10 Ways to Defend Against IM Threats

Consumers can protect themselves from viruses, worms, and Trojans delivered through IM. By following some basic rules, it’s easy to keep these threats from slowing you down.

• Choose your screen name carefully. Don't use your real name, email address, or other personally identifiable information.
• Only share your screen name with people you trust, and ask them to keep it private. Only communicate with people on your contact or buddy list. To prevent “spim” (IM spam), use settings to block messages from people you don’t know.
• Don’t display your screen name or email address in public places such as Internet directories or personal profiles. Some IM services link your screen name to your email address when you register. Consider setting up a secondary email account if this is the case, since your address could be harvested for phishing attacks.
• Never provide private information like account numbers or passwords in an IM conversation. Network sniffers can intercept unencrypted IM traffic. Anti-virus software and a firewall will protect you from Trojans and viruses, but cannot protect your information once it leaves your PC.
• Fortify your computer with strong security software and keep it up to date. The security suite guarantees trusted PC protection from viruses, hackers and spyware. Its cutting-edge features include X-Ray for Windows®, which detects and kills rootkits and other malicious applications that hide from anti-virus programs. Its integrated anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, anti-spam, anti-phishing, and backup technologies work together to combat today’s sophisticated, multi-pronged attacks.
• Configure your IM application correctly. Make sure it does not open automatically when you fire up your computer. Turn off your computer and disconnect the DSL or modem line when you’re not using it.
• Enable automatic Windows updates, or download Microsoft® updates regularly, to keep your operating system patched against known vulnerabilities. Install patches from other software manufacturers as soon as they are distributed. A fully patched computer behind a firewall is the best defense against Trojan and spyware installation.
• Configure your anti-virus software to automatically scan all email and IM attachments and downloaded files. Never open attachments from people you don’t know. If you know the sender, contact them to confirm the file is trustworthy. Beware of spam-based phishing schemes—don’t click on links in emails or instant messages.
• Be careful when using P2P file sharing with IM. Trojans sit within file sharing programs waiting to be downloaded. Avoid files with the extensions .exe, .scr, .lnk, .bat, .vbs, .dll, .bin, and .cmd. Configure your file settings to limit the folders that other users can access.
• Monitor and limit your children's use of IM. Put the computer in a high traffic family area and limit nighttime use. Parental controls in the firewalls or any security suites help parents control the information that their children receive and send.

How to Protect Against Phishing

Phishing is an online con game, and phishers are nothing more than tech-savvy con artists. In a typical phishing scam, phishers send out emails, which appear to come from a legitimate company, in an attempt to scam users into providing private information that will be used for identity theft.

Phishers use a variety of sophisticated devices to steal information—including pop-up windows, URL masks which simulate real Web addresses, and keystroke loggers that capture account names and passwords.

To protect yourself against phishing, follow these basic guidelines:

• Be wary of emails asking for confidential information—especially of a financial nature. Legitimate organizations will never request sensitive information via email.
  
  
• Don’t get pressured into providing sensitive information. Phishers like to use scare tactics, and may threaten to disable an account or delay services until you update certain information. Be sure to contact the merchant directly to confirm the authenticity of their request.
  
  
• Familiarize yourself with a Web site’s privacy policy.
  
  
• Watch out for generic-looking requests for information. Fraudulent emails are often not personalized, while authentic emails from your bank often reference an account you have with them.
  
  
• Never submit confidential information via forms embedded within email messages.
  
  
• Never use links in an email to connect to a Web site. Instead, open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar.
  
  
• Maintain effective software to combat phishing.
  

Prevention from Online Fraud and Identity Theft

Online fraud is a type of cyber crime that uses email, web sites, chat rooms or message boards. There are many different types of online fraud, including phishing and pharming scams, which use forged e-mails and Web sites to trick recipients into giving out personal information such as credit card data, social security numbers, and passwords.

When armed with a little technical advice and common sense, you can prevent online fraud.
We recommends following these basic steps to avoid becoming a victim of online fraud:

Do's

• Consider disabling file sharing on your computer.
• Be careful about opening attachments, especially from unknown senders.
• Familiarize yourself with a Web site’s privacy policy, especially if you are asked to provide confidential and/or personal data.
• Review bank and credit card statements regularly.
  
• Install and regularly update software firewall, antivirus, and anti-spyware solutions.
• Keep your Windows operating system and all your applications updated with the latest security patches.
• Create strong passwords and protect them carefully or consider using password protection software.
• Shred bank and credit card statements and other financial data before disposal.
• Check your bank and credit card statements monthly.
• Strong passwords have eight characters or more, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Take advantage of your right to a free annual credit report.
• If you think you’ve become a victim of ID theft or cybercrime, report it to the proper authorities immediately.
  
  

Don’ts

• Don’t provide personal data to anyone over the phone or in person (for a job or loan application, for example) unless you are certain of the other party’s trustworthiness.
• Don’t ever give out your personal information in response to an email, a web site you’ve come to through an external link, or a pop-up screen that appears on a real Web site. Open a new browser window and type the URL directly into the address bar to ensure the site is legitimate.
• Don’t keep financial data on laptops unless absolutely necessary; laptops are far more likely to be stolen than desktops.

Transact safely

The Basics: Getting Started

Transaction security describes the safety of your confidential information as it is sent across the Internet, and the need to protect it from con artists who try to steal it for their own benefit.

To protect yourself, We recommend following these basic guidelines:

• Keep your computer updated with the latest patches and updates as soon as they become available.
  
  
• Make sure your computer is configured securely, especially when it comes to configuring your Web browser and email software. Security and privacy settings can often be configured without any special expertise, simply by using the "Help" feature of your software, or visiting the vendor’s web site.
  
  
• Choose strong passwords and keep them safe. Strong passwords have eight characters or more and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols.
  
  
• Review bank and credit card statements regularly.
  
  
• Protect your computer with essential security software, including a software firewall and antivirus protection. We recommend Zone Labs Firewall and Norton Internet Security Suite .
  
  
• Exercise caution when sharing any personal information online.
  
  
• Keep in mind that online offers that look too good to be true usually are.

Firewall

Personal Firewall Choices

What is a firewall ?
A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to a private network or a system. Firewalls can be implemented in both software and hardware, or a combination of both.
lets see various firewalls :

Microsoft Windows Firewall -- The Vista and XP Service Pack 2 operating systems have personal firewalls built in that are turned on by default to block threats from the Internet. You should leave this feature turned on until you replace it with third-party software and/or hardware.

Two-Way Third-Party Personal Firewall Software -- These firewalls block both incoming and outgoing threats. A computer has outgoing threats when it becomes infected with a virus , trojan or spyware . Two common ways to address this are by vendors including a list of safe software for the firewall to check and/or by issuing a pop up alert to the user asking for advice on what to do.

Recommended products with links to vendors:

• Zone ALarm Pro from CheckPoint [retail & free versions]
• Sunbelt /Kerio [freeware & retail versions]
• Comodo [freeware]

Internet Security Software Suites -- These products include two or more security features such as a personal firewall, anti-virus, anti-spyware and more. Recommended retail products with links to vendors:

• Norton Internet Security 2007 or Norton 360 from Symantec include personal firewall and protection from viruses, worms, spyware, intrusion, phishing and root kits. Also includes behavioral monitoring features. The free online add-on pack includes anti-spam, parental control, confidential information blocking, and ad blocking. "Norton 360" adds automatic backup and restore with 2 GB of online storage, PC tune up and embedded support components.
• Zone Alarm internet security suite from CheckPoint features include network, program and operating systems firewalls, antivirus, identity theft protection, anti-spyware, spy site blocking, auto-learn, privacy protection, IM protection, game mode, essential email security, wireless PC protection, parental control, and smart defense service.

Hardware Firewalls -- A hardware firewall is usually a small box that sits between a modem and a computer or network. The firewall is either based on "network address translation" (NAT) which hides your computer from the Internet or NAT plus "stateful packet inspection" (SPI) for more protection. There are three basic types of hardware devices that include firewalls for home users, routers and broadband gateways . They can be used in addition to a software firewall on each computer because they run on a separate box preventing most compatibility problems. Recommended broadband gateway retail product with link to vendor:

• Zone Alarm Secure Wireless Router from CheckPoint with SPI firewall, gateway antivirus and additional features.

Important Tip -- Never use two personal firewall software products at the same time. Fully uninstall one before installing another to prevent compatibility problems. After installation, test it. Testing is the only sure way to tell that your computer is really being protected.