How Can Someone Get Private Information From My Computer?

From the "Ask Booster" column in the June 17, 2005 issue of Booster's Auction News, a free ezine for online auction sellers and enthusiasts.

Dear Booster,

How can someone get private information from my computer?

Thank you,

Evan S.

Minnesota U.S.A.

Dear Evan,

Hackers can get your private information from your computer in a number of ways. Here are the top ways they do it:

* Computer viruses, spyware and adware from e-mails you've received and/or websites you've visited.

* Hacker programs that find unprotected IP addresses are subject to attack. An IP address is a series of several numbers (ex. 65.129.37.84) that identifies your location on the internet. It's like your "internet" telephone number.

* Entering your financial information (i.e., credit card info) into a website that does not offer secure order processing. Your internet browser should show you that you've entered a secure site.

* Having your financial information "intercepted" by a hacker while shopping online at a legitimate website. This is called "pharming" and is becoming a more worrisome threat.

* You downloaded software from that contained a malicious program.

* You fall victim to a "phishing" or "spoof" scam, whereby you GIVE your personal information away.

* Phishing and spoof e-mails appear as if they are coming from a legitimate website. The e-mail generally alarms the recipient with a message such as "your account has been suspended" or telling you that you need to "verify your account." Most eBay and PayPal users have received at least one (if not several more) spoof e-mails appearing to come from either eBay or PayPal.

eBay has information showing you how to spot spoof. I highly recommend your take a few moments and visit http://pages.ebay.com/education/spooftutorial/index.html for this brief tutorial.

* Another growing threat is called "malware" which is a spyware. Malware is a malicious software which logs your keystrokes and forwards the information to a hacker. This type of software can come through viruses and is often included in downloaded applications.

Free Antivirus and Firewall Software: What is Good?

Free antivirus is one of the most in-demand downloadable software on the Net today. Even with the limited protection they offer, computer users still use them because they're free. There are actually good antivirus firewall software programs that can be downloaded for free.

Take a quick look at some of the antivirus firewall software programs that are actually reliable yet free.

AVG Free. AVG Free is one of the widely used free antivirus applications. It has real-time threat scanner and checks out which website is safe to visit and which has a possible threat (for Internet Explorer and Firefox only). It updates regularly and does not require large system resources.

Avira Antivir. This is a technical user's choice of antivirus program. The average computer user may find it not very easy to use because you have to be knowledgeable about some technical stuff to be able to use this. But, despite that, it is considered the most meticulous in protecting your computer and also the fastest.

Avast! 24.8 Home Edition. It has all the features that the commercial Avast! Antivirus program has. It is good in protecting your computer and detecting possible malware, though it may not be as good or as aggressive as Avira Antivir.