Protect your computer and your company's computer from being hacked or compromised by viruses and hackers: Here are some things that might help you:
Why viruses are created
Most of today's viruses are created by cyber-criminals for profit. Many viruses are designed to steal or copy your personal data for financial gain. The goal may be to access passwords or credit card details; to use your Internet connection to host scams or to send spam from your computer.
Virus attacks via the Internet
E-mail attachments are not the only method of attack for virus writers. Criminals have quickly realized that search engines like Google, AOL, or Yahoo, can be used to reach large pools of potential victims.
For example, if you search for the term "lyric," nearly 15 out of 100 search results would take you to risky web sites.
The 20 most dangerous words to search for on the Internet (reported by McAfee – 2008 Report)word unscrambler
lyrics
myspace
free music downloads
phelps, weber-gale, jones and lezak win 4x100m relay
free music
game cheats
printable fill in puzzles
free ringtones
solitaire
miniclip
make money
viva la vida (coldplay) lyrics
touch my body lyrics
love song lyrics
lollipop lyrics
my life (lil wayne) lyrics
weather.com
lowes
the price is right
Other dangerous search term categories are online games, screensavers and "work from home".
Search terms involving online games are among the riskiest because online games often prompt you to install plug-ins or register with a name or e-mail address.
How to protect your computer from dangerous Internet searches
Although the security restrictions on government desktops and network security systems protect the majority of government computers from web based viruses; users should still be aware of the dangers and be cautious when using the Internet at work and at home.
Advice for Home Computer Users
Keep your computer’s operating system, anti-virus software and other programs up to date to fix any flaws that hackers could exploit
Adjust your Internet browser settings to Medium or Medium-High
Stay away from suspicious web sites, and only download files from trusted sources
Be suspicious of anything that sounds too good to be true. If a link promises free downloads of the all the latest hit songs, chances are it's leading you to a risky Web site
Security Software for Home Users
Some security software includes an Internet filter that warns you of suspicious web sites. An example of this kind of program is McAfee Site Advisor http://www.siteadvisor.com/.
SiteAdvisor software adds small site rating icons to your search results as well as a browser button and optional search box. Together, these alert you to potentially risky sites and help you find safer alternatives. The program is free and is simple to use. When you search the Internet you will see ratings for each search result (see screen shot below). The ratings indicate Safe, Caution, Warning, and Unknown.
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