Protecting Yourself From Online Computer Virus Attack and Personal Identity Credit Card Data Hacking

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understanding computer virus and how you can protect yourself

A computer virus is malicious software designed to spread to other computers by inserting herself into legitimate programs called "guests." It can more or less seriously damage the functions of the infected computer. It can spread through any medium of exchange of digital data such as computer networks and CD-ROMs, USB keys, etc.

Its name comes from an analogy with biological viruses because it has similarities in the way it is spread using the reproductive capability of the host cell. It assigns the term "computer virus" in computer and molecular biologist Leonard Adleman (Fred Cohen, Experiments with Computer Viruses, 1984). Computer viruses are not to be confused with computer worms, which are programs that can spread and replicate on their own without contaminating the host program. In a broad sense, is often used and misused the word virus to designate any form of malware.

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The total number of malicious programs known to be about 95 000 according to Sophos (all types of malware combined). However, the actual number of viruses in circulation would not exceed a few thousand depending on the WildList Organization, every antivirus vendor with an interest in "inflating" the number of viruses it detects. The vast majority affects the Windows platform. Although they are extremely few, there are also virus-like systems Unix / Linux, but no outbreaks similar to that of the Windows virus has been detected in 2010. The rest is mainly aimed at operating systems that are distributed over the past few years, as the 27 viruses - none being dangerous - imposed Mac OS 9 and its predecessors (recorded by John Norstad, author of the antivirus Disinfectant ). Systems are least affected FreeBSD that focuses its development on security, as well as Netware and OS / 2 too few to provide a developer known viruses. Viruses are often subject to false alarms that the rumor spread, bulky freight.

Some of them, playing on the ignorance of computer users, they sometimes destroy parts of the operating system completely healthy. The first autonomous software had no purpose they have today. The very first software of this type were mere entertainment, a game between three data of Bell, Core War, created in 1970 in the laboratories of the company. For this game, each player writes a program, then loaded into RAM. The operating system, which has just been multitasking, in turn executes an instruction for each software. The goal of the game is to destroy the opposing programs while ensuring its own proliferation. The players do not obviously opposing the location of the program. The software is capable of copying itself, repair itself, to move themselves into different areas of memory and "attacking" the software by writing random opponent in other memory areas. The game ends after a set time or when a player sees all its programs inactive or destroyed. The winner is the one that has the largest number of active copies. This is exactly the principles of programming viruses.

In 1984, the magazine Scientific American presented a computer game design consisting of small programs that come into s'autoreproduisant fight and trying to inflict damage on opponents, thus setting the stage for future viruses. In 1986, the ARPANET was infected by Brain, virus renaming all boot disks system (C) Brain. The creators of this virus gave them their name, address and phone number because it was an advertisement for them.

The virus is a classic piece of program, often written in assembler, which fits into a normal program, most often at the end but also at the beginning or the middle. Each time the user runs the program "infected", it activates the virus the opportunity to get integrated into other executable programs. Moreover, when it contains a payload, it may, after a certain time (which can be very long) or a special event, perform a predetermined action. This action can range from a simple message harmless to the deterioration of some functions of the operating system or damage to files or even complete destruction of all data on the computer. One speaks in this case "logic bomb".A boot virus installs a boot sector of a boot device: hard drive (the main boot sector, the "master boot record, or that of a partition), floppy or whatever. It replaces a boot loader (or boot program or "bootloader") entered (by copying the original elsewhere) or created (on a disc or there was none) but does not modify a program like a normal virus, when it replaces an existing startup program, it acts like a virus "prepend" (which is inserted at the beginning), but the fact of infecting a virgin device of any software startup differs from classical virus, which never attacks to "nothing."

Macro viruses that attack software macros in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc..) Through VBA Microsoft. For example, adhering to the normal.dot template in Word, a virus can be activated every time the user runs the program. Viruses, worms, appeared around 2003, having experienced a rapid development in the years that followed, are classic viruses because they have a host program. But similar to the worms (in English "worm") because:
Their mode of propagation is linked to the network, like worms, usually via the exploitation of security vulnerabilities.

Like worms, their action is discreet and non-destructive to users of the infected machine.
Like worms, they continue to set broad goals, such as distributed denial of resources attack or DoS (Denial of Service) to a server with thousands of infected machines connecting simultaneously. [ref. necessary] The batch-type virus, which emerged in the days when MS-DOS operating system was in vogue, viruses are "primitive." Although able to reproduce and infect other batch files, they are slow and have very low infectivity. Some programmers have been up to create encrypted and polymorphic viruses Batch. This is a real technical feat Batch as the language is simple and primitive.

Other threats exist in IT, it often distinguished by the absence of reproductive system that characterizes the viruses and worms, the term "malicious software (" malware "in English) is more appropriate in this case. The term computer virus was created by analogy with the virus in biology: a computer virus uses its host (the computer it infects) to reproduce and spread to other computers. Like biological viruses, where the genetic diversity slows growth chances of a virus, computer systems and what are the most popular software that are most affected by viruses: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Internet Information Server... Professional versions of Windows (NT/2000/XP Pro) to manage rights in a professional manner are not immunized against these stealthy invaders.

The commoditization of Internet access was a major factor in the rapid widespread dissemination of the latest viruses. This is mainly due to the ability of viruses to appropriate email addresses found on the infected machine (in the address book but also in the messages or archives visited web pages or messages to newsgroups ). Similarly, the interconnection of computers in local networks has amplified the ability to spread viruses that find this way more potential targets. However, systems with limited distribution are not affected proportionately. The majority of these systems, as variants of the architecture UNIX (BSD, Mac OS X or Linux), using standard management rights of each user allowing them to avoid the simplest attacks, the damage is so normally confined to areas accessible only to users, saving the base operating system. Legal viruses.

When discovered, the virus is assigned a name. This theory is consistent with the agreement signed in 1991 by members of Computer Best Antivirus Research Organization. This name is determined as follows:
- Prefix, mode of infection (macro viruses, trojan horses, worms...) or the operating system concerned;
- A word expressing its special or flaw that exploits (Swen is an anagram of News, an anagram of Admin Nimda, Sasser exploits a vulnerability LSASS );
- In a version number suffix (the viruses are often taken the form of variants with similarities to the original version). Unfortunately, the analytical laboratories of various antiviral publishers sometimes affect their own name to the virus they are working on, which makes it difficult to find information. Thus, for example, the Netsky virus in Alternative Q is called W32.Netsky.Q @ mm Symantec, Trend Micro WORM_NETSKY.Q, W32/Netsky.Q.worm at Panda and I-Worm.NetSky. r at Kaspersky. It is possible to search for a generic name given through specialized search engines, such as Virus Bulletin or Kevin Spicer. Virus on Linux. The Linux operating system, as well as the Unix operating systems and related, is usually fairly well protected against computer viruses. However, some viruses can potentially damage Linux systems are not secure.

Like other Unix systems, Linux implements a multi-user environment, in which users have rights corresponding to their specific needs. There is thus a system of access control to prevent a user to read or edit a file. Thus, viruses typically have less capacity to affect and infect a system running Linux or DOS on Windows files always having FAT32 (NTFS files have the same protection as files UNIX, Windows NT database also isolate the accounts between them). Therefore, no viruses written for Linux, including those listed below, could spread successfully. In addition, security vulnerabilities that are exploited by viruses are corrected in a few days for updates of the Linux kernel. Virus scanners are available for Linux systems to monitor the activity of active viruses on Windows. They are mainly used on proxy servers or mail servers that have Microsoft Windows client systems The antivirus software designed to identify, neutralize and eliminate malware (including viruses are just one example) that are based on the exploitation of security vulnerabilities. Antivirus checks the files and emails. Different methods are possible:
- The major antivirus market are focusing on signature files and then compare the signature of the virus to viral code to check.
-The heuristic method is the most powerful, seeking to discover malicious code by its behavior. She tries to detect it by analyzing the code of an unknown program. Sometimes false alarms may be caused.
- The shape analysis is based on filtering rules between regexp or other, put in a junk file. The latter method can be very effective for mail servers supporting postfix regexp type since it does not rely on a signature file. Antivirus programs can scan the contents of a hard drive, but also the computer memory. For the more modern they act upstream of the machine by scanning the file exchanges with the outside world, both in amount that flows downhill. Thus, emails are reviewed, but the files copied to or from removable media such as CDs, floppy disks, network connections, USB keys... Virus creators have previously identified and recorded information about the virus, like a dictionary, the antivirus can detect and locate the presence of a virus. When this occurs, the virus has three options, it may:
1. try to repair the corrupted files by removing viruses;
2. put the files in quarantine so they can be accessible to other files or spread and they can eventually be repaired later;
3. delete infected files. To maximize the yield of virus, it is essential to make frequent updates by downloading newer versions. Internet and conscientious with good computer skills can identify themselves from viruses and send their information to software developers so that their antivirus database is updated. Typically, antivirus review each file when it is created, opened, closed, or read. In this way, viruses can be identified immediately. It is possible to program the system of administration which conducts a regular review of all files on the storage space (hard disk, etc.). Although antivirus software are very reliable and regularly updated, virus writers are just as often be inventive. In particular, the virus "oligomorphiques", "polymorphic" and more recently "metamorphic" are harder to detect. Whitelist. The "white list" is a technique increasingly used to fight against malware.
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Instead of seeking software known as malware, it prevents execution of any program except those that are considered reliable by the system administrator. By adopting this method of blocking by default, it avoids the problems inherent in the updating of virus signature file. In addition, it helps prevent the execution of unwanted programs. Given that modern enterprises have many applications are considered reliable, the efficiency of this technique depends on the ability of the administrator to establish and update the whitelist. This task can be facilitated by the use of tools for process automation and inventory maintenance. Another approach to localize the virus is to detect suspicious behavior programs. For example, if a program tries to write data to a program run, the antivirus will detect this suspicious behavior and notify the user that will indicate the steps to follow.

Unlike the previous approach, the method used to identify suspicious behavior very recent viruses that are not yet known in the dictionary of the virus. However, the fact that users are constantly warned of false alarms can make them insensitive to the real threats. If users answer "Agree" to all of these alerts, antivirus offered them no protection. This problem has worsened since 1997, since many programs have changed some harmless executable files without observing these false alarms. Therefore, most modern antivirus software use less this method. The heuristic analysis is used by some viruses. For example, the antivirus can scan the beginning of each code of all new applications before transferring control to the user. If the program seems to be a virus, then the user is notified. However, this method can also lead to false alarms. The heuristic method can detect virus variants, and automatically communicating the results of the analysis to the editor, it can verify the accuracy and updating its database of virus definitions.

The method of the sandbox (sandbox in English) is to emulate the operating system and run the file during the simulation. Once the program is terminated, software analyzes the results of the sandbox to detect changes that may contain viruses. Because of performance problems, such detection usually takes place during the scanning on demand. This method may fail as viruses can be nondeterministic and result in different actions or perhaps even no action when executed. It is impossible to detect from a single execution. Many companies claim the title of creator of the first antivirus software. The first public announcement of a neutralization of a virus for PC was made by European Bernt Fix (or Bernd) in early 1987, the Vienna virus. Following this virus, several other viruses have surfaced such as ping pong, Lehigh and Survive-3, also known as Jerusalem.

Since 1988, several companies with the objective of further research in the field of antivirus software came together. The first breakthroughs in anti-virus occurred in March 1988 with the release of Den Zuk, created by Indonesian Denny Yanuar Ramdhani. Den Zuk virus could neutralize the Brain. In April 1988, the Virus-L forum has been created on Usenet, and mid-1988 saw the design of a search engine can detect viruses and Trojans that were known to the public. In autumn 1988 appeared antivirus software Dr. Solomon's Anti-Virus Toolkit designed by Briton Alan Solomon. At the end of December 1990, the market has come to the point of offering the consumer products related to 19 different anti-virus, among them, Norton Antivirus and McAfee VirusScan. Peter Tippett was extensively involved in the emerging field of detection of computer viruses. It was an emergency occupation and also had his software company. He read an article about the Lehigh virus, which was the first to be developed, but it's actually on Lehigh himself that Tippett was the most knowledgeable.

He asked if there were similar characteristics between these viruses and those that attack humans. From a standpoint epidemic, he was able to determine how these viruses affect the same processor computer (the boot sector was affected by the Brain virus, the. Com with the Lehigh virus, while the Jerusalem virus attacked both files. com and. exe). Tippett's company, Certus International Corp.. was therefore involved in the creation of antivirus software. He sold the company to Symantec Corp. in 1992. Tippett and joined them by implementing the software developed on behalf of Symantec, Norton AntiVirus.

Author Brayden Alexander from http://www.free-antivirus.co
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brayden_Alexander/801144

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Choosing antivirus protection can be very difficult. The market is highly competitive and the products are on the leading edge of information technology.

Antivirus vendors have both the knowledge (gained in day-to-day war with cybercriminals) and money to wage an epic brand battle on the field of the computer security. There are a lot of vendors and each of them is pushing dozens of features in their product to the market. How do you really choose between them? Let me try to go deep into this subject in this article.

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Security is boring
Security is always in a conflict with usability. Whether you're working with your documents, playing videogames or watching a movie, no security measures or procedures actually help you with your activity. On the contrary, they're messing around - slowing down your computer, asking for different passwords, forcing you to chose an appropriate folder to save your files in and so on.

Yes, I understand the necessity; a security payload is the price for your safety, but it's just no fun at all. Modern marketing tries to get people engaged, to have fun, to receive some kind of closure by using a product. What kind of closure can you expect from antivirus software?
The only thing you need from an antivirus solution is to shut up and remove the viruses. That's why antivirus vendors never have a huge fan base. LOST has 7.5 million fans on Facebook, Symantec has 35 thousand.

To make matters worse, almost no security measure gives you a guarantee or any kind of psychological closure. Remember the movie "Mission Impossible"? There was a very well-protected computer and still Tom Cruise came and hacked it. With any antivirus product, there is always a possibility that the viruses still penetrate your defense. That's just sad.

Race without end
Antivirus software developers are constantly in a war with cybercriminals and with each other.
There are a lot of ways to earn money on the Internet illegally - spam, prescription drug sales, pornography, gambling, identity theft, credit card fraud, and so on. And where the money is, bright (but devious) minds apply their knowledge to get it. Every day, criminals are trying to find a new way to infect your PCs.

When a new virus is created, it's tested against the most important antivirus protections; they must not be able to detect it. Then it's pushed "in the wild" and starts to do its dirty work. Antivirus software labs in the world are working 24x7x365 attempting to detect new viruses via "honey pots" and various other techniques. Normally, when they get an example, it's not very hard to create a cure. Within hours (sometimes minutes) after detection, the software of this particular vendor can and will protect you against this virus. (The top antivirus brands also have proactive protection against yet unknown viruses. They try to analyze the behavior of any new program and define whether it's a virus or not. But the intelligence of such programs is still not very good.)

Normally, all major antivirus labs in the world exchange information about the latest viruses with each other. So we can assume that all the antivirus products are very good at finding new viruses. The problem is that hundreds of new viruses are developed every day. You never know when somebody will make a mistake and let one go.

It looks like a Formula-1 race. We know that all the cars are good. They're actually 99.99% close to perfect, and the drivers are geniuses. However, they have to compete with each other. Somebody will make a mistake and be "not-so-perfect" this time.
Antivirus vendors have to race every day, 24 hours per day on a Formula-1 track in order to prove their performance.

Size does matter
The first logical thought is to try to find the leaders on the market. Who's selling more antivirus products in the world? Maybe they're better at what they do and the "invisible hand" of the market has already picked the favorites.
According to Softwaretop100, the biggest companies are:
  • Symantec
  • McAfee
  • Trend Micro
  • (Kaspersky is aggressively reaching for 3rd place)
The rest are much smaller.
However, this doesn't include so-called "free antivirus" software. This means a vendor is giving a basic version of their security software absolutely gratis and earns money on extended products or services. Free is a magic word, and according to some sources, free antivirus protection is installed on 50% to 60% of all computers in the world! The leaders of the free antivirus industry are:
  • avast!
  • AVG
  • Avira
All of them start with A, and all of them are European (Avira is German, avast! and AVG are from the Czech Republic)

Independent testing
There are independent labs that try to perform testing of the antivirus protection products to see how well they perform in the never-ending race. Let's see if we can find which antivirus product is best

AV-Test
AV-Test tests 20+ products and releases a report every quarter. They give a score from 0 to 6 in three categories (protection, repair, usability) and the worst products don't get "certified".
Let's see who got the top mark in protection:
  • 2010 Q2: AVG, G Data, Symantec, Panda
  • 2010 Q3: Kaspersky, PC Tools
  • 2010 Q4: BitDefender, BullGuard, Kaspersky, Panda
  • 2011 Q1: BitDefender
I don't see any particular leader here. Some months some vendors are the best, another month another one is.
Let's see how the 3 obvious market leaders (Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro) are doing in this test:
  • Symantec: 5.5,5.0,5.0,5.5 (almost top scores)
  • McAfee:5.0,3.5,3.5,3.0 (not good)
  • Trend Micro:2.5,4.0,4.5,3.5 (not good at all)
AV-Comparatives
AV-Comparatives tests around 20 products almost every month and has a number of tests to show performance in antivirus protection.
Almost all the leaders detect more than 90% of viruses, but there are those that detect close to 100%. Let's see who is the best in on-demand detection:
  • Feb 2010: G Data, Avira, Panda
  • Aug 2010: G Data, TrustPort, McAfee
  • Feb 2011: G Data, TrustPort, avast!
G Data is obviously doing very well. Strange that it's not always the best according to AV-Test.
Let's monitor the market leaders by their position in the top 20:
  • Symantec: 7,6,12 (medium positions)
  • McAfee: 5,3,10 (close to the top)
  • Trend Micro: 18,13,13 (almost always close to the bottom)
"Bottom" in this case means >90% detection; We're talking about 90% of thousands of newest and the most dangerous virus threats, so I guess it's good enough anyway.

Virus Bulletin
Virus Bulletin is the most advanced site, measuring the widest range of vendor products and giving the most extensive results. They have plenty of historical data on antivirus product performance. Let's take their RAP (Reactive and Proactive) test from October 2010 to April 2011.
The best vendors were: Trustport, Coranti, Avira, G Data, Kaspersky.

How are the leaders doing?
  • Symantec: ~90%-80% (definitely top quadrant)
  • McAfee: ~ 75%-75% (average results)
  • Trend Micro has been boycotting this test for 3 years (hmm)
What can be said about antivirus protection, if it's tested by independent sources?
- The results don't match. Completely different vendors come to the top and fall to the bottom without any indication of why
- Top sales vendors are average or below average in their protection level and the best places are awarded to small companies
- The same vendor can show a perfect result on the same test in 2010 and drop down a year later
- Websites of the antivirus vendors are filled with certifications obtained from one of these three labs. Each of the 52 vendors has at least one. I'm not sure how to compare them based on this information.

Power of the fourth estate
There are a lot of computer magazines. And they're issued every month. Marketing research says the advice from computer news sources is one of the most important factors in the decision making of antivirus product customers.

I've gathered information from a number of PC magazines, both online and offline. Let us see which antivirus products they think is the best one:
Dennis Technology Labs, "PC Total Protection Suites 2011," February 2011
Best Choices: Symantec, Trend Micro, Webroot
PassMark Software, "Consumer Security Products Performance Benchmarks (Edition 3 Feb. 2011)," February 2011.
Best Choises: Symantec, ESET, G-Data
ConsumerSearch
Best Choices: Symantec, avast!, Sophos
TopTenReviews
Best Choices: BitDefender, Kaspersky, Webroot
Antiviruscompare
Best Choises: ESET, Symantec, Mcafee
PCMab
Best Choices: K7, Symantec, Kaspersky
CNet
Best Choices: Kaspersky, Mcafee, TrendMicro
I could continue posting dozens of examples, but I think I've made my point. Pick any of the 52 vendors and there will be an IT magazine that will rank it number 1.

What do vendors say about themselves?
Marketers are telling stories. Inside many antivirus vendors there is a marketing instrument called a "battlecard". It's a list of the features of their product and comparison with the competition.
This is of course not public information, but it's available more-or-less openly to software sales channel partners - distributors and resellers. You can Google a bit and find examples of research and comparative tables issued by the vendors themselves.
(Disclaimer: this information is provided as is and the way I've obtained it - via Google - is subject to critique.)
In order to get examples of such "battlecards", please Google the name of a vendor + "battlecard" and you'll surely get some interesting results.
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What to do?
Choosing an antivirus product is like choosing a car. Everybody has their preferences, and vendor marketing machines spend millions in order to change our opinions. But there are no Ferraris or Porsches among the antivirus products, just a huge row of mid-size sedans.
You do need one, for sure.

But if you need to choose among antivirus software - don't! Select the one you're using today or the one that your engineer friend likes. Or the one recommended by the IT department of your company. If one of the products is causing you performance problems, choose another one. If you have 5 PCs at home and the subscription becomes pricey, choose a cheaper one.

A much more interesting question is how to buy antivirus software. What do you need to know in order to purchase the software safely, fast and for the best price? Unfortunately this is beyond the scope of this article.

This article is a part of series of articles from [http://antivirusdirect.info] The goal of this site is to research and gather information about the online antivirus sales, analyze and represent it to consumers in clear, unbiased, vendor-independent way.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Serguei_Alleko/1038290

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It is quite possible you are inundated on a daily basis with spam mail and unwanted pop-ups which advertise the latest in spy-ware and antivirus protection. As un-amusing and counterintuitive as it may be, competition and the effective differences between competing antivirus application developers is so tight, that even the manufactures of antivirus programs are willing to exploit your computers weaknesses to advertise their solutions.

The sheer size and efficiency of the internet as well its billion-plus users makes new computer viruses more dangerous and virulent than ever. Viruses can literally spread around the globe in only minutes, effecting thousands of unprotected and unprepared users and businesses virtually instantly and simultaneously. The need for antivirus protection is of paramount concern for virtually all PC users.

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First Things First: What IS a Computer Virus?
To be considered a true computer Virus, a program needs the ability to replicate itself and trigger its activity at specified events. A computer virus is just one of three types of programs known as "maliceware". "Maliceware" are applications designed to damage, delete or steal your information, hijack your computer and even damage or destroy your computers hardware. The three types of "maliceware" you need to concern yourself with are Viruses, Trojans and Worms. Most antivirus programs are designed to detect and defend your PC from all three threats.

What Does an Antivirus Program Do?
Antivirus programs take two common approaches to recognize threats to your computer.
1. Signature Detection: Via Signature Detection an antivirus application scans your computer, drives and storage devices for files that contain a code it recognizes as a virus variant.
2. Activity: An antivirus application will monitor the activity on your computer for suspicious behaviors i.e. modification of system files or folders and unauthorized connections to the internet to name two.
Signature detection generally requires the manufacturer of an antivirus application to obtain a copy of a specific virus and then reverse-engineer it to obtain markers relevant to its programming. These markers are then loaded into your antivirus software via updates. Signature detection is a sound methodology for detecting and protecting against computer viruses, however it can be rendered useless when faced with a virus for which is has no definition.

Antivirus applications that scan for potential computer virus activity can be more useful at detecting the latest threats than those reliant on signature detection. It is important to note that because many applications perform the same activities as a virus - writing and changing system files for example - a user can quickly become inundated with numerous and unnecessary warnings by antivirus applications that utilize this method for detection.
Most of today's "solid" antivirus programs utilize a combination of both signature detection and virus activity to protect your computer against threats.
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How to Choose the Antivirus Program that is Right for You.
If you try surfing the web for insight into what is the best antivirus program or manufacturer, you will quickly find yourself neck deep in a sea of advertisements which profess themselves to be legitimate and impartial evaluators of the available programs. The truth is, of the major manufacturers, no one solution can provide for all of your potential needs. They all have instances where they are not as effective as the competition at detecting or eliminating a specific infection or threat. There are many good Antivirus applications and manufacturers all vying for your business, be it for personal or business use, and choosing the correct application or manufacturer for your computer security can generally come down to a few simple questions.

How at Risk are You?
Asking yourself this question is perhaps the first and most important step toward choosing what degree of protection you need, and how much money you are willing to spend, on Antivirus protection. Risk generally equates to your computers exposure to outside applications, files or connections. If you were to operate a computer that would never come into contact with any program or file not manufactured by a secure source, then you have virtually no need for an Antivirus application. Simply put, if you never plan to connect your computer to the internet, download files with it or upload "at risk" files from outside data sources, you should have no need for Antivirus software.

If you are a casual user who perhaps connects to the internet on occasion through a temporary or dial up connection and only download or upload files and programs from reasonably secure sources, your need for an antivirus program is clear, however, your risk may be minimal. In this situation the types and range of protective applications can be kept to a minimum; a basic antivirus program designed to regularly scan your hard drive for infections should offer you the protection that you need. There are many good antivirus programs that will fit this need available as shareware - a free download - throughout the internet.

Now, if you are like what I would consider to be the majority of today's computer users, you are a high risk user and need a wide variety of the most up to date antivirus programs available. If you have a broadband internet connection which keeps your computer connected to the internet 24/7. If you regularly upload and download files and applications from random and un-trusted sources, you need to invest in very thorough security for your computer. High risk users should invest in an antivirus program that offers real time scanning of all incoming and outgoing connections or files, a firewall to prevent unauthorized access to your PC via an open broadband connection, a pop-up blocker that prevents your computers web browser from being hijacked and adware scanners that detect pop-up, spy-ware, tracking and redirection software.

Are you Purchasing for Business or Home?
Antivirus software manufactured for business and home can be two very different applications both in cost and effectiveness. Home versions generally cost less and come with fewer options than business based antivirus programs. Generally the home user does not need the added functionality built into business versions and as such, I would not recommend that a home user invest in an antivirus solution designed for business.

Good antivirus software designed for business is focused on security, both from external and internal threats, as well as ease of maintenance. Most corporate versions of antivirus applications allow for a central point of control over entire networks. Protection can be divided between internet or application servers and individual PCs. New software updates are generally "pushed" from a central application server through the entire network, allowing for simplicity and assure-ity of a network's protection. Most times, corporate versions of antivirus applications do not allow individual users within a network to make changes to their protection settings; this is of key importance when considering overall network security and stability.

As a business purchasing a corporate class antivirus suite, it is important that your protection extends to each individual user that will access your network. Exchange/mail and internet server protection is a must, as well as protection for mission-critical file and application servers. It is a good rule of thumb for IT managers within corporate environments to assume that all their users will do everything within their power to infect corporate equipment with viruses and threats. Though this most certainly is not true, assuming that users know how to protect themselves or their corporate computer environment from infection is in most cases professional suicide for the IT manger in charge.

Antivirus software for business is generally loaded with more options than software built for home, and as such is often times much more expensive on a whole. Usually business antivirus programs come as a server based application. Clients, or additional licenses, are purchased for each computer or user that connects to the antivirus server.

With Regard to the Antivirus Program Itself:
Determining the true quality and effectiveness of an antivirus program can sometimes come down to how often the manufacturer releases updates to the program. New viruses are introduced to the web on most certainly a daily, if not hourly basis. The best antivirus manufacturers release updates on a daily basis and often offer updates to their programs on a real-time, as needed basis. The ability for an antivirus software manufacturer to release constant, and relevant, updates to their programs should be of great concern to the user. Not having the latest updates can almost be as dangerous as having no protection at all.

Other Important Factors to Consider:
1. The programs compatibility with your current set up and operating system? - If you are still using Windows 98 and you are purchasing an antivirus software manufactured in 2006, chances are it is not compatible with your computer.

2. How much in the way of system resources does the program use? - Just like all applications and operating systems, antivirus applications will use your computers processing power, memory and storage space to function. Keeping this use to a minimum will help to keep your computer operating at peak performance.

3. What kind of protection does the software offer? - Does the program offer protection against multiple threats such as Worms and Trojans? Will the program scan incoming and outgoing text messages and e-mails?

4. Cost - How much will the protection cost you over the life of your usage? - Most antivirus programs require that you subscribe to their service and then purchase updates on a yearly basis. The costs of these updates can vary widely between manufacturers and should be considered when making your final decision.

Answering these questions truthfully though an honest assessment of your PC usage will help to guarantee that you invest the proper amount of money and time into ensuring your PC and data are safe and secure.

Copyright 2006 www.hcditrading.com Brad Calli
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Brad_Calli/38317

Antivirus, Symantec, Mcaffee, antivirus software, virus, virus protection, virus scanner, virus det 

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It's pretty amazing how complex the subject of anti-virus programs can seem to be. It can be so very complicated that for most people it's almost impossible to figure it out. But for most people it's not necessary or even important to figure out all the technical details. You just need to know in general how they injure you so you can make the best decisions on what you personally need to remain unhacked and safe.

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html  

Maybe you are a serious person who uses a complex computer system for self-employment purposes and perhaps you have a small business with a computer system plus a highly interactive web site. In either case you really need to do a proper analysis to determine exactly how you are threatened and to take action before you are violated. Not after, Before. But don't even consider buying anything until you understand what you need and what the product that you are considering will do to keep you safe.

Let me back up a minute. Those familiar with my posts know that I tend to use terms like viruses and malware and not differentiate between them. I realize that is technically incorrect but feel that most people are not IT engineers and have no need for the difference. But for you purists out there let me print this: "Let's start with the differences between"viruses" and "malware." Viruses are a specific type of malware (designed to replicate and spread), while malware is a broad term used to describe all sorts of unwanted or malicious code. Malware can include viruses, spyware, adware, nagware, trojans, worms, and more. Aug 21, 2013" This from lifehacker.com

OK. Enough of that.
Any of us who use the internet can benefit from knowledge about the various anti-virus programs. These are more than helpful, they are a particularly vital type of program to save all your hard work. You use this to stay safe while doing whatever your business online is. Any time you access websites, you are open to the malcontents who will purposely infect your computer system. They may be doing this in order to gather information from you or even to spy on what you are doing. Or maybe just for bragging rights.

Good News: Effective anti-virus and malware protection is available.
You can protect yourself from the viruses or malware by installing a serious anti-virus program. In fact, do not even consider accessing the web without installing a cyber security program on both your home and/or business computer system. And I realize that there are a number of free downloads available and I also say that you generally get what you pay for so if you get a cyber security program for zero then that is probably what it is worth. Exactly.

Now I know most you are not IT engineers so I am going to keep it simple:
Types of Computer System Anti-virus Systems
  1. AVG. This is one of the most popular of the anti-virus programs. This type is especially among those available in those free download directly from a number of web sites located on the internet. It does not take up a gigantic amount of space on your hard drive. It also will work with a number of different Windows operating systems. It often contains both anti-virus abilities as well as anti-spyware. It manages to work by scanning all the files on your computer at regular intervals. It also has the ability to quarantine certain virus files so that they cannot do any serious damage before they can be checked out and then deleted.

  2. McAfee: This is a VirusScan and is the second most popular anti-virus program for many years running. This popularity has permitted the company manufacturing it to really cement their position as a really strong competitor to Symantec. It possesses spyware as well as virus protection within the one program instead of separately as most programs do.. When you buy it you will need to buy a subscription but that will enable you to have access to continuously updating virus protection.

  3. Norton: You will find a number of Norton anti-virus programs available and they are produced by Symantec. This is a businesslike group of products that have proven to be market leaders in computer security systems. They have products available from a range of different electronics supply stores. You will find that a majority of computer users on the market purchase Norton products and pay an annual fee for a subscription service. These are serious software programs that search your computer system regularly and delete any viruses and malware that they might find.

  4. Kaspersky: This is a Russian developed product and is not the most popular of all the anti-virus programs. Most of you have probably never even heard of them. However, they are quite effective for protection against viruses, malware, spyware, and even Trojans. Both Kaspersky Internet Security and Kaspersky Antivirus programs prevent problems that computers will encounter in the event that they become infected.

  5. Ad Aware: This software is by a company called Lavasoft. It is another anti-virus program and it provides protection against a large number of cyber security threats that arise when you use the Internet. The programs offer different levels of protection according to how much you might desire to spend in a one-time payment for their programs. These programs, in addition to finding and removing viruses and malware and spyware, can also detect key strokes and passwords, and it will protect against Trojans. I understand that improvements in their anti-malware technology allow it to provide very effective computer protection while not putting excessive pressure on your computer system.
Thank you for coming.
Jim
[http://www.dynamiccyberservices.com] is putting together an innovative network of cyber security products designed to fit the needs of computer system owners, but especially commercial arrangements with web sites. By utilizing this design format, individual owners can begin a program of computer security, utilizing products based on their own individual needs. This program will enable owners to build, at their own financial pace, a system of near complete safety.


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how you can delete facebook password reset confirmation virus stop identity theft through phishing e mails

How to Delete Facebook Password Reset Confirmation Virus - Stop Harassing Phishing E-Mails Easily
By Bob L Walker

Whether it's a 'Facebook Password Reset Confirmation' e-mail or and 'Update Your Information' e-mail, it can difficult to tell what is a legitimate message and what is a phishing e-mail. The problem with phishing e-mails is that they are designed by hackers who hope to trick you into sending them your log-in details, your password details, and worse, such as your bank account numbers and other sensitive information. Without adequate protection, millions of people are affected by stolen identity and stolen funds every year due to phishing sites and phishing e-mails. Let's understand how to keep our computers clean and our identities safe.

Read: How to Protect, Manage and Reset your password in order to prevent Identity Theft

The most common phishing e-mail as of late is the 'Facebook Password Reset Confirmation', because Facebook has quickly become one of the world's most popular websites. This means more people are available to be tricked, and hackers use their wall posts, their private messaging, and more to send strange shortened URLs that lead their friends and families to websites loaded with spyware, keyloggers, and viruses, just waiting to be downloaded. The threats are out there, and they are real. It's no longer safe to browse through e-mail messages and click links without adequate protection.

In the Facebook e-mail example, the message will read as follows: "Because of the measures taken to provide safety to our clients, your password has been changed. You can find your new password in attached document. Thanks, The Facebook Team." The problem is, that the attachment that is supposed to contain your new password instead installs a piece of malware on your system, which will block your programs and take control of your PC.

To remove the Facebook Password Reset Confirmation virus, you will have to stop the process labeled "isqsys32.exe" and delete the wiaservg.log and isqsys32.exe files in your %AppData% and %Programs% folders. You must use extra care when deleting system files, however, because if you delete the wrong file you will end up paying hundreds of dollars in PC technician fees.

Because of the risks involved, I suggest automatic removal software. The programs that I use, and that my clients use, are lightweight, and super-effective. The best part about automatic removal tools is that they will protect you as you surf the web and as you download files in the future. You will be alerted instantly when you are on an unsafe site or have downloaded an unsafe file. No more threats of identity theft and monetary theft.

Read: How to Protect, Manage and Reset your password in order to prevent Identity Theft

Tired of risking your safety and security due to phishing e-mails and phishing sites? [http://www.spyware-review.net/remove-facebook-virus/]Remove Facebook Password Reset Virus quickly and safely; start with a free scan at my website.

Bob Walker is a veteran IT consultant with over twenty years of experience in the industry. He's helped clean up the computers of everyone from fortune 500 organizations to individual users and families. His website is dedicated to anti-spyware and virus removal research, where he ranks the most efficient anti-spyware and anti-virus programs currently available. http://www.spyware-review.net

Read: How to Protect, Manage and Reset your password in order to prevent Identity Theft


Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Delete-Facebook-Password-Reset-Confirmation-Virus---Stop-Harassing-Phishing-E-Mails-Easily&id=5665568] How to Delete Facebook Password Reset Confirmation Virus - Stop Harassing Phishing E-Mails Easily

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how to stop identity theft crimes online

Say No to Identity Theft - Things to Look Out For to Prevent Identity Theft Crimes
By Tina L Douglas

It cannot be stressed enough how important is vigilance in the your drive towards evading identity theft. Constant vigilance is the key in reducing the risk of you becoming prey to these criminals. You can't rely on luck nor can you rely on skills.

Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.

But what should we be vigilant about? Here are some points that need your constant vigilance:

Your Credit Reports.

You need to constantly monitor your credit report from all three credit bureaus. The law provides that each individual consumer can request for one free credit card report every year. As these reports are updated quarterly, you have to request for your credit reporting in between then. What you can do is to request one credit report from one bureau, and after four months, request another from another bureau until you have requested one copy from each credit agency after every four months. This will allow you to monitor your credit report thrice a year, as compared to other consumers who do so only once. If something fishy happens with your credit report or if there are unauthorized entries in your credit report, you will be able to detect it immediately as compared to people who have to wait for the following year to request for another copy of their credit report.

If in any case your identity is stolen and the identity theft criminal has contacted various firms to apply for a loan, these firms will definitely run a credit check on you. Their names then would be reflected in your credit report, as firms that are performing background checks on you. If you monitor your credit report closely, you will immediately detect if another person is inquiring in your behalf so you can immediately put a stop to it.

If you are a military personnel and you need to go out of the country for a long period, place a fraud alert or a security freeze on your social security number with any of the credit card bureau. This will ensure that no new credit cards will be opened while you are gone as well no new loans, mortgages, and even jobs will be applied for under your name.

 
Your Credit Card Statement.

You also need to closely monitor your credit card statement. You have to first know at what time of the month does it usually arrive and it should arrive at approximately the same time every month that will follow. This will ensure that your credit card statement is being sent to you directly and no one is taking a peek at it before you do. Other than that fact, you should also keep the receipts that you incurred whenever you make any purchase or payments with your credit card. These receipts should be cross-checked with the charges that you incurred for that billing month. If there are any other charges that you do not recognize, then you need to immediately contact your credit card company and report the discrepancy for a potential identity theft crime.

Tina L. Douglas is a skilled writer from California. With numerous experiences in the field of writing for several financial institutions, she is greatly qualified across a variety of economic issues. Her notable pieces of writing involve identity theft protection [http://5identitytheftprotection.com/].

Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Say-No-to-Identity-Theft---Things-to-Look-Out-For-to-Prevent-Identity-Theft-Crimes&id=4355121] Say No to Identity Theft - Things to Look Out For to Prevent Identity Theft Crimes

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email phone number background checks and how it can assist in preventing online identity theft

Preventing Online Identity Theft Through E-mail, Phone-Number Background Checks

Background Checks and How it Can Help Prevent Identity Theft
By Toddy Martin
Finding the right credit card can be tough. You will need to do background checks and other measures just to make sure that you will not lose your money. But there is one very important background check that you will need to do that can definitely save you and your money.

Checking whether or not the personal information you give out is safe with a certain credit agency is the most crucial part in deciding where you should start up an account. The reason why this is so important is because there are a lot of cases of identity theft cases all over the world that have happened and are in fact still happening at this very moment, as it is said that in every 3 seconds, one account is hacked and one person is victimized.


Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.


What exactly is identity theft?

Identity theft is a crime that can happen to anyone with an account in fact not only over the internet, but also in basic accounts such as medical insurances, driver's licenses and the like. As long as you put out personal information then you are at risk.

Identity thieves will use your name and pretend to be you so that they can use and eat up all the benefits they can get under your name. This will not only eat your money up, but it can also leave a bad impression under your name. Just as with your driver's license. If an identity thief gets a hold of your license and the thief is a traffic violator, then of course all the ticket will be charged under your name and the bad record belongs to you.

Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.

One of the most dangerous things a credit identity thief can do is to have control of your credit card account and information. This will definitely cost you a lot of money as they can easily give out your credit card number and buy anything they want over the internet. This is very dangerous as once it is not stopped; it can even lead to bankruptcy.

Another thing is using up your medical insurance benefits and not leaving anything for you. Medical insurance can be a bit pricey because nowadays, medical services are very expensive. But once identity thieves get control of your medical insurance, everything you paid for will go to waste or to someone else. So always be sure to check regularly your credit account to make sure that none of these will happen to you, and if it does happen, you are able to stop it immediately. [http://www.free-credit-reports.com]Reporting identity theft is not an easy task to do especially when you are still struggling with ways of how to get [http://www.free-credit-reports.com]identity theft protection. For more information about credit identity fraud, visit Free-Credit-reports.com.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Background-Checks-and-How-it-Can-Help-Prevent-Identity-Theft&id=3423976] Background Checks and How it Can Help Prevent Identity Theft

Read+Share How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.

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how business owners can prevent identity theft

What Are Businesses Doing To Prevent Identity Theft?
By Ashley K

Read How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.
 
As the market is growing digitally, every company is stockpiling as much information related to customer as they can get and keeping their records in order to make their services and products better for their customers. But this has also given rise to the threat of identity theft especially to the business which accumulates customers' personally identifiable information (PII) - it includes credit card numbers, social security numbers, birth dates, addresses, etc. Since these data helps the business in crafting the sales strategies, especially of credit or loans, and in generating data related to employment. This collected information usually company stores in hard disks or maintain database over networks such as internet. All these information containers are vulnerable and malevolent hackers sometimes succeeds in stealing those private data and that leads to identity theft - a criminal activity that involves stealing of personal information to get the access of their financial accounts and using credit cards or take out loans etc.

Not only private companies suffer from such threats but several govt. offices also come under the same radar. Recently Numerous Chinese internet users turned to virtual private network or "VPN" services to shirk "Great Firewall of China" - designed by Chinese government to hinder citizens from accessing certain abhorrent websites that they reckoned objectionable. RSA Research has claimed Chinese hackers are using VPN services as a platform to launch cyber-attacks while covering the original identity of the attackers. RSA dubbed it as "Terracotta VPN." It is revealed that Terracotta VPN is mainly targeting compromised Microsoft Windows servers. The VPN service consists of over 1,500 virtual private network nodes - and the numbers are constantly adding - procured through vulnerable servers around the world.

However, US states have adopted several new laws to prevent these attacks, and private companies are investing additional efforts in order to make the data security system more strong, particularly smaller companies who previously don't have rigorous data security.

Before creating the security, it is necessary to know how thieves enter into business and steal the data. It is not a new idea for thieves to earn through identity theft scam, earlier they used to filch paper files and find the information after hours of working on them, but now internet has made all the work easy for them. Here are some ways by which data breach occurs:

Some even the best of the employees make mistake; after we're all bound to make mistakes. But mistakenly leaking data could have a huge negative impact for both the employee and the company. This usually happens when employees violate data security policies for some reason and fall victim to the fraudulent people. It can also be caused at the loss of a laptop that contains unprotected PII.

Another ways of data breach includes sending the data over email or saving it in flash drives and taking out of the premises. Most of the time hackers devise a false scheme such as phishing, spear phishing, and social engineering. Innocent employees fall prey to them and reveal company's PII key.

To Evade the Threat of Identity Theft Business have Adopted Several Methods That includes:

Encryption Technology: Most of the businesses have adopted encryption to prevent personal identity theft (PII). In this method technologies such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) and its successor Transport Layer Security (TLS) are used to encrypt data. Not only the online transmitting data are saved by encryption but data saved on various hard drives such as disk, tape, CD-ROM, or any other storage device can be protected with this technology. The thing to be notice here is encryption technology don't fight or resist against the hackers, instead it will make the stolen data in the wrong hands of hackers useless. Following are the steps that several corporations have taken to secure the data with encryption.

Read How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.
 
First identify the significant data that require encryption. It can be PII or some other data that are helpful and confidential in the growth of business.


Once data has been identified, next step is to determine the expiration time of the data.


Find the best encryption technologies according to the requirement of the data.


Several companies have created new set of policies and procedures where the correct uses of encryption technologies are defined.


Installing and training users.


Reviewing Commercial Agreements: Companies are getting more involved in knowing the bank's policies; they are indulging deeply before making any agreement. This gives a significant support if there's any fraudulent activity.


Monitoring Thoroughly Business Accounts: Reviewing the business accounts frequently, and alarming on any suspicious transaction. Besides concentrating more on online banking only, and avoiding any paper details.


More Cautious of Phishing Scams: Companies are providing additional training to their employees in order to recognize the phishing scams.


In addition to these methods, several other strategies, simple yet effective, are also company has adopted to secure PII data includes:


Anti-virus and anti-spyware protection

Firewall protection

Updated browsers and other software with security patches


Acquiring all these technologies and providing training to their employees have raised the cost of the companies. And it is not one time investment, in fact it is process. With the passing time as technology is getting update, the companies, concerned about security of customer's PII, also need to update the technologies and knowledge of their employees by giving them training. Thus it is a constant process of investment. However, companies include the same cost into their products and services, the similar way as they include the marketing cost, and sell the products at higher prices. However, paying a little extra for the security is appropriate or not that depends on individual to individual.

Read How to Prevent Identity Theft by Discovering the hackers behind Phishing e-mails and phone calls.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Are-Businesses-Doing-To-Prevent-Identity-Theft?&id=9286903] What Are Businesses Doing To Prevent Identity Theft?

identity theft, data security, prevent identity theft, prevent identity, identity theft business

how to prevent hacker and ensure your cybersecurity

Let's face it, we all get lulled into a false sense of security when we don't hear about major cyber security breaches in the news. As long as we update our anti-virus and don't open unknown emails and don't click on links from sources we don't recognize we're safe, right? Really nothing could be further from the truth. Hackers are always upping their game finding ways around and through holes in the system. These days they have even gotten quite good at creating links and sometimes emails that look convincingly real leading to websites that appear to be authentic.

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html 


Some of the things we don't realize or think about is the fact cyber crime still costs better than $100 billion annually on average whether we see it in front page news or not. This isn't just large businesses and banks that are being breached, but everyday users and individuals are probably at even a higher risk. Anytime you have a connection to the internet through any device your data can be compromised.

Virtually all devices are vulnerable to costly attacks, but there are a few that are more susceptible than others. Devices that use Flash, Adobe Reader or Java can be more at risk than others due to software vulnerabilities. If your devices use any of these you want to make sure you stay up to date on the most recent releases and upgrades which may address some of these. We assume our antivirus will automatically keep us safe and have very little interaction with it. This isn't always the case. It is always a good idea to run a manual check-up and make sure your antivirus is updating itself weekly.
The social media we all know and love can also create big opportunities for hackers. One of the most common tricks hackers will use is to create a dummy account of somebody with a large social network. This way the malicious links they send to social media appear to becoming from a trusted source. Be sure to check friend requests and links from friends before clicking on anything.

Any device that you own that connects to web pages or the internet makes you a potential target. Hackers may seem to be laying low and lurking in the background, but they are always hard at work finding ways to get your information. Make sure that you keep your antivirus software up to date and take proactive measures to keep your information safe. If you are yet to experience it, waiting until after the fact can be a nightmare and at times take years to recover from.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Philip_A_Soluri/2248394

Read and share our guide review on top-best antivirus software for your complete online protection on https://onlinevirusprotection.blogspot.com.ng/2016/03/top-three-best-computer-antivirus.html 
 


Web Security,Cyber Crimes,Hackers,Malware,Spyware,Antivirus

how you can prevent identity theft and be safe online

If you haven't done so recently, you should invest a minor bit of time and effort into getting yourself a copy of your credit report.  It is free once a year in most states, and you need to get a separate copy of it from each of the "big three" credit reporting bureaus, which are Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.  Some creditors report to only one of them, some report to a couple of them, and some even report to all three of them.  The key point is that the data maintained by each one is not necessarily the same, and in fact, is probably vastly different.

Why is the data different?  With the hundreds of millions of credit reports that these companies need to maintain, errors are almost inevitable.  Interestingly enough, studies have shown that the MAJORITY of consumers have at least one or more inaccurate or erroneous piece of information in their credit report.  The scary part is that, contrary to popular belief, the errors will NOT be corrected automatically.  In fact, if you don't alert the credit bureau of the errors, then the errors will be carried forward with your record, year after year.

Please be aware that while identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century so far, it is not limited to just online activities.  Granted, with the advent of the ease of shopping online and being able to purchase something at a great price with just a couple of mouse clicks is attractive for many, there are steps you should take to ensure that you have done everything responsible that you can do to avoid your information from getting into the wrong hands.  One of the first places to start is to get yourself a copy of your credit report, and look especially for accounts that you are not aware of, which is the first sign that you may be a victim of identity theft.

Online identity theft is a serious crime that can clean out your life savings and leave you with a damaged credit history that may take years to repair. Unless you're familiar with the person with whom you're dealing, or are filling out an official form for a legitimate personal or business purpose, information such as a social security number, bank account numbers, credit card numbers and other types of data that might have a bearing on your individuality should never be divulged. If you've ever used a credit card to order take-out food over the phone, you're leaving yourself wide open to identity theft.

Congress passed the Fair Credit Reporting Act several years ago in an attempt to smooth out some problems in the credit reporting industry. The presence of this alert requires any creditor to verify the identity of the borrower prior to granting credit in his or her name. If your credit report shows that you have a low score, lower than what you deserve, that can negatively impact a huge number of areas of your life.  You may want to visit [http://www.credit-help-center.com]Raise Your Credit Score for tips on how to improve your credit score.

When you travel, regardless of how you book your reservations, your personal information will still end up on the company's computer and stored in their databases. Many companies, including some large major corporations, do not protect your personal data the way they should.

Many people ignore the importance of protecting their personal and financial information against identity theft until they become a victim of it. The amount of goods and services purchased with fraudulently obtained personal identity was more than $50 billion dollars last year.

If you purchase merchandise online frequently, you may want to use a separate credit card that you obtain just for that purpose.  Always use ONLY that credit card.  For the junk mail that you receive regularly saying you are approved for a new credit card or mortgage loan, don't just simply throw it in the trash.  Instead, invest in a shredder and take the time to shred those letters.  Many cases of identity theft occur because the thief has gone "dumpster diving" to find those pre-approval letters, and opens an account in your name.

Jon is a computer engineer who maintains web sites on a variety of topics based on his knowledge and experience. You can read more at his web site at Preventing Identity Theft and Protecting Against Identity Theft [http://www.identity-theft-info.com].

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Find-Out-How-To-Prevent-Identity-Theft&id=424373] Find Out How To Prevent Identity Theft

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Two things to bear in Mind while we talk about Protecting yourself Online in order to Prevent Online Identity Theft and being Victim of Cyber-Criminals:

A. Keep in mind that antivirus software protects only your device, not your internet connection. It’s only Secured and Protected Virtual Private Network, VPN can securely protect your internet connection communications between your computer device, servers and websites.

B. A VPN is a must-have utility to protect your privacy and prevent hackers and snoopers from stealing your personal information.