How Do I Avoid Identity Theft

Has your computer developed a mind of its own? Is your computer doing things such as the mouse moving on its own and the CD-ROM drawer moving on its own? You knew your computer was smart, but not smart, right? It is good to know that there are steps you can take to help prevent and detect Trojan Horses. Like the ancient Greek Trojan Horses that appeared as innocent, but were very destructive, computer Trojan Horses are malicious software that masquerade as something harmless, useful, and innocent. A Trojan horse in fact can allow a hacker to take full control of your computer. The hacker could actually have more control of your computer than you have. The cyber crook could even install a keystroke logger onto your computer, allowing them to see every keystroke you type. This malicious software could allow them to record your passwords, banking info, credit card number, and other personal information. This could enable the hacker to steal your identity and you could become yet another victim of identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and the USA.

Trojan Horses get into your system by pretending to be something good, useful, and innocent. This is very much like the ancient Greek Trojan Horse. Did you download an image or video file off of Usenet, a cool game or MP3 music file from a file sharing site such as Kazaa or Limewire? The file very well might be bundled with more than you bargained for – a Trojan Horse or other malicious software.

Trojan Horses are downright scary and a real threat to your Internet security and privacy. In fact, this malware could lead to you becoming a victim of identity theft. Ready to disconnect your Internet forever and throw your computer out the window? Well, don’t do that just yet. It is should be reassuring that there are things that we can do to help detect and remove Trojan Horses.

Probably the biggest line of defense for helping prevent having your computer infected with a Trojan Horse or other malicious software is being careful what you do online. Avoid using file sharing sites using the Gnutella network to download free movies, MP3 music files, etc. These sites are notorious for containing files infected with malware, including Trojan Horses. Use caution when downloading files off Usenet. Also, be careful what you freeware you download. That cool game could very well contain more than you bargained for – a Trojan Horse or other malicious software. Only download programs from reputable sources. Never accept programs transferred by instant messaging applications. Finally, never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know. In fact, never open an email attachment from even someone you know that is unfamiliar and/or unexpected, as their system could be infected with a Trojan Horse or other malware. Confirm that the sender did actually send you the email before opening.

If you have no other internet security software installed on your computer, ensure you have anti-virus software installed on your computer. Don’t forget to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date, as anti-virus software is only as good as the last update. It is good to know that most anti-virus software automatically updates. There is also free anti-virus software online to download. AVG offers free anti-virus software, also bundled with free anti-spyware software. In a recent report Maximum PC gave AVG Anti-virus Free a rating of “good”, 7/10.

Ensure that you have anti-spyware software installed on your computer. Maximum PC actually recommends you have Spybot Search & Destroy as well as two other anti-spyware programs installed on your computer. It is good to know that there are free anti-spyware programs, including Spybot Search & Destroy, to download online. Windows Vista actually includes Windows Defender, a free anti-spyware program.

Finally, be sure to keep your operating system up-to-date with the latest security patches, to help protect yourself from Trojan Horses and other malicious software. For the latest Windows updates go to http://update.microsoft.com.

By following these internet security tips you can indeed help prevent and detect Trojan Horses and other malicious software. When it comes to Trojan Horses and other malware, an ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure.

This entry was posted

on Friday, July 23rd, 2010 at 5:45 am and is filed under Data Logger Articles.
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