Terms and Definitions
The most commonly used terms with respect to online security are shown in the column on the left. When you move your mouse over any of these, a brief definition of the term will be provided.
Protecting Online Security for your Home PC
First the scary part… 
Just about everybody has heard about computer viruses and "worms" that can infect your PC and wreak havoc on your operating system or files, and very few of us have completely escaped from these forms of online threats. New forms of these threats emerge every day. These viruses and worms are insidious little programs that can take control of your system or email service and cause great annoyance if not damage. Recently new variants of software called spyware and adware have rampaged over the web to monitor and try and take control of your online activities.
Today online security risk for Home PC users has escalated even further due to the many people online via dedicated broadband connections. Some folks remain online 24 hours a day. People who remain connected through such a broadband connection are "sitting on the Internet" and potentially exposed to any hacker out there with a malicious desire to try to access your files.
Another reason security risk has escalated is the increased availability of wireless access and use of wireless home networks. For those that use them, these are great and they're fast! But they do present some risk. The bottom line is that unless your PC and your network is protected, a malicious person could be standing in your driveway and gain access to an Excel file that contains the names and phone numbers of your best friends, or into a Word document that contains a list of your credit cards. I can tell you this - my computer is connected to the Internet by a "cable modem" that my cable company in New Jersey has provided - I get hundreds of uninvited visitors that are potential intrusions into my system every day! That is a fact.
The good news is that today's operating systems, browsers, network encrytion capabilities, and software deterrents, while not infallible, can and do prevent such intrusions, so long as you take necessary steps and follow the rules. Having done so your online security concerns should not keep you awake at night.
Home Computer Security for your Family
This perhaps is the most challenging topic, because there are no off-the-shelf solutions or software solutions that solve the problem entirely. YOU must be involved here. The greatest threat to your children's online security comes from chat rooms where unscrupulous people - complete strangers present themselves anonymously however they want. As adults, we are suspect of online friends, but children can be susceptible to these people.
There are many software programs out there that allow you to monitor your childrens' activities online - without their knowledge you are watching them. Some programs capture keystrokes, chat room and web page visits. Others even capture screen images and save them for you to look at when your children are away from the PC.
Our firm has excellent experience in this field. Our partners originated one of the first such spying programs called SmartAlex© back in 1998, even before online security for children became such a focused and serious issue. Today, there are some brilliantly conceived surveillance programs that do just about everything - to the point of alerting you by email when the program senses a security risk. Some folks use these programs to monitor the online activity of their spouse. Regardless of your reason for using online security surveillance software, remember this one thing:
You have to look at the logs to see what's going on! If you are monitoring your children's activity online you have to be willing to find out what it is they are (or are not) doing that may well be upsetting to you and be ready to deal with it as an adult parent. |
More tips for safe online chatting and Online Guide for Parents from McAfee.
About this Site
This web site on Online Security is brought to you by Relativity LLC, a Long Island, NY based business and technology consulting firm that specializes in technology and security solutions for mid-market companies. Here, in simple English, we'll try to provide you with some key understanding of the most common online security threats, and point you in the direction of some easy to use and affordable home computer security solutions.
While there are real security risks online, our view is that they can be all but eliminated by good common sense and taking the proper and essential steps to avert the most common forms of security breaches, personal intrusions and virus attacks. Therefore we offer not only advice, but also a full range of pre-screened security software products - from value-priced to "industrial strength" software and services to protect your family's online activities.
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