Identity Theft Through Computers And The Internet


Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes. My days as an Information Security technician occurred at a time when identity theft was still in its infancy. The victims of identity theft are actually a surprisingly young group, demographically speaking. The highest rate of identity theft is occurring in individuals aged from their mid twenties to their mid thirties. And identity theft through computers and the internet accounts for a portion of these incidents annually. About one in every eight Americans experience Identity theft on computers and the internet each year. Identity theft on computers and the internet can occur through fraudulent requests for personal information and through online buying services that are not secure sites and by having your personal computer compromised by someone you know and trust. More recently, identity theft has been connected to the use of social networking sites like Facebook. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from this fast rising crime.

There are safeguards you can implement to reduce the chance of identity theft through computers and the internet. A majority of identity theft that is going on is by means of offline activities, like stealing wallets, checkbooks, credit cards, mail and other personal items that contain critical identification information. Identity theft that occurs through computers and the internet tends to happen very often when your own personal computer is breached.

You can reduce your chances of this happening to you by using passwords to log into your computer, even if you're the only one using it, by changing your passwords on a regular basis and by not leaving your laptop open when unattended. These days, almost everyone has personal information stored in their computers. If you have selected "remember password" on a web site and someone goes to history and visits your frequently or recently visited sites that are linked to credit cards, other banking information and or electronic tax records, then you could be an easy mark for identity theft on your computer and the internet.

Although online identity theft is an ongoing threat to personal security, there are many companies developing and marketing software to counteract the threat called, anti-phishing software. Phishing is when someone uses the internet and sends an e-mail (spam) to a user making false claims to be a legitimate and recognized business entity in an attempt to scam the user into giving certain private information that can be used for identity theft through computers and the internet. Anti-phishing software may help, but is not a guarantee for protection, so make it your practice to keep your personal information secure to reduce your chances for identity theft on computers and the internet.

Another technique that malicious hackers and criminals use for identity theft on computers and the internet is spyware that gets into your computer and grabs lots of stored information including financial accounts, passwords and other critical information that will allow this individual access to your money and identity. So along with all the wonderful benefits that computers and the internet offer us in our daily lives, there is always, lurking out there in cyberspace, the possibility of identity theft on computers and the internet.

As you may or may not know, a new computer is extremely vulnerable when you first get online with it. There are ways to insure security though. You can get the Windows Update CD from Microsoft and install that before you get online. You can also get most Antivirus Definitions downloaded and save them to disk and then install those before you go online. Of course you have to be using that Product in the first place. And you can get AntiSpyware on a disk and do the same. But how many people do that in their excitement to take it out of the box and hook it and see what She'll do.

Sans Internet Storm Center says those people will have their computer infected with adware or worse in less than 20 min! New computers online stick out like a sore thumb. First comes the shock, then the anger, then the question. How do I fix it? If they are lucky they can fix it fairly cheaply. It might involve a lot of time listening to elevator music while you're in the hold queue. Either way it's no fun.

Education is what's needed here folks.

In this Article I plan on touching on simple easy steps you can take to keep your Computer happy and safe. First lets talk about your online connection itself. Dialup, Satellite, DSL, whatever you have, make sure they are secure. Call em and ask em. What kind of security do they employ to keep your websurfing secure? Most often they have the info at their site. Read their Privacy Policy.

Ok, now the Browser part. A touchy subject with many. I use Firefox mostly and IE only when I have to. Unless you've been living in a hole you know IE has its vulnerabilities. Nothing against IE folks. It gets targeted so much because that's what people use most. Hackers, Spammers, Phishers, and the rest know this and swarm like sharks. Firefox has its problems too. They are getting noticed and they are having to work harder too at keeping their browser safe too. Whatever you use, keep it updated. Whatever you use, get some overall protection software like Ultimate Spy Killer. Then you can learn how they work and you'll be a happy web surfer.

While we're talking about software products, let's think about what you do online. There are many products out there that try and cover all aspects of protecting your computer. It's hard to write software though to do all that. I've found a mixture of products do well for me. Right now I use The Official Spyware Removal , The Ultimate Spy Killer and Custodia Anti-virus With Personal Firewall, NoAdware and Adware Alert to cover my bases. But what works for me may not work for you. So how do you find the right combination or if you're lucky the single product that will do the job? Education. Pure and simple. You have to become educated in what is going on out there on the WWW and be prepared for it. We're not talking a lot of money either in most cases. There is some great products out there that are free! The Web is diverse, with Forums, Blogs, Instant Messaging, Video Conferencing, and of course Websites. Especially the new .XXX ones. Each has its own uniqueness as far as vulnerabilities. Whatever your preference, make sure you're safe.

Chances are though, you'll pick up some spyware. It's hard for the hardware and software Suppliers to keep up to the minute patches available. Although I've seen patches available in under 3 hours from some suppliers. Hopefully what gets you will be harmless, just annoying. This kind just puts a cookie on your computer and tracks you as you go from website to website. Marketing info is what they are after. But some Spyware can be nasty. They log your keystrokes, and this means your logins and credit card numbers.

And now for Email. How the human race ever did without email we may never know. Its one of the greatest conveniences ever and what a timesaver. You don't need a stamp and there's no dash to the mailbox in the rain. But as always, along with the good comes the bad. People want to use your Bank account to put money in, They want you to open this attachment, and please just click on this URL! Spammers, Hookers, Phishers Oh My! My advice, scan anything that is not from someone you know with Anti-Virus. Never click on a URL from your Bank. Go there yourself from your Browser. Check to see if your Mail Program has an option to warn you if there is anything in the email that may be a virus, like in Outlook Express. It can be inconvenient sometimes, but worth it. Some of the better Web based services like Yahoo have a Junk Mail Folder that helps immensely. I never even open the folder, I just delete the contents everyday.

Remember, you need to become educated if you're going to be on the Internet. I hope to see in my lifetime the end of Online Threats.


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Suggested Resources:

Registry Cleaner And Optimizer

Registry Smart

The Official Spyware Removal

Custodia Anti-virus With Personal Firewall

NoAdware

Adware Alert

AdwareBot

Fast PC Secrets: Increase The Speed Of Your Computer Without Any Software

The Ultimate Spy Killer