The top 10 Threats to your PC
Threats to your PC are multiplying daily. Hackers are constantly finding new ways to attack your systems and the Internet, while a boon to many people, is beset with traps and tripwires from criminals and other unscrupulous people who want to steal your identity, empty your bank account, max out your credit card, or simply have a malicious urge to cause your system damage.
Luckily there are excellent protection mechanisms available which don't cost the earth. Affordable anti-Virus, anti-Spyware and Firewalls are available relatively inexpensively, and they can do a great job of guarding your PC, your network and your data. But what are the most prevalent threats to your computer security and where do these threats come from? The following is a list (in no particular order) of the biggest threats to your peace of mind.
1. Social networking sites
In the past few years, a number of sites have emerged which focus on Social Networking. Social networking is defined as belonging to a community of people who have common interests, or who just wish to share what's happening in their lives with other people. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and many others are used by millions of people to communicate to others and to expand their circle of online friends. Wikipedia lists well over 100 social networking sites, and it's not even an exhaustive list.
Because the essence of social networking is opening up your life to others, there is a danger that you may give too much information away, and there is a definite increase in predators who are worming their way into other people's confidence and using that confidence to acquire confidential information for criminal purposes, such as identity theft and credit card fraud. You wouldn't tell even your close friends your bank account number or online access codes, now would you? Don't do it on the Internet either - even to your best online friend.
2. External media
The earliest viruses were spread by the indiscriminate use of floppy and stiffy disks, and nowadays anything that you use to load data onto your PC is still a potential carrier of malware. In the past, floppy disks and their successors, stiffies, were the main carriers of infection, and even today the use of external media carries a high risk factor. We now have even more types of media which can be used for data transfer. CDs and DVDs, USB flash memory, USB card readers and external portable hard drives are commonly used, while the Bluetooth protocol allows a short-range (10 metres) wireless connection between our PC and a Bluetooth-equipped device. All of these external devices can carry an infection and can transfer it to your machine unless you have the necessary security activated.
3. Internet sites that you just have to land on to be infected (you don't have to down load anything, just surf the site) - new and scary
There is evidence that malicious code is being spread throughout the Internet by users browsing infected websites. So far it appears that the compromised websites are running Microsoft's IIS web server software, and that Internet Explorer browsers are the ones vulnerable.
Computers can be infected by visiting a legitimate website that has been compromised with a small piece of code that invisibly redirects the browser to an infected site. Then a Trojan program is downloaded to your hard drive, allowing criminals to do everything from stealing passwords to using the machine to send out spam e-mails or even host a child pornography website. This is known as "drive-by downloading".
It's a relatively new development in the Internet world and a very scary one. Even though the number of sites which have so far been discovered are quite small, it makes surfing the internet like playing Russian Roulette - unless you have protected yourself with the appropriate anti-malware measures. So if you haven't already, get some good protection software and keep it up to date.
4. Adult sites
Adult sites are notorious for loading Spyware onto your PC. An international study was conducted from March to May 2008 and focused on dangerous sites (1 in 20 sites). The key finding was that that sites containing pornography are the biggest threat to companies and individuals and they carry a potential for financial and data loss as well as computer and network damage. The main vehicle of attack is a permanent website, unlike the temporary sites used in phishing attacks carried out with the aid of fraudulent email messages. Dangerous sites usually remain operational for months or years, attracting millions of visitors and causing them damage.
5. Music, movie and software download sites - especially the free ones
When you install any 'free' software offering you free music, video or software programs from websites, your computer will very likely have just installed a high risk peer-to-peer file sharing program. This 'free' software will open your computer to the risk of globally sharing files with other unknown users. Research has shown that with such peer-to-peer sharing software you are exposing your computer to very high levels of security risks, such as Spyware, Viruses, and other types of malware. This means you have made your computer extremely vulnerable. Home users who have children or young adults seeking music and movies have the highest level of potential for being infected by these methods.
A large proportion of the software used on file sharing Peer-to-Peer systems is infected with malware which can open up a backdoor to your computer system. No software should ever be downloaded from a website that is not a trusted and respected site.
6. Email attachments
One of the most common means by which computer viruses and worms spread is through email attachments. When opened, these attachments can give criminals complete control of your machine, or they can initiate an attack on another machine. They can also start sending out copies of themselves to email addresses they find on your hard drive, infecting your friends and families PCs.
If you don't open an attachment, it can't infect you (unless it's found a security hole in your email client). Most people open emails and their attachments automatically, without thinking about it, but you should always assume an attachment is hostile until proven otherwise.
Sometimes, of course, you have to open attachments, but use the following guidelines to help you decide whether to open them or not:
- Don't open attachments from people you don't know. If you don't know the person who sent you the email, delete it without opening the attachment.
- Don't open unexpected attachments. Even if you know the person who is listed as the sender of the email, don't open the attachment before checking. Contact the sender and confirm that they sent the email and the attachment.
- Don't open attachments with unusual extensions. If you receive an attachment that has an unusual icon, or an unusual extension (especially ones like .pif, .scr, or .exe), don't open it.
- Don't open "wrong looking" messages. If you receive several unexpected messages from different people with identical subject lines, it could be a virus or worm. If the subject line or message body before the attachment seems unusually vague, incoherent, or incomplete, don't open the attachment. If it just looks "wrong", don't open the attachment.
7. Phishing scams
Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, bank account details, other account data and passwords, or other information. Often phishing scams rely on placing links in e-mail messages, on Web sites, or in instant messages that seem to come from a service that you trust, like your bank, credit card company, or social networking site.
Usually, the phishing scammers send a fraudulent email disguised as an official request for information from the targeted company. Generally, they also create a "look-a-like" website that is designed to closely resemble the service's official site. The fake website may appear almost identical to the official site. Recipients of the scam email are requested to click on an included hyperlink. Clicking this link will cause the fake website to open in the user's browser. Once at this fake website, the user may be asked to enter private information such as credit card and banking details, and other account data such as a home address and phone number. Often, the visitor is requested to login using his or her username and password. All information entered into this fake website, including login details, can subsequently be collected and used at will by the criminals operating the scam.
If you receive any unsolicited email from a bank or any other institution that asks you to click an included hyperlink and provide sensitive personal information, then be very wary of such messages. Contact the institution directly and report the incident. Do not click on the link and under no circumstances should you provide any sensitive information. Never click on a link in an email in order to access the website of a bank or other institutions that may be the target of scammers. The safest method is to manually enter the URL of the institution's website into your browser's address bar. If you supply sensitive information on a website, always ensure that the site is secure. The address of the page should start with "https://" not just "http://" and make sure that the Lock icon is displayed in the browser's status bar. If these indicators are not present, it means that the site is not secure and that information you enter on the site is not protected.
8. "Too good to be true" offers on the Internet
We are being told that it is just as safe to shop on the Internet as it is to use your credit card in the real world, but there are some things to watch out for. If the deal sounds just too good to be true, then it probably is. Be wary of sites that offer amazing bargains. They could be enticing customers to enter credit card details which they will then use either to make purchases in your name, or as the basis of an identity theft. Only deal with reputable sites that have a history of straight dealing with their customers.
Don't ever let your credit card details be stored on a website. You wouldn't leave your credit card on the counter at Walmart, so don't do it on the Internet. There are good, free offers out there on the Internet, but if you take advantage of them, make sure that your protection software - anti-spyware, personal firewall, anti-virus software - is up to date and activated. Lots of the freebie sites will attempt to download malware onto your PC.
9. Wi-fi home networks can be accessed by hackers
As soon as you install and start operating a wi-fi system at home, you are potentially at risk from several new sources. The most obvious is that, since you are transmitting and receiving information over radio waves, someone else could intercept and read that information, potentially gaining access to confidential data. If you secure your wi-fi network by using WPA or WPA2 encryption and by using a good strong password, you can reduce this risk to an almost non-existent level.
Good firewall software is also a no-brainer - you need to be able to block and filter potentially harmful messages, both incoming and outgoing. Incoming because they may be carrying a malware payload, and outgoing because if you have been infected, that outgoing message may be delivering your confidential data to the bad guys.
10. You are the biggest threat to your PC
The biggest threat by far to your PC is, however, you yourself. You are the one who operates the machinery and most of the steps which protect your system and your data are under your control. Check that you do the following on a regular basis:
- Stay away from dangerous Internet sites. If you don't surf them they can't harm you.
- Use good strong passwords and change them regularly
- Update your Operating system regularly (preferably automatically)
- Be wary about opening emails and attachments
- Implement good anti-Virus, anti-Spyware and Personal Firewall software and keep them up-to-date.
- Switch off your PC when it's not being used
- Switch off your wi-fi system when it's not being used
Remember that computer security is your responsibility and that it is relatively easy to protect your system and your valuable information. The Internet is a wonderful place, but some of its inhabitants are ruthless and rapacious. Don't let them spoil your enjoyment. Use the above 10 points as a guide and make your PC and your life safer.