U.S. government vulnerable to Internet predators

U.S. government vulnerable to Internet predators

Most Internet users have some awareness of the problem of threats to the entire system from criminals, terrorists and potentially hostile nations, since they encounter it in the form of spyware, viruses and other online nuisances.

However, the most disturbing "cyber" threats are largely invisible to the general public, because they involve attacks on specialized networks used by the armed forces, healthcare professionals, air traffic controllers, financial institutions, public utilities and heavy industry.

Each of these vital components of modern society now relies on Internet Protocol communications to run efficiently, and in most cases the new technology was assimilated without a careful assessment of its vulnerability to attack by outsiders.

How to Protect your online accounts

Due to vulnerabilities in Operating System and other application software users' online accounts can become compromised through phishing schemes, viruses, and spyware. Users can secure their own account and their online identity quickly and easily by following the online safe practices. Some of the safe practice I regularly follows are listed below. You may look into these steps and take a decision today itself to safe guard from Online frauds.

1. Don't share: Keep your username, password and personal information secret. You are requested to change your password regularly. Password must be alphanumeric with special character and greater than 8 character in length.

2. Don't click: Never click on any link you suspect to be malicious, even if sent by someone you trust. Scan your computer regularly for viruses, spyware and adware. Updates your Operating System and other application software regularly.

3. Don't click: Never click on links in emails that claim to be from mail provider (gmail.com, yahoo.com), bank authorities (hdfcbank.com, icicibank.com), auction sites (ebay.com, amzone.com) or social networking sites (orkut.com, myspace.com). Scan your computer regularly for viruses, spyware, and adware.

4. Don't spread: Never enter your account login and password on sites other than the original site. Never check remember me when you're using a shared computer.

5. Don't Share Personal Data: Avoid posting sensitive personal data, such as email addresses, phone number or pictures, in public places.

6. Don't forget to click the Logout link of the page when you're done using an online account.

7. Don't script: Never paste a URL or script into your browser while logged into a account especially social networking site viz. orkut.com, mysapce.com no matter what it claims to do.