1 Spam: Most hacker attacks start with junk mail….a.k.a spam. A hacker will send out enticingly titled messages such as “I Love You” or “Free Gift!” to hundreds or even thousands of illegally obtained email addresses. These spam emails can trick you into giving away sensitive personal information, going to dangerous websites, or even downloading programs that will give a hacker total control over your computer! Hackers are very savvy in their computer knowledge and will go to great lengths to make their spam emails as believable as possible.
2 Downloads: Downloading off the Internet became wildly popular when Napster was introduced to cyberspace. And now, even though law enforcement has cracked down on music downloading, a quick Google search will reveal tons of websites dedicated to downloading music, video, software and images (either legally or illegally) off the Internet.
But beware - when you download you could be getting more than you bargained for. Many “free” downloads have spyware, adware and even viruses hidden inside them that will infect your computer and put you at risk.
3 Popups: Everybody knows that popups are annoying, but did you know that they can also be a big security risk? Popups are a tool that Hackers use as another way of getting your attention and tricking you into doing things that could put your personal information at risk. Be on the lookout for both browser popups and Window Messenger popups. Hackers use these to advertise products and services that seem legitimate, but hidden within these popups viruses or spyware could be lurking and with just one click, you could be infected!
4 ActiveX: ActiveX technology is used by many reputable websites like banks and online merchants in order to make your online experience better. Unfortunately, hackers have figured out ways to exploit ActiveX and use it against you. Hackers use documented security holes in ActiveX to get into your computer and steal the valuable information they find there. And all this could happen from just visiting a questionable website



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