Desktops, Laptops and Servers

Hackers/Malware vs. How to Safely Use the Internet

For the past two years, I’ve been on edge when it comes to my digital world. I never know if I’ll wake up and see a website defaced, a server being DDoSed or hacked, or my own computers infected by some 0-day junk. No, I’m not paranoid — that’s the voice of experience.

Excluding spam, malicious computer activity exponentially increased in 2011. It was simply out of control, and I thought it would only get worse as the years pressed on.

Everything from very large corporations to home computers were targeted by an array of groups and individuals.

If you’ve never heard of this, or taken steps to protect yourself, I’m not surprised. It doesn’t seem to make local news coverage. Ratings-hungry cable networks long ago abandoned topics deemed too complex for the average TV nincompoop. Print news buried it. The news we do get has been sidetracked by politics or the weather.

However, for somebody who relies on the internet to run a business, this can be just as devastating as any hurricane or tornado. We’ve seen a decrease in the past year, but is it a calm before the storm? Here are some ways that you can try and protect yourself. [Read more]