Viruses and Spyware
We are always hearing about Viruses and Spyware in the press nowadays but how much of a risk are they?
The main purpose of viruses or spyware is to get money from you so be super cautious about responding to even professional looking emails or popups.
Viruses often get in through email attachments so never open emails from sources you don't know. Many joke emails are created just to get spyware onto your computer. If the email appears to be from a genuine company there is a very easy way of seeing if it is genuine. There will always be a link you are supposed to click on to access the website or information. Hover your mouse pointer over the link and a popup will show you where the link is really going to. So if the link says www.microsoft.com but the popup says www.xyz.com you know it is a fraud.
It also very important to keep up to date with Windows updates as most of the updates are security updates.
The other important thing to have is a firewall, particularly if you connect to broadband through a WiFi hotspot. This is either a piece of software that runs on your computer, or if you have an broadband router there is probably a firewall in there already. This stops hackers from getting into your computer or network and deleting files or accessing your information.
Also if you get a phone call from Microsoft or your service provider it probably isn't them. Microsoft are never going to ring you up, no offence;>) Its best to say you will ring them back using the number on their website, however if you are going to ring wait them, wait until you have rung someone else first. The reason for this is that if they don't put the phone down their end no matter which number you then ring it will connect to them again! This is a major fault with the BT telephone system and needs to be fixed. You could ring 123 (if you are on a landline) to get the time first.
The main purpose of viruses or spyware is to get money from you so be super cautious about responding to even professional looking emails or popups.
Viruses often get in through email attachments so never open emails from sources you don't know. Many joke emails are created just to get spyware onto your computer. If the email appears to be from a genuine company there is a very easy way of seeing if it is genuine. There will always be a link you are supposed to click on to access the website or information. Hover your mouse pointer over the link and a popup will show you where the link is really going to. So if the link says www.microsoft.com but the popup says www.xyz.com you know it is a fraud.
It also very important to keep up to date with Windows updates as most of the updates are security updates.
The other important thing to have is a firewall, particularly if you connect to broadband through a WiFi hotspot. This is either a piece of software that runs on your computer, or if you have an broadband router there is probably a firewall in there already. This stops hackers from getting into your computer or network and deleting files or accessing your information.
Also if you get a phone call from Microsoft or your service provider it probably isn't them. Microsoft are never going to ring you up, no offence;>) Its best to say you will ring them back using the number on their website, however if you are going to ring wait them, wait until you have rung someone else first. The reason for this is that if they don't put the phone down their end no matter which number you then ring it will connect to them again! This is a major fault with the BT telephone system and needs to be fixed. You could ring 123 (if you are on a landline) to get the time first.
