Posts Tagged ‘tips’

Top 10 Computer Security Aspects to be Wary About

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Computer security has long been a questionable issue for many computer users. Here are the top 10 issues commonly experienced by the lot of PC users.

Computers have certainly made the jobs of many professionals way easier. Do you remember the time when you had to redo your whole report just because of a few measly mistakes that you cannot afford to have on your fully furnished and typewritten document? This just might be a certain period of time that you are happy to keep on the shelves. Yes, the advent of computer and technology has certainly made a lot of things easier to handle. Of course, this does not mean there are no problems to be faced at hand because computer security is indeed one of the major concerns in the arena these days. Here are the top 10 computer security aspects that businesses should pay attention to.

#1. Viruses

Of course, viruses would be amongst the top. For the most part, viruses are sent and transmitted via email attachments so do not open any attachment if you are not too sure about its source. Also, make sure to have a reliable antivirus application on your system.

#2. Spyware

These applications send personal information about you to a potential hacker without you knowing it. Identity theft is often committed with the use of spyware, so you really have to be wary about this threat.

#3. IP Spoofing

This is a way to gain access to computers. What the intruder does is he sends messages to a certain computer, bearing an IP address that is seemingly from a reliable host. In reality, this is just a ploy to gain access.

#4. Trojan

On the surface, this seems a legit computer program. In reality, this program sends out information from your computer to a third party, eventually damaging your computer. Most of the time, Trojan viruses are accessed via email attachments as well. Thus, do not open any attachments if you are not too sure about the identity of the sender in the first place.

#5. Spam

Spam pertains to email messages that are unsolicited and these can be very annoying to any recipient. Thus, be careful when leaving your email information on websites and forums because spammers will definitely use this to their advantage, leaving you as the victim in the process.

#6. Adware

Those annoying pop-ups of advertisements can really take their toll on you. Watch out for this threat because it can be very disturbing having a spammer send you sequential pop-ups in just a few minutes’ interval.

#7. Diallers

People still using dial-up modems should be wary about dialer programs for they redirect your calls to extremely expensive numbers. You will not know what hit you until you get your phone bill.

#8. Hijackers

As the name suggests, hijackers actually grab control of your browser. These can then incorporate whatever changes they want with your home page, your search bar, and search pages. Hijackers often redirect you to unwanted websites.

#9. Phishing

This comes in the form of emails that seemingly come from reliable websites, such as eBay or PayPal. These websites ask you to verify certain details about your account; however, these are just ploys to get you to share sensitive account information.

#10. Hoaxes

The ever-present chain letter that has been in circulation for centuries now. Not only do these take up your time, but you can also fall victim to these hoaxes, especially if they appeal to your philanthropic nature. Thus, you also have to be wary about these chain letters and hoaxes that you receive.