What motivates people to create computer viruses?  Well, the ability to cripple a network is one motivator!
 
Computer crippling viruses are still out there but not as often as viruses mentioned in previous emails.  The reason being is that if a computer is disabled, it is no longer able to spread the virus to other computers.

What motivates people to create computer viruses?  Well, Identity Theft is a big motivator!
 
Viruses designed to steal sensitive information sift through the traffic to and from a computer for interesting information such as passwords or credit card numbers.

So what happens if some uses your Internet connection to do something illegal?  Who is responsible?

There are no easy answers.  According to the folks at LegalMatch.com, the evil doer is usually to blame.  As a matter of fact, connecting to your unprotected WiFi without your knowledge may itself be considered a crime.

A few mouse clicks could mean the difference between staying online and losing Internet connections this summer.  Unbeknownst to many, international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of infected computers around the world.  The FBI made the bust and set up a safety net months ago by putting temporary dns servers in place, but these servers are scheduled to shut down on July 9.  Afterwards, infected users won’t be able to connect to the Internet.

Our computers are being hijacked, and we may not even know it!  The term “hijack” means to illegally seize in transit and force to a different destination or use for ones own purpose, which is exactly what is being done right under our fingertips.

In the words of sir Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is Power!” This is exactly what your in-house IT guru has—the knowledge of how your network is set up and where everything is, thus the power to control it. Well, that’s all well and good, but what happens if your IT person up and leaves? Where does that knowledge (and power) go?!?!? That’s right.

Have you ever had a security alert pop up on your screen while browsing the web?  Your first reaction may be to click on it to find out more, fearing your machine may be infected with a virus.  Those that are skeptics may click the “X” in the top right corner to close it and continue what you were doing.

SPAM is more than just a nuisance—something that clogs up your inbox and wastes your precious time. SPAM is also a tool used on a daily basis to steal your identity. Learn how to prevent SPAM, and you will learn how to prevent identity theft. Every year there are an estimated 40 trillion SPAM emails delivered.

Our recent newsletter talks about taking our technology on the road – we offered a few suggestions on what to take as well how to be safe, but wait, there’s more….here’s more tips to ensure your PC or Mac is ready for its summer road trip.
• Remember, there is no such thing as privacy when you’re on a Public network.

I've been away for some time but with good reason! In February, my husband and I adopted our son from Russia. Traveling to Russia on three different occasions gave me a chance to experience first hand technology usage in other countries albeit only for brief occasions.