Back in the days when modems were the only way to get online - this is back in the cyberworld equivalent of the stone age - things were a lot simpler.
Hackers only went after businesses and governments, and viruses were just an annoyance.
Because there were so few threats 20 years ago, few people bought anti-virus programs either. In hindsight, it was kind of silly. If you did buy an A/V program back then, it only worked against the viruses everybody already knew about. If a new virus came out, you had to go buy the update at a store.
Unfortunately, today what most people think they need to be safe online hasn't kept pace with the reality. Neither has most people's understanding of what the dangers are online. Twenty years ago, no one ever had to worry about things like spamming, phishing, malware and botnets.
A friend the other day asked me about a new virus on Facebook. A new virus? That's odd. New viruses - a replicating programme that usually damages a system - are a rarity these days. I asked if instead it was a new trojan, keylogger or some other type of malware. I think I could have been speaking swahili for the look I got.
The "virus" my friend was asking about was Koobface, which is currently hitting social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and many other. Any confusion over what Koobface "is" has to be excused, since I've several news stories about it that didn't know either. It's been reported as virus, a worm and a trojan. To keep it simple, Koobface is malware (a term used to describe any software that is harmful to your computer). How it works is that you receive an email, which contains a link to what is supposed to be a video, through your social networking account. If you click on the link, you'll soon be prompted to download software that says it will allow you to watch a video. It's bogus. The downloaded software is really a trojan horse, an application that will attempt to steal personal information. The trojan will use your account to send the original email to your friends, who can then get infected themselves.
So what can you do? You can - and probably should - go out and buy anti-virus and internet security software. Today's A/V programs cover bots, keyloggers and most other type of malware you can encounter these days. Most importantly, you should also use your brain. While security problems will stop almost everything from getting through, using a little common sence will stop you from having to put your software to the test. For years secucity companies have been saying "don't open email from people you don't know". That rule still applies and it applies to social networking e-mails just as much as it does to the ones you receive in your Outlook inbox.
The same goes for downloading files. If your computer tells you it needs the latest version of Flash, OK. You will need to update your software occasionally, but pay attention to where you're downloading the file from. If you have to update your Flash player, go to Abode.com and get it from the guys who make it. Don't trust generic websites. The cyberworld is getting worse, and it's getting worse on a daily basis. That doesn't mean you need to avoid going online or know the difference between a worm and a virus. It does mean you need to think before you click that link. This isn't the '80s. It's time start thinking about security.
The "virus" my friend was asking about was Koobface, which is currently hitting social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and many other ... It's been reported as virus, a worm and a trojan.
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