Computer Security and Hacking

Computer security is need and issue of global concern. It's an issue of concern for every internet user including those who use internet for entertainment and educational purposes.

I am sure all of you will agree with the statement that internet has really changed our lives. It's probably the best tools or inventions known to the mankind. But the biggest problem with the internet is, that as soon as you connect to the internet till the time you disconnect, no matter what you do online, it's always being watched.

I will explain you soon how dangerous or less private internet has really made our lives ....

How many of you have Hotmail, Yahoomail, Gmail accounts?
Stop using it. Hotmail, Yahoomail put together have millions of users across the globe. And every single email that you send or receive by all those millions of users is actually being scanned for certain keywords. In other words, if you send (or receive) a email with keywords - "Kill XYZ ABC", immediately you are blacklisted, a background check is done on you and if any link between you and any terrorist organisation is found, then obviously you are caught, otherwise you are let go free.

How many of you use Google.com - the best search engine on the internet ?
Stop using it. Google is actually known to keep the record of every single user searching habits on the internet. In other words, whatever search query you typed on google.com is actually send to a permanent database which is stored by classifying it by session id or by the username if specifically you have a gmail account.

How many of you use instant messengers like MSN, Yahoo!, AOL, Indiatimes, rediff etc. ?
Stop using it. If you remember, almost all instant messengers have a small advertisment. Now this small flashy advertisment is not only a fantastic marketing tool or revenue stream but at the same time it is actually a spyware which keeps a record of all your internet moves and tranmits it to various chat comapnies.

How many of you use AntiVirus like Nortan, McAffee and so on ?
Stop using it. It is a widely accepted fact by the internet community that the antivirus companies are themselves creating viruses, releasing them on the internet infact on the systems with these tools installed and then providing a counter solution.

How many of you use Microsoft Windows XP?
Stop using it. If you remember, each time an error takes place on Microsoft Windows XP, a pop-up dialogue box is shown on the screen and that dialogue box will ask you whether you wish to report the error or not. If you chose not to report the error, then things are fine. But if for some reasons you wish to report the error, then not only the error is being reported but along with that a entire list of hardware and software installed on your computer gets transmitted to Microsoft.

How many of you use the internet?
Stop using it. No matter what you do online, no matter what you do using internet, every single move of yours is being recorded every single move of yours is being monitored or is being logged on some server or the other.

Obviously, it is not possible to stop using internet, that's where your knowledge, your understanding, your experience regarding most common tools, techniques and methods already known to the computer criminals really comes in.

If everybody who uses the internet understands the risks involved, if everybody who use the internet understood how computer criminals work, then the internet will be a safer place to be in.

So this article, is one such attempt to create general awareness regarding the most common, most dangerous, threats, loop holes, vulnebralities all of us face on the regualr basis on the internet.