Safe Holiday Surfing Tips
Posted on December 20, 2004
Filed Under Internet |
The Holiday season is here and many of us and our children will spending more time at home for the holidays. That can mean that the home computer will get more use than normal and while these tips are applicable to any time of the year, they can save a great deal of post holiday despair.
• Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 — Be suspicious of those who might tell you that Service Pack 2 shouldn’t be installed. There are some, albeit very few, programs that stop working with Service Pack 2 but the security improvements it includes makes it a worthwhile if not vital upgrade.
Windows XP Service Pack 2 can be downloaded from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com – be aware though, it’s a very large download and it may take quite a long while with a dial-up internet connection.
• Install a pop-up blocker — Pop-ups are not only annoying, they can be dangerous. You can prevent pop-ups from happening in the first place without spending a cent by using one of these free tools. Windows XP Service Pack 2 includes a pop-up blocker but if you’re not using XP, the Google toolbar available at http://toolbar.google.com/ also includes a pop-up blocker that will do the job nicely.
New to the scene is the MSN Toolbar at http://toolbar.msn.com/ that also provides an excellent pop-up blocker. There are also a growing number of people who are abandoning Microsoft Internet Explorer in favour of Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is a full featured alternative to Internet Explorer whose proponents believe offers better security in every aspect including blocking pop-ups. You can find Firefox at http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/
• When they do pop-up close them carefully – People that produce malicious software use every trick available to them to make sure their products are installed. That often means using buttons that look like they should close the pop-up but install their product before closing the window. Always use the regular Windows X at the top right of the window to close a pop-up.
• Install antivirus software – If you are not currently running antivirus software be sure to install it. Commercial products like Norton Antivirus can be purchased anywhere computer products are sold or on line at http://www.symantecstore.com/. Grisoft also offers a free version of their AVG Antivirus for home use at http://free.grisoft.com/
• Use caution with personal information — This is a great time of year for online shopping, have you been to a mall lately? Of course there are those who are out to take advantage of the Holiday spirit.
Never give away personal information like a bank account password or your social insurance number on line. If you use a credit card online, be sure you trust the vendor and only enter the number on a site that uses encryption. A secured site will begin with https:// as opposed to http://
Have a safe and happy Holiday and the very best in 2005!
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