Recently we posted an article about Top Ways to Protect Your Internet Security. Here are a few more ways to make sure that your online experience stays safe.
Beware of outdated versions of Adobe Reader/Acrobat – Adobe Reader, the most popular program for reading PDF documents, comes pre-installed on most computers. However, vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat (another program for reading files) are a very popular way for viruses to get into your computer. Make sure that you have the latest version, with the most up-to-date protection, at all times. Updating is easy since Adobe searches for updates automatically and will prompt you to run updates on the program. If you do want extra help, check out our online PC support options.
Don’t click on pop-ups that claim your computer is infected– In our last post, we advised that you get to know your anti-virus software. Knowing how your computer is protected will help you avoid programs known as “scareware”, which can pretend to be anti-virus programs who have detected hundreds of viruses on your computer. They offer to “clean” your computer if you purchase the full version of the program. The thing is, your computer wasn’t infected to begin with and you are effectively paying to get rid of one virus pretending to be real software.
If you see one of these programs appear on your screen run a scan with your actual anti-virus program. Whatever you do, don’t give the program any credit card or other personal information, as these programs will send the data right back to the scammers and put your identity at risk.
Logging into an account from a link received in an e-mail, IM or other suspect source – The risk you run by logging into your online accounts (banking, social media, etc.) from an e-mail link is that you could be taken to a fake landing page set up by a scammer to take your personal information. When in doubt, go to the log-in page directly by typing the URL in yourself and log-in from there. (If you ever have trouble remembering your passwords, check out our earlier blog post Say Goodbye to the Frustration of Forgotten Passwords)