Scams, Schemes, and Annoyances

One of the great thing about the internet is that we are all pretty equal. One of the reasons for that equality is the anonymity that the internet offers. Take this website, for example. I have chosen to take credit for it by posting my name and the fact that I am a 7th grade teacher at Hale Charter Academy. I didn't have to do that. I could have created this website without providing any information about myself. If the worldwide audience decides that the information provided by this website is useful, they will use it. A website that provides useful information will become popular whether it was written by a Nobel Prize-winning university professor or a 12 year old middle school student. On the internet, you are judged by what you offer as opposed to your age, gender, or what you look like.

Because the internet is so open an anonymous, it is the perfect environment for schemers and scammers. The internet allows these folks to contact millions and millions of people without spending a dime.

Phishing

Phishing is a technique used by internet criminals to get their hands on your password. They might use the information to steal your money, get into your private accounts, steal your identity, or use your accounts to do more phishing. Sometimes these criminals just sell the information to other criminals and sometimes they use it themselves.

Phishing usually takes two forms. In one, you receive an email containing a link. Let's say you get an email from Google telling you that there is something wrong with your account. The email tells you to click on the link and then sign into your Google account. When you click on the link, you see the Google log in screen and you enter your user name and password. The problem is that it's not really a Google log in screen. Instead, it's a website set up by the phishers designed to collect Google user names and passwords.

Viruses

A computer virus is a tiny program that takes over your computer. Usually, viruses are designed to create destruction. They might delete files on your computer or make certain programs incapable of running. You can protect yourself pretty effectively against viruses by using anti-virus software. It's not enough to install anti-virus software on your computer; you need to be sure that you keep it updated.

There are a lot of different companies that make anti-virus software. Some of them charge money for their software and some of them do not. If you find some anti-virus software and you are considering whether or not to install it on your computer, just do a Google search first. If the software is real and works well, you'll learn that from a Google search. If the software is ineffective, or if it really adware or malware instead of anti-virus software, you'll learn that, too.

Adware

Adware is software that installs on your computer and keeps putting ads on your screen. You might be used to pop up ads, but you don't even have to be connected to the internet for adware to work. Usually, adware comes as an "optional" addition to legitimate software that you download from the internet. Most companies that include adware give you the choice to install it or not install it. You need to pay attention during the installation process, though.

Almost all of the "free" apps that you download for your phone include adware. A free game, for example, will have ads near the top of bottom of the screen. Sometimes you can get rid of them and sometimes you can't. If you click on the ads, you go to the website of the advertiser. Other apps let you play a game but force you to look at an ad between every game.

Malware

The word "mal" is Latin for "bad" or "evil." It's a pretty common English prefix. So, malware is "evil software." Malware is designed to turn your computer against you. One example of malware is something called a keylogger. A keylogger makes a record of everything that you type on your keyboard and sends the information to the person or persons who put the malware on your computer. They can look through the record of your typing to find your user names and passwords. Another type of malware takes control of your computer and turns it into a "zombie" so that it becomes part of a botnet. Botnets are used to attack websites in order to take them down or hack into them.

Annoyances

Not everything that you can download onto your computer by mistake fits any of the definitions above. Some of it is just plain annoying. "How much is my Twitter worth?" is a pretty good example. It doesn't really cause any damage, but it's annoying to both you and your followers.

How Can You Protect Yourself?

Viruses, adware, malware, and annoyances don't appear on your computer by magic. The only way that any of these things can end up on your computer (or your smart phone) is if you let them. Most of them get to your computer in the form of attachments to an email. Don't open attachments unless you know and trust the person who sent it to you. Even if you know and trust the person that you received the email from, do the words in the email sound like that person? Is the email blank except for the attachment. If you suspect anything at all is wrong, just hit reply and ask your friend to explain what the attachment is before you open it.

Sometimes you get infected by clicking on a link in an email. Again, who sent you the email? If it isn't someone you trust, you probably shouldn't click on the link. If you're curious and really want to click on the link, copy it first and paste it into a Google search box. That may help you to find out if it's safe to click on or someone's attempt to cause harm to your computer.

Some of the nastiest malware gets on to your computer just because you visit a website. You don't have to click on anything! Some anti-virus programs will warn you that you're about to visit a dangerous website before your browser loads the site. If you get a warning, don't ignore it.

It is also important to remember that your email password is the most important password you have. If you forget the password to your iTunes, bank, XBox Life, Sony Network, or other account, a link to reset your password will be sent to your email account. If someone gains access to your email, the can change the password to lock you out and then change the password on all of your other accounts. Your email password needs to be something that no one can guess. A secure password must contain upper case and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols and should be at least eight characters long. The internet is filled with suggestions for how to create a secure password.

What Should You Do if You Get Infected?

One common symptom of an infection is that programs load very slowly. Another is that you browser opens automatically and loads a website by itself. Finally, "warning" message may appear on your screen. If you suspect that your computer might be infected by a virus or malware, disconnect it from the internet immediately. If you have any USB flash drives plugged in, unplug them and don't put them into any other computer. Then, instead of trying to deal with the problem on your own, tell a parent. If they aren't sure what to do, let me know and I can either give you suggestions or let you know where to take your computer to be checked. If you leave your computer connected to the internet, you may be responsible for spreading the infection.