Top 5 Internet Security Tips

The Internet is perhaps one of the greatest technological innovations and inventions of the 20th century. Never has there been a time when the East side of the globe had the choice to interact with the West side, as conveniently, quickly and personally, as there is now with the miraculous Internet age. Globalization has been hastened, cultural gaps have been closing.

Along with this gift though comes a curse. Security of each one's identities and personal information have now become more vulnerable to threats. What used to be impossible feat of knowing the personal favorite brand of clothing or the credit card account of one person, can now easily be achieved through the Internet. Breach of security and theft of confidential information is not only possible, it is common.

This is why it has been a major concern for many industries to strengthen their Internet security. Moreover, with laws, government regulation and computer companies' interventions, more threats are being dealt with. This does not mean however that the average computer user should simply disregard his or her own Internet security. One should still take extreme precaution even if you are not an executive of a company or if you do not hold a big bank account.

Here are some common threats one may encounter in the Internet:

1.) Identity theft- Identity theft is when personal and confidential information of a person or a company is stolen and used by an Internet thief for his own benefit. Common cases of Identity theft include black marketing of Identity and illicit use of credit card information.

2.) Threat of online sexual predation - This is common among chat rooms, dating sites or social networking sites. Sexual predators may lure in vulnerable young women and offer them fraudulent jobs but they end up becoming sex slaves.

3.) Malware- malware are malicious software that invade a user's personal computer either to destroy computer programs and components, hack confidential information, or simply duplicate itself to create slow performance for the computer. Malware includes viruses, spyware and adware.

There are many more threats to Internet security. Here are some tips to combat them.

1.) Use an Anti-virus or Anti-spyware software.

Many of these can be freely downloaded online. They scan computer for any type of malware, delete them, and they protect against invasion of these viruses again.

2.) Use a Firewall.

Firewalls barricades your internal network from any external network. A user can also regulate traffic in your computer through the firewall.

3.) Use an Intrusion Detection System (IDS).
IDS is an application that inspects the traffic in your network. Should suspicious activity by unauthorized parties be detected, IDS notifies the user. Some IDS applications also block specific network traffic.

4.) Combine all of these.

For companies, it is best to employ a multi-layered strategy for optimum security. Hackers are often skilled at getting through these security measures so the stronger your security is, the harder for them to crack open the safe.

5.) Be responsible in Internet usage.

Don't give out too much information online. Do not click on just any link.

Tina L. Douglas is a skilled writer from California. With numerous experiences in the field of writing for several financial institutions, she is greatly qualified across a variety of economic issues. Her notable pieces of writing involve internet security software.