Abby Stokes
Page 21
A: If you look at the very bottom of the page you’ll see a reference to how many pages your document actually is (i.e., 1/1 or 1/2—one of one, one of two). I bet your document is actually two pages, but the second page has no text on it. Click at the end of your text. Hold down the Shift key and the down arrow key (bottom right of keyboard). A thickish black line appeared. Release those keys and hit the Delete key. Save your changes. Only one page should print. Try it.
Homework Assignment
Go back over the last three chapters and repeat each of the exercises until they become second nature.
CHAPTER 16
Practical Precautions
Secure your identity and your computer
Now that you’ve gotten your feet wet with e-mail and the Internet, I want to mention some precautions to take when venturing further on the information superhighway. As an overall guide, use the same instincts you use in your everyday life when you’re on the Internet. If an e-mail you receive seems fishy, assume it is. If you’re not comfortable giving your credit card information online, don’t. Let your gut be the judge and caution be your guide, and all will be fine.
Settle yourself into a nice comfortable chair before you read on, and remember the scenarios below are possibilities, not probabilities. Do not be intimidated by the information; become empowered by it.
Put Up a Firewall
Before the advent of personal computers, when someone mentioned a hacker it was either someone who chopped things in to pieces or had a terrible cough. My introduction to a computer hacker was in the movie War Games, where Matthew Broderick plays a teenage hacker who unwittingly hacks into (i.e., gains access to) the military’s computer system. In computer-speak, a hacker is a highly skilled programmer. The problem is that those skills can be used with good or bad intentions. The connotation of a hacker is usually negative and refers to someone who breaks through security codes on the computer to access otherwise protected information. Why would someone choose to hack? Some hack to gain access to a cache of credit card numbers or to gather personal data from a computer. But others hack just because they can. In the computer geek community there is a prestige to being able to break a code. Hackers don’t necessarily do any damage, but they make their mark in the hackers’ hall of fame.
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“I love the idea of having access to so many different things on the Internet. I just want to be assured that no one in turn has access to my personal information.”
—Cindy
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What can you do to protect your computer from hackers? Your first line of defense is a firewall. Think of your computer’s relationship to the Internet as a swinging door. It swings open when you send a request out (i.e., ask to connect to a website) and it swings open again when you receive a response to your request (i.e., you connect to the website). At both moments when the door is open, the computer is vulnerable. Uninvited guests can sneak in and view the contents of your computer or leave behind a program that may make your computer susceptible to junk mail or worse. With a firewall, these points of entry and exit are protected from intruders. (Imagine your front door protected by a wall of fire.) Chances are very good that your computer came with a firewall preinstalled. Let’s see if it is activated.
• Windows Security Center. Here’s where you can see the status of your computer’s firewall.
To check for a firewall on your computer if you have a PC:
• Click on Start or in the bottom left of your screen.
• Click on Control Panel .
• Double-click on System and Security .
• Click on Check Firewall Status.
• If your firewall indicates that it is ON, you are protected. If it indicates that it is OFF, click on the Windows firewall icon . In the General options section, click the bullet next to the ON option to active your firewall.
To check for a firewall on your computer if you have a Mac:
• Click on in top left corner.
• Click on System Preferences.
• Single-click on Security .
• Click on Firewall tab.
• Click on Start to enable your firewall. Click on Advanced to see more options.
• You may need to click the lock in the bottom left and type a password, if a password was created at setup.
• Mac Sharing window with Firewall. Here’s where you can see the status of your computer’s firewall.
Here you can read about firewalls and activate the one that came preinstalled on your computer. One thing to remember: If at a later date you decide to add software to your computer, the firewall may have to be turned off during the installation process to avoid interference.
Another preventive measure to take against hackers is to ask the provider of your high-speed connection to the Internet whether they offer any protection in the way of a router. A router is a device that also thwarts hackers by scrambling information needed to access your computer. If your ISP doesn’t offer a router, you can purchase one on your own. If you use a dial-up to connect to the Internet, chances are your computer will be below a hacker’s radar because your Internet connection will be slow.
With these protections in place, it’s unlikely that a trespasser will gain access to your computer but not impossible. Therefore it is wise not to store certain information on your computer. For example, do not have your Social Security number, bank PIN (Personal Identification Number), or any other passwords recorded on your computer. If you can’t think of any place to store your password information other than your computer, at least name the document after your first pet or your childhood hero or the person in the world you trust the most—anything other than “passwords” as the file name.
• A router can protect your computer from hackers.
Open Sesame
Speaking of passwords, there are some basic do’s and don’ts when choosing a password. Most passwords can be cracked in a matter of minutes. Let’s see… your birth date or that of someone in your immediate family, a family member’s name, your anniversary, some configuration of your street address. Am I getting close? Please don’t make it that easy for someone who doesn’t respect your privacy as much as I do.
Most important, as I mentioned on page 171, your bank or ATM PIN should not be the same as your e-mail password. If someone were to hack the passwords of your e-mail provider, they could then gain access to your bank account. Instead, have your bank PIN be an exclusive password for the bank and nothing else.
When choosing a password for your e-mail or a website, assume the password must be at least six characters in length. It’s more difficult to guess a password consisting of a combination of letters and numbers. Even better, because passwords are often case sensitive, throw in a couple of capital letters to up the ante. The trick with any of these choices, however, is you need to remember your password. Write down the password as soon as you choose it. Do not rely on your memory.
So, what to use to inspire your choice of a random sequence of letters and numbers? Think of something not in public records about yourself but that you’ll never forget.
EJNJ18 = my siblings’ and parents’ first initials and my age when I moved out of the house.
Elephant3 = my favorite stuffed toy and the number of wisdom teeth I had removed.
7haRRiet = number of days in the week and my favorite children’s book character.
Starting to get the picture?
TOO MANY PASSWORDS?
Limit yourself to three passwords. One for banking and ONLY for banking. Another for all e-mail addresses. A third for every other website.
Avoid an Identity Crisis
Identity theft is not as attributable to computer use as we are led to believe. Most identity theft occurs the old-fashioned way—by sleight of hand. Your purse or wallet containing vital information about you is stolen. Your trash is rummaged through, revealing your credit card numbers and more. You give information over the phone to someone who sounds legitimate but
is not. Here are ways you can protect yourself…
Guard Your Social
The key to stealing someone’s identity is his or her Social Security number. You should never carry your Social Security number in your wallet. For some, doing so may be an old habit, but it’s time to break the habit. Your full name, date of birth, and your mother’s maiden name are all public record. With a little investigation, such information can be uncovered. But your Social Security number, which is often used by financial institutions as identification, is not public record. Give your Social Security number to a thief, and identity theft becomes a cakewalk. Your Social Security number may appear on your health insurance card. If it does, contact your insurance company and have them reassign a nine-digit number that in no way resembles your Social Security number. You will not be the first person to call and ask that this be done. It is now common practice.
Keep Copies
Make a copy of the front and back of your driver’s license and your credit cards. Keep the photocopies in a safe place. If your wallet is stolen this information will facilitate the calls you should make immediately to cancel your cards. File a police report. This reinforces the validity of your claim of loss to the credit card companies. Call credit-reporting organizations to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number.
Here are some phone numbers to get you started:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289
Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271
It’s also a good idea to check your credit report annually to be sure you’re not carrying a bad report due to fraud or an error. Visit annualcreditreport.com for a free credit report.
Be Smart About What You Toss
When the time comes to throw away expired credit cards, always cut along the magnetic strip. The magnetic strip, when left intact, contains all the pertinent information for that credit card, making it way too easy for a thief. Then cut up the rest of the card into small pieces and distribute them over time into different waste bins. Without sounding too paranoid, the same should be done with any correspondence revealing your credit card or Social Security numbers. Maybe this is the year to ask Santa for a paper shredder.
Mum’s the Word on the Phone
What about the seemingly lovely person who calls you at home to verify information for your own protection or to enter you in a contest or to send you a promotional gift? Never, never, never release personal information over the phone. You have no idea who is really at the other end of the line. Have the caller give you the information to confirm, or, better yet, ask the caller to give you their number so you can call back to confirm if it is a legitimate company placing the call. You will stop them in their tracks.
None of the scenarios just described involved a computer at all, but somehow computers receive the blame for identity theft. However, be aware of dangers when surfing the net.
Whenever you want to take a break from all of this doom and gloom, do. Then come back after you’ve seen the silver lining on the cloud to finish up this precautionary tale.
DEFINE IT
How many times have you been stymied by a computer term? A great online computer dictionary can be found at webopedia.com.
Phishing Is So Very Fishy
Glad you returned. I had faith you would. Now let’s learn about the world of phishing. And, no, I didn’t spell that wrong. What makes phishing truly clever and deceitful is that the sender’s e-mail address will read as though it came from your bank and if you click through to the website, it will be designed to look just like your bank’s website.
Phishing (Webopedia Definition)
(fish´ing) (n.) The act of sending an e-mail falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, Social Security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The website, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user’s information.
• Here’s an example of an e-mail that looks legitimate but is actually phishing.
So, what are you to do? Know that no bank and any other financial institution will ever ask you to confirm critical information through e-mail. It just isn’t secure enough. Banks try their best to protect their customer’s information. They know e-mail is not the place for such sensitive content.
If you think you’ve received a phishing e-mail you can forward it to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. They will review the e-mail and the links and post it on their website to warn others.
UNSUBSCRIBE
I hesitate to even suggest that you open junk mail, but if you repeatedly get mail from certain senders you can try to unsubscribe from their lists. At the bottom of the e-mail there is sometimes an “Unsubscribe” link that you can click on. It’s worth a try.
Spam—It’s No Picnic
Is your home mailbox flooded with mail-order catalogs? How do you think the catalog companies got hold of your mailing address? Yup. You ordered a little something from one catalog, and that catalog in turn sold your mailing address to another and another and another. Suddenly, yours is the most popular mailbox in town.
Spam is electronic junk mail and now accounts for half of all e-mail. The proliferation of spam occurs in the same way as junk snail mail. However, with e-mail you actually have an option not offered by the U.S. Postal Service. When you create your primary e-mail address, you can also create a second e-mail identity to use when you shop online, join an online newsletter, or in any other instance where you’re asked for your e-mail address by a commercial enterprise. You’ll only give your primary e-mail address to friends, family, and business associates. This will significantly decrease the spam received at your primary e-mail address. For example,
janedoe@yahoo.com = address exclusively for friends and family
janedshopping@yahoo.com = address for shopping, newsletters, etc.
SPAM… A LOT?
The debate continues about the derivation of spam. It could be a tribute to the Monty Python song “Spam spam spam spam, spam spam spam spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam…” A nonsense word repeated over and over again with no point. Or it could be mocking the lunch meat. Spam by any other name would still be unwelcome.
Beware that some spammers are so stealthy, spam can appear in your inbox with your e-mail address as the sender. Not to worry. Your e-mail address has not been hijacked. The spammers disguised their information targeting you specifically to entice you to open the e-mail. Once you’ve opened the e-mail and clicked through to whatever is being pitched, your e-mail address is certain to be sold to other mailing lists. Rule of thumb: If you don’t recognize the sender’s e-mail address (or it is suspicious) and the subject is not something very specific to you, do not open the e-mail. Don’t let your curiosity get the better of you; there is no satisfaction found in spam. Promptly trash the e-mail.
• Click to report spam. Your e-mail service will be notified that you have received spam.
• If an e-mail you wanted to receive has been sent to the Spam or Junk folder in error, you can correct the mistake.
Most e-mail providers now have filters to divert spam into a junk or bulk mail folder instead of your inbox. The targeted e-mail remains in the folder for a limited time until your e-mail company deletes it. Unfortunately, these filters cannot always identify what is junk and what is not. Junk mail may still make its way into your inbox, and sometimes an e-mail you wanted to receive is misdirected to the junk folder. Your e-mail service offers a method to redirect the e-mail from the Junk folder to your Inbox. Look at the Menu bar for options to Move or Not Junk Mail or some other option to redirect the e-mail to the intended folder. To be sure you receive e-mail from people you want, add their e-mail address to your
e-mail address book.
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“I used to get all hung up about the names that have been given to different things on a computer like bytes, hertz, and cookies. Now I don’t give it a thought and I just have fun on my computer.”
—Paul
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Cover Your Tracks
Like Hansel and Gretel, who left a trail of bread crumbs to follow on their way back home, cookies leave a trail for a website to find its way back to information about your activities during previous visits to the site. A cookie is actually a file left behind on your computer by a website that you’ve visited. There are advantages to a website leaving cookies behind. It allows a site to personalize your Internet experience. Here’s an example: You visit Amazon (amazon.com) and buy an Agatha Christie murder mystery. The next time you open Amazon’s website, the home page says, “Hello, (your name). We have recommendations for you.” It’s like a doorman remembering your name or a salesclerk who remembers your favorite perfume. It was a cookie placed on your computer when you bought Agatha’s book that provided Amazon with this information for your next visit.
If you choose to bank online, more often than not the ID the bank uses to identify you will be your account number. Rather than you typing your account number every time you visit the site, your bank places a cookie on your computer so your bank ID will automatically be remembered. For security purposes, your password will be required every time you visit the site, but that is as it should be.
Cookies do not allow access to any other information on your computer besides the data the website has chosen to save. No website can view another website’s cookies. A cookie is all about recognizing you and your preferences or past history with a certain website.