The Internet is Fun, Full of Opportunities but also Full of Dangers (Internet Surfing)

Member Name: Deru

Product:	Internet Surfing
Date:	29/04/09 (110 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Opportunities, bargains, friendships, relationships, fun

Disadvantages: Scams, viruses, dangers

With computers and Internet access being ever so affordable and widely available, more and more people are getting connected to the World Wide Web. This includes those who do not have much knowledge of computers and thus are unaware of the risks and dangers that lurk around the net.

ONLINE SHOPPING

Internet shopping can save you money but can be risky business. Fine if you buy from big companies like Amazon and Play.com but what about less well known online retailers? Most are legit too but do make sure the pages are secure when the site asks you for your personal and payment details. Reading reviews about the site in question can help (if there are any). You can also buy through an online auction house like eBay. Much more risk in my opinion. If you are planning on buying an expensive item, then check the seller's feedback first and don't deal off eBay even if the seller makes you a cheaper offer if you just send payment rather than making the purchase through the eBay website.

If something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Pay using a credit card as you are able to claim your money back more easily, especially if over £100. For eBay purchases, pay using PayPal AND choose to fund the payment with a credit card. PayPal seem to default my funding source to my bank account to try to save themselves fees no less. If you don't have a credit card, use a Visa debit card as that offers some protection. Other debit cards offer no protection.

Whenever entering personal information (on any site, not just for shopping), the page should be secure. You can tell whether a page is secure by looking at the beginning of the address. It will begin with "https" rather than the usual "http". Also look for a padlock in browser somewhere (usually at the bottom but where it is depends on what browser you use). The secure version uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) and is encrypted so the information is encrypted (or scrambled). If it is intercepted before reaching the destination, it cannot be read by the interceptor. The pages you are taken to via spoof emails asking for your personal details will not be secure even if it's asking for your credit card information.

PASSWORDS

Using different passwords for different accounts where possible will stop someone from being able to access everything if they get one of your passwords. Also, don't use passwords that are easy to guess. Use a combination of text and numbers, and even upper and lower case characters for the passwords to make them more difficult to guess. Don't use your date of birth as that can be found out relatively easily. It's actually a very good idea to use different passwords for different sites though.

CHAT ROOMS / SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Chat rooms can be fun and loads of laughs but they can also be dangerous places. Children in particular are at risk. You may have seen it in the news or in the newspaper where paedophiles pose as kids and make arrangements to meet them in person. For the adults, don't give out personal details or your phone number and especially not on a public profile on sites like Facebook. You don't want a stalker on your back. If you have young kids, be aware of what they are doing if possible and for teenagers, make them aware of the dangers.

If you must meet someone off the net, go with a friend and meet in a public place. Remember, someone may not be who they say they are. You can't see who they really are...unless you see them through a webcam but even then, that's just their outer appearance.

I have personally met a number of people as a result of the Internet. Even a girlfriend (now an ex though). Friendships and relationships have been formed through the Internet but be vigilant and safe.

VIRII (VIRUSES), WORMS, TROJANS, MALWARE

Virii, Worms, and Trojans are too common these days. These are computer programs, created by people who want to cause damage, make computers do annoying things or just gain access to your system. Install anti-virus software (some are free) and update the virus definitions regularly (daily preferably). I recommend Avast or AVG antivirus. Barclays Bank give you Kaspersky for free if you use Internet Banking. I find Symantec Norton to be a bit rubbish and slows your PC down but better than nothing. McCafe is pretty poor too. Antivirus isn't 100% though. Some viruses that one scanner finds may not be found by another. Newer threats may not be recognised by any so you still have to be vigilant.

Install a firewall. This is basically a barrier that stops attacks from getting to your computer and some things from leaving your computer. If you have a router, then you have a hardware firewall but you can also get software firewalls. Windows XP has a built-in firewall but is not very flexible. There are free firewalls out there like Sygate Personal Firewall and Zone Alarm but there are also paid ones. You can get Pro versions of Sygate and Zone Alarm.

Keep your system and software patched and up-to-date where possible. Check for and install security updates. Windows usually has plenty every month.

SPYWARE

These are small programs that monitor your Internet usage without you knowing. They usually come with programs that are freely downloaded and does something fun like change your mouse pointer to a pretty picture or let you download music, etc. These programs are usually installed without you knowing by being packaged within another program. They can also be picked up by visiting certain web sites. As advised above, click NO when asked to install stuff when you visit web pages, unless it is a trusted site. Just be careful and try not to install too many things of the free variety unless you really need to.

There are free programs that there that do not contain the spyware so there's no need to boycott all free programs downloaded off the net. Spyware can make your computer run slow, make it crash and since you don't know exactly what they do in the background, they could potentially be there to log your keystrokes, thus sending passwords and private information to their makers.
TIP: Be vigilant as to what you install. If install free software, see if there's an option to not install bundled toolbars, weather software, etc.

EMAILS

Not strictly to do with Internet surfing but sort of linked as dodgy emails are usually received after you sign up for things on the Internet. Freebies in particularly with unscrupulous companies that sell your email address to spammers. All of you will use e-mail since an email address is required to join Dooyoo, but maybe not all of you have received scam e-mails or know about them. If you've never seen any before, there's still the chance of you getting one.

Many scams are from abroad where someone claims to be a distant relative of some rich person or even royalty who has just died but is unable to get at money for whatever reason. There is supposedly some loophole where someone from abroad can claim the money. If you help the person, he/she will give you a share of the money and this is usually a huge sum like several hundred thousand or several million (whatever currency it is). The catch is that there are taxes and transaction fees to be paid before he/she can get at the money. They ask for one payment then another, followed by another and so on to cover their transaction fees to get at the riches. It usually adds up to thousands of pounds or even over one hundred thousand pounds in some cases and the victims pay because they are promised huge sums of money in return. Many of these e-mails originate from Nigeria and so they're known as the Nigerian 419 scam. I've been getting ones from Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, etc as well. There are many variations of this scam.

Spoof e-mails are becoming more and more common. These are e-mails that appear to be from legitimate sources but they are actually from scammers who want to trick you into giving them your financial details. Some of these get filtered out by your junk mail filter with your junk mail so you may not have noticed these but some do get through to your inbox. These spoof emails take many forms but some are more convincing than others. The most popular spoofs are probably EBay, PayPal and Internet Banking ones.

The emails usually tell you that there is a problem or there's been a security update with your account and you need to confirm your details by following a link to a sign in page. If it takes you to a new page, it'll be just like a log in page where you can fill in your personal details, like your name, address, credit card details, etc. Once you click submit, all the information is sent to the thief who would gladly withdraw ALL the money from your bank account or sell or use your eBay account to sell expensive items. eBay, PayPal, Internet banking sites NEVER ask you to sign in through an email or follow links in e-mails to sign in pages. You should enter the address into your Internet Browser (i.e. Internet Explorer, Netscape, Opera, Mozilla Firefox, etc) or use a bookmark/'Favorite' that you created. Newer versions of browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 have facilities to warn you when you visit such sites so that's good.

ADULT & ILLEGAL STUFF

There's a lot of porn on the net. This is great for those looking for it (aside from making their PCs more vulnerable to viruses) but not good for parents with their kids using the net. One can install software or configure their router to block such content. There's also a lot of stuff to download, which may just infringe copyright. Free music, full movies, retail software, etc can be obtained from the Internet for free but may get you a warning letter from your ISP or a lawsuit from the companies that own intellectual property rights. There are also things like underaged porn, racist, dangerous and sick materials such as how to make bombs on the net so be aware that this stuff is out there as well.

The Internet is useful, fun and full of opportunities but can also be a dangerous place so be aware of the dangers and enjoy it safely. Of course, it can also bugger up your copy of Microsoft Windows if you visit a dodgy site thus wasting time and money and possibly your precious family pictures or important work if you haven't backed up. Best to back up and be vigilant on what sites you visit and watch what you install.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Advice on Internet Safety