Name, Rank, and Social Security Number Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S.
The U.S. Secret Service has estimated that consumers nationwide lose $745 million to identity theft each year. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim spends 607 hours and averages $1,000 just to clear their credit records.
Theives who steal Identiies use a number of different methods to retrieve your personal information without you knowing. They may be able to gain your information from businesses or other institutions by stealing it. They may bribe an employee who has access to records. They may get information by hacking into records. Maybe they will end up just plain conning the information out of employees. Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may easily use it to commit an act of fraud or theft using your name.
How can you tell if you have become a victim of identity theft?
Some signs include unexplained charges or withdrawals from your financial accounts
Bills or other mail stop arriving because the thief might have submitted a change of address
Perhaps a credit application is denied you for no apparent reason
Debt collectors may begin calling you about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.
Your computer can be a goldmine to anyone who is in the practice of stealing identities. Your computer contains a wealth of personal information for an identity thief to play with.
To protect yourself and your computer against identity theft consider:
Updating virus protection software frequently.
Consider setting your virus protection software to update automatically.
The Windows XP operating system also can be set to check for patches automatically.
Windows XP will also download the patches to your computer automatically.
Do not opening files sent to you by strangers
Do not click on hyperlinks
Do not download programs from people or companies you don’t know.
Use a firewall program, particularly if you are on high speed Internet connections
High Speed cable or DSL leaves your computer attached to the internet 24h a day.
Make sure you firewall against intruders if your machine will be conneted 24h/day
Only provide personal or financial information through secured websites.
While not fool proof, a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins "https:" (the "s" stands for secure), may provide additional security.
Stop storing financial information on your laptop, unless this is absolutely necessary.
Delete all the personal information stored on a computer before disposing of it.
Use a "wipe" utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive.
Check with an anti-fraud education organization such as CardCops (www.cardcops.com).
Card Cops runs a web site designed to help consumers determine whether their credit card numbers may have been stolen or not. They monitor Internet "chat rooms" where identity thieves gather. Here, the thieves illicitly trade and sell stolen credit card numbers. CardCops turns pertinent information over to law enforcement authorities. The authorities will also allow consumers to access a database to see whether individual card numbers may have been stolen.
In the first two months of operation, the site identified more than 100,000 stolen credit cards.
As with any crime, you can not completely control whether you will become a victim, but you can take steps to minimize your risk by remaining diligent and by minimizing outside access to your personal information.
Showing posts with label Computer Firewall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Computer Firewall. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Review of Zone Alarm - and Malware info
Malware. A word to strike fear into the heart of internet users. If it doesn't frighten you yet, IT SHOULD!
Malware is a strange but efficient word used to categorize all malicious software programs. The category of 'malware' includes - viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other malevolent codes.
Computer Economics released a report on malware in 2005. In this report, the good news was that for the first time since 2002, the total worldwide financial losses from malware actually declined to a mere $14.2 billion.
The bad news was that the nature of malware was changing from overt threats to more focused, covert attacks.
This is no great news for the average computer user just trying to keep up with the hundreds of malware programs that bombard us daily.
Keeping malware out of your computer system is no easy task. To do so, you need an effective antivirus program.
One such program is the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 from Zone Labs. Zone Labs is one of the most trusted companies in the Internet Security field for a good reason.
Their product kicks serious malware butt!
ZoneAlarm has received high review recommendations - higher than most other Internet-security software suites because of its superb firewall and antivirus protection. It blocks pop-up ads, protects against identify theft and provides adequate spam filters that are flexible.
It even beats the market leader, Norton Internet Security, which is often criticized for excessive system drag.
The newest Zone Labs Zone Alarm version includes these additional features:
* Triple Defense Firewall to prevent spyware from sending your information across the Internet. It also makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Net.
* Smart Defense Advisor which can automatically adjust your security settings for maximum protection against the latest virus and spyware outbreaks.
* Advanced Identify and Privacy Protection to prevent your personal data from leaving your computer without your approval.
A bonus for the average user who cringes at the idea of setting-up one of these systems is that the interface is easier to understand and use - as compared to most competitor software.
If you choose to venture beyond the out-of-the-box default settings, and install a more elaborate filtering, know that this will require some additional time to set up on your part.
Overall:
Zone Labs' "Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite" is user-friendly and provides a comprehensive security solution that will keep your computer safer from Internet hazards and cyber criminals than most security suites do. Your protection will be set up within minutes of installation.
Malware is a strange but efficient word used to categorize all malicious software programs. The category of 'malware' includes - viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, and other malevolent codes.
Computer Economics released a report on malware in 2005. In this report, the good news was that for the first time since 2002, the total worldwide financial losses from malware actually declined to a mere $14.2 billion.
The bad news was that the nature of malware was changing from overt threats to more focused, covert attacks.
This is no great news for the average computer user just trying to keep up with the hundreds of malware programs that bombard us daily.
Keeping malware out of your computer system is no easy task. To do so, you need an effective antivirus program.
One such program is the ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite 6 from Zone Labs. Zone Labs is one of the most trusted companies in the Internet Security field for a good reason.
Their product kicks serious malware butt!
ZoneAlarm has received high review recommendations - higher than most other Internet-security software suites because of its superb firewall and antivirus protection. It blocks pop-up ads, protects against identify theft and provides adequate spam filters that are flexible.
It even beats the market leader, Norton Internet Security, which is often criticized for excessive system drag.
The newest Zone Labs Zone Alarm version includes these additional features:
* Triple Defense Firewall to prevent spyware from sending your information across the Internet. It also makes your computer invisible to anyone on the Net.
* Smart Defense Advisor which can automatically adjust your security settings for maximum protection against the latest virus and spyware outbreaks.
* Advanced Identify and Privacy Protection to prevent your personal data from leaving your computer without your approval.
A bonus for the average user who cringes at the idea of setting-up one of these systems is that the interface is easier to understand and use - as compared to most competitor software.
If you choose to venture beyond the out-of-the-box default settings, and install a more elaborate filtering, know that this will require some additional time to set up on your part.
Overall:
Zone Labs' "Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite" is user-friendly and provides a comprehensive security solution that will keep your computer safer from Internet hazards and cyber criminals than most security suites do. Your protection will be set up within minutes of installation.
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