Internet Anonymizers – Why and When You Should Use Them

Anonymizers are nifty pieces of software that let an Internet surfer visit web sites without having information gathered on them, such as which sites they visited. Anonymizers disable pop ups and cookies, and serve to conceal the IP address of the surfer. Most of them use a proxy server to process each HTTP request. When the user clicks a link or types a URL into a browser, the anonymizer retrieves and displays the information from its own server. The requesting server will receive information from the service and not the surfer, who remains anonymous.

Reasons for using anonymizers are to protect the user’s privacy and to bypass the blocking applications that would prevent access to various web sites or parts of web sites that the user wishes to visit. The U.S. Naval Research Labs and Lucent’s Bell Labs have pioneered the anonymous web surfing, and several commercial services are available.

Some of the services available pass the requests made through a series of encrypting loops, others use personal encryption software, and some run without encryption of any kind, but a variety are available depending on a web surfer’s needs. The popularity of anonymous web surfing services and software are similar to the way caller ID developed with telephone systems, followed immediately by call blockers that made anonymous telephone calls popular. Many of the anonymous sites work even better than caller ID and call blocker because they allow an individual to take on a totally different identity. The persona chosen is interfaced with and covers over the persona of the web surfer, providing total information anonymity. The web site you visit will never know you were there.

One of the popular uses for this type of thing is for competing businesses to check up on each other without the competition knowing they were there. Another use would be to check on web sites that are political in nature. Some political web sites can be extreme in their views. Many people are interested in what they have to say, but don’t want to take the chance of getting on someone’s mailing list and receiving Spam, especially from someone they may think is a nut. Using an anonymizer gives them that option.

The first anonymizer on the Internet was called Anonymizer.com, and it was developed in 1997 by Lance Cottrell while engaged in Ph.D. studies in astrophysics at the University of California, San Diego. He was a well known privacy advocate who also developed a widely used remailer called Mixmaster. Cottrell also established the Kosovo Privacy Project to let people use anonymizer services to report from the war zone in Kosovo in the late 1990’s without fear of retaliation. Many other anonymizers have followed him, many of them very popular, and many free.

A web surfer can visit every site anonymously by making an anonymizer the computer’s home page, and visiting all web sites from there. Bookmarks and favorites can be anonymized by prefixing the URL’s with the anonymizer site’s address. If you visit a web page through your anonymizer and bookmark it then it will be anonymized when you visit it in the future. A person can also visit web sites that require passwords without revealing any other information.

While anonymizers protect your identity during normal web surfing, they do have a few limitations. Anonymizers cannot usually process secure protocols, such as https: Also plug-ins may get around them. If you access a site that invokes a plug-in it may or may not establish direct connections with your computer that are, or are not anonymized. Also, while all anonymizer sites claim that they don’t keep logs of your surfing, some sites keep a log of all addresses accessed. However, they don’t keep a log of your connection with the site. Also Java is not totally compatible with anonymizer applications. Active X is able to access your computer after you initially sign up for it, so anonymizers will not necessarily stop Active X applications. However, for most standard uses anonymizers will provide the privacy protection that the average web surfer needs and desires, and will work well for most people.

Malicious Instant Messages—Three Ways Instant Messaging Compromises Internet Security

Instant messaging has grown in popularity in this fast paced world. If you are corresponding with someone via emails, there are certain steps you need to take. You will click on the e-mail, read it, reply to it, and send it back. Then you wait for the e-mail you just sent to be opened and you have no way of knowing if the person you are emailing is still on line or at their computer. Instant messaging cuts out many steps and provides instant communication with any of your contacts that are on-line.

Instant messaging programs allow you to have a list of key people that you want to interact with. Called a buddy or contact list, you will know when your buddy is on-line and can type messages back and forth as in real time. There is also the added benefit now of being connected to your buddy by web cam. This is a wonderful invention when it comes to children and grandchildren far from home. I love to see my granddaughters who live on the West Coast. It allows them to see my face and keep me fresh in their memory.

Instant messaging offers many advantages including chatting between friends on line, and creating your own chat room with family and friends. You can share web links to your favorite sites, play sounds to your friends and share files and photos. Many IM users use the computer instead of long-distance phone calls to talk to family and friends. One advantage to Instant Messaging that I like is that I can chat with more than one friend or family member at a time. The trick is to make sure you don’t post a message in the wrong window!

Instant messaging, with many other innovations on the Internet can sometimes carry a security risk. Without security measures, some users could potentially expose sensitive data and information to outsiders. Virus protection programs don’t scan these instant messaging files and that causes a real threat.

There are three basic ways that Instant Messaging can compromise your Internet security. One concern is that because you are unable to verify whom you are talking to, you could be giving out information to a competitor or someone intent on harming your or your computer. The second is, worms and viruses can be sent through Instant Messages, and Stealth programs can gain access to your computer and all your information. Third, it is easy to eavesdrop on IM conversations. If you have the computer knowledge, and many do, they can listen in on your chat conversations and learn important information that you would prefer to be kept private.

There are security choices when it comes to protecting your instant messages from being pirated. Some large and small companies are banning all Instant Messaging from company computers. They can install closed IM programs that will allow instant messaging as a useful tool within the company but keep out the threats from outside. Some companies are storing all instant messages sent and are able to pull them up and view them. If an employee is using an open IM to chat with their wife then the company is at risk for viruses and hacking. Software developers have created special software programs to make IM possible between company computers but no outside messages can be sent or received.

Monitoring of all company instant messages is widely used to combat the use of Instant Messaging for personal use and wasting company time. This allows small companies as well as the large ones to monitor what their employees are doing with their time. Companies are using archived instant messages to discourage sexual harassment and other workplace behavior, which is unacceptable.

Instant messaging is a wonderful tool but can expose your computer to viruses or worms. If you receive an instant message from someone you aren’t familiar with, it’s a good idea to not click on any links that are provided. The message may look like it comes from a friend but could harbor a virus or worm by downloading an applet that can install Trojan programs and install Spyware and adware. One popular link allows you to play a game, which pretends to catch Bin Laden. Computer operators who clicked on the game downloaded a program that snatched all of their IM contacts and sent them the same e-mail.

Protect your chats by being aware of the dangers. Don’t’ click on hyperlinks that you don’t recognize. Check your antiviral news page for current threats to instant messaging programs. As with all computer programs and innovations, common sense will help to protect your computer’s security.

Toolbar Traps - What You Should Know BEFORE Downloading that “Helpful” Toolbar

It seems like everyone on the internet is trying to push some helpful toolbar or another on you. They tell you need this one and that this other one is better than the one you already have. Those narrow rows of buttons that are used to access commands and give you all the options you need to navigate online can be quite pesky, especially when merchants are trying to convince you that you need more than one. Although most toolbars can be turned on and off, is it really necessary to have more than one?

Some toolbars can be very convenient when you need to gain access to a commonly used routine. Most toolbars contain graphics on the buttons while others offers drop down lists. They can be useful, if and when they are needed. If a toolbar design is consistent and made carefully, then it should speed up the users’ task by directly accessing important functions that are normally hidden on the menu. Too many toolbars can reduce their effectiveness by making the toolbars hard to find. Also, too many rows of toolbars will reduce your screen space.

Toolbars effectiveness is only increased by maintaining a certain level of consistency between other applications. Normally the main toolbar will always have a New, Open and Save button appearing in the first three buttons. However, in a browser application the first three buttons should be Back, Forward, Stop and Reload, exactly in that order.

Your toolbar should only have the most commonly used functions and not a bunch of buttons for every other menu item. You should have your toolbars appear below the main menu, as a default. Additional toolbars should be set up to be able to turn on and off as you wish. You don’t want a screen full of toolbars that you are not using. You should make sure that all of your functions remain accessible through the main menu bar, either directly or indirectly, you should be able to have access to them. Be sure to save the toolbars application position and contents as a part of the application configuration so you can easily restore it when the application resumes.

Never use vertical toolbars. The human eye scan’s horizontally, not vertically, and drop down lists can not be used vertically. The only time you should consider using a vertical toolbar is if the application window you are using requires more than three toolbars to appear below the main menu bar by default. Although, it would be better just to close the unused toolbars by default. Another reason would be if the configuration of the application window would contain a great deal of wasted space if a horizontal toolbar is used instead. If for some reason you feel you simply must use a vertical toolbar, then you can at least ensure another user the option to make the toolbar appear horizontally if they choose.

For every toolbar you choose, you should be able to select whether or not you want that toolbar to show at that time, and if you want to see graphics, text only or both. The user should also be allowed to override the control center toolbar defaults for that application in the Preferences dialog.

Most toolbars have controls that appear in a text label, preferably a single word, which would appear beside or below the control. For every control that appears on the toolbar, when you place your cursor over the selection, you should see a short and concise description of the control, but provide more information than the one word text label.

Be certain that whatever toolbar you choose to download will have some benefit to it and that you’re not just downloading it because it’s offered. You want to be careful with anything you download over the internet, because some downloads can carry certain risks. A simple toolbar can carry a devastating virus along with it or can download other items that you don’t want on your computer. Remember that everything you download takes up space on your hard drive. It’s up to the user to decide how much space they can afford to use and if adding the extra toolbars are really all that necessary.

Three Ways to Identify a Virus Hoax

One way to check on a virus to see if it might be a hoax is to check the following list. Popular virus hoaxes include: Iraq war hoax, internet flower hoax, intel special offer hoax, ICE virus mobile phone hoax, happy new year hoax, guts to say Jesus hoax, great gas out hoax, got you hoax, good times hoax, girls of Playboy Hoax, girl thing hoax, ghost exe hoax, fun prog hoax, good times hoax, ghost exe hoax, Zlatko, your friend D@fit, Y2Kgame, WTC survivor hoax, wobbler hoax, work hoax, win a holiday hoax, Windows 98 warning hoax, welcome to the matrix hoax, valentine greeting hoax, W32 torch hoax, WASUP hoax, unable to deliver hoax, tax return hoax, Phantom Menace hoax, pool party hoax, unable to deliver hoax, Irina hoax, join the crew hoax, joke flipped hoax, and many others

There are many viruses out there on the Internet, but many of them are not viruses, but are simply hoaxes. However, there have been cases in the past of a hoax starting out harmless, and then having a Trojan horse added to it, making many people susceptible because what they thought was harmless is suddenly quite harmful indeed. Never ever open an email attachment unless you are sure of it and know who it came from. If an attachment is suspicious, don’t open it.

There are many computer virus hoaxes out there, some spread by well meaning people. For instance, an automotive writer responded to a letter about a supposed but non existent virus in the onboard computer of Lexus automobiles with how frightening the thought of one was to him, which spread across the Internet and may have damaged sales of Lexus cars without good reason. Another well known virus hoax that occurred recently and was started by well meaning people was the sheep.exe hoax. Well meaning people were warning others about the commercial program, creating undue fear and a virus alert. Another false story circulated that Blue Mountain greeting cards contained a virus, and many people ceased to do business with this company based on a hoax.

If worried about being deceived by a computer virus hoax, here are a few tips to help you spot the hoaxes in the future. First, did a real computer expert send you the alert; was it your mother in law or your Brother Fred’s best friend? If it looks like a hoax chain letter it probably is one. Next, does it urge you to forward the chain letter to everyone you know? If it does then chances are it is a hoax. Legitimate virus alerts will not ask you to participate in mass chaos. Finally does the email offer a details page link? If it is a real warning it will summarize the information and link to a well respected site for more details. Remember though that some hoaxsters will include links to real websites trying to make you think they are real. Check out the website by typing it into your browser and if it seems to be a hoax, it probably is.

Many people get duped by computer hoaxes, telling all of their friends about these modern urban legends with great, but false and misguided authority. Most duped users don’t want to admit they were fooled. Remember, it takes a strong ego to admit a mistake, so encourage your friends who were fooled to own up to it. Their intentions were good. Give them a chance to fess up and you’ll be amazed at how quickly many people will try to make amends. So that you too don’t get caught in the trap, don’t automatically assume that any email you receive is accurate. Most people on the Internet receive chain letter emails, and oddly enough many people send them on for fear of harming a relationship with the person who sent it. Stopping the chain and stopping the insanity is necessary. Hoaxes and myths will continue if people continue to play the game and send the chain letters along. Don’t be a link in the chain.

Finally, knowledge is the key to stopping hoaxes and myths. Stay information. Don’t believe everything you read or hear until you check it out with another source. Be a shepherd, not a sheep.

Exterminate those Bugs on your PC

Even with all of the advancements in service and programming from software companies, it likely seems like there are more bugs than ever in the software on your PC. The truth is that most experts agree that there are fewer bugs per line of code than at any other time in the computer era. However, there are also more lines of code in existence than ever before, so even with a small percentage of bugs, there are actually a larger number of total bugs than ever before.

With the large overall number of bugs that are out there, you likely want to know how to get rid of them. Actually there are ways you can cut down on bugs in your system. It basically comes down to some simple maintenance and a little foresight.

The first thing you can do to rid your system of bugs is to make sure you always back up and restore before you install. By backing up you can restore the information that you may lose as a result of bugs. In case you have to later on, practice restoring your hard drive and any specific programs you may have on it. If you backup and you know how to restore, you will have nothing to fear in terms of bugs.

The second thing you can do to eliminate bugs from your system is to make sure you study up on any hardware or software you plan to buy. You can usually find information on them online where users have posted the problems that specific programs are causing. Consult your local ISP or computer security expert for the best sites where you can find the information about the bugs associated with certain types of hardware and software.

Thirdly, listen to what the companies say about their own products. Many companies will actually put information on their websites about bugs in their products. Research these postings so that you can either avoid the bad products or download the drivers and fixes the company offers.

Another way to eliminate bugs from your system is to, quite simply, be prepared. In other words, assume that a new resource will or can cause problems. Ask if there are any guarantees or offers of any sort of warranty. At the very least, make sure that the seller of the hardware or software you are installing offers some sort of tech support at least on a temporary basis.

Another way to avoid bugs is an idea that may not have occurred to you: don’t over upgrade. In most cases, when you have to upgrade either hardware or software, it leads to the need to upgrade another piece, and another. Each upgrade presents the potential for more bugs in the resource that leads to more bugs in your system. To avoid the problem, check to see what the upgrade entails. If you are doing fine with the “old” version and do not need or want any of the upgraded features, leave your resource as-is. In other words, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.

Lastly, be sure you uninstall carefully after any install. Don’t just drag programs into your recycle bin, or just delete it. Doing so just leaves junk behind and also does not update your registry files. The program should have its own uninstall function, so use that instead. If, for some reason, the program does not have an uninstall program, then you should go to the add/remove function in windows. Your last resort should be to consider purchasing an uninstaller utility.

With an increase in hardware and software and new versions coming out every day, it only makes sense that there should be more bugs. Bugs in new utilities for your system can not only be annoying, but in some cases they can even be damaging to your computer. Do not fret, however, there are some simple things you can do to eliminate the presence of bugs on your computer. Make sure you educate yourself, pay attention to the type of software you are installing, avoid over upgrading, and be careful when doing uninstalls. As simple and obvious as those things may seem, they are key. By using those simple pieces of advice, you will soon have a bug free computer that will stay that way through your acquisitions and upgrades.

Getting Down With Downloads – How to Protect Your Computer

Downloading programs or files onto your computer means you are taking information (programs, files, or anything else) and installing it on your machine. Downloading software on your computer can be a good or bad thing, depending on the software you are downloading. However, there are actually a number of software downloads that can help you protect your computer from other, more dangerous downloads.

The first program you can download that may help you protect your computer in the future is Lavasoft’s Adaware. This program is not only free, but it also offers your machine protection from data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking software. It can both scan and fix drive problems. It can remove already installed spyware from your system before it does any more damage. It can also quarantine problem files and give you a log of information about programs it has dealt with in its scans of your computer. Because it can remove spyware, it can help protect your computer privacy, which can help prevent identity theft. It can also help your computer’s performance, because it eliminates spyware that is clogging your computer. Moreover, it can help you protect your machine from spyware in the future by issuing you alerts of programs you should be aware of.

Another program you can download that may help protect your computer in the future is SpyBot. This program is also free. It can detect and remove spyware from your system. It can also remove adware from your system. It removes both dialers and keyloggers, protecting your phone bill and your financial information including credit card numbers. It also removes trojans and usage tracks, protecting your privacy not only from other users, but also from identity thieves on the internet. This program allows you to extend the preset database, customizing the program to your current level of knowledge. It also makes a back-up of every single program it removes, in case you ever need the information. Moreover, you can permanently block download problems and tracking cookies. Every time the program finds a problem, you can get a detailed report of the issue, helping you to understand and become more knowledgeable about the problem. It also allows you to decide when, if ever, the program should update itself. You can even set it to update each week if you decide that is appropriate. SpyBot offers free e-mail support for users, and there is a technical forum on their website for you to pose questions that need immediate answers. You can even change the program’s skins to your liking.

A third program you can download that may help your computer in the future is Expired Cookies Cleaner. Cookies are stored on your system each time you visit a website. This helps the page to load more quickly the next time your visit it. The biggest problem with cookies, though, is that they take up valuable space on your system. Even if you only visit a site once in the lifetime of the computer, a cookie will be forever stored on your machine. Expired Cookies Cleaner removes those unused cookies, freeing up valuable computer space. It is free, and if you use it several times each month, you might notice a difference in your computer’s performance simply because you have been able to offer it more space to run.

A fourth program you can download that may help your computer in the future is System Mechanic Pro. This software application can help you identify and repair computer errors that never seem to get any better. It can also help you clean your registry, make it smaller, and defragment it, which can mean a better running speed for you. Moreover, it can defragment both the hard drive and the memory of the computer, which will, again, lead to better computer performance. It can help you protect your e-mail and your computer as a whole from virus threats and spyware. It can also perform computer maintenance tasks that you often forget to do. Any of these things can seriously help you make your computer better. While this application is not free, it does offer a free thirty day trial.

Downloads can be dangerous, but downloads like these can help you keep from finding and using those dangerous downloads.

Three Ways to make sure your Online Credit Card Transaction is Safe

In the age of the internet and busy schedules, more people are finding it more convenient to do their shopping and banking online. Nowadays, people are working longer hours and are too busy with other activities to be able to fit in time to travel to the local shopping center. Instead they can go straight home from work and with a few clicks of the mouse, have a package ready to ship to their front door. The internet now comes first before the importance of the television and telephone. Playing an important part in people’s lives, the computer is the fastest way to communicate, bank and shop. Many online consumers are using debit and credit cards to pay for their purchases, while other methods such as e-wallets, Paypal, mobile and other wireless transactions are following close behind.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wants all online consumers to be well informed about the new payment technologies and how the consumers can make their online transactions as secure and as safe as possible. Although it’s impossible to control the fraud and deception on the internet, the FTC encourages all online consumers to take the necessary steps to ensure the security of your personal information and all other online transactions.

Many online consumers use their credit cards to pay for their online purchases, while others choose to use their debit cards, which automatically authorizes an online merchant to electronically debit your bank account. Many debit cards require the consumer to use a personal identification number (PIN) or some other form of identification or signature to complete a transaction. Your debit card may also have an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card that also can be used to make purchases online. Some debit and credit cards have both features and you must select the payment option you wish to use at the point of sale. Keep in mind that just because a credit card and debit card looks alike, they both function differently. The credit card debt is billed to you, while the debit card debt is transferred out of your bank account almost immediately. Also, the liability limits for a stolen, lost or unauthorized use of a credit card are very different from the stolen, lost or unauthorized use of a debit card.

As an online consumer, it’s up to you, and only you, to protect yourself from theft. Here are three ways to make sure that your online credit card transactions are safe:

1. Use a secure web browser. Using software that encrypts online purchase information will help to secure your transactions. Make sure that your web browser is updated on its encryption capabilities. You can ensure this update by using the latest version of encryption software from the manufacturers. Some web browsers offer free downloads over the internet. While submitting your information, be sure to look for the icon “lock” in the web browsers status bar. This will ensure your information is secure during the transmission.

2. Read before you write. Never provide any personal information to any website before first checking with the website’s privacy policy. This way you can be aware if your information will be shared or used in any way with other online merchants. You will also want to know exactly what security features are established so your personal information can not be acquired fraudulently. You should be able to understand the privacy, shipping and refund policies before you provide any information or make a purchase. If after reading the privacy policy, you are not comfortable, then you may want to consider taking your business elsewhere.

3. Review all financial statements. Always review your bank and credit card statements and look for any unauthorized purchases or errors. Statements can be fairly confusing to look over, but take your time and be thorough, if you notice anything questionable, contact your bank or credit card company immediately. You should also contact these financial institutions if your purse or wallet is lost or stolen, or even if you think there are unauthorized uses of your accounts. Always keep records of your online transactions and read all your emails from those merchants from which you have made purchases from. Those merchants may be sending you important information about your purchase or account with them.

Inoculate Yourself against Computer Viruses

Computer security is a major issue in today’s society. Many of the important facets of our lives revolve around computers, and keeping our machines safe is essential. The popularity of the internet and the consistency with which we use it has led to serious outbreaks of computer viruses. Viruses have become so problematic that they are regularly mentioned in both print and online media. It is essential that you protect yourself against viruses, especially those transmitted via the internet. A virus can be transmitted through an e-mail or an innocuous looking floppy disk. Millions of computers are infected each hour, and if yours is next, you could lose all of your data on your network or on the machine itself. Once gone, it will be irretrievable.

A computer virus is a program that replicates itself. Just like a real virus, it must have a host to exist. These problem programs started with the first computers in the sixties, and have continued, in mass form, today. The virus payload, or the damage done, can be something harmless or something very serious. It can be as simple as displaying a message or a picture or it can completely reformat your hard drive. Recent virus attacks have caused computers to shut down by themselves. Viruses get a bit more widespread each day because of the internet. Original viruses were spread through the use of disks, but most people no longer use external media like disks to store information. As a result, most viruses now are spread through the use of e-mail and the internet. Opening an e-mail attachment or downloading a dangerous program can give your computer a virus. There are currently about fifty thousand viruses in existence, but more than two hundred new threats are created each month.

There are a number of different goals involved with viruses. The earliest virus programs were written as pranks or experiments. As some programmers begin to learn their way around systems and the internet, they write viruses just to see what they can do with it. For example, a beginning programmer might write a virus code to see how far it could spread. Others, though, have far more hostile intents for writing viruses. One reason they might write code like this is to vandalize current websites. This is a lot like kids with a can of spray paint near a public wall. Another reason a virus gets written is to cause a loss of data to major systems. Viruses can completely erase the memory files of computer systems if written properly, and many virus authors have this intention, for one reason or another, as they write their vicious code. There have been many viruses written for revenge. Employees who are about to lose their jobs can sometimes leave viruses behind on the company system to do damage to their former employer’s ability to do business. Lots of viruses though, are written for profit. Viruses can send e-mail spam (so the original sender is disguised), causing the computer to serve as a host to illegal data, or engage in other illegal activities. Moreover, viruses can be used to spy on users, display pop-ups while the user is not on the internet, and obtain user information like bank accounts or credit card numbers.

There are two major types of viruses: worms and Trojan horses. Trojan horses, though, can be a type of worm. A worm transmits itself to infect other computers. Trojan horses are hidden viruses. Being hidden helps the program to get installed in the first place. Trojan horses are programs that quietly run in the background, inviting the user to run them, while spreading its malicious code. This code can do any number of things. It can start right away or it may simply install a program that won’t start for sometime. Once it does start, it can delete all of the files on the computer or it can infect the computer and try to infect other computers on the network. There are a number of ways viruses are delivered, and as a Trojan horse is the most common. It usually comes with other pieces of software that a user might find interesting. This software is usually shared through a file-sharing network or downloadable off of the internet. Once the user installs the software, the virus also gets installed.

You can protect yourself against viruses through the use of a good anti-virus program. There are both free and expensive software applications available that can be set to self-update to protect from viruses. You can also protect yourself by curbing your downloading activities. You should also decide not to open any e-mail attachments unless you know the sender. Taking these safety precautions will help keep you from getting a computer virus.

Exercise Parental Control – Five Tips to Keep Kids Safe on the Internet

As a parent you are naturally concerned for your child’s safety at school, at the park, and even in your home. There is another place, though, where you should be making sure your child is always safe. That place, as you probably already know, is the Internet. The online world is one full of fun, adventure, and information. However, it can also be a very dark and highly dangerous place as well. Because children tend to be less skeptical than adults and want to believe rather than disbelieve what people are telling them, they can become a target for those who wish to prey upon that innocence.

There are some frightening facts to consider when it comes to your child’s safety on the Internet. For instance, one in five children were solicited for sex on the Internet last year; about 25% of children were exposed to photos of sexual acts, and about 1 out of every 17 children was cyber bullied last year. Cyber bullying can include threats of harm to the child, threats against friends, or even against family. It is not something that should be overlooked as a danger for your children online.

Like with just about anything, the Internet has its good points and can be enjoyed by you and your children. There are precautions you should take, though. Here are five tips for keeping your children safe when they are surfing the Internet. Nothing can ever keep them 100% safe, but by following a few of these tips, you can help them avoid sexual predators and cyber bullies that can turn innocence and fun into darkness for you and your child.

The first thing you can do is to communicate with your child. Explain to him or her some of the dangers online and that you want to help them avoid those dangers. To that end, post a list of rules near the computer where they are visible at all times. Some good rules to include are: Never give any of your personal information to anyone online, keep your address, phone number, and where you go to school to yourself; immediately let your parents know if anything you see online concerns you, makes you uncomfortable, or scares you at all; always check with your parents before you even consider meeting someone in person that you met on line, since offline meetings can be dangerous if the wrong person is involved; never, for any reason, give your internet passwords to anyone other than your parents; check with your parents before you download anything like software onto the computer, it could endanger your family’s privacy or the computer itself; and just like in real life, never do anything that could harm anyone else or is illegal in any way. Post these rules so that they are always visible and can act as reminders.

The second tip is to simply keep an eye on your children. When they are online, try to directly supervise them as much as possible. Since that is obviously not always something you can do, at least put the computer in a high traffic area where you can easily see what they are doing. You may even consider locking the computer with a password if a parent is not in the area or if your child is old enough to be home alone.

Third, depending on the age of your child, you may want to consider some sort of spy software for your kids. There are “tattle tale” software programs that will record exactly what your child is doing online down to chatroom texts and screen shots.

Fourth, if you don’t want to go as far as a spyware program, there are keylogger programs for parents. Keylogger software will record all keystrokes made from the computer so that you will know what you child has done from his or her end of things, anyway.

Lastly, communicate with your kids. Talk to them openly about the Internet, your concerns, and why you have those concerns. Explain that it is not a trust issue, but rather that you just know that there are people out there who wish them harm and you want to protect them. Your own child’s awareness and maturity may even surprise you.

The Internet can be such a wonderful place, full of information, friends, fun, and adventure for both adults and children. However, just like the park, the mall, or sometimes even the playground, the Internet does harbor those who wish harm or to prey upon children. However, like in other places, you can cut down the risk and keep your family safe by following a few common sense tips that can put your mind more at ease as your techno-savvy child surfs the net.

What IP Addresses Mean in the Scheme of Internet Security

Internet security and your computer are one of the most important subjects you can spend time with whether you are using the Internet for business or personal use. Keeping your personal and business data secure is important to everyone. Unfortunately most people simply don’t have enough security and are open to hackers. You may have a firewall, or anti-virus software form Norton or McAfee, or AVG, and those are good first steps, but you should take other steps as well.

A non-routable IP address is your first line of defense against unauthorized hacking. So what is an IP address anyway? IP stands for Internet Protocol. Your Internet Protocol Address is made up of octets, each octet being eight bits, using a number from one to 255, with a period in between each octet.

An IP address is the address of the computer on the network, and the Internet itself is a large network. Your IP address cannot have a zero in it. The zero will refer to a range of IP addresses, and is used when setting up a firewall or a route. If you have 200 computers in the office you would set the server by designating a zero at the end of the address. A non-routable IP address can be explained this way. Imagine a road map of the U.S. You are in Tennessee and want to visit California. Your computer has an IP address. You will need to take some side streets to get to the interstate highway. So, you take Walnut Street to Ventura Avenue, then to I-44. Drive along the streets and highway and you arrive at your destination.

A non-routable IP address cannot be used on the Internet and is only for internal networking. Imagine in the road map situation that when you get to Ventura Blvd. you find there are no side roads. You can get to Ventura, but not to the street in California where you wish to go. If the last octet is a number from one to 254, it is in essence the house number and street number. Let’s say you want to set up a non-routable address. How do you do it? Either set up one computer to connect to the Internet and let all other computers on the network connect to that computer, and have two IP addresses on the same network card. Not all versions of Windows will allow you to use more than one IP address. The other method, which is more common, is to use a router. In this way you don’t have a single machine dedicated to Internet usage, all computers can access.

If you use a dial up connection a router will cost about $100. Good news if you use a cable modem or DSL, a router will only cost about $25. A non-routable IP serves as a firewall also, and this is in addition to the firewall built into the router. In addition you can add another software firewall to the computer, which won’t stop anything from trying to come in, but will stop data packets from going out.

It is easy to see that IP addresses play an important role in Internet security. Possibly the best investment you could ever make in protecting your computer would be to invest in a router to protect your system and your data. It is important however to remember that a router will not protect you from a key logger using spyware on your computer system to see what keys on the keyboard you have punched. There are programs available to protect you from that type of threat, and they are easy to find.

IP address security, especially through the use of a router, is just one of the many security steps you should take to keep your computer and your business and personal data safe from unwanted hands, and to protect yourself and your computer from unwelcome strikes by hackers. IP address security, in conjunction with spyware protection software, virus protection software, and a good firewall can help keep you and your data safe, and deserves a very close look by anyone concerned with computer security.