A COLLEAGUE who has the habit of leaving her personal email and blog accounts constantly logged on at the office, even when she is not at her desk, prompted the Eye to write this. Many times, the Eye’s mischievous fingers were tempted to play around with her settings on her email account or change her headshot in her blog with that of a baboon. In fact, a radio station’s public service announcement about basic computer security where a dude gets his bank account emptied and his girlfriend leaving him also had the Eye thinking, “Ah yes, the danger of careless computing and the temptation that careless users open up to naughty people around them”.

Unfortunately, there are too many computer users in the office who are end users who do not bother to equip themselves with the basics of computer maintenance (disk cleanup and defrags) and security. Many think that just having an anti-virus software installed is sufficient (some do not even realise that they have to update their anti-virus software!). Yes, and there’s that horrible habit of leaving their online accounts logged on, leaving themselves vulnerable to identity theft and the naughty things.

Anyway, here are some tips that the Eye has gathered from experience and several internet security sites:

Wake up and smell the danger! Most people think that just because they aren’t all that high-tech, computer hackers wouldn’t be interested in them. The truth is, these are the kind of users who make the perfect victims to provide platforms for hackers to launch anonymous attacks on others.

There are unseen stalkers online who are constantly searching for personal information — from your identity card number or a simple home address to credit card details. How do they do this? Through backdoors — little black holes implanted into your system without you knowing, so that your system and data are accessible whenever you are online or on a network.

Power Boost your Passwords. Weak and predictable passwords are often a problem. Women in particular would usually names of boyfriends, husbands and children as passwords. Very predictable! The way to power boost your passwords are to use a combination of letters, numbers and certain signs that are allowed as your password with a minimum length of eight characters and digits. Such combinations are not totally foolproof, but they make hackers take a longer time to figure out or generate. Try not to use words that exist in the dictionary. These are the types of passwords that passwords generating software will prioritise when narrowing down on possible passwords.

Patch, patch and patch! The Operating System on your computer (this refers to what they call Windows XP or Vista and NOT Microsoft Office) allows you to regularly check for updates and apply them. It is important to keep your system at ‘current patch level’ to minimise your exposure.

Keep your Anti Virus Software Updated. You do not have to spend much on getting a reliable anti-virus software. There are lots of free anti virus software online that are pretty reliable. AVAST is one such software which is reliable and it comes with free updates!

Keep Spying for Spyware. Spyware is software that is installed on your computer with or without your knowledge. Sometimes spyware come hidden in software or files that you download from the Internet. Spyware like Trojan backdoors can track what you are doing on your computer for marketing purposes, reset the homepage and search pages on your browser, create pop-up advertisements, slow down your computer’s Internet connection and most importantly, allow others to access your system and data without you realising it! There are some spyware removal programs are available free for download from the Internet. Two popular ones are Ad-Aware and Spybot Search and Destroy.

Never Let your Guard Down. Bad things can happen to your good name when Phishers (not… not fishermen) get hold of your identity. Do not put up too much personal information on your blogsites for the world to see. Don’t respond to e-mails requesting personal information or click on links in emails that you suspect might be fake. Check a Web site’s security certificate before you enter any personal information, especially if you intend to enter an online banking site. And most importantly, stop leaving yourself open to attacks — log out of your accounts each time you leave your computer, even if for a minute.

Now, these are just basic tips. There are many other measures that one can take to guard against computer crimes. Malaysia, if you browse online, is pretty well known as a hacker’s paradise in this region. Do not let yourself become a victim identity theft. Here’s wishing you safer computing in Year 2009!