How Can I Stay Safe?

Is my PC at risk?

All computers connected to the Internet are at risk to some degree. What risks you face and their severity vary based on what you do with your PC.  These activities expose you to potential threats:

• Web surfing
• Communications (Email, Instant Messaging)
• Transactions (Banking, Shopping)
• Multimedia (Sharing audio and video, Posting to blogs and wikis)

Each activity is potentially vulnerable to one or more threats. Learn more.

 

What are the threats to my PC and my identity?

The most common threats include:
Spam is an unsolicited message received via email or instant messaging, usually sent with the intent of making money for the sender. Lately, to evade detection by spam filters, senders are relying more on images rather than text as the main content of their messages.

Spyware includes various kinds of software that live on your computer without your permission. They watch, log and report on your activities.  These programs can record your keystrokes, log events like which websites you visit, or take pictures of your desktop to discover passwords or other sensitive data.

Adware often works in conjunction with spyware to present you with highly targeted ads based on your preferences and habits.

Phishing indicates any attempt to collect your personal information as a way to steal your identity and your funds.  Typically, the reader clicks a link in an email that points to a webpage.  Both the email and webpage appear authentic, but are really attempts to “impersonate” a reputable institution.  Other modes for phishing include phones, instant messages, and faxes.

Pharming is when hackers hijack a legitimate web address and redirect the visitor’s browser to an imposter website that looks like the original.  Also known as “spoofing,” the intent is the same as phishing.

Bots are short for “robots.”  They are small programs placed onto an unsuspecting user’s PC by way of a Trojan horse program that is typically triggered via phishing.  Once seeded onto the user’s machine, bots can recruit other bots to join them on the infected computer.  Collections of bots distributed over PCs that are geographically dispersed can be controlled from a central location.  See “botnet.”

Botnets are a collection of bots controlled from a remote, central location.  Organized criminals use botnets to distribute spam, roll out phishing scams, cripple websites, and extort money.

Virus is a program that can reproduce itself and spread quickly.  Some viruses carry damage routines.  Some routines may only display messages or images, others may destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or cause other mayhem.  Even without a damage routine, a virus can cause trouble by taking up storage space and memory.  This will degrade your computer performance.

Worms are self-contained computer programs (or set of programs) that can spread copies of themselves to other computer systems via network connections, email attachments, instant messages, file-sharing applications, and by collaborating with other malware.  Some worms may also prevent you from securely accessing websites.  They may even steal the licenses of installed games and applications.

Trojan horse programs perform malicious acts but cannot replicate themselves.  Trojan horse programs arrive looking harmless, but hidden on the inside are malicious codes.  When a Trojan horse program runs, you may experience computer performance problems or lose valuable data.

Crimeware is an overall term for software used to steal funds.  Crimeware can spread by way of viruses, Trojan horse programs, worms, spyware, or adware. See bots, botnets.

Malware is a catch-all term for any software program that gets onto users’ computers without their permission, attempts to remain undetected, and performs malicious acts.  See virus, worm, and Trojan horse program.

What can I do to make my PC safe?
There are some easy ways to keep your PC safe. Learn more.

 

Which threats affect me?

It depends on what you do with your PC

What you do online can expose your PC to various threats. To protect yourself, learn which threats apply to the activities you do most often.
This table gives you an overview.

What do you do Online?	What are you vulnerable to?
Email Instant Messaging	Viruses/Trojans/Worms Spam Phishing
Online Shopping Online Banking Personal Finance	Spyware/Adware Phishing Viruses/Trojans/Worms Crimeware
Download Music, Videos and Software Play Online Games Post to Blogs and Wikis	Spyware/Adware Phishing Viruses/Trojans/Worms Crimeware
Digital Photography (upload photos, download free photos and images, etc.)	Spyware/Adware Phishing Viruses/Trojans/Worms Crimeware
Surf the Internet Research Products and Travel Get News and Information	Spyware/Adware Phishing Viruses/Trojans/Worms Crimeware

 

What can I do to make my PC safe?

To reduce the risk of malware entering your computer or spreading to others, there are some easy "safe computing" practices you can apply.

Find out your computer’s operating system
If your computer runs on the Vista family of operating systems:

• On the Desktop, right-click the Computer icon
• Select Properties
• The Control Panel > System screen opens
• Under the label Windows Edition, your edition of Vista appears  

If your computer runs on the Windows XP family of operating systems, or an earlier operating system:

1. Click on "Start" from the menu tab
2. Select "Settings"
3. Select "Control Panel"
4. Double-click the "System" icon
5. Select the "General" tab
6. Information about your operating system is now displayed in the "System:" section

Get a free, up-to-date scan of your PC
For all Internet users, Trend Micro offers a free up-to-date on-line scanner, called HouseCall.