ickness") from your computer.

Step 2 - Secure Your Personal Information

Never ever submit your credit card number over the Internet unless you know it's a secure connection first (ie, the address bar at the top shows https:// instead of http://, and there should be a closed padlock at the bottom of your status bar).

Even then, that in itself doesn't mean much, as anyone with webmaster skills can set up a secure connection. Always make certain you know and trust the company from which you are buying, ie Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Compusa.com, etc.

Next, never ever respond to an email that states, your account has been frozen, click here to release it. Even worse, never ever EVER submit your personal details should you be unlucky enough to venture on such a site! Repeat 37 times to yourself - no legit company will send you email asking you for your password. It's common sense - they already have! your password on their files.

Step 3 - For More Information

There are tons more information about protecting yourself online. Some great resources I've found are:

• Anti-phishing tips - lots of useful resources

• FTC Infosecurity - consumer and business information tips to increase your online security.

• Snopes.com - A superb site that debunks and demystifes bunches of scams and urban lagends.

• F-secure.com - Great resources to help with email security.

  Want more information? Check out:

  
  Warning: include($_GET[p]_include_path.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/ling5/domains/owlbertshares.com/public_html/php-bin/Find.php on line 2
  
  Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '$_GET[p]_include_path.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php:/php/includes:/home/lingling/domains/php') in /home/ling5/domains/owlbertshares.com/public_html/php-bin/Find.php on line 2
  
  Warning: require_once(LingBasics.php) [function.require-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/ling5/domains/owlbertshares.com/public_html/php-bin/Find.php on line 3
  
  Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required 'LingBasics.php' (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php:/php/includes:/home/lingling/domains/php') in /home/ling5/domains/owlbertshares.com/public_html/php-bin/Find.php on line 3
  

  [ Return to top ]

Copyright 2005-2008 and Beyond
Owlbert is a trademark
of Barbara Ling
All Rights Reserved