Who Would Want to Hack my Old PC?
You’re not someone with secrets so sacred that they would cause a scandal if revealed; you’re not someone who uses their computer to store sensitive data that, if it gets into the wrong hands, could end up leaving you with empty bank balances; and you’re not someone who is remotely interesting enough for hackers to target your system. Or so you think! Incredulous as it may sound, there are people who are eager to get their dirty little hands on your computer and the opportunities it provides.
The biggest threat to the security of home computers is the ignorance of the people who operate them and their blatant nonchalance even in the face of proven facts. The virus writers and hackers are making a beeline for the unassuming, no-face home computers with their lax or no security options at all, and all for good reason.
• They want to steal your passwords and account information. Even if you don’t store them on your computer, they use spyware to read information that you type or send over an unsecure site.
• They want to take control over your system. With your high speed Internet connection and your always-on computer, these crooks use your hardware to propagate attacks on other computers. Your computer becomes what’s known as a zombie under their control, with the hackers using it to hide their true location from the long arm of the law. And it’s not just your system that’s been usurped – it’s just one among thousands that have been hijacked and leveraged to commit cyber crimes.
So how do these people take over your system?
• When you click on a link in an email sent to you by someone you either know or don’t know. This action takes you to another site where a program is automatically downloaded onto your system. This malware hides behind legitimate software applications and works in the background to steal your information or use your computer to send out spam messages to people on your contact list. They in turn may click the link thinking that it’s from as trusted source, and the chain of computers that are on the zombie list grows longer and longer.
• When you are not regular with system updates and patches. This leaves your computer vulnerable to attacks when you’re online, and hackers use this hole to gain entry and install their malicious software which creates further holes for them to continue to access your system even after you’ve plugged the original holes.
• When you download applications that are not from trusted sources. The malware is hidden inside these executable files and makes itself comfortable on your system once the download is complete.
How can you protect yourself?
• By installing anti-virus software and spyware and keeping them updated.
• By making sure your system updates and patches are up to date.
• By setting passwords sensibly and not leaving them written down somewhere.
• By not clicking on links that come in emails.
• By not providing personal and sensitive information in reply to emails that seem to originate from your bank or credit card provider.
• By installing a software firewall and using a router with a built-in hardware firewall.
• By protecting your WiFi network with adequate encryption so that it cannot be hacked.
• By being cautious about the programs and applications you download from the Internet.
If you enjoyed this article, please bookmark it at del.icio.us »
