Cyber crime and your broadband connection
Thursday 25 January 2007 20:28:02 by Andrew Ferguson
The internet is still a very young medium and when one considers the number of years it took from the introduction of the car to things like compulsory fitting of seat belts to cars in the UK in 1967 (source: RoSPA) the amount of options to protect yourself, your family and business is almost bewildering.
An item on BBC News Online ponders whether criminals may one day overwhelm the web, through things like creating massive networks computers under their own control without the actual owner of the computer being aware of this. The figure of 100 to 150 million computers already forming part of these botnets as they are known out of the 600 million computers on the internet, does look worrying.
So what can you do? Quite a lot really, and while much of what you can do may seem confusing, sites like GetSafeOnline.org can help many people.
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...and discover you still need to keep your browser updated, and run a firewall.
Plus you've paid a large premium for the hardware.
staff member)
about 1 year ago
http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1165
Is worth a look for Mac users
There is much to be said for using a router (with built-in hardware firewall) instead of an ADSL modem, even if you have only a single computer. It is always wise to have your firewall separate from any computers that you use for business or pleasure. Ideally, yes, using a Mac (or other BSD, or Linux) box is safer at present (and much cheaper).
Unfortunately, the whole trend of "Web 2.0" (creating a visible presence on the Web, publishing data about yourself, and exchanging email addresses) also makes you a target.
No need for browser updates, and a very good firewall system is built in.
And there is no need to worry about viruses, and dodgy websites either.
MrTAToad2:- I admire your confidence, are there NO documented instances of hacks/intrusions/virii in macs then?
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/6534/52/1/3/
http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html
http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/9044/53/
There's no arguing that macs today ARE safer than PCs, but there's every possibility that attackers are scheming away to change this soon
Or you can keep things simple and by a Mac...