Free Articles
Free articles to be reprinted or published.
WL Marketing - Your #1 link building service
Main Menu
Categories
- Accounting
- Beauty
- Business
- Career
- Cars and Trucks
- Computers
- - Data Recovery
- - Databases
- - E-Learning
- - Hardware
- - Information Technology
- - Intranet
- - Networks
- - Operating Systems
- - Programming
- - Security
- - Software
- - - Spyware and Viruses
- Culture and Society
- Environment
- Family
- Finance
- Fitness
- Food and Drink
- Free Tools and Resources
- Health
- Hobbies
- Home
- Humor
- Inspirational
- Internet
- Internet Marketing
- Legal
- Marketing
- Men's Issues
- Music
- Personal Development
- Pets and Animals
- Politics
- Psychology
- Publishing
- Recreation and Leisure
- Relationships
- Religion and Spirituality
- Science
- Speaking
- Technology
- Women's Issues
- Writing
My Friends
Can Spyware Really Put Your Personal Information at Risk?
Autor: kevinnelson :: Views: 77 ::
:: View PDF :: Print View
If you've ever had to deal with spyware on your computer, you're not alone...
Experts estimate that 9 out of 10 computers are infected with spyware and that most users don't even know it. And while not all spyware poses a threat to you or your personal information, there are certain types of spyware that certainly fall into that category.
There are two types of spyware that can be particularly dangerous and leave you vulnerable to identity theft or other types of fraud. The first type of software is called a keylogger, which are sometimes packaged as part of a spyware application. These programs monitor your keystrokes as you work on your computer, perhaps checking your bank account online, logging in to check email or other password protected sites. Once your keystrokes are captured, this information can be sent back to the spyware program's creator who can use that information for identity theft. Some experts estimate that this type of activity has resulted in billions of dollars worth of fraud just in the U.S. and a countless number of victims. Of course, this all could have been avoided if they had properly secured their systems...certainly a tough lesson to learn the hard way.
The second type of program is a dialer. These are becoming less and less common since many people are making the switch to broadband internet connections (i.e., cable modems, DSL, satellite, or fiber optics). However, the way these programs work is to take advantage of users who still use a regular modem and phone line to connect to the internet. But instead of dialing in to the Internet Service Provider, the program causes the modem to dial a long-distance number instead, often times an overseas number. You can imagine how quickly this could run up your phone bill, but as stated previously, these are becoming less effective thanks to high-speed internet connections.
Either way, spyware can definitely pose a threat to your personal information or business data by allowing hackers unfettered access to your system. We recommend that you incorporate a firewall, anti-virus program and anti-spyware program into your suite of tools to keep your system free of spyware and that you practice safe computing habits in terms of the sites you visit and programs you download. That way you are less likely to come in contact with spyware and will have the necessary software tools to keep your system secure as another layer of defense.
Source: Free Articles
Other Interesting Articles
Pros and Cons of Different Types of InvestmentsTips for Choosing High Performance Mutual Fund
Tips for Choosing The Best Stock Broker
ETF Advantages and Disadvantages
Free Slot Machine Games on the Web
BMW Pros and Cons
Six Little Spending Mistakes That Can Cost You Financial Freedom
Want to Live Debt Free? Free Tips That Will Help
