Is your Home Network Safe From Viruses and Hackers?

Internet is definitely become the means for many of our family activities like banking, social security, information for kids, communication with IP telephones, Fax services, Entertainment with internet radio and internet Television broadcasting station, Online music, games etc…The computers that access the internet from home may be our PC or an office computer of even a laptop. The connection you may use at home dial-up (now outdated in most homes), DSL, Cable modems, and other broadband access services.

The motive of this document is to make you aware of the need for home network Security. Laptop computer security is more important as this is a wireless connecting device and can be compromised easier. Security of individual systems is as essential as network security.

Is your Home Network Completely Secure?

You may ask “Why should I be bothered by such a thing? The computer guy who sold me the product surely must have looked into all this before selling it to me”. If you do not know whether your home network is secure or not; there is something else you need to know

• Nearly 10,000 victims had home loans — totaling about $300 million — taken out in their name in 2002 and another 68,000 had new credit cards issued in their name(source msnbc.msn.com)
• Half a billion home PCs that are running unpatched, insecure Windows installs.(sourcewww.eweek.com)

If you do not have a home network security software then intruders target your home computers first as it is likely to be least secured when compared to company and enterprise computers. What do they search for? They look for credit card numbers, bank account information, and any other information that can bring them financial or any other gain. They use the information to make purchases on your card.

Well there is something more. Attackers use your computer to intrude other computers so it would look like you are doing it and they will not get caught or prosecuted. Yes! They use a large number of home PC’s they have intruded on to form a private army of zombie computers that are called botnets. These are used in Denial of Service attacks against enterprises which bring down their networks and compromise their security.

If you have broadband connections like DSL or cable modems you are favorite targets and all this is because you have not kept your home computer or home network secured from these attacks.

Continue to : Your computer at Home: security is needed

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How Secure is Your Wireless Network?

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