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Do you connect from home or work to Internet…… Then you should install those 2 programs: - antivirus software and update it once a month (I do it once a week) - security program to block hackers – it is called “personal firewall” - also go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com, click on “Product Updates” and install “Critical Updates” Why? Because your computer is in danger. It can be attacked by hackers. Protecting against hackers is more difficult than against viruses. You only use Yahoo and MSN sites, you don't open email attachments, when you got floppy disk from someone you scan it with antivirus program, so you are safe - right? Wrong. You can still be attacked. Here is how it works. At any given time there are hundreds automated programs running, which scan Internet for computers they can attack. If they find one with "open door" (most of computers with Windows has some "open doors") they install small program (automatically!), which gives total or partial control of your computer to a hacker, who started the scanning program. You disconnect from Internet, but next time you connect again, the hacker will be notified that your computer is available. So from now on he could scan your hard drive for passwords, personal information, bank account numbers and pins. Or he could set up a program, which will pick up everything what you type and send all of them to him. And this way he could monitor, what you type on your computer even when you are not connected to Internet. Next time you connect though, what you typed will be send (automatically of course) to the hacker. How can he find my computer - you say? He does not care if it yours or someone else. If it has "open door" it will be used to "own" your system. And your computer can be used to attack Big Web Site. One computer cannot do much damage to Big Web Site, but 1000s of computers doing the same thing can damage even the biggest Web Site. Attack is started automatically – this kind of attack has even special name: Distributed Denial of Service attack or DDOS. Here are some articles from computer magazines about computer security: From PC Magazine: The First Line of Defense From PC Magazine: Security Hardware, Software Protect Home From PC Magazine: Know Your Enemy From PC World: Make Your PC Hacker-Proof From PC World: How Hackers Hack From PC World: Hacker Speak from Gibson Research Corporation: How hackers think and what they can do |
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