Under Attack!
If you thought the amount of spam, 'phishes'* and other forms of malware were bad before, well, it's getting worse.
There are a large number of scumbags on the Internet whose sole purpose is to get money from unsuspecting honest users. They will use any method possible to accomplish their misdeeds.
The battle is only beginning. We pay money to use security programs to keep these nefarious creatures from getting onto our computers and stealing our financial data. We pay money for spam filters that are always just a step or two behind the spammers and fill our inboxes with garbage, sometimes extremely disgusting garbage. The more wicked of these spammers have figured out how to plant spyware on unsuspecting users to accomplish their schemes of stealing passwords and maybe even the identities of users who keep important personal information stored on their computers.
Unfortunately, the majority of users on the Internet are either totally ignorant of what can happen by just clicking on a seemingly innocent link, either in an email or on a web site, or they have the attitude 'I'm too smart for getting suckered'.
Folks, even the most security conscious Internet users can be caught off guard. It really is too bad that we have to be so suspicious of everything presented to us online, but that's the way it is and it doesn't seem like it will get better any time soon. While the Internet can be and is a wonderful tool when used properly, it is also a boon to crooks who can steal without fear of being caught.
I want to warn you now, STOP opening attachments you think are from friends! It is so easy to 'spoof'* an email address it is unbelievable! That attachment could contain a virus, worm or Trojan that can ruin your life!
Always use an updated virus scanner. I know there are some users that think they are 'too smart' to get a virus. No telling how many of these users have an infected computer sending out garbage to other computers.
Get spyware scanners and use them! There are a lot of free spyware scanners available if your can't afford to buy a good commercial scanner. The same is true for firewalls and virus scanners.
You need at least two, preferably three. Keep them updated. However, unless you have a spyware scanner running in the background constantly, stuff can sneak in unaware and you are the loser.
*'phishes' : Fraudulent e-mails designed to steal users identities and/or financial details.
**spoofed email: A user receives email that appears to have originated from one source when it actually was sent from another source. Nearly all spammers use email 'spoofing', to avoid being caught.