Internet security is always an issue for anyone who goes online. As you know, hackers and companies make a living from harvesting names and personal information from unsuspecting internet users. The least benign results of these actions would be receiving loads of unwanted spam in your inbox. The more insidious can be identity theft. This threat is even more acute for the internet entrepreneur since we are intimately involved with responding to emails and other internet activities. For this reason, it is so very vital that we take precautions to protect ourselves against these invasions. First and foremost, installing and using a good anti-virus software is a no-brainer. Norton, in my opinion, is the best, since they are constantly updating their files and passing that along to their subscribers. To protect against spyware, there are many choices. Microsoft has a very good (and free) downloadable software called Defender. There are several very good sharewares that detect and eliminate spyware, and I suggest that you install at least two or three different spyware detection softwares install because there is no one spyware product that detects all the different invaders. If you use classified ads to promote your business, and you allow email to be sent to you, most ad sites allow you to keep your email address anonymous. If you receive email, never open any attachments that might come with that email. Also, any email that seems to be asking for unnecessary personal information about you, should be looked at very suspiciously. It's a very good policy to create a different email account for your classified ads. This way any spam will be sent to that address rather than to your main/personal/business email address. These are three tips to help keep your computer and your email safe. I'm sure there are many more tips that can help, and hopefully, other forum members will add to this thread. The bottom line is: Use your common sense and always remember it's ok to be a little paranoid, when something seems a bit out of the norm. Stay safe out there!
Great Post when it comes to browsers & E-Mail client use Firefox & Thunderbird & for Anti-Virus you should try Avast home edition it up dates it self everyday & in some cases twice a day, Why should you pay for a big brand name in Anti-Virus software when in my opinion Norton's software is nothing special as for Spyware you should give Spybot Search & Destroy & Spyware Blaster a try. You can protect your PC for free & it's a good way to save money plus it's also a good idea not to give out your e-mail address which is provided by your ISP. If you do need to submit a e-mail address create a yahoo or gmail account as your personal e-mail will not get over loaded with spam so I just thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth.
You can get a free 3 day trial of the best anti spyware which should catch any spyware on your computer. 1. Go to Kaspersky.com 2. Click on the Downloads link 3. Click on Home User 4. Download the Anti Virus program, install it, and scan your computer Please note that the scan will take about an hour and a half, but it is well worth it if you have spyware problems. I'd also recommend downloading a free copy of C Cleaner, which should help speed up your computer.
if i may... i made like three purchases online and signed up for a lot of stuff. i was checking my credit card balance online and i had about 200 unaccounted for. obviously i freaked and cancelled out everything. i did that 30 day trial anti spyware and froze my card. i finally accounted for the drop, but now i know the importance of super precaution. also if it were to really happen i know the exact steps to be taken to minimalize my losses, i suggest that everyone figure out for themselves exactly what you would need to do should this ever happen to you. kinda like a fire drill except with your personal info! but hopefully none of us ever have to go through that
Great post! I agree completely -- with all the constant signing up, posting, and responding to emails, it's pretty important to have a good antivirus program. I personally prefer AVG -- it's worked for me well so far. I had Norton but then stopped once I realized that I was paying a hundred bucks a year for something that I could get for free.
