The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

The internet is undoubtedly a fantastic resource for families and offers a rich vein of educational content.

However, there are potential dangers - welcome to the seedy world of viruses, spam, trojans, pornography, spyware and other nasties.

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These are the Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore.

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

1. Viruses - A computer program that copies itself. They often disrupt your computer system or damage your data. Viruses are usually received by email attachments so be careful opening anything from a dubious source. They can affect anyone, for example, the destructive Mydoom worm affected one out of three small and mid-sized businesses.

2. Spyware - Sends information about you and your computer to somebody else. Spyware may send the addresses of sites you have visited or worse still, transmit personal information. With today's concerns about identify theft this is a real worry. For example, CoolWebSearch may hijack web searches, home page, and other Internet Explorer settings. Spyware is normally received as part of shareware or freeware downloaded from the web.

3. IP Spoofing - A technique to gain unauthorized access to computers, whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with an address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted host.

4. Trojans - An apparently legitimate computer program that is really intended to disrupt and damage computer activity by sending information, perhaps even passwords onto a third party without you knowing. As an example, recent emails entitled "Osama Bin Laden Captured" attempted to download the "Trj/Small.B." Trojan if the embedded URL was clicked. This trojan attempts to hijack the PC.

5. Spam - Unsolicited mail often promoting products of a dubious financial or sexual nature. Don't leave your email address on websites and internet bulletin boards as they are harvested by spammers.

6. Adware - puts advertisements on your screen. These take many forms including popups, popunders and advertisements that appear later, even if your browser is closed. Some are sent using the Windows Messenger service which allows a spammer to direct an advertisement straight to your computer by sequentially sending messages to IP addresses. Always irritating, they are also often of a pornographic nature.

7. Diallers - for those of us still with dial up modems, dialler programs redirect calls to a very expensive number. You won't know until you get the bill.

8. Hijackers - Hijackers take control of your web browser and may reset your home page, search bar and search pages. They can redirect you to undesirable sites or stop you going to particular sites.

9. Hackers - With so much personal data available online to anyone with a password you must be sure your password is secure. If you are using your mother's maiden name, your cat's name or your birthday then your password is at risk. Here are two tips for making a secure password. Method One - pick two random unrelated three letter words and two digits. Mix them up and what do you have? A secure password such as "red19cat" or "hotpin73". Method Two - pick a short sequence of words such as Now Is The Winter Of Our Discontent Made Glorious' and you have a password of "nitwoodmg". You could even change the I's and O's to digits.

10. Phishing - Emails purporting to come from reliable sources such as Paypal, Ebay or your bank. Often wanting you to verify your account details, they can look very realistic but are generally scams to harvest usernames and passwords. Always open a new browser winder and type the address there, rather than clicking on the link provided.

11. Hoaxes - Chain letters, scams, false alarms. At best they take up time and bandwidth but at worst vulnerable can be victims of fraud. Pass it on!

12. Stranger-danger - For those of us with children - do you know what they actually do when they are online? Are they working on homework tasks, downloading illegal music or pornography? Or are they chatting to strangers in chat rooms? You should consider blocking access to undesirable sites and logging their activity with a surveillance tool. Oh, and don't forget that where children are concerned, computers should always be kept in a family room and never in their bedroom.

Three Step Action Plan

There are three basic, essential steps that should be taken to ensure your PC is kept threat-free.

Firstly , be sensible when opening attachments or following email instructions from apparently reputable sites.

Secondly , make sure you are using the latest service pack of Windows as Microsoft is continually closing loopholes to tighten up security.

Finally, there's a range of low cost tools such as firewalls, antivirus, spam blockers and spyware killers available. Like everything else they vary in quality and you tend to get what you pay for so always do your research first and perhaps try a free trial before getting your credit card out.

The Top Twelve Threats No Computer User Should Ignore

The author, Kai Chandler, edits http://www.surfcontrols.com which specializes in providing reviews and recommendations of top-rated tools to help protect your online experience.

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Block Junk Mail Forever - 3 Easy Steps

Junk mail can be a huge problem and a lot of people are looking for ways to rid themselves and block junk mail forever. This article will reveal 3 easy steps to follow to eliminate the problem once and for all.

One - be careful where you put your email address, and make sure you read carefully the privacy agreements of websites that you are visiting. One of the ways that people collect email addresses en masse is that they trick the end user to clicking on a link that actually releases their email address to a server and tells the end user only in fine print. This is where reading is important. It is all about mis direction when it comes to spammers and they will try anything and everything to funnel as many emails as they can to their database. Also, make sure your protect your privacy and don't sign up for any memberships online or opt ins without knowing where your information is going and what the website or operator is going to do with it.

Spam Blocker

Another thing, you have to ensure that the email client you are using has some security features like a junk mail folder where it can route nefarious emails away from your inbox. It is sort of like the email services provided online and free of charge. A junk email folder is very important because it routes mails away from your important inbox - it doesn't get clogged up and you will not be wasting your time removing and reading them, realising that they are nothing more than junk mail trying to sell you a product or service. A good way to make sure you never have the problem of junk email is to install a good anti virus programme on your computer. One of the ways that spammers and hackers retrieve your password and your email lists is by using sniffers like worms, hidden in emails or programmes, which then hack into your email and reproduce themselves in your list. A good anti-virus programme will help you avoid this.

Block Junk Mail Forever - 3 Easy Steps

Lastly, and most obviously, is to get a good spam blocker or email filtering software. When it comes to eliminating the problem of junk email, this should be the last line of defence you have to spam emails, as well as the most effective one in your arsenal. They take only a moment to install and they bind seamlessly with your email client and are integral to business and any form of work. Spam emails can play havoc with your work processes as well as your schedules and you need to get one to protect yourselves from their destructive powers. A good spam blocking programme can protect your inbox, your various email folders, route junk mail to another external folder and even give you a list of emails that have been plaguing your server (which you can then forward to your web host for further action). These are the three easy steps anyone can do to block junk mail forever.

Block Junk Mail Forever - 3 Easy Steps

Don't let spam control your life. Eliminate time wastage with this award winning Spam Blocker Utility System. Click here for your free trial today.

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Online Distance Education - Six Things You Need For Success

You've decided it's time to go back to college to further your education, but as a working adult, you can't see how going to school the traditional way will fit into your busy schedule. Fortunately though, after doing some research on the internet, you discovered that the best option for you at this time is to get an online distance education degree.

Now it's time to get prepared for school. It's probably been a few years since you've attended school, and you're a little unsure about what you're going to need. To help ease any anxiety you may feel, here is a list of six things you'll need for success with your studies:

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1. A computer. You will need a working computer that you can rely on. It doesn't need to be brand new, but should be new enough that you can run any software necessary for the course. Because you're going online, you need to make sure you have adequate protection for your computer such as a virus and spam blocker, and a good firewall to keep out hackers and malicious software.

Online Distance Education - Six Things You Need For Success

2. Internet access. The very nature of online courses requires that you have access to the internet. Although a dial-up internet account may be adequate for basic class functions such as sending and receiving emails and making posts in classroom discussion threads, it would be to your advantage to have high speed internet access if at all possible. Some classes may require large file downloads or video streams which will take a virtual eternity to download with a regular dial-up modem.

3. Textbooks. Lectures, syllabuses, textbooks and other course material are generally all available by download from the online school. However depending on the institution and the type of course you are taking, you may need to buy textbooks and other material for your degree study. You will be notified at the start of class as to exactly what material is provided online, and what you will have to buy.

4. Software. You may need to purchase additional software for your computer. In some cases, the software will already be included in the cost of the course. In most cases however, you will need to have specific software in order to watch the lectures, to attend virtual classes, and communicate with your classmates and instructors. If you don't already have this software, you will have to buy it and have it installed on your computer.

5. Other materials. As in a traditional classroom setting, there are some standard items you'll need. Pens and pencils, paper, and 3-ring binders for the syllabus and other class material are all essential items you'll need in you study area. And if you live with other people you should have a headset to listen to audio portions of lectures and video streams without disrupting their need for quiet. Your instructor will let you know if you will need anything else for your class.

6. A quiet place to study. Don't underestimate the importance of this one. It is imperative that you have a quiet place to work on your assignments and class projects, as free as possible from extraneous distractions that will sidetrack you away from your study. Of course, you will need to have a computer at this location as well.

So there you have it, six things you'll need for your first online distance education course. When you start class you may need to add some other things to your list, according to the course requirements. But for now, this list of six things can help set you on the path to e-learning success.

Online Distance Education - Six Things You Need For Success

Jesse Whitehead earned his B.S. in Business Administration degree with honors from an online university in 2005. For more information about online distance education degrees click here.

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Associative Advantages When Making a Website Or a Blog

WordPress has many options, and advantages for creating blogs and websites. WordPress.com is designed to help you build your own website very easily-especially if you have never made a website before. Some of the advantages include easy themes to install, basic plug-ins, advanced plug-ins, photos that can be installed with the click of your mouse, search engine optimization, and easy to install videos, as well. If you have never made a blog, or website before, WordPress.com can save you a great deal of time and effort.

There are many themes to use when creating a blog, or a website when using WordPress.com. Most of themes to chose from are free to use, and easy to find through Google. If you want to find a theme that is unique to you and your business, then simply type it into Google. Once you find that unique theme, then just download the file, and install it into WordPress.com. This is very helpful in making your website unique, and different.

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WordPress.com has many plug-ins that help to advanced the ability, and appearance of your website, or blog. Some of the plug-ins allow others to share your site on social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, StumbleUpon, etc. There are also plug-ins to determine the number of people that go to your site everyday. There is even a plug-in to block spam, which is called Akismet plug-in. It prevents spam comments and messages from popping into your blog, or website. It is one of the best spam blockers in the world.

Associative Advantages When Making a Website Or a Blog

If you want to rank high in the search engines, then WordPress.com can help. Google loves WordPress.com, because those who use valuable content about the benefits of what he, or she is advertising will be recognized for their content. As long as you provide the benefits of your products and information, WordPress.com can help you rank in the search engines. However, using WordPress.com alone does not guarantee that you will be at the top of Google. In order to achieve high ranking with search engines, you must know how to utilize keyword research. When creating your website, be certain that your title of the website and content is keyword rich to achieve search engine optimization.

Using WordPress.com allows you to do many amazing features with your blog, or website. It is very easy to install pictures and videos for your site with one simple click of your mouse. WordPress.com has little icons that enable you to add your photos and videos. There are also other plug-ins to make your videos on your site appear more up to date with the technology of computers. If you have never made a blog, or a website before, I would highly recommend using WordPress-simply because, everything so easy to install.

Associative Advantages When Making a Website Or a Blog

To learn more about keyword optimization and WordPress.com, so your business can profit today, visit [http://www.lucrativeworkchance.com]. Alexandra Nowak is currently a member of the worlds largest internet marketing and mentoring program. As an online marketer she has a passion for helping others achieve success in their life and their business by leveraging the power of the internet. To find out more about how you can be earning your income online today, please visit [http://www.earnlucrativewealth.com].

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How To Stop Unwanted Email Spam

You can stop unwanted email spam, you can choose to reduce spam email or you can do nothing and continue to be annoyed. Those are your only choices because spam email is not likely to go away.

Every single one of us would love to stop unwanted emails but only a very small percentage of people do anything except complain about spam.

Spam Blocker

You might remember a couple of years ago they passed a new federal spam law that was supposed to eliminate spam email. So why is spam still around and why is it so difficult to get rid of it?

How To Stop Unwanted Email Spam

Email spammers buy lists of email addresses from list brokers, who compile their lists by harvesting email addresses from the Internet. Then they send millions of unwanted email messages to these email addresses with one click of a mouse.

Email spammers make huge amounts of money from these lists and that's why they do it. These email spammers are breaking the federal spam law, The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, in every way possible.

This federal spam law, which became effective January 1, 2004, is next to impossible to enforce. Email spammers make so much money they can afford to outsmart The Federal Trade Commission with sophisticated technology.

Now that you know the origin of spam email and why email spammers are sending this junk you realize that spam is not likely to ever go away. But that doesn't mean you can't do anything about it. Here are a couple of ways to significantly reduce spam that won't cost you a cent.

Don't display your email address in newsgroup postings, chat rooms or in an online service's membership directory. Sometimes email spammers use these sources to harvest email addresses.

Another thing you can do is create two email addresses with one for personal messages and the other for public use, such as in newsgroups or chat rooms.

You can also create an account at a disposable or free email address service. You can then have those emails forwarded to your permanent email address. If the disposable address starts to receive spam, you can turn if off without affecting the permanent address.

You should also create a unique email address because email spammers often use dictionary attacks to sort through possible name combinations at some Internet Service Providers. A common name, like johndoe or thesmiths may get more spam than a unique name like fx721OMe9.

Check your email account to see if it provides a tool to filter out potential spam or a way to channel spam into a bulk email folder. When you're choosing an Internet Service Provider consider what email options they offer.

If you want to end your headaches, you can stop unwanted email spam altogether. All it takes is installing an Internet spam filter. Most are reasonably priced between and depending on where you get it.

Once you install an Internet spam filter you'll wonder why it took you so long because it takes all of the frustration away from your email.

A good Internet spam filter will completely eliminate spam email and that lets you take back control of your Internet message Inbox. You'll have to find something else to get annoyed about because a good Internet spam filter will block 100% of unwanted spam.

Internet spam filters stop unwanted email forever, and after all, isn't that the idea?

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How To Stop Unwanted Email Spam

This article is provided by http://www.spyware-information.com We offer you the safest, most effective and easy-to-use Internet spam filter available, blocking 100% of unwanted spam at http://www.spyware-information.com/anti-spam-filter.html

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