4 Tips For Safely Surfing the Internet
It's like the wild west out there! Spyware, adware, viruses ... if you can name it, you can bet it's clamoring to get on your computer. The following list includes a few tips for surfing the internet safely.
Email Attachments
Never open email attachments from people you don't know. These attachments may contain all sorts of devious viruses or other nasty's within them. If you don't know the person or company sending you the attachment, it's best to delete it.
Beware of Phishing
Phishing is an unscrupulous activity where a scam artist pretends to be a legitimate company asking you to confirm your financial information. Never give out your personal or especially your financial information to just anyone asking for it. These companies often email you telling you that your account will be shut down unless you confirm your billing information.
Now it is possible this may be true, but never use the link provided in the email. If it's verizon telling you to update your account, instead of using the link in the email, go to the verizon.com website on your own. You should be safe if you use this method. Otherwise, it may be a fake with a site that looks like verizon.com who wants you to enter your credit card number so they may use it!
Microsoft Updates
Upgrade your operating system. You are most likely using Microsoft windows. Microsoft comes out with new updates and patches all the time. You probably notice a little balloon pop up every so often when you start up your computer. All you have to do is click on it and the patches will be downloaded automatically. It's important to get into the habit of doing that when you see the notices!
Back-up Important Data
Realize that things can still go wrong and back-up your important files every so often. You can do this with a CD-Writer (which most computers come with these days). Just back up your important files on a CD and store it in a safe place. Or if you have a lot of data, you may consider purchasing a small back-up hard-drive. |
