The threat of online security: How safe is our data?

Friday, June 26, 2009

Nowadays, online security threats are one of the biggest challenges on the Internet. As internet users display their personal information on website and upload some sensitive data to online software programs, they are most probably at risk. Some users exploit the internet through the criminal behaviors and other harmful practices. These users are called hackers or internet intruders, they uses their stealth tactics to attack on the online computer users.
There are number of potential threats on the internet such as:

1. Viruses
A computer virus is a dangerous computer program with the characteristic feature of being able to generate copies of itself, and thereby spreading. Viruses exist on local disk drives and spread from one computer to another through sharing of "infected" files.

2. Spyware
Spyware is a form of malicious software designed to interrupt or to steal the personal and confidential without the consent of that computer’s user. Spyware can be delivered in a variety of ways including being attached with the legitimate software.

3. Trojans Horse
A trojan horse is a self-contained malicious program that does not replicate nor infect other files. Trojans are most often used to gain backdoor access remote, surreptitious access to the computer. The examples of Trojans are Remote Access Trojan (RAT), Backdoor Trojans (backdoors), IRC Trojans (IRCbots), and Keyloggers.

4. Pharming
Pharming refers to a technique of changing Domain Name System (DNS) servers that hackers get into Domain Name Servers to redirect visitors to a look alike site or change the host files inside your computer that take you to a sight that is designed to steal your identity.

5. Spam mail
Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message and most spam is commercial advertising. Spam by e-mail is a type of spam that involves sending identical or nearly identical messages to thousands of recipients without the permission of the recipients.

Security vulnerabilities and threats are file sharing applications, instant messaging, week passwords and outdated antivirus or anti spyware programs. The solutions to protect personal data, privacy and identity on internet is to install an up-to-dated antivirus program on your computer, install anti spyware program, update your operating system regularly by installing latest security program, never download a software program from the websites who has no integrity, never open an email attachment from the unauthorized source and encryption your data while transmitting over the internet.