The internet has been around for over 40 years but it’s the world wide web that really popularized it 15 years ago, with graphical web pages and information services that appealed to the commercial world. Before that the internet was used by governments, schools, scientists and technicians to move files around (file transfer protocol, or ftp) and connect to large computers (telnet) and other incidental traffic.

When the world wide web opened the frontiers of the Information Age, the internet was a pretty safe place to visit. There were no viruses, malware, conmen or flim-flam artists. I remember in the early 90’s surfing this newly developed web and ending up on a Polynesian island, with everything written in their local language! It was a thrilling experience for me.

The internet is no longer a safe place! Viruses, spyware and malware have infested the internet in many forms, including Trojans, worms, rootkits and many others. While viruses will actually make copies of themselves, the other forms of malware are spread by sending infected files to other people.

While no one can be totally safe from infestation, there are steps you can take to reduce the likelihood. We offer these tips to help insure you have a safer and more secure experience when working on the internet.

1. Never open an email attachment from an unknown source. Just because this unknown email has an attachment doesn’t mean it has to be opened! This is one of the biggest ways that traditional computer viruses are spread.
2. I take rule #1 a step further, and never open an unexpected attachment, even if it’s from someone I know. If you receive an unexpected attachment, contact the person who appears to have sent it and verify that they sent that attachment to you. You may have heard that one way viruses spread is that they will infect a computer and send themselves out to everyone in the infected computer’s contact list. Verify the attachment before you open it.
3. Never click on a banner ad that says “We’ve detected viruses on your computer.” This is a nasty trick used to tempt people to click on the ad, which is itself the malware you’re trying to avoid! Trust your anti-virus software to do its job.
4. Tell your children not to click on those banner ads! Just as people are concerned to see that message, children are even more so. I can almost hear the dialog in their minds, “Oops! I did something wrong. Let me see if I can fix it before Mom or Dad finds out.”
5. A lot of people wonder, “If my anti-virus software is doing its job, why wouldn’t it catch these malware tricks?” The deviant minds that create the malware will do whatever it takes to convince you to let them infect your computer. One of the critical steps is to get you to give them permission to invade. Remember the Apple commercial that made fun of Vista always asking “A program is trying to run. Do you want to Allow or Deny?” Many modern firewall programs will let you know when something is happening, and ask you if you want to Allow or Deny. When you click on that banner ad to check your computer for malware, you are Allowing it to run; you are giving that program permission to infest your computer!
6. Always use anti-virus software. Nowadays this is an essential component to have on your computer. If something happens to your anti-virus program, don’t get on the internet until the problem is fixed!
7. Always keep your anti-virus software updated. How often? There are new viruses and malware being created daily, so you need to update your anti-virus software just as frequently – daily.
8. Always run frequent scans on your computer. Again, how often? It’s similar to the question “How often should I back up my computer?” The answer is as often as it takes so you don’t have to re-enter information. You should scan frequently, perhaps daily and certainly at least weekly, so you don’t lose the valuable data you keep on your computer.
9. Never provide sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, etc. in an unencrypted email. Most large companies will tell you that they will never ask for that information in an email, and you need to be cautious in such situations. Unfortunately on the web it is relatively easy to “say one thing and mean another.” I can create an email that says “Send your password to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” but when you click on that hyperlink it will actually go, not to the FBI, but to the http://www.BustYourComputer.com website.
10. Find a reliable resource to help you when you are in doubt. As I said last week, computers can appear to be easy to use because they hide their complexity in a friendly graphical user interface. If you are unsure about something, check it out before you do something you might regret later.

At Certified Computer Service we know computers inside and out. And we can help you choose a security system that’s right for you and your needs. We can also get rid of unwanted viruses and malware if you find your computer becomes infested with them.

Remember, you have a resource with Certified Computer Service!