Protect Your Computer 

While the majority of people use computers for lawful purposes, there is a small minority who use this technology to commit criminal acts. It is important for everyone to take action to protect themselves from people who would misuse this important technology.

The Internet - is a global "network of computers" which is not governed by any entity. Although it contains information on nearly every topic imaginable, there are no limits or checks on the kind of information that is maintained and accessible to Internet users.

E-mail - is electronic mail that can be transmitted from one computer to another via the Internet. Documents and pictures can be "attached" to this e-mail and sent to the receiving computer where they can be viewed and/or printed.

Usenet Groups - also called News Groups, these are postings on specific topics, where the comments and/or pictures follow one another in a bulletin board style.

Chat Rooms - Also called Internet Relay Chat (IRC), these areas are where participants can talk to each other in "real time" with their remarks appearing as they enter them.

Even adults must always be aware when they are online. These are some of the hazards that await the unwary or unprepared:

• Everything you read online may not be true. Remember, any offer that's "too good to be true" probably is. There are many scams and frauds that occur via the Internet - be aware!
• Never give out your credit card number to anyone unless you totally trust them.
• Be very cautious about downloading software programs from the Internet. These can contain computer viruses that can damage or cripple the information on your computer.

Children & the Internet: The Risks

Some of the risks to children include:

• Exposure to inappropriate material of a sexual or violent nature
• Physical molestation - while online, a child might provide information or arrange an encounter that could risk his or her safety. Pedophiles have used online contacts to gain a child's confidence and then arranged a face-to-face meeting.
• Harassment - a child might encounter e-mail or messages that are harassing, demeaning, belligerent, suggestive or threatening.
• Invitation to Sexual Touching
• Luring for a sexual purpose

Protecting your Children

• Learn about computers. Take a computer course and/or ask your children to teach you how to operate the computer.
• Talk to your children about their use of the computer and discuss the dangers they may encounter online. Create a list of online rules and post them by the computer.
• Keep the computer in a common area of your home, so that children's activities can be easily monitored.
• Limit time allotted on a computer. Watch to see if your child is withdrawing from friends and family. Excessive computer usage may indicate a problem.
• Accompany your child when they are in chat rooms, or consider blocking out chat entirely. You can also consider routing your child's e-mail into your own account first - so you can screen the e-mail for any undesirable messages.
• Obtain a software-filtering package that can block access to Internet sites or e-mail messages that you deem inappropriate for your children. This software can also log all of your child's activity on the Internet so you can review it later. Remember though, this software is not foolproof and cannot take the place of parental involvement and supervision.
• Find out from your Internet Service Provider whether you have a filtered or unfiltered feed. The filtered feed will not allow access to the majority of sex-related Usenet Groups. However, as a parent you should be aware that this is not foolproof, and there are other ways for your child to access this information.
• Watch for the storing of computer files that end with GIF, JPG, MPG, AVI, MOV, BMP, TIF, PCX, DL or GL as these contain photographic or movie images which could contain unsuitable content. 

Rules for Safe Computing for Children

The following are excellent family safety rules for online computing. Encourage your children to acknowledge and follow these rules:

1. Children should always ask for their parents' permission before giving out their full name, address, age, sex, telephone number or school name. Children should be made aware that people could pose as someone else while they are online. 
2. If they come across any information that makes them feel uncomfortable or scared, they should hit the "back" key, log off and tell a trusted adult as soon as possible.
3. They should never respond to any obnoxious, sexual or menacing e-mail messages they receive. All electronic harassment and/or abuse should be reported to the company responsible for your Internet access. The police should be notified of all attempts by adults to set up meetings with children, or if you become aware of the transmission, use, or viewing of child pornography.
4. Children should never agree to meet in person with someone they've met online unless they have discussed it with their parents first. If they get permission to meet someone, an adult should always accompany them and the meeting should be arranged for a public place.

Protect Your Computer

Your home computer is a popular target for intruders. Why? Because intruders want what you've stored there. They look for credit card numbers, bank account information, and anything else they can find. By stealing that information, intruders can use your money to buy themselves goods and services.

Why are intruders paying attention to home computers? Home computers are typically not very secure and are easy to break into. When combined with high-speed Internet connections that are always turned on, intruders can quickly find and then attack home computers. While intruders also attack home computers connected to the Internet through dial-in connections, high-speed connections (cable modems and DSL modems) are a favorite target.

No matter how a home computer is connected to the Internet, intruders' attacks are often successful. Many home computer owners don't realize that they need to pay attention to computer security. In the same way that you are responsible for having insurance when you drive a car, you need to also be responsible for your home computer's security. This document explains how some parts of the Internet work and then describes tasks you can do to improve the security of your home computer system. The goal is to keep intruders and their programs off your computer.

How do intruders break into your computer? In some cases, they send you email with a virus. Reading that email activates the virus, creating an opening that intruders use to enter or access your computer. In other cases, they take advantage of a flaw or weakness in one of your computer's programs (a vulnerability) to gain access.

Once they're on your computer, they often install new programs that let them continue to use your computer - even after you plug the holes they used to get onto your computer in the first place. These backdoors are usually cleverly disguised so that they blend in with the other programs running on your computer.

Secure Your Computer

What Should I Do To Secure My Home Computer?

• Install and Use Anti-Virus & AntiSpyware Programs
  • See links below for free versions
• Keep Your System Patched
• Set Windows Update to run automatically
• Use Care When Reading Email with Attachments
• Install and Use a Firewall Program
  • See link below for free versions
• Make Backups of Important Files and Folders
• Use Strong Passwords
• Use Care When Downloading and Installing Programs
• Install and Use a Hardware Firewall
• Install and Use a File Encryption Program and Access Controls

More detailed information: http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/