Identity Theft Protection
For You and Your Computer

Protecting Your Computer

 This information can be banking information, personal data or maybe medical information.  Every time we connect to the Internet, our computers are attacked by thousands of programs that are roaming the Internet, looking for computers that they can breach, gain access to, and control. 

If your computer is not properly protected, this could happen:

• Identity thieves and crooks can gain access to your computer and steal any information in any file.
• Spammers can use your computer as a “zombie drone” to send out spam that looks like it came from you.
• Malicious viruses or spyware can be secretly placed on your computer, slowing it down, destroying files and corrupting it so it will not run.

By taking safety measures and using good practices to protect your computer, you will be protecting yourself from identity theft and protecting your privacy.

Following are 10 Tips that will help you reduce your risk of having your computer invaded by viruses and losing personal information:

Security Software For Your Computer

1. Use A Firewall

A firewall program (sometimes it can be part of the hardware) blocks hackers from entering and using your computer. It is like a "wall" between you computer and the outside world (the Internet).  Hackers have programs that search the Internet looking for computers that they can invade and take over. These programs send out thousands of random pings at a time (or calls) to computers and wait for a response.  Firewalls stop your computer from responding to these pings by stopping the communications between the source and your computer.

Some new computers that include firewall software might  be shipped with the firewall in the “off” mode.  Be sure to check your computer settings and activate the firewall if it is set to "off".  Also, your firewall must be updated regularly to be effective.  Check your user's manual, which could be an online manual, for help with firewall setup and updates.  Some operating systems and security software will automatically do the updating for you, without you having to take any action.  This is the best way to keep your firewall up to date because the automatic updates are installed as soon as they become available and it doesn't require any of your time to do it.

If you bought a new computer with a firewall already install, then it is likely installed properly.  Just be sure that you are getting updates whenever the maker of the software issues them.

2. Use Anti-Virus Software

Anti-virus software protects your computer from viruses that can allow spammers to send e-mail through your account, cause your computer to crash, destroy your files and data, or just make your computer run slow because it uses up all of the processing power.

Anti-virus software scans your computer files and incoming e-mail for viruses, and then quarantines them or deletes them. Just like firewall programs, you must keep your anti-virus software up-to-date to be able to detect and delete latest “bugs” that have been released onto the Internet.  Most anti-virus software includes a function that will download updates automatically when you are online.  To be the most secure, you'll want to:

1. Make sure that the program is continually running in the background so it will always be checking any files, photos, data, or emails for viruses when you download them.
2. Most anti-virus software comes with a scheduler that will allow you to check your system on a regular basis.  Schedule  it to check your entire system (files, data and operating system on all your drives) about twice a month.
   

3. Use Anti-Spyware Programs

Spyware is software installed on your computer, generally without your knowledge or consent.  Some spyware does not hurt our computer and is used to track our activities, such as our where we shop and what we buy.  This information is used for marketing purposes by merchants. 

There are other spyware programs that not only monitor our online activities but collect personal information while we surf the Internet.  There are spyware programs called keyloggers that record the keys that we hit and then send this information out over the internet to someone who is collecting.  This kind of program can capture passwords, social security numbers, banking information, and basically anything that we type in at the keyboard.

There are some signs that your computer may be infected with spyware.  They include a sudden and sharp increase of pop-up windows and ads, being taken to Web sites that we did not tell our web browser to go to, and a slow down in performance.

Some anti-virus programs also include Spyware protection.  Also, some ISP (Internet Service Providers) companies are starting to include anti-virus and spyware protection as part of their Internet service packages.

Just like Firewalls and Anti-virus programs, it is essential to the safety of your computer and the protection of your personal data that you keep your anti-spyware software up to date and run it regularly.

There are many anti-spyware programs available that can be downloaded from the Internet.  Many of them are free.  Downloading free products on the Internet is an easy way to get yourself into more trouble.  Spyware can be "Piggybacked" onto otherwise seemingly good programs.  Do your homework and be sure that the website you get it from can be trusted and that the product is reliable.  Just because something is free on the internet does not mean that it is a quality product. 

Security Tips At Home

4. Secure Your Wireless Network

If you have a wireless network at home, you need to take precautions to secure it against outside hackers. 

• First, you need to use Encrypted wireless communications.  Select a wireless router that has an encryption feature and be sure that feature is turned on.

WPA encryption is considered stronger than WEP encryption.  Your computer, router, and other equipment must use the same encryption method. 

• If your router enables identifier broadcasting, disable it.
• Make note of the SSID name so you can connect your computers to the network manually.  Hackers know the pre-set passwords of this kind of equipment.
• Change the default identifier on your router and the pre-set administrative password.
• Also, turn off your wireless network when it is not being used.

Always assume that public “hot spots”  are not secure.  They might be, but since you can't know for sure, then you should assume that they are not.  So play it safe and don't send or receive sensitive personal information over a public wireless network.

NOTES:
WEP is Wired Equivalent Privacy: a security protocol that encrypts data sent to and from wireless devices in a network.
WPA is Wi-Fi Protected Access: a security protocol developed to fix flaws in WEP.
SSID is Service Set Identifier: the name a manufacturer assigns to a wireless network router. The same SSID may be assigned to all hardware of the same type.

5. Monitor Your Childs Online Activity

A child can unknowingly and easily allow identity theft to happen.  Young children don't understand the problems that can be created by giving out personal information online.  Don’t let them access the Internet without first being instructed on how to be safe online.

As a parent, you must remember that software can not make your child 100% safe online.  There is no substitute for parental supervision.  See more in the topic about "Online Protection of Your Child".

Being Secure While On The Internet

6. Use A Good Password.

Passwords are keys to our personal information.  The better the key, the better we protect our information.

Wherever you use a password, don't set it up with information about yourself that many people might know, like your pet's name, your your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number.  Also, you shouldn't use passwords that contain characters that a password hacking program could easily figure out, such as 12345678 or abcdefgh or standard dictionary words.  These hacking programs can go through thousands of combinations per second and try all the words in a standard dictionary.  The less complex your password is, the easier it will be for these programs to figure it out.

Whether it is a password to access your home computer, a bank account or an online account, the best passwords are:

1. A combinations of letters, numbers, and special characters.
2. At least eight characters long.  The longer, the better.
3. Easy for you to remember, but hard for others to guess.

Using the first letter and number of each word in a phrase is a good way to remember a complex password.
For example, DBL4AVID could be remembered as "Don't Be Late For A Very Important Date".

7. Have A Strong Defensive Plan When Going Online

The Internet can give you access to tons of information, entertainment, financial offers, and countless other services but at the same time, it can leave you vulnerable to online scammers, identity thieves and more.

Hackers, crooks and identity thieves are just waiting for you to go online.  When you connect your computer to the Internet, within seconds it will be attacked by any number of programs that are constantly running and looking for any computer that can be breached, infected, taken over and information stolen.  If you are not ready for them, then you and your computer will become their next victim.

Hackers and crooks are constantly trying to find flaws (or holes) in operating systems and browsers where they can plant their code or gain access to your computer.  Then they can steal your information or control your computer.

To protect your computer and the information on it:

1. Set the security settings of your system and browser to "medium or higher".
2. Update your operating system and browser regularly.
3. Take advantage of automatic security software updating when it’s available.

Windows Updates is a service offered by Microsoft. It will download and install software updates to the Microsoft Windows Operating System, Outlook Express, Internet Explorer.  It will also deliver security updates to you.  Patching can also be done automatically for other systems, such as the Macintosh Operating System.

1. Don’t install software without first knowing what it is for.
2. Set Internet Explorer browser security to at least “medium.”
3. Don’t click on links in pop-up windows or in spam e-mail.
4. Download software only from sites you know and trust. 
   Piggybacking spyware can be an unseen cost of many “free” programs.

8. Know That File Sharing Comes With Risks

People like to share digital files like movies, music, photos and other software.  What makes it even easier is that some file-sharing software (that connects your computer to a network of computers) can be downloaded for free on the Internet. 

But there is a downside; file-sharing comes with risks.

• When you connect to a file-sharing network, you can allow others to copy files that you didn't plan on sharing.
• You can download a virus or spyware program that can make your computer vulnerable to hackers.
• You must be careful that you don't break the law by downloading material that is copyright protected.

9. Don't Fall For “Phishing” Scams

Using electronic means, such as emails, instant messages and fraudulent web sites, scam artists “phish” (pronounced "fish") for victims by pretending to be legitimate companies, stores, banks, and government agencies.  They try to deceive people and acquire important personal information like user names, passwords, credit card numbers and bank account numbers.

A classic Phishing attack involves a deceptive e-mail that purports to be from a legitimate financial institution.  The e-mail tells the person that there is some sort of problem with their account and instructs them to click on an included hyperlink to "fix" the problem. The hyperlink takes the person to the fraudulent Website where they are asked to provide their personal information so the problem can be fixed.  In reality, the information will be used to hijack the persons bank account.

The best way to avoid a phishing scam is to:

• Never give out you personal information unless you made the contact.
• Do not respond to a request to verify your account number or password.
  Legitimate companies do not make requests for your information in this way.
• If you receive an offer to buy merchandise or set up an account, be absolutely sure that you are dealing with a legitimate company before you give them any personal information.

10. Be Smart When Shopping Online

When shopping online, be aware and play it safe:

• Check out a Web site before entering your credit card number or other personal information
• Find and read their Privacy Policy if you have never shopped with them before. 
  Beware, if there is no privacy policy listed.)
• Look for the opportunity to opt out of information sharing when you buy
• Make sure you are at a secure website before you give them any information.
  They should have secure Web pages with “https” in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window. These signs tell you that your information will be encrypted  (scrambled) to protect it from hackers.

Additional Resources

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