Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Cyberspace
By Chris Sweet
Decatur Public Library
Updated by Lesley Farmer
DO NOT
FEAR THE
INTERNET!
PASSWORDS
Writing STRONG passwords for all of
your accounts is the first step in
internet safety.
What is a strong password?
A strong password is one that cannot
be easily guessed or broken by
hackers.
Passwords
DO NOT use the same password for every
site. Each site that has access to your
financial information should have its own
unique password.
Change all your passwords at least once a
year.
Never, ever give out your passwords to
anyone.
Passwords
If you think someone has learned your
passwords, change them immediately.
Writing down your list of passwords is ok
as long as you keep that list safe (you can
write more complex passwords this way).
Avoid letting people observe you typing
your password.
Be sure to log out from any site that
requires a password to log in.
E-mail Safety
NEVER open attachments from senders
you do not know! Contrary to popular
belief, it is ok to read all of your e-mails,
just beware of those attachments from
unknown senders!
Avoid sending personal information (social
security number, bank account numbers,
credit card information, etc.) in any emails.
E-mail Safety
Set up spam filters so that only messages
from people you know get into your inbox
(different with each e-mail service).
If you use a public computer, do not select
the feature that allows you to log on
automatically. People who use that
computer after you may be able to see
and use your screen name to log on.
Phishing
Phishing is an attempt to get you to disclose
personal sensitive information by fooling you
with fake e-mails. Phishers target consumers by
sending them e-mail messages from well-known
companies such as PayPal, eBay, Citibank, and
AOL that appear legitimate. These scam emails often tell you that you need to update your
account information, PIN number or password.
If you click on the links in the e-mail it will take
you to a site that is an exact replica of the
legitimate site EXCEPT that the web address is
slightly different.
Phishing
It is very easy to avoid phishing scams. If you
get an e-mail telling you to update your account
information simply DO NOT use the links
provided in the e-mail! Type the address of the
real site into your browsers address bar, login,
and then determine if your information really
needs updating.
Learn to identify fake websites. The web
address will always be slightly different than the
correct one: for example www.001ebay.com
instead of www.ebay.com
Example: www.hotmail.com
Cookies
How do you get rid of cookies? Go to the Tools
menu in Internet Explorer. Click on Internet
Options. In the middle of the box that pops up
click on Delete Cookies.
While you are on this screen it is also worthwhile
to click on the Delete Files button and put a
checkmark next to Delete All Offline Content.
This will remove additional temporary internet
files that you do not need.
(Demonstrate: www.google.com )
Spyware
Spyware is any technology that aids in
gathering information about a person without
their knowledge. Spyware is programming that
is put in someone's computer to secretly
gather information about the user and relay it
to advertisers or other interested parties.
Spyware can get in a computer as a software
virus or as the result of installing a new
program. Serious spyware programs can lead
to identity theft.
Spyware
Avoid installing spyware by:
1) Never clicking on a pop-up (these often lead
to sites that install spyware)
2) Dont click on pop-ups that tell you that your
computer is infected with spyware (this is a
common scam to get you to install spyware)
3) Set your Internet Explorer security setting to
medium or higher. To do this click on Tools
then Internet Options then Security. The
slider on the left should be at medium or higher.
Spyware
There are a number of good free spyware
removal programs available:
The free Yahoo toolbar has a good
Spyware removal program and pop-up
blocker (in addition to other features).
Download here: http://toolbar.yahoo.com
Another good, free program is Spybot:
http://www.spybot.info/en/index.html
Spyware
Notes:
1) You must update these programs on a
regular basis to be protected from new
forms of spyware.
2) If you buy a software package from
McAfee, Norton, etc. you may also get
additional spyware protection.
VIRUSES
Viruses
What is a virus?
Computer viruses are self-replicating programs
which cannot exist without a host. A computer
virus passes from computer to computer like a
biological virus passes from person to person. A
computer virus must piggyback on top of some
other program or document in order to get
executed. Once it is running, it is then able to
infect other programs or documents. These
programs can be relatively harmless, or they can
completely crash your computer.
Viruses
How do you protect yourself from viruses?
As mentioned above, not opening e-mail
attachments from unknown senders is your
first line of defense.
There are three additional steps you should
take to avoid viruses: 1) Keep your
computer updated, 2) Use antivirus
software, 3) Use a firewall.
Updates
Viruses usually work by exploiting security
flaws in the software that you are running.
Software companies issue patches to fix
these flaws, but you must update your
system regularly to keep your computer
secure.
Updates video from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/upda
te/video_update.mspx
Updates
Keeping your operating system (Windows
XP, 2000, etc.) updated is essential. Go to
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com to
download updates or turn on automatic
updates.
You should also keep your Microsoft Office
products up-to-date by going here:
http://office.microsoft.com/ and clicking on
Check For Updates.
Update other software as required.
Antivirus Software
Antivirus software is your first line of protection
against viruses that you can get over the
internet. Antivirus software is a class of program
that searches your hard drive and floppy disks
for any known or potential viruses.
There are quite a few antivirus companies out
there. Norton, McAfee, Panda, Trend Micro.
Norton and McAfee are the largest.
There is a free anti-virus called AVG and it is
available at http://free.grisoft.com/
Antivirus Software
Major antivirus software companies offer
frequent updates to keep your computer
safe against the most recent viruses.
You MUST pay a yearly subscription fee
and keep your antivirus software up-todate.
If you dont, you are only protected against
old viruses and vulnerable to all new
viruses!
Firewall
A FIREWALL is a program that serves as a sort
of filter between your home computer and the
internet. If you have a fast connection (cable or
DSL) you probably want some sort of firewall. A
firewall can prevent hackers from gaining access
to your computer and files. A firewall generally
provides additional virus protection.
There is a free firewall called Zone Alarm
available from http://www.zonelabs.com Other
makers of firewalls include Norton and McAfee.
There is also a firewall included with Windows
XP.
Remember!
Getting a virus or finding spyware on your
computer is a common occurrence. The
majority of viruses and spyware are
relatively harmless. There are very few
viruses that can crash your entire system
and very few spyware programs that can
steal your personal information.
Online Banking
All major banks and most smaller ones
offer online banking
Why bank online?
24 hour convenience
Up-to-date statements
Easy transfers
Pure online banks are often cheaper
Filters
Filters are unreliable at best. NO filter will
block ALL inappropriate content on the
Internet. Also, ALL filters accidentally
block LEGITIMATE content.
If you really want to restrict access, the
best method is to use software that only
allows access to particular sites. You can
then add additional legitimate sites to the
list after you check them out approve
them.
Monitoring
Some filtering software also includes the ability
to monitor and review childrens Internet
activities as well as impose daily time limits.
A very basic monitor is included with the Internet
Explorer browser. If you click on the history icon
you can see a list of all the websites visited on
your computer in the last 20 days (default
setting). You can increase or decrease the
number of days if you prefer.
Note: Internet savvy users will know how to
delete the sites theyve visited.
Demonstrate: www.google.com
CHATROOMS and
INSTANT MESSAGING
Did You Know?: In a survey of 1,000 U.S.
girls aged 13 to 18 thirty percent said
they've been sexually harassed in a
chatroom? Only 7% told their parents.
(Whitney Roban, Ph.D. The Net Effect: Girls and New Media)
Video
Tracking Someone online:
http://www.netsmartz.org/resources/reallif
e.htm
What is www.facebook.com?
Myspace.com, Friendster, Facebook, etc, are
all social networking websites. Essentially
they are places to meet new people and
express your personal identity. They are
hugely popular with teens and college
students. Www.facebook.com has over 500
million members and ranks as the most
popular site on the web!
Conclusion
The Internet is and extremely valuable
resource and it is far safer than most
people believe. Dont avoid the Internet
(or keep your kids off) just because of
fears about safety. There are many real
dangers, but the steps needed to stay safe
online are fairly simple.