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by Carolyn Meinel - Writing For AntiOnline
You're loafing on your couch, using that new cable modem to surf the latest and greatest Web sites. You've also taken some work home. From time to time you pull up a window and work on some email to your customers.
Oh-oh. Your home computer might harbor a cybersnooper. If that snooper works for a competitor, you may have just given away a list of clients and who know what else.
I'm known as the Happy Hacker. This web site has a simple message. Breaking into most people's computers is so easy a little kid can do it. That's because many people's computers are an open door, a wide open invitation to anyone on the planet to step right in and walk off with your most prized or embarrassing information.
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Welcome to cyberspace.
Oops! You say you don't want to hand your client database to your competitor or give away your passionate emails to the 13-year-old kid down the street? There's hope for you. I'm about to tell you how people can get inside your computer, and what you can do to keep them out.
First, let's assume the people who are likely to break into your computer aren't rocket scientists, and they aren't hardened cybercriminals. It would take an entire book to tell you how to stave off serious computer criminals. I'm just going to tell you about things you might be accidentally doing that put a welcome mat out for a competitor/exspouse/kiddie hacker to walk right in and copy, deface or destroy anything on your computer.
Now, let's get a handle on what may leave you vulnerable to uninvited visitors.
Your Home Computer
If you take your work home, and you ever use email, browse the Web, or enjoy an online service such as America Online, you could be putting your computer at risk. You don't need to have the things you want to keep safe in use at the time you are on the Internet. All you need is to have them somewhere on your computer when you turn your modem on.
Your Work Computer
At work you probably use a Local Area Network (LAN). If it isn't ever connected to the outside world in any way, good for you. You don't need to worry too much about people (other than coworkers) snooping around your computer. Only -- if you never connect to the outside world, that wouldn't be very useful. You almost certainly connect to the Internet in order to use email. Any time your LAN is connected to the Internet, your company's computers may be vulnerable to intruders.
Following are seven of the most common ways your computer may put out a welcome mat to intruders: On To The Next Page.
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