Positives and Perils of the Internet - Part 2

with Enisa Haines

Writers love the Internet. Interested in a publishing house or an agent, a writer's blog? Simply search the World Wide Web. Indeed, click the keyboard and any information you need is available. But as useful as the Internet is, risks abound.

Hackers. Phishing. Spam emails. Spyware. Malware. We've all heard the terms--they've been around for as long as the Internet--but too often, in spite of the countless posts and articles written warning of the dangers, we don't take the risks seriously and leave our electronic devices unprotected.

Image: courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

And then one day your email contacts notify you of a flood of spam emails sent from your account. You can't login to your email account or change its settings and your computer prompts for access to programs unfamiliar to you. Hate-filled messages aimed at ruining your reputation appear on your blog or website. Your social networking sites, forums, email accounts and instant messaging are inundated with phishing scams containing malicious files or links that aim to trick you into divulging your account information. For example: 'Dear Beneficiary. Have you contacted Westpac Bank?' landed in my spam folder today. I don't have accounts with Westpac.

Image: www.oithelp.nd.edu

Phishing often plays on your concerns so that you will not question why your account information is being requested. From that point on, your account can be accessed by others without your knowledge With that information the hacker can now steal all your personal information, including financial details. Panic strikes and leaves you devastated. What do you do?

• Change your passwords. Ensure they are complex and unique to you, with letters in Caps/lowercase, numbers and other characters. Passwords longer than 11 characters are best.
• Use different passwords for different accounts and sites.
• Use 2-factor authentication, i.e. a second form of identification such as a code sent as a text to your phone, or a secret question and answer.
• Store your passwords securely, the safest way being an encrypted USB drive.
• Update your operating system, antivirus and antispyware software regularly.
• Install a firewall.
• Limit the personal information you post on Web pages and blogs.
• Always log out when leaving a site.
• Assess free software and file-sharing apps. Are they safe to download?
• Download software only from sites you trust.
• Don't open emails or messages from unknown senders.
• Verify a website is secure, i.e. has a small closed lock in the address bar or bottom left or right corner of the browser window.
• Don't click on ads in websites. If you want to make a purchase , click on the purchaser's website.
• And most important of all, don't be gullible. You did not win a lottery that you never entered. A real prince from Nigeria does not have $1 million to give you.

Image: courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

A too-long list of actions to perform, excessive you may say, but you want to outsmart the cyber-criminals, right? Cyber attacks target the vulnerable. Don't leave yourself susceptible to cyber threats. Be informed. Take charge of your emotions. Receive a threatening email? Don't fear it. Stay calm and contact the police. A link on a site catches your eye. Don't give in to curiosity or temptation and click on the link.

Thwart cyber attacks and as the hackers rant in empty defeat, immerse yourself in the characters and world you've created in the pages of your manuscript. A writer's happiest place.

Are you, like me, concerned about Internet security? What measures have you taken to ensure your personal details are safe?

Love to love - 

Coffee, I admit it. I'm an addict. 
6 cups a day on average. 
Cappuccino's my favourite. 
And it's a great stress-reliever.

Love to laugh - romantic comedies are a fun form of entertainment.

Love to learn - A child joyous at play reminds me that life doesn't always have to be serious.

Positives and Perils of the Internet - Part 1

with Enisa Haines

Used to be, when I chose a setting for a story, I'd visit the place to get a clear picture. When I decided on a protagonist's profession, I'd locate a member of that profession and arrange for a face-to-face interview. For anything more, the local library was nearby. Used to be I did a lot of walking.

Then the Internet arrived. Wondrous invention. 

Image courtesy of digitalart at freedigitalphotos.net

A quick touch of my fingers on the computer keyboard was all that was needed to visualise my settings, or learn about my characters' jobs, about the conflicts that could tear them apart. Indeed, via the Internet and the World Wide Web, I could access any information I needed. The world, long a mystery to many, was now revealed to all.

But with good comes bad. Many times I've clicked on a website in pursuit of information, only to be inundated with advertisements that lure me to purchase the 'really-you-must-have' products for sale, and banners that vie for my attention. Occasionally a pop-up will appear advising me that either I will win $10,000 or my computer will be cleaned of the 1000+ dirty files that are slowing it down. All I am requested to do is click on the link.

I ignore the ads and banners. Without a prompt from me, they continue to appear, as if nagging at me to take notice. Frustration rises. Annoyance strikes. I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing I could wipe the ads from the computer screen with a single swipe of my hand.

Curses let loose when I see a pop-up. Fury overwhelms. The $10,000 win is bogus. Warnings abound everywhere telling me this. Daily scans indicate my computer is clean, dirty files non-existent.

More often than not, pop-ups are malware, viruses, or scams and phishing disguised as innocent-appearing ads to lure potential victims into revealing personal details such as identity or bank account numbers.

Paranoia, some might say. Possibly. I was once a victim of credit card fraud so now I'm extra-cautious. And, really, everyone should be. The Internet is rife with hackers and scammers infiltrating websites, blogs, emails and social media, and growing more daring daily.

My worries ease knowing tools for blocking advertisements, banners and pop-ups exist. AdBlock (download cost - donation) is one I recommend. It allows me to surf the Web, read emails, watch a video on YouTube or check a Facebook page without being bombarded by advertising.

Image: www.geek.com

To protect against online threat, I downloaded WOT (Web of Trust), a free-download tool amassing the ratings of a multitude of websites. These ratings (votes by a global community of service users) indicate whether a website is safe to use, if it can be trusted with personal information, or if anti-virus companies have blacklisted it.

Image: www.youtek.it

Now I can focus on my emails or a website or social media worry-free. 

Are there others out there like me? I'd love to hear your stories.

Love to Love - My favourite time of day is night when I gaze up at the moon and wonder if anyone is out there.

Photo courtesy of zcool.com.cn at all-free-download.com

Love to Laugh - My 'to-be-read pile', or should I say, my 'to-be-read, 3-book-deep, bulging bookcase'. I love to read, but every spare moment, I write. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Love to Learn - I've learned a lot about getting ahead in life via inspirational quotes. One of my favourites is Napoleon Hill's "A goal is a dream with a deadline."