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>> General Interest >> Internet Commando
If you are Online these days, you need to arm yourself like
a Commando entering a war zone. Why? Let me break down the
4-1-1. You have to learn to cover your back
because while you are happily surfing the Internet
or running your Online business, intruders are itching to
infiltrate your territory, discover secrets hidden in
your computer, spread a virus, or place a spy in your
system to learn your habits.
Sounds a little Scary? A little Paranoid? Well, you are right!
You should be Overly Cautious and Extremely Aware when you are
Online. Fortunately, ways exist to fight back using full stealth
armor tactics to protect your front lines and allow you
to surf safely through the World Wide Web.
Top Internet Enemies:
-Hackers: A malicious enemy spy who gets a rush out of
breaking into your computer through unprotected
ports. This is not only bothersome but could be costly
to the victim. This enemy could easily gain access to
passwords, credit card numbers, and other personal info stored
on your hard drive.
Solution: Install a firewall on your system. This will set up
a strong security wall and restrict who has access to your computer
when you are Online. Zone Alarm is an Internet Favorite. And it is FREE!
http://www.zonealarm.com/
-Viruses: There are a lot of malicious viruses invading the
Internet. They gain access through e-mail attachments, or an
executable program you download. A virus can do nasty things
to your system. This is exactly what the enemy wants. It
can do everything from deleting a few important files, crashing
your hard drive, re-writing programs, or something more malevolent.
Solution: Install an anti-virus program on your system. This
will give you coverage while you are Online and an enemy
virus tries to invade your system when you download. Most
systems are packaged with Norton or another anti-virus
program. A good FREE anti-virus system is AVG Virus Protection.
This virus scanner comes highly recommended by many.
Go here to download: http://www.grisoft.com
-Enemy Spies In Your System: Many commercial web-sites
hire marketing spies to invade your system, take over
the controls, record your surfing habits, buying
preferences, personal data, and send the information
back to them. Think of what they could do with this
personal data. Do you really want anyone to know
how many times you visited that X-rated site in one week,
or that you purchased Viagra Online. Or you like the
Teletubbies.
Solution: Ad-aware by Lavasoft is a good program to wipe
these spies out of your system by searching through a list
of known spyware and deleting them. It is FREE also.
Download here: http://www.lavasoft.de
-Got Cookies: Cookies bloat your hard drive and slow
down your system, plus they are an early warning signal to
the enemy that you are returning. Cookies are supposedly
harmless little text files that are stored on hard drives
by a web-site that you visit. They remind the web-site the
next time you visit. Can you think of the invasion of
privacy issues raised here? Do we really know what they
do with this information?
Solution: Cookie Monster is an excellent FREE program
that will wipe all the cookies off your hard-drive and
clear your cache.
Download Cookie Monster at http://www.cnet.com/downloads
-I Know What You Did Last Night Online: External invading forces might
target your history folder and record the web-sites you visited.
Want to keep your surfing history private. Nuke that sucker.
Download Window Washer to rid your system of history, cookie, temp,
and cache files. http://www.webroot.com
Note: The Above Program Is Free to try for 30 days.
-Password Safety: Enemey forces could easily hack into your
computer and steal passwords. Think of the damage these forces
could do armed with your trusty passwords.
Solution: Do you have copies of your password stored in your
computer? Delete them or encrypt them. Better, write them down in
a notebook and store them in a secret place in your desk.
-Backup Plans: What will happen if your forces are defeated and
the enemy takes out your computer?
Solution: Store copies of your files on a floppy disk,
tape, or CD. Most computers are bundled with backup
software.
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BB Lee is Editor/Publisher of SmallBizBits Newsletter
The Best Things In Life Are FREE....Home Biz Tips!
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http://www.angelfire.com/zine/smallbiz
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