According to the U.S. General Accounting Office, cybercrime accounts for a net loss of $67 billion every year. What’s the breakdown? The biggest taker is identify theft, which nets criminals $49.3 billion a year. Phishing picks up a measly $1 billion (what a pittance, eh?)
How can you ensure the bots don’t break into your box? Here a few tips from the San Francisco Chronicle:
- Install a ‘hardware’ firewall between your computer and the network — this could be a wireless router, but be sure that the router is properly configured with password protection.
- Make sure your computer’s ’software’ firewall is activated. This is often accessible via the Windows control panel for PC users.
- Viruses, trojan horses, and phishing attacks often arrive via e-mail or IM links. Don’t click on suspicious links!
- Use anti-virus software and keep the software’s virus definitions updated.
- Avoid the seedy side of the web (porn and bootlegged software sites).
- Hire security-conscious web developers if you’re a web 2.0 biz!
