Cyber Bullying Lawsuit Against Facebook by New York Teenager

As reported by Reid Epstein in Newsday, a New York teenager has sued Facebook. Of course there will be a lot of furor over whether Facebook is liable for its content in this case. But, I want to focus on two related areas that I think are more important in the long run than any merits in this specific cyber bullying lawsuit.

The first area that I think is more important in the long run is the ongoing effort to make new laws in response to new crimes, especially using new technology. The natural way that we make new laws begins when some people commit acts not specifically covered under the old laws that have terrible consequences. We respond by specifically labeling those new actions as crimes, and attach what we feel are appropriate criminal penalties. Then we see, by trial-and-error, where to draw better lines. The legal system is inevitably slow, inefficient and never perfect.

Given the increasing number of lives ruined by cyber bullying, emotional harassment and abuse, especially in schools, and the number of suicides stimulated by cyber bullying, I think that our society will make laws specifically stating that false and malicious statements and postings, in addition to pornography, are illegal. I don't think we'll hold carriers like Facebook, MySpace, etc. liable for their postings. But I think we'll hold them liable for ignoring complaints about specific chat groups and postings that they continue to carry.

Many states and school districts, including Kansas, Oregon and California are considering such laws to protect children and teenagers from cyber bullying.

One stumbling block in making such laws is where to draw the lines and the hidden assumption that cyberbullying laws can and should be made "just right" for all situations - never too lax, never too harsh. But the letter of the laws can never cover all situations with "just right" justice. We always depend on human wisdom in the law's application to specific situations. That's just the way it is - for better or for worse.

And I think that in this area, safety should triumph over cyber freedom.

The second area that I think is more important in the long run is parenting for the specific situations involving our kids and teenagers. Our job is to monitor our children:

1. Do they look like they're having a hard time (maybe being attacked by cyberbullies)? How can we help them stop bullying on their own or do we need to intervene?

2. Are they witnessing cyber bullying and are they struggling to know whether or how to intervene?

3. Are they cyber bullies? How do we stop them and help them develop the character to make amends and do better next time?

4. Should they even be on MySpace or Facebook or any social networking sites? What else would be a better use of their time and energy?

And of course there are no easy answers. No one is really dumb enough to think there are easy solutions.

There are no safe environments. Schools and the real world have never been safe. Schools and social networks are testing grounds for the real world. And the real world is not and should not be safe. Facing risks and danger helps us develop good sense, good character and the qualities necessary to survive. Imagine growing up on a farm, in a wilderness village or in the middle ages. Not safe. I grew up in New York City. Not safe. Millennia ago we had to learn what a saber-toothed tiger's foot prints looked like and how long ago they were left. The world still requires survival skills, even if different ones.

Our job as parents is to teach our children the skills and grit to survive in whichever jungle or battleground they live, and to protect them when they're over-matched.

Resource Cited: http://newsday.com/iphone/ny-liface0312510748mar03,0,2290035.story

Ben Leichtling, Ph.D. is author of the books and CDs "How to Stop Bullies in Their Tracks," "Parenting Bully-Proof Kids" and "Eliminate the High cost of Low Attitudes" He is available for coaching, consulting and speaking. To find practical, real-world tactics to stop bullies and bullying at home, school, work and in relationships, please see my web site http://www.BulliesBeGone.com and blog http://BulliesBeGoneBlog.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Leichtling

Cyber Law and Online Gambling Ready to Come Under Heavy Fire

It appears that many lawmakers have had enough of online gambling and want it to stop. The issues has been going on for nearly a decade and many states are quite perturbed that online gambling bypasses their state's laws forbidding gambling. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is very upset and said on CSPAN that; Internet Gambling is illegal, it is that simple and that is the bottom line.

Of course he is not alone in this move to stop online gambling, as many states are upset who have gambling as it is cutting into their profits and tax revenues. States like Nevada, NJ and Mississippi are upset, because many of these online gambling operations are run offshore. Indian Casinos do not like it either and they all have been heavy handed in campaign contributions.

The new bill will have measures to prohibit the use of online checks, credit card use and electronic payments to settle bets, aimed at shutting down such operations. It also becomes a National Security Issue as it is believed that some of these illegal operations are funding our International Terrorist Enemies abroad, which there is proof suggesting many links.

Federal Officials have made some very big arrests from offshore companies very recently running illegal Internet Gambling Sites. Most of these illegal sites are operating outside the United States by criminal elements and this is a big issue. Hopefully we can catch the sneaky bad guys and prevent illegal gambling money from funding our enemies and the International Terrorists.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Computer Cyber Law - Know What is Covered When Copying Images Off the Internet

It is important to understand what cyber law covers when you are looking for images off the Internet. Cyber law is actually a very new and unique form of law that was created recently with the Internet becoming so popular. Because people who are looking for things on the Internet need to understand how this will law works. Traditional law does not cover what happens on the Internet so it was important that a specialized form was introduced to cover computer users. There are many instances where you may have a disagreement over an Internet domain name or who owns a certain online property. It is best to use a cyber attorney who understands these specific laws.

In some cases a cyber lawyer is similar to an intellectual property attorney. But there are many differences involve so if you have an issue it is always best to seek out a lawyer that fits needs the best. A good example of this is somebody who hacked into the computer has committed a cyber crime and there are specific laws they need to abide by. One of the biggest issues that faces the Internet todayis people being able to that they do not have a copyright on. In most cases they will take these images and use them for profit.

Remember that cyber law has not been around for a long time and was created to combat some legal issues that happen online. It is a niche form of law that has a specific need and it is important that you understand how to stay protected. Most of the legal issues that come up half to do with copyright and ownership of online website properties. There are some cases that deal with images and videos and who has the intellectual property rights to these items.

Find Free: Cyber Law Help

Get: Computer Law Advice

Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Legal Issues and Finding Attorneys

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Burbank

How Cyber Law by Brett Trout is an Example of POD Publishing

Cyber Law by Brett Trout (ISBN 978-1-934209-71-4) is an excellent book by a very talented writer. Cyber Law is a major success story for World Audience Publishers, and after reading just a few chapters, anyone can see why!

World Audience's goal is to be a driving force in the changing business of book publishing, which is being brought about by technology. Cyber Law specifically deals with how law is both shaping and trying to keep pace with the Internet. Cyber Law covers its subject in a clear and entertaining manner. It is thus a perfect fit for our press, and Cyber Law's success bodes well for this press' vision and goals. It is useful to study how the author approaches his subject and then apply that knowledge toward this press' pursuit of its vision. It is vital that the authors World Audience publishes have a good understanding of blogging, for example, to market their books, and Cyber Law explains this subject and many others in great detail.

Cyber Law was published in September, 2007, shortly after our press began publishing books. It is a wonderful example of how desktop publishing, print-on-demand distribution, and our press work. Though we have enhanced our operations in the past 2 years, our core model is largely unchanged. We are efficient, and our business model has little overhead. A publishing team, separated geographically, worked online to publish Cyber Law. The author, in Iowa, worked with the book's editor, Kyle Torke, who lives in Colorado. The final file was then sent to me, the publisher, in New York, and I formatted it into a book using only Microsoft Word. I then sent the file to our artist in Liverpool, England, Chris Taylor, to design the cover with the help of the cover image supplied by another artist. I then created the final files by converting the MS Word files to PDF with the use of a Web application that cost approximately $13. I set up the title (with the information that can be viewed at Amazon.com or related retailers) at our printer, Lightning Source, and then uploaded 4 PDF files: cover, back cover, spine, and interior. It took me about 1 hour to do the technical component of providing the files to the printer.

Cyber Law is one of our best-selling titles, and sales increase steadily each month. As publisher, I consider the sales growth of Cyber Law to be an indicator of how sales of a book can develop and the growth of our press, overall.

I am faced with a seemingly unanswerable question with each book I publish: what makes a great book? And what defines a great book in the first place? Perhaps the fact that I ask this question every time drives the press I run in the first place. To complicate further, the answer or answers to this question are changing because publishing itself is changing. This fact has dramatic impact on certain players in the industry, even as many of those players choose to ignore or avoid the reality that not only is publishing changing, but the answer to my question above is changing, too. In other words, the values held by a previous generation are not my values as a "21st century publisher," operating primarily online, nor is what makes a book great the same.

For example, Cyber Law received excellent reviews, such as: "This book is a quick read and serves as an introduction to the basic issues involved in Internet marketing. Cyber Law's details provide valuable clues..." --Martha L. Cecil-Few, The Colorado Lawyer. And, Cyber Law was reviewed by a noted technology expert, and it is available at the New York Public Library. For me, that (and there are more great reviews of Cyber Law) is a solid set of reviews that brings great credit not only to this book but to my press. And this is how it goes for every single one of our titles-though some of our titles have more reviews than others. But, for an older person not accustomed to the Internet or technology and who grew up reading the New York Times Book Review, the above reviews (or the effect of their marketing) mean nothing-simply because Cyber Law was not reviewed by the New York Times Book Review or perhaps a handful of other esoteric, academic sources (many of which are dying or dead, such as the Los Angeles Times book review section). Therefore, this potential market share of customers won't buy a book that has not been blessed by their sources-such as Cyber Law (even being in the NY Public Library is not enough). This lack of "official sanction" in the publishing world has other consequences, such as making media attention in general hard to attract, among other things. And there are many other examples of how publishing of the past is clashing with the present, even down very petty things such as how older, independent bookstores will open a print-on-demand book to the back cover, note the placement of a bar code, and refuse to look any further at the book based on that fact alone. All of these biases (and there are many more) of the "old guard" are the equivalent of dismissing literally millions of writers who work online, and their books, and to exclude an entire generation-if not two generations-from access to the business of publishing and successfully marketing books in a profitable manner. It is a form of class warfare and economic prejudice. Even racial discrimination or nationalism can be applied to this "old guard" of publishing, who at the very least would be adamantly opposed (mostly politically) to free trade, which drives World Audience's business model. Old-school publishing thrives on unions, for example, which are useless online.

What makes a book great, therefore, is different for me, as a publisher-and not because of my politics (this fact too marks a divide). What makes a book great is when it gets great reviews and that it can survive and prosper on the Web. If a title can do that with limited help from its publisher-such as Cyber Law-then even better because that means even more sales are likely once more resources are applied to marketing it. But if older venues of judging a book's merit or "worth" are either gone or rapidly becoming obsolete, how is the other half to making a book great determined? A book's worth must now be defined by the author in additional to the critic. But the critic's role is diminished on the Web; he is nothing like Mr. Wood's role of the past. In the recent past, an author had little to do with a book's success, and he was even something of an afterthought. However, going back another generation, to maybe the 1920s, the author was a vital part of his book's success. How ironic that technology has returned the author to a prominent role. In the pre-Depression era (The Depression is when the business model of publishing that survives to this day formed), the author was a major media figure, and his image was central to the success of his books. Furthermore, an author's editor played a much larger role pre-Depression (such as Max Perkins) as opposed to the recent past, when editors were virtually non-entities. Yet, if you look at the start of my article, note the main players: author, editor, and publisher-and book. Because of the streamlined nature of our operations, and the multitude of technologies at our fingertips, we require no one else. We do not require a vast union of middlemen.

Publishing is changing, and the rate of change is only accelerating. It is amazing to me that there are still those who are, say, over 50 and averse to technology-and that includes much of the publishing industry. This group-this market share-exerts influence over a large piece of the publishing pie, even today. However, as the Internet and technology continue to evolve and become more sophisticated, "new publishing" is open to more market share, and this older demographic becomes irrelevant. For example, YouTube only became fully mature a year or two ago, and it has opened up many new opportunities for advertising and marketing books. The Web is simply too vast for older publishing business models, which are incapable of adapting, to survive. Thus, new business models that rely on technology-ebooks, for example-will take and replace the market share of old-school presses. Why would they not eliminate a smaller competitor? New publishing will not supplement the old model; it will eradicate it and take its entire market share. And readers used to getting their books through older distribution models will either adapt to the Web or live without books. And in the meantime, a new generation of publishers is redefining what it means for a book to be great, independent of what it meant in the past. Cyber Law is helping to define that, too, both through its well-written very subject matter and the course of success that it is charting on the Web.

M. Stefan Strozier lives in New York City. He is the founder and artistic director of La Muse Venale Acting Troupe. His plays, Guns, Shackles & Winter Coats, The Whales, The Tragedy of Abraham Lincoln, and The Green Game, were performed in lengthy runs, off-off and Off-Broadway, and in the Midtown International Theatre Festival. Additionally, he was written Belzac December Night (one-act; first of 8 plays about America), and La Revolucion (first of 3 5-act plays about the Mexican history), He has directed six plays and one staged reading of a musical, and produced twenty plays. His novels, short stories, poems, essays, plays, etceteras, are on his Web site: http://www.mstefanstrozier.org He has been published in literary journals (online and in print), magazines, and newspapers. He is the founder, CEO, and publisher of World Audience Publishers, and the editor-in-chief of audience Magazine.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Strozier

Cyber Crimes And Solutions

We are currently living in Cyber age, where Internet and computers have major impacts on our way of living, social life and the way we conduct businesses.
The usage of information technology has posed great security challenges and ethical questions in front of us. Just as every thing has positives and negatives, usage of information technology is beneficial as well as insecure.

With the growth of the internet, network security has become a major concern. Cyber crimes have emerged rapidly in the last few years and have major consequences. Cyber criminals are doing every thing from stealing money, hacking into others computer, stealing intellectual property, spreading viruses and worms to damage computers connected on the internet and committing frauds.
Stoppage of cyber crimes is a major concern today.
Cyber criminal make use of the vulnerabilities in computer soft wares and networks to their advantage.

Hacking:

Hacking or Cracking is a major cyber crime committed today. Hacker makes use of the weaknesses and loop holes in operating systems to destroy data and steal important information from victim’s computer. Cracking is normally done through the use of a backdoor program installed on your machine. A lot of crackers also try to gain access to resources through the use of password cracking softwares. Hackers can also monitor what u do on your computer and can also import files on your computer. A hacker could install several programs on to your system without your knowledge. Such programs could also be used to steal personal information such as passwords and credit card information. Important data of a company can also be hacked to get the secret information of the future plans of the company.

Cyber-Theft:

Cyber-Theft is the use of computers and communication systems to steal information in electronic format. Hackers crack into the systems of banks and transfer money into their own bank accounts. This is a major concern, as larger amounts of money can be stolen and illegally transferred.

Many newsletters on the internet provide the investors with free advice recommending stocks where they should invest. Sometimes these recommendations are totally bogus and cause loss to the investors. Credit card fraud is also very common.

Most of the companies and banks don’t reveal that they have been the victims of cyber -theft because of the fear of loosing customers and share holders. Cyber-theft is the most common and the most reported of all cyber-crimes. Cyber-theft is a popular cyber-crime because it can quickly bring experienced cyber-criminal large cash resulting from very little effort. Furthermore, there is little chance a professional cyber-criminal will be apprehended by law enforcement.

Viruses and worms:

Viruses and worms is a very major threat to normal users and companies. Viruses are computer programs that are designed to damage computers. It is named virus because it spreads from one computer to another like a biological virus. A virus must be attached to some other program or documents through which it enters the computer. A worm usually exploits loop holes in soft wares or the operating system. Trojan horse is dicey. It appears to do one thing but does something else. The system may accept it as one thing. Upon execution, it may release a virus, worm or logic bomb. A logic bomb is an attack triggered by an event, like computer clock reaching a certain date. Chernobyl and Melissa viruses are the recent examples.

Experts estimate that the Mydoom worm infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. Back in March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained.

Solutions:

An important question arises that how can these crimes be prevented. A number of techniques and solutions have been presented but the problems still exists and are increasing day by day.

Antivirus And Anti spyware Software:

Аntivirus software consists of computer programs that attempt to identify, thwart and eliminate computer viruses and other malicious software. Anti spy wares are used to restrict backdoor program, trojans and other spy wares to be installed on the computer.

Firewalls:

A firewall protects a computer network from unauthorized access. Network firewalls may be hardware devices, software programs, or a combination of the two. A network firewall typically guards an internal computer network against malicious access from outside the network.

Cryptography:

Cryptography is the science of encrypting and decrypting information. Encryption is like sending a postal mail to another party with a lock code on the envelope which is known only to the sender and the recipient. A number of cryptographic methods have been developed and some of them are still not cracked.

Cyber Ethics and Laws:

Cyber ethics and cyber laws are also being formulated to stop cyber crimes. It is a responsibility of every individual to follow cyber ethics and cyber laws so that the increasing cyber crimes shall reduce. Security softwares like anti viruses and anti spy wares should be installed on all computers, in order to remain secure from cyber crimes. Internet Service Providers should also provide high level of security at their servers in order to keep their clients secure from all types of viruses and mallicious programs.

Cyber Law and Slander Online Considered

We are starting to see more and more Internet Laws being added to the books in many different agencies in the United States. There are cyber laws at the FBI, FCC, SEC, FTC and many other places cropping up. What is unfortunate indeed is that most of these laws are made to protect US Citizens and yet only enforced onto US Citizens. We have Identity Theft Laws, Child Porn, SPAM, Phishing and Hacking Laws and yet in reality most of the criminals who specialize here are not US Citizens and do not live in the US.

Perhaps as the Internet Started those sorts of criminals were from here, but not anymore, as the United States has been cleaning up its act. Now these criminals come from other countries and the Internet knows no bounds. They hide in far away countries and host their websites in far away cities, half way around the world and they prey on the US Citizens. Our Cyber Laws cannot protect the American People in this case.

Then there are those harassing slander laws, which seem to be selectively enforced as well. Even the government itself slanders citizens on the Internet accusing them of things they did not do or purporting their side of the case in self-aggrandizement prior to any court of law. It appears that in the future all these issues must be addressed other wise any cyber laws, which are made are never going to stop the crime being committed. Consider all this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is an online writer in retirement.

The Obstacles Facing Cyber Law Enforcement

The online community is cruel and ruthless leaving no margin of error for anyone. Once you make a bona fide mistake you get crucified immediately. It is because of this general attitude among many people in social communities, that people jump to unfair and unjustified conclusions. Most participants of these communities are used to this behaviour and are not bothered by it too much. Most of these unjustified remarks often cause embarrassment for the comment maker, which is well deserved, because you should take the consequences of your actions for speaking out loud without thinking. Where am I going with this? What does this have to do with fighting cyber crime?

Let me explain with an example: When a big company like Microsoft cause a security risk for users of Internet Explorer out of negligence, you can be sure that the press (including the online community) will throw some big stones at them. This response is justified because the safety of innocent users is put at risk because of the negligence of a respectful organisation. But when Microsoft makes a remark that is misunderstood by some people, without causing any security threats because of this ill formulated remark, why should they be crucified? Microsoft is run by people and people make mistakes. If the community wants to rant and rave about something, then find something that deserves some ranting and raving and stop wasting time on things that can be excused. The company has to waste valuable resources to put out the fires caused by this overreaction instead of using those resources to improve the security of their products. No, I am not a Microsoft prophet, I am simply using them as an example.

Investigating spam and determining the origin of a scam letter is not as simple as tracking an IP address. Most people think so, but that is because they never really tried to locate a spammer on their own after being spammed. It is very easy to forge an e-mail header and that makes it almost impossible to locate the real sender of the e-mail. Even if the header is not forged, you never know whether it is a case of identity theft. Computer criminals hack into e-mail accounts, they hijack web sites and use it to their advantage under the identity of an innocent victim. This enables them to operate undetectable by moving from one account to another. Jurisdictional constraints makes it is hard for federal organisations of one country to prosecute crimes committed in another crime, not even to speak of locating the criminal.

Abuse departments of hosting companies and service providers are so swamped with so many daily reports of spam and network abuse that it is impossible for them to respond to each and every spam report individually. It obviously creates the impression that they do not really take action against the guilty parties. Of course, some companies appear to have an abuse department, but it is only a front to make people believe that they take action against spammers. This discourages people from reporting cyber crime and it effectively allows cyber criminals to operate in the open without the risk of getting caught.

People take cyber crime lightly, cyber crime is being handled as crime committed in another dimension, a dimension not regulated by law. Cyber crime is just like any other crime committed in the normal world, the only difference comes in the methods of investigation. Cyber swindlers are real life criminals, they should never be underestimated. The fact that they operate behind a computer screen makes no difference. Law enforcement agencies do not really care about the person robbed from a couple of dollars, they only pursue the big fish. Unfortunately this is how most scammers operate. They steal a bit from one victim, they steal a bit from another victim, they steal a bit from hundreds of helpless victims and pocked thousands of dollars in the end. Law enforcement agencies will take this crime more serious if everyone starts to report it to their local police department. Sooner or later they will realise that something has to be done. Many police departments are also not equipped to handle digital evidence effectively and many police officers still do not have the skills to conduct proper cyber crime investigations.

Cyber crime is very volatile and cannot always be solved using conventional methods, so I appeal to the online community not to question the unconventional methods of cyber crime investigators. At least they are doing something about an epidemic that is ignored by many influential and powerful organisations.

About the Author
Coenraad is webmaster and founder of Cyber Top Cops, leaders in Internet security, prevention of online fraud and educating users against online scams and malicious software. You can report scams to them for investigation by using their Report Spam page.

Hacking - Crime Or No Crime?

Every responsible Internet user knows that hacking is a serious crime. However, we all know as well that justice may not be on hand for its victims. A lot of private and public companies, including governments, have lost revenues due to information theft leading to loss of income and damage brought about by hackers. The sad thing is, laws don't seem to be tough enough on cyber offenders. In some cases, they're not even considered offenders at all due to the lack of legislation that defines and covers Internet crimes. This simply leaves us wondering what happens to a hacker when he's caught.

There are, of course, celebrated cases where hackers have actually been brought to justice. However, it's not very reassuring to take into account how the film industry has even somehow created this perception of hackers as being cool and even sexy. It seems as though Hollywood has forgotten to portray these black hats as they really are. It actually looks as though people have developed a distorted perception of this act and don't realize that it can be seriously damaging. Still, we are left only to wonder why this is so.

The very important question now is, what happens to hacker if and when they're caught? Do they even pay for what they've done? Do they serve a jail sentence? Are they made to pay damages to the victim? It's crazy to think that some people in government actually think the problem could be solved by confiscating the hacker's equipment and banning him from buying any new gadgets. It actually is downright ridiculous to think that the problem could be prevented by confiscation. After all, any black hat can hire anyone to buy him a new computer, modem or storage device and then he'll be right back on his trade as if nothing happened.

Definitely, hacking is a far more serious offense than most justice officials are ready to accept. And this leniency is, in fact, making the situation worse. Because these people know they can easily get away even if they were caught, they will simply continue robbing people and companies of their identities and causing their victims massive detriment while they take off in their private jets and burn some cold cash in an offshore casino.

If things go on like this, then Internet users will have to ensure their online security on their own by employing every measure there is to keep hackers at bay. Because these cyber offenders can begin by installing keyloggers into your computer, it would always be wise to have basic computer safety software installed. The firewall is another key component in securing your system along with an anti-virus software and every other type of anti-malware there is.

For general precaution, you can make use of an IP hiding software which works by disguising your IP address so even if you actually met a hacker while surfing, he wouldn't know how to get back to you because you've stashed your IP in some place he couldn't reach. Of course, this offers a reliable cloak of protection and you'll be gone from every hacker's life from then on.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brad_M_Smith

Computer Security is in Your Hands

Computers began making their way into North American homes in the late 1970s to early 1980s. I still remember the first computer I ever saw. It was a Commodore 64.

I can recall the day in 1982, I believe it was, when my friend Bob walked through the door with his brand new Commodore 64 tucked under his arm. He was proud as a peacock. His wife wasn't. We played with that gizmo for hours and still hadn't scratched the surface of what it could do.

Those were the days when computers were toys. Very few homes had them and no one had to worry about hackers, viruses, malware, cookies and the like as we do today. Heck, we hadn't even heard of such terms.

In such a short time, computers have evolved from mere toys and sources of entertainment into everyday necessities for most people. In less than 25 years, computers have become such an integral part of today's business world and private life that we would be hard pressed to survive without them.

Of course, anything so vital will always be the target of unscrupulous cyber vandals. Online crimes have become a major concern for law enforcement and the general public needs to give high priority to keeping criminals at bay. Hence the need for various types of computer security that helps keep our computers safe from harm.

Every computer owner must adapt some program of cyber security or they won't be online very long at all. And the threat is not limited to viruses and trojans that infect your system. Online criminals also want access to your computer. They want any piece of information that can help them steal your identity. They look for anything that can provide valuable financial information.

You as a computer owner do not have to sit by and see these kinds of criminal activities spoil your computing experiences. There are many things you can do yourself that will add security to your computer. Let's summarize just a few of them...

1) Install Good Anti-virus Software.

This is a must today. You should never access the internet or your email without active, up-to-date anti-virus program. Keep in mind, however, that new viruses are surfacing daily and it is a huge task for anti-virus programs to keep up with it all. It is vital that you keep your anti-virus software updated regularly in order for it to recognize any new man-made virus that may have been introduced.

Anti-virus programs are relatively inexpensive when you consider the alternative cost of having to clean up an unnecessary mess or replace a hard drive. There are even free anti-virus programs you can download. Some are just as good as some paid computer security products.

2) Have Proper Firewalls Installed.

To understand firewalls, think of your home, especially if it is fairly new or newly renovated. Building codes today call for installation of special drywall called a firewall. These firewalls are installed in case of fire and this type of wall board keeps the fire from spreading from one room to another, at least until help arrives.

Firewalls in your computer are much the same. They are defensive fortifications built into your system to help halt the spread of any virus or trojan that may have been introduced into your system. These firewalls filter unauthorized data from elsewhere, mostly the internet, while allowing authorized or 'good' data to enter your computer.

3) Be Careful With Emails

Many viruses enter your computer via your email. Make sure you establish some hard, fast rules about incoming email. For instance, be extra careful about opening emails from anyone you do not know, and never under any circumstances open any attachments to those emails. Often an email gives the recipient a message of urgency for opening the attachment. Be wary.

4) Be Creative With Passwords

The passwords you choose, whether for your email, membership sites, web host Cpanel, etc., need to be more than simple. Never use any personal information like telephone number, street address, banking PIN, etc. The reasons are quite obvious.

Hackers are quite good at breaking passwords so you need to be creative and adhere to a few rules when creating them. Think of them as keys that unlock a cabinet. Almost any key can be duplicated and used for criminal purposes. This is what hackers do. But there are steps you can take to minimize that threat.

a) Never share your password with anyone.
b) Make all your passwords at least 8 characters in length.
c) Make your passwords meaningless. The crazier, the better.
d) Use a variety of letters (upper and lower case), numbers, symbols, special characters, etc. in each password.
e) Keep a list of every site on which you have a password and record the password for that site.
f) Change your password regularly. It is ideal if you make the password changes all at the same time. For example: Change passwords every 3 months, on the 1st day of the third month. Change every password at that time. This way, none are missed. Keep a record of every date you changed your passwords. This keeps you from going too long without a change.

5) Backup Your Computer Data Regularly

This is one cardinal rule all experienced computer users adhere to. All backups must be done to a CD or DVD, or some other external device. The idea here is that if something happens to your system or you lose your hard drive, you still have all your data elsewhere that can be reloaded into your computer.

6) Never allow file sharing from your computer.
This is one of the most dangerous practices you can allow. Keep all other parties out of your computer.

7) Disconnect From The Internet

By disconnecting from the internet when your computer is not in use, you make it impossible for others to gain access to your system.

8) Keep Abreast Of Security Updates

This is easy to do these days. You can do this by going to the site hosted by your security provider. They have tons of computer security news regarding current security issues. Many even have computer security courses you can take. This way you are well informed of the newest tactics of online criminals and are provided with ways and means of lessening the threat to your system.

Computer security is really up to you. Many take this issue far too lightly until the day all "H...." breaks loose. Then you are rushing around in confusion looking for someone to fix it all. The fact is, most often no one needs to be in that kind of situation. With a good security system in placed and some personal diligence, you can avoid 99.9 per cent of these kinds of problems.

For more information on computer security, visit the following site http://www.affiliatepowerpunch.com. Click "Secure Your Computer" for access.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_Kindred

The Hacker Next Door - Five Types of Cyber Bad Guys and How to Avoid Their Bags of Tricks

The biggest threat to your computer is not viruses. It is the 5 types of people who create these online threats. Keep reading to find out about these dastardly devils and how they trick you into playing their game.

Types of hackers

There are a lot of bad guys online. They each do it for separate reasons, but they all share one thing in common: they find the computer is the easiest way to reach their goals.

The Teenager Down the Street

If you all of a sudden notice, your computer is acting slower than usual, but no crazy things have shown up on your credit card statement, this is probably the work of the Teenager. This hacker has nothing better to do than figure out the vulnerabilities of the TCP/IP stack and use you as a test case. This bad guy isn't interested in stealing anything and might just erase your hard drive just for kicks.

This can easily be remedied, since the teenager usually doesn't cover his tracks very well and law enforcement can find him fairly easily.

The New Age Con Man

Step right up to the second kind of online threat: the New Age Con Man. In the Wild West, miracle medicine salesmen would ride into town, spit a good game, and leave as quickly as possible with your money. Today these con men live on with phishing emails. Looking legitimate, and sounding o so good, these virtual Ponzis use email as their modus operandi. Whether they are a Nigerian prince who has to get you your reward or a male medicine enhancer spokesperson, they sound o so good. These con men are too good to be true and should be relegated to your spam folder. These guys only work if you give them your attention.

Download Me Toolbar Man

Like a circus performer, this hacker has boundless energy. All they want you to do is download this simple toolbar for free. Suddenly, your PC has annoying popups everywhere and you are wondering what happened. Good luck trying to get rid of this guy, he is like an unwanted house guest at Christmas. To avoid this guy, only download toolbars from companies you trust.

Rogue Security Man

Like a good confidence man, these guys come out of nowhere to tell you that your computer has a virus. They want you to download their no-name tool to fix your PC. Suddenly, you have more problems than ever and can't figure out what these guys did. Stay clear of these guys by only download antivirus software from major brands (CA, TrendMicro, Panda, etc.)

CyberMafia

This is the most dangerous group of online criminals. Like a mafia racket, these guys know exactly what they are doing and can fool you pretty quickly. Their goal is to take your money day in and day out and hope you let them stay. To stay clear of these guys, you need antivirus software installed.

Now that you know the five types, you can stay away from them. Look out for more articles about the greatest threats to your PC and how to prevent them.

Until next time

If you don't want to have to deal with viruses, buy antivirus antispam software

J. Andy Greene is an technophile who has been working on computers for eight years. From his experience, he has found there are common mistakes that people make that keep their computers from being secure. Follow his simple advice and you can keep out 99% of threats online. For the other 1%, he recommends common sense and sleeping with one eye open.

For the easy ways to speed up PC and other great reviews of antivirus software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J._Andy_Greene

Cybercrime - Don't Fall For These Internet Thieves

For the last several days I've been investigating reports on where a lot of our virus and "phishing" problems are coming from. Would you believe, Brazil? Most of Brazil is poor, with an average wage of less than $500 per month. Even so, many Brazilian cities provide free, wireless high-speed connections for those who have access to a computer.

This is a double edge sword. It's great for entrepreneurs interested in starting new Internet businesses, and it allows programmers the opportunity to market there creations, but it also opens the door to individuals who make a living pirating software and music. Even worse, it allows unscrupulous hackers to setup shop stealing passwords and credit card numbers world wide by running elaborate phishing schemes from private apartments able to receive these signals. One reference said that as much as 80 percent of the world's hackers operate from Brazil!

Basically, because Brazil is a third world country, there are few laws governing Internet usage and even fewer people to enforce them. Some of Brazil's laws don't make much sense to us in the United States. Here's what I mean. In Brazil, it's not illegal to break into someone's website, even if it's a business. It only becomes a crime when someone actually steals money while committing the break-in. Even if credit card numbers are stolen, no crime has been committed until they are fraudulently used.

I mentioned phishing earlier. Many of you may not realize what phishing is...but if you've been on the Internet at all, you've probably already been targeted. Phishing, is a practice cyber thieves use in order to get you to give them your bank account, credit card, or social security numbers. It's pronounced "fishing" and that's exactly what they do. The send out bait in the form of an email that looks exactly like it came from your bank, eBay, or Microsoft. They use the correct logos, wording, even the return address (of course, it's not the real return address) looks authentic. When you fill in the information they've requested, it goes directly to the cyber thief who then steals your money.

Because these people work out of places like Brazil, or other countries (India and Russia are also at the top of the list.) where there's little that can be done about it...thousands of US citizens have lost millions of dollars and continue to do so. Setting up a phishing operation isn't hard. There's a "hacker" magazine in Brazil that prints this kind of information on a monthly basis. Over 20,000 copies a month are sold at newsstands. You can also find them on the web. I don't want to give them any free advertising so I won't print a link to their website, but I did download one of their publications entitled "Phishing for Fun and Profit." Scary!

The governments might be trying to get a handle on things, but with all of the other problems happening in the world today, I'm afraid that cybercrime is just not something that's very high on their 'to-do' list. It's going to be up to you to protect yourself. Keep your virus and spyware definitions current and running at all times. Don't click on suspicious Pop-ups. And most important of all, NEVER give out any financial information to anyone asking for it in an email!

Randy Benjamin is an author and syndicated columnist. His latest books, "FREE Internet" and "How To Publish Anything On Amazon's Kindle" are available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle e-book formats. For more information, visit his website: http://www.randybenjamin.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_Benjamin