The Four Most Dangerous Internet Security Myths



Posted: Monday, September 14, 2009

by Miriam Bobroff
Bubby's Business, Inc.

Erik Larkin in PC World reports that we need to get rid of myths about internet security in order to stay safe online.

Myth #1:

Maladjusted teens vandalize your computer to make a name for themselves.

Reality #1:

Gone are the days of curiosity seekers looking for their 15 minutes of fame. The main computer security threat is organized crime who are motivated by financial gain. Financial fraud has cost consumers and businesses billions of dollars.

There is a thriving online black market that uses evil software to make money by taking over PCs to send spam, stealing financial logins and credit card information, or hacking game accounts. Online crooks have become very creative in figuring out how to make money with malware. Stolen webmail accounts have been used to send messages to the account's contact list asking for money transfers. Thieves target popular online games such as World of Warcraft. They raid hacked accounts to sell the items or the in-game currency for real money.

Get rid of the idea that you can tell whether you're infected by big pop-ups or suddenly missing files. The malware written by cybercriminals work to keep infections as quiet as possible for as long as possible so they can continue to make money.

Myth #2:

You're fine if you are just careful where you surf.

Reality #2:

This way of thinking may have worked in the past when the web was young. It wasn't hard to avoid the bad stuff online. You could generally tell by looking at a site if it was dangerous, and if you were careful with your surfing and your email, you could probably have gone without antivirus software.

Not anymore. These days cybercriminals like to find a flaw in a benign but vulnerable site and use the flaw to install malware onto the computer. Sites from personal pages to big-name company sites have been hacked in this way. Most likely you won't notice anything out of place if you view a hacked page or an attacked email. You would have to be an expert to recognize an inserted iframe' in the page's source code.

You need to let go of this myth in order to prevent cybercriminals from hacking your computer and getting your personal information from your website and emails.

Myth #3:

All you need is a good antivirus program

Reality #3:

Wrong. A good security program will help a good deal, but antivirus companies are locked into a constant battle with the cybercriminals who put all their effort into staying one step ahead of antivirus software. Yes, many times the security software can prevent the attacks, but other times holes are found in the computer security software and the criminals get the upper hand. Furthermore, cybercriminals spend a great deal of time and preparation into creating attacks to fool the consumer into opening an email attachment and to making sure that the payload can evade antivirus protection.

So don't let your guard down just because you have antivirus software installed in your computer. You also need anti-spyware, anti-rookit, a bidirectional firewall and other technologies along with a team of techs to help you when you experience a problem

Myth #3:


"If it ain't broke don't fix it" requires knowing when something is broken.

Reality #3

These days with cybercriminals being so clever and crafty and things like the old ActiveX controls that don't update and don't give any indication that they are there, you need advanced internet security that finds and disables malicious hidden processes, threats, files or registry keys on your system find and removes them. You also need to allow Firefox or Windows updates and upgrades.

You need to get rid of the myth that you shouldn't fix something if it isn't broken. You will then be open to new internet security technologies.

Myth # 4

The worse myth: We're all doomed. Stay offline.

Reality #4

Yes, you can get hacked, but that shouldn't stop you from venturing online, any more than the potential for getting the flu should prevent you from leaving your house. If you know the risks and prepare adequately, the odds can be in your favor and you can enjoy what the Web has to offer.

You can't ever eliminate all risk, but with the following simple steps you can give yourself very good odds.

Know that cybercriminals make money stealing anything from files to credit card numbers to Webmail passwords.

To combat hackers who take advantage of hidden software flaws, make sure your computer has daily security updates, automatic upgrades to new software, and full security software support.

Have your computer monitored daily for malware and if it is there have it stopped before it gets a chance to harm your computer.

Get protection for your emails and attachments.

Don't fall for the worst myth that the crooks own the internet and that the only good option is to use the internet as little as possible. Log onto my informational blog www.crimeandjustice4all.com to learn about how to protect youself, your family, and your business from cybercriminals.

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