This page is designed to give you the knowledge and tools to protect your computer and your identity in the dangerous world of online computing. The Help Desk recommends you go through each section carefully in order to maximize your computer’s safety and the integrity of your personal information.

	General Tips	Here are several steps that you can take to make sure that you are doing as much as you can to protect yourself from online identity theft.	&
	E-mail/Phishing	Phishing scams are emails designed to trick you into providing sensitive personal information such as your password, credit card numbers, account numbers, etc. Here are some tips to help protect you from this type of identity theft.	&
	Social Networking	Social Networking sites like Facebook and MySpace are great ways to meet up with and make new friends, but they can also be dangerous if you are not cautious.	&
	Strong Passwords	Strong Passwords are the first line of defense when protecting your computer and identity online.	&
	Viruses and Worms	The most important part of protecting your computer is to ensure it is not vulnerable to destructive viruses and worms - this is a must for every computer.	&
	SecurityUpdates	Keeping your computer’s operating system updated with the latest Windows Critical Updates or Macintosh Security Updates is essential to the security of your system.	&
	Malware	Malware (also called spyware or adware) uses your computer’s resources to track what websites you visit and, in certain cases, attempt to capture your passwords to aid in identity theft. Removing malware will also noticeably speed up your computer.
	Internet Popups	Pop-up ads are an increasingly annoying part of surfing the web. Click here to find out how to get rid of them for good.
	Email Spam	As you know, junk email can be very frustrating. This section will teach you how to filter the junk so you never even have to see it. Phishing and other types of email scams are also prolific; we’ll show you how to recognize and ignore them.	&
	Data Loss	Since more and more important information is being stored electronically, it’s important to know how to make sure your data is safe. Peruse this section to learn how to back up your data.	&

Click Here to view the current state of the Internet (including the latest threats and scams)

Last Updated 07/24/08

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