Are you Really Secure Online?

The internet can be a dangerous place. Personal computers are expensive and decent internet access is certainly not cheap. You have insurance on your car and your home. You buy warranties for electronics. So why aren’t you protecting your computer investment as well?

Online Dangers
There are many dangers on the internet and the list is growing daily. Most users are aware of spam, but fail to realize exactly what can be contained in those junk messages cluttering up your inbox.

A spam message can contain malware, or a program or virus that implants in your computer, which damages your property, performs unauthorized functions, or leaves your system open to intruders. Malware can also include the kinds of programs that search your computer for sensitive information including credit cards or bank information.

Some emails appear to be legitimate, but are fake. These can appear to be from your bank or other reputable institution and usually alert you to something about your account. This is called phishing, and if you put in your information without realizing it is a scam, it is very likely you will be a victim of identity theft.

Email attachments can contain viruses or Trojans. A virus may or may not cause any harm to your system, but a Trojan will. A Trojan can easily crash your hard drive, erase all of your files or start searching for your sensitive information. It can also leave your system open to hackers.

Downloading programs can be dangerous as well. Spyware or Trojans can be contained in shareware or downloads, too. Spyware installs itself on your computer and tracks you online. It can report your surfing habits and tailors advertisements especially to you.

Poor internet safety can result in damage to your computer equipment, lost or deleted files, hacking, and even identity theft. This is a heavy price to pay when protecting yourself can be so simple.

Protecting Yourself Online
The most obvious way to protect yourself online is to practice safe surfing. Avoid downloading anything not from a reputable company. Don’t submit your personal information on a website without checking for legitimacy. Avoid giving out your email address or create one to test new websites. If you start getting spam to your test email, you’ll know the site is not reputable.

Another important way to protect yourself is to install a firewall, popup blocker and software to detect and remove malware. Currently, Mozilla Firefox is the best solution to internet risks. The browser comes with popup blockers and a firewall, and has many other patches and options available for downloads that can add additional convenience and security. Firefox is free for download and the add-ons are free as well. Firefox is well known to be dependable and easy to use. It is one of the best ways to protect yourself while on the internet. In fact, over 400 million people are already using Firefox to keep themselves safe.