Written in 2004, still relevant today.  Just the tools have changed.

These days, being on the net has become a pain to many people. In fact, people are logging off in record numbers. It used to be, that if you stayed away from the warez sites and the porn sites, you didn’t have to worry about too much. It was a great tool for researching, and having a little fun.

Nowadays, within a week or two of the time that you get online, you’ve generally learned about viagra, where to get more porn that you could ever view, all about Paris Hilton, Jennifer Aniston, what kazaa is, how to get free software, enhancements for your email, how to grow younger, how to grow rich on ebay and how to gamble your life savings away in the online casinos.

Once that first couple of weeks is out, there’s still more to come. There’s how the net is the fastest way to make your computer run badly or not at all, to get viruses and spyware, and to cause security problems with your, your family’s, your company’s and possibly your client’s data.

There’s a whole different language on the internet, and you might not even understand it. Somedays, I sure don’t.

The internet, has become a place for the brave and/or crazy.

So, how do you protect yourself if you’re connected?

There are numerous things you can do, but being safe on the internet these days, requires constant vigilance.

First and foremost. IF you have nothing else on your computer, besides Windows, BUY a VIRUS SCANNER! I cannot stress this enough! Many people think, “it won’t happen to me.” It can, and it does! Viruses these days are way more sophisticated than they were once. There are some that don’t require you to click on them in an email, or consciously download them. They take advantages of loopholes and security problems in windows to do it all by themselves.

Next, buy or have a router built for you. Next, have it setup properly for your needs. (I’ll go further into this in another article)

Consider installing the Google toolbar, download install update and run spybot and ad-aware religiously.

Download and install spyware blaster.

Be very careful what you click on when on the internet.

And set your security settings in Internet Explorer so that it’s harder for stuff to download without you knowing.

Research what you download before you install it. Many “free” programs that offer desirable services these days come with other programs that do things without you knowing, or wanting them to. Such as sending information from your computer, back to the creator of the software, openning up security holes on your computer, so that bad people can get in.

(Why don’t I call them hackers, you ask? Hackers, in the true sense of the word, and the mentality, are not bad people. The media has sensationalised the “bad” side of hacking, and therefore, the true meaning has been lost. I will cover this further in a future article.)