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Protect Yourself! Easy, Step-by-Step Help from the World’s Most Trusted Security Provider
The Internet is crawling with risks; if you bank or shop online, or even just surf the Web and send e-mail, you are exposed to hackers, thieves, and con artists. Today’s bad guys don’t need to pick your locks or break your windows: they can attack you and your family over the Internet. Are you prepared? Enjoy a safer online experience with easy, step-by-step help from Symantec, the world’s most trusted security provider.
This easy-to-understand book helps protect you against Internet threats. Written specifically for nontechnical computer users, you’ll learn simple ways to keep you and your family safe and secure while online.
© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.
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Acknowledgments.
About the Author.
Introduction.
1. Understanding Internet Risk.
2. Preventing Identity Theft.
3. Firewalls.
4. Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests, Part 1: Viruses and Worms.
5. Getting Rid of Unwanted Guests, Part 2: Spyware, Adware, and Trojan Horses.
6. Just Say No to Spam.
7. Securing Windows.
8. Keeping Your Family Safe Online.
9. Wireless and VoIP Security.
10. Privacy and the Internet.
Conclusion.
Index.
Today more and more of us conduct sensitive transactions via e-mail and the Internet, including online banking, stock trading, e-commerce purchasing, and personal accounts management. While the Internet makes such activities more convenient, it also exposes us to security risks. Traditional risks such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses still plague the Internet. In addition, a new set of threats has emerged, including spyware, Internet fraud, and spam. These headline-grabbing threats, which are driven by profit-motivated criminals, are becoming increasingly sophisticated, have shorter life cycles, and use new attack vectors. Such threats pose daunting new challenges for everyone who uses the Internet.
Even seemingly safe information and entertainment sites can carry risks. For example, in a study conducted by Internet security company Symantec, researchers took a brand-new Windows PC, plugged it into the Internet without any security software, and browsed the Web. Testers spent one hour each interacting with differ-ent categories of Web sites, including e-commerce, gaming, and news sites. Surprisingly, childrens Web sites dumped the most unwanted software onto the test PC359 pieces of adware in just an hours surfing!
The primary goal of this book is to help you understand that using the Internet carries a certain amount of riskto your privacy, to the integrity of your personal data, and to your computers usability and performance. We clearly explain those risks and show you, in simple but comprehensive detail, how to reduce your exposure.
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Unlike other computer security books that focus on one or two problems such
as viruses or spam, this book is intended to be a comprehensive resource for
the broad range of risks that Internet users face. Youll find a wealth
of information about how to keep your Windows computer free of spyware, worms,
viruses, spam, and intruders; use e-mail and Web browsers safely; help protect
your iden-tity and privacy; protect a wireless connection from eavesdroppers
and scammers; and shield your kids from pornography and online predators.
If you flip through the chapters or look at the table of contents, youll see that this book includes loads of detailsincluding figures and step-by-step instructionsabout how to choose and use a wide variety of security software, how to take advantage of the security features built into Windows XP Service Pack 2, and how to protect yourself and your family from the criminals and con artists trolling for victims. Many of the software tools and programs recommended in this book are free.
This book is designed to help you solve specific problems so that you dont have to read it from start to finish. You can start with any chapter about any one of the risks youre most concerned about and get all the information you need. Of course, many Internet risks are intertwined, so this book provides references to other relevant chapters.
The Internet is often compared to a superhighway, but its more like a cityone where we are spending more and more of our lives. Its also a city of almost infinite size and serious dangers. This book is designed to be a trusted guide to this city so that you and your family can enjoy a safe and secure Internet experience.
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