Personal Privacy and Security in an Online World

Recognizing The Risks:

The world-wide-web is literally a world-wide community offering numerous advantages, such as international commerce and communication, vast amounts of stored information, and the ability to have almost instant contact with people in every corner of the developed world. But with all the benefits and advantages offered by the Internet and the world-wide-web, there are also some significant threats and vulnerabilities of which everyone should be aware.

While you're surfing the web, exchanging e-mail with your friends and business associates, downloading games, music, and video files, shopping on-line, and generally enjoying your computer and Internet connection, there is a world of attackers just waiting to take over your system. Hackers are scanning for computers connected to the Internet so they can snoop through their content or simply take over the computer for their own purposes. Disreputable businesses are installing "ad-ware" and "spy-ware" on your computer to track your on-line habits and purchases, all without your knowledge or permission. Criminals are releasing computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses to disrupt and destroy computer systems. While other criminals are flooding your e-mail inbox with unsolicited bulk e-mail (commonly called SPAM) or attempting to trick you into providing them with your personal and financial information so they can steal your identity and plunder your bank account.

These threats to our on-line security and privacy are certainly real and should be a serious concern to anyone who uses a computer and accesses the Internet. Just as we take certain security precautions in the physical world (such as locking our doors) to keep ourselves safe from criminals, there are security precautions that should be taken in the "cyber-world" to protect ourselves from criminals there as well.

Computer Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses

Regardless of the type of computer you use or what you use your computer for, the first step in ensuring your privacy on-line is to protect your computer from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses.