I'm so happy the Forums are back online. What with all the hacking and malware like Conficker, I thought it would be long after the summer when the Forums would return. I feel sorry for those members who got hacked, and I hope they get their accounts back.
In today's internet, the security risk has never been higher. To help everyone through these dangerous times, I have made a list of safety protocols that may help you.
-Check your email for attachments.
If that email has one, examine the file. If it looks like a harmless picture file (eg. Giant fish.png), don't trust appearances. If you look closely, the whole file may be Giant fish.png.exe. This is a trick hackers use to spread viruses in the form of applications. .png isn't a format in this case, it's part of the name of the app! Even if the return address is from a friend, it may be a trick! This may all be a concealment to make you think a virus is a harmless image! The familiar name of the sender? He may be hacked, or the system itself may be hacked.
-Disable plugins and javascript when visiting strange websites.
If you want to visit a web page with a bizarre URL first turn off all plugins and javascript (plugins includes things like java and flash.) Hackers can't upload files to you with just HTML (if they don't hack directly into your computer, which unless you're a security guru, is almost impossible to counter or detect when done right.)
-Disable pop-ups
These can upload all sorts of files to your computer. Just disable them. And they're just plain annoying.
-Back up your files on an external hard drive often if the worst happens (you wipe your hard drive)
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This has been a message from Beyond the Gate
