PC-ER Safe Computing Guide

Continued from Page 1

Beware and Be Aware

Now that you have your antivirus software installed, you aren't completely out of the woods. We need to be aware of what is commonly called "Social Engineering". We will be discussing social engineering in several parts of this guide. Social engineering is basically getting you, the user, to circumvent the security of your computer so the malicious programmers don't have to do it themselves. In other words, they try to trick people into installing their software and they do a very good job of it. There are many ways social engineering is accomplished, but we are going to focus on some of the more common ways.

Pirated Music, Video, and Software Files - Legal and moral issues aside, many people are tricked into installing malware by downloading questionable files from the internet. One highly publicized example of this was a supposed video of ESPN reporter Erin Andrews. Users who downloaded the file and tried to view it were instructed they needed to update their software to view the video and were presented with a download that installed a fake antivirus program on their computer (more on those later). Users who download pirated music are sometimes greeted with similar messages when they try to listen to their songs or, depending on the software they are using, the malware by automatically be downloaded. Pirated software (also called Warez) often has malicious software installed with the original program.
Internet Pop-Ups - Many times malware is installed as a result of a pop up on a site that tells you something is wrong with your computer and their download can fix it. Often they say something like "Your Computer is Infected! Click HERE to fix it!" While advertising a fix, they are actually trying to infect your computer.
Other Internet Ads - On some occasions, malware has made its way to some big name sites such as the New York Times website and Facebook. Both sites took care of the issues quickly and the message here isn't about those sites, but it's about the fact that just because you are on a commercial, brand name site doesn't mean you should completely let your guard down.

Personal Information

One of the common themes we've used throughout this guide is common sense and it is more true for the protection of your personal information than anywhere else. Identity thieves are everywhere, not just on the internet, but online it can be pretty easy for them to get your personal information if you don't follow a few rules.

Be careful where you publish information that could be used to steal your identity. For example, Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska had her Yahoo email account hacked by someone who used information on Wikipedia to answer her security questions on the site. If you use, for example, your mother's maiden name as the answer to a security question on your bank's website and then post on a genealogy site that your mother's maiden name is "Smith", it would be very easy for someone to get into your bank account by using this information.
Don't fall for "phishing" scams. Think for a moment on fishing in a cool stream somewhere. You put bait on the end of a line, drop it in the water, and wait for an unsuspecting fish who's looking for a snack to take a bite out of your bait so you can reel them in. "Phishing" on the internet is very similar. A person with malicious intent will setup a page that looks similar to a website, usually a financial institution like a bank or payment site. They then send out mass emails to millions of users, hoping at least a few of them will have an account at the financial website, that instructs them that for some reason the sites needs them to sign in to verify information, cancel a transaction, or some other similar reason. The email points to the fake site and when the unsuspecting user takes the bait and enters their information, the hook is set and the "phisher" has all they need to take money from the account or get other personal information.

Conclusion

The world of the internet can be as safe as the real world as long as you keep yourself protected and use some good common sense. Keep yourself knowledgeable about current trends and conditions and if you have questions, please feel free to contact us for help.