During the course of our Focus on Security series, we have talked about many different threats and how to minimize your risk of becoming a victim to malicious attacks. Clarence explained it very well in his article "Security is a State of Mind" which appeared in the October edition of this newsletter. You would do well to re-read it in its entirety but I will paraphrase here:

IF YOU ARE ONLINE, YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE ATTACKED OVER AND OVER. IF YOU ARE ONLINE FOR TWENTY MINUTES WITHOUT PROTECTION YOUR COMPUTER WILL BE INFECTED OVER AND OVER.

Take a proactive approach to protecting your computer:

• Make regular backups of your data
• Run maintenance utilities regularly
• Always maintain updated antivirus software
• Install and maintain a firewall
• Install, update and run malware removal tools such as Ad-aware, Spybot S&D, Spyware Blaster, etc

Resist the temptation to relax and feel safe just because you have taken these measures. Be suspicious of everything and everyone when you are online. If you let your guard down, you WILL become a victim!

Don't click banner ads, especially ones that "warn" you that your computer is at risk. When / if you download anything, be sure it is from a safe and reputable source. If you realize you have been infected, don't e-mail anyone until you get rid of it. You will risk infecting their computer as well.

The Internet is a wonderful resource and I would hate to be without it, but we must all educate ourselves, be ever vigilant, and take responsibility for our own computers in order to avoid falling victim to the evildoers, and spreading their plague!

Happy, safe, and responsible computing!
Terry