With the rise of the Internet over the last 15 years, there are new ways that your privacy can be invaded or your personal information breached. With this blog, we here at FTC hope to give you a few tips to help you safeguard your portal to the World Wide Web.
The best safeguard to prevent an intrusion by a hacker is to become educated about the risks and vulnerabilities that exist. Without some basic knowledge of the different kinds of risks that are out there every time we log into the Internet, we lack the understanding of how and why we need to protect ourselves. Additionally, being cautious about what attachments you open, Web sites you visit and hyperlinks you click on are also important safeguards and a part of the education process. Effectively learning how to distinguish attempts at a hack is a good preventative tool.
Also, be wary of any suspicious emails that request personal information and never, ever enter passwords, social security numbers or any other vital personal information that is requested through an email. If it's an organization or person you regularly do business with, contact them directly to see if they indeed truly did request the information. A request for a password or sensitive information is usually a red flag.
Becoming educated about the risks of exposure is the first and most important safeguard we should implement.
In addition to better educating yourself, the next step is to install a good virus scanner and keep the data definition files up to date. Data definition files are the determinants that recognize the most current viruses that have been discovered. You must also remember to run your virus scanner frequently.
In addition, it is recommended that you install a firewall. Firewalls on your computer monitor and control the traffic that comes through from the Web and can block out any unwanted traffic and monitor what's attempting to get in.
It is also recommended that you install Spyware and Adware software. Here in the 21st century, the old-fashioned virus is not the only problem to worry about. Computers can now be vulnerable simply by browsing the Web collecting all sorts of “bugs” that can infiltrate systems. Installing some good spyware and adware programs will eliminate those issues. These are also important to update and run frequently.
Updating your operating system and other software programs is also important. Often, after software has been released to the market, some vulnerabilities are discovered, and by keeping up to date with the vendor’s "fixes" you can reduce your chances of being hacked.
Another important aspect is to be proactive by understanding the ways hacking is accomplished so you don't fall prey to their bait. If something looks questionable, trust your instincts. If something looks too good to be true, it normally is just that. Remember to always be careful with the information you share, either online, over the phone or in person.
Every day the percentage of hacking attacks is on the rise. However, by putting focus on being educated on the subject of computer technology, partnered with the tools you can install and utilize, you'll have already significantly reduced your chances of getting hacked.
To learn more about what you can to do protect yourself and your identity, call 888-218-5050 to speak with one of FTC’s Internet experts.
Customers should also be allowed to change encryption keys. Allow access to the router’s setup.
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by Barbara Green on 09/09/2009 at 9:12
One of the best ways you can help customers safeguard is to start supporting WPA encryption on the Comtrend modems. It is completely unacceptable that you only support WEP encryption, which makes customers very vulnerable to intentional attacks. I’m probably going to have the Digital TV disabled if your support group cannot find an alternative and go back to my old modem/Linksys Router config. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wired_Equivalent_Privacy for a basic lesson.