The 17 Most Dangerous Places on the Web

[Lewis]

When you are done reading, go to this link to get the full important impact of this article, because it could save you a lot of time and money, believe me.
The 17 Most Dangerous Places on the Web - PCWorld

The scariest sites on the Net? They're not the ones you might suspect. Here's what to watch for and how to stay safe.

Those photos of Jessica Alba may be murder on your PC. That Google search result that looks as if it answers all your questions may do nothing but create a serious tech headache. The fun you had watching that hilarious video you downloaded may not be worth the misery it can cause your system.

You've been warned that the Internet is something of a security minefield--that it's easy to get in trouble. You can do everything you can think of to protect yourself and still be taken by a malware infection, a phishing scam, or an invasion of on**line privacy. We'd like to provide a little help. Here are some of the hazards you may encounter, how dangerous they are, and what you can do to stay out of harm's way.

Not all Web dangers are created equal. Thankfully, our friends at the Department of Homeland Security have made our work of classifying Web threats a little easier. Will you get taken just by visiting that unfamiliar site? Or will you have to look for trouble? Let our threat level indicator be your guide.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/206107/the_17_most_dangerous_places_on_the_web.html?&tk=hp_fv

 

[reba]

lewis,

I like google and sure dont like google.. what shows on my screan i like the stright answer to a search question. What i dont like is it seems to track me. I went to the link you posted here and it is confusing. So much information it boggles my mind...

Is there a good search that is not google ? To protect myself and computer i could use sometihing like a list of what to do, a list with out options. Computer protection for dummies!


I used to panic if i was doing something wrong when the computer asked if i was sure i wanted to close the window....

 

[Lewis]

Reba the internet is dangerous, look at how I let my guard down and my laptop got stolen. Because I was key logged or screen logged, or I was phished.

 

[tim-from-pa]

The 17 Most Dangerous Places on the Web.....

Only for Microsoft. On our main computers here, its days are numbered--- eventually I'll load Ubuntu. In the meantime, I have Linux live CD and also Android OS to surf anything doubtful and don't worry. It can be done, and I always said it could be done back in the 1990's already when geeks had a 1001 reasons why it could not be done. Well, these newer OS's came out and proven me right but back then Micro-freakin'-soft had the monopoly on all this stuff and bamboozled us into believing viruses were a way of life.

Actually, if I was smart I'd visit that site and deliberately kill my PC so I could surf it with Linux safely and carefree from this computer. But I'm too lazy these days to fuss with something that's running for the time-being unless it was absolutely necessary. One day I'll get off my butt and refurbish or rebuild these computers.

 

[kenan]

11:45 a.m. I start the experiment with a pristine, clean PC running Windows Vista. 11:55 a.m. I need to check my e-mail. I download what appears to be a résumé file. Strange, I'm not hiring. I open it anyway. My screen flickers a little, but nothing starts. Hmm...

He deserved it for having a Windows PC without having a firewall, basic antivirus, and Common Sense Pro 2011. I've done this test with Windows XP before, and I had a fake antivirus virus in less than 15 minutes, I kid you not :D



The internet isn't "dangerous," it's just not a place for you to let your guard down. You give out personal information, you go onto websites that are obviously no good, you don't make incremental backups: you're going to get burned, fast, just as you would in real life.



That, or you could just start using using a Unix-like OS or Linux distribution. They tend only to get root-kits (very, very rarely - you're more likely to bugger up something yourself than for someone else to), and even for that, you're hard pressed to get any real problems unless you've got a human on the other end trying to force their way into your computer - Unix/Linux is built with security and stability in mind, and they all do that very, very well.

 

[WIP]

Here are my rules of thumb.

I NEVER give out my name, address, phone number, CC#, SS# or any other personal information to ANYONE that I did not solicit. In other words, if they contacted me but I didn't initiate the contact then they are OFF LIMITS!

I am always suspicious of any email I receive from anyone that I do not know. I don't even open the mail unless I know them or am expecting the message.

I am always suspicious of any email I receive from businesses unless I have subscribed to receive emails from them. I never open the mail unless I was expecting the message.

I NEVER give out my name, address, phone number, CC#, SS#, or any other personal information to any business that sends me an email requesting this information. I will look up their number and call them myself to verify that they need the information. NOTE: I will NEVER call them using the number provided in the email that made the request as this too may be bogus.

Most businesses and especially financial institutions will NEVER email you to request personal information. NEVER reply or click on links in a message like this.

I NEVER click on links or open emails that promise prizes or winnings or rewards for responding.

I NEVER click links to upgrade software in emails that claim to come from the software manufacturer. For example, I once received a message that looked like it came from Microsoft claiming that I should click a link to install a security patch. MICROSOFT WILL NEVER contact any customer via email for this purpose. If you want to verify that the email is legitimate, browse the web for their home page and check for yourself. They will provide the necessary links there if they are real.