eLiteracy.co.uk

Sounding like a potentially wonderful thing, the “Love Bug” was a very destructive virus. Sometimes call the “ILove You” or “LoveLetter” virus, it was created by a young man in Manila and, in May 2000, shut down millions of computers in the United States, most of Europe and other parts of the world.

This type of virus, revolutionary at the time, comes to the user in the form of an e-mail with the subject “I Love You”. It was actually a macro the runs in Microsoft Outlook. These are technically called worms because along with infecting the host computer, they replicate themselves and continue to other systems.
Read the rest of this entry »

Find someone who is not annoyed by pop-ups, and you will have someone who is not an active ‘Net user. Most of us know the drill. You are enjoying visiting some interesting websites and the small window pops up right on top of what you were formerly happily viewing. You close it but another appears. Close it and yet another materializes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Zone Alarm is an Internet security software suite from Zone Labs. One of the principle services offered by the suite, and also available as a free product is a software firewall. This enable users to monitor the activity that goes on between a computer and the Internet, including reports on any hostile attacks on your computer, and the exchange of data through the firewall. With the firewall capability from Zone Alarm, you will be able to select the level of security you want with a personal computer. The highest level of security will restrict access to a lot of sites while the lowest level of security will enable some insecure site visiting.

Read the rest of this entry »

Netiquette is the combination of Internet and etiquette. What is etiquette in the first place? Etiquette is the proper behaviour expected of you when you are in a social environment. When you are in a formal gathering then it is proper for you to wear formal clothes. When you are dining, you should use the proper utensils for every course. Talking out of turn should also be avoided when upholding proper etiquette. Saying bad words is impolite and should be avoided at all costs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Links are a connection from one place on the Internet to another, usually a webpage, image or file. Websites use links for several purposes. You can link your website to another website so that both of you can enjoy increased traffic simultaneously. A website can show advertising links on their web pages so that they can get extra income. Some companies sponsor links on other successful web pages so that they can increase web traffic to their site.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spyware is software designed to monitor computer activities and makes use of personal information. At a minimum, this may be used to monitor browsing habits and tailor advertising delivered on pages; on the other hand it may also be used to gather private details which may be used for identity theft. Other names for spyware or related programs include; malware, crimeware, PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs) , adware, dialers, keyloggers, or spybots.

Read the rest of this entry »

Phishing is a malicious activity performed by online criminals. They want to steal your personal information or your credit card number so that they can launder money through your account. They may want to steal your home billing address or get your passwords so that they can access your personal information and steal your identity. If you do not want phishing activities to bother you then you should be on guard all the time.

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most dreaded things for computer users is a virus. A virus may attack your computer in numerous ways, such as through your email. When you open your email be cautious, sometimes certain attachments may be harmful to your computer. When you click on the attachment, a virus may launch an attack on your computer. A virus can also attack you through an infected disc or downloaded program. When you insert an infected disc into your computer, or run an executable file, a virus may copy itself to the hard drive and replace other files. In some cases a virus can even attack you while you are surfing the Internet innocently! While you go through several web pages, you might run into a site that contains malicious code. You should be careful when visiting unknown sites that request you install any form of software. If you would like to protect yourself from viruses then you should get antivirus software.

Read the rest of this entry »

Spamming is simply mass mailing, also known as unsolicited bulk emailing. You can receive spam in your inbox anytime. You can get offers through spamming, Some of which will offer you free product samples or large discounts on products. Some will even give you free money. Of course, this is what the spam mail tells you but it is not what it does.

Read the rest of this entry »

Trojan horses or Trojans are malware that are disguised so that you will not notice their harmful intentions. The origin of the term is based on the story of the ancient Greek story about the Trojan horse. The Trojans hid inside the horse and offered the horse to their enemies, the city of Troy, as a gift. When their enemies received the gift, the Trojans came out and attacked their enemies while they were sleeping. Trojans on computers act the same way. When Trojans enter your computer, you will think that they are completely harmless. Whilst in the background, these Trojans will launch various attacks and open backdoors to your system. They may erase your files and or corrupt your system.

Read the rest of this entry »