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Internet Security Concerns About Spam

By Kristin Gabriel

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 10Nov2010
Word count: 483
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Why should you care about spam? Spam is unsolicited junk email often used to advertise products and services, for phishing or to drive recipients to malicious websites. Spam typically accounts for over 95 percent of all email traffic worldwide.

Spam in email started to become a problem when the Internet was opened up to the general public in the mid-1990s. Also known as unsolicited bulk email, commercial email, and junk mail -- spam is the practice of sending unwanted messages in large quantities, usually with commercial content, to recipients.

Phishing emails are spam made to look like a commercial email from a vendor. This kind of spam then sends you to a fake site designed to obtain private information. Spam is not only annoying, but it can also fill up your personal email box or company email server. A cybercriminal will typically use spam to infiltrate personal computers with adware, spyware, and malware. This is why it is so important to use the latest antivirus cloud technology, so you won't be vulnerable.

Spam uses social engineering, techniques that manipulate people into performing specific actions such as clicking on a URL, a malicious file, or responding with your personal information such as bank account or social security numbers. Today's spam not only offers of discount pharmaceuticals, it also uses adult content, as well as political headlines to get people's opinions.

Much of today's email spam is sent via zombie networks, with virus infected emails that download to personal computers. In order to protect your business, follow these tips:

1. Make sure you keep PCs and servers are current with the latest Internet security software.

2. Make sure to minimize exposure to vulnerabilities by applying the latest security updates and patches to your software programs and operating systems.

3. Use a security solution to protect you from identification theft, risky websites and spam.

4. Enable automatic updates where you can.

5. Don't forget to educate your company's employees about spam and how they can help prevent it, and ensure that they never provide personal or confidential information in response to unsolicited email or instant message requests.

6. Set up a firewall to control the data coming through your ports.

Although spam is most widely recognized as a form of junk email, the term can also be applied to abuses in other media, including mobile phones, faxes, instant messages, user newsgroups, Internet forums, blogs, online gaming, video sites, and social networking sites, to name just a few.

Spamming is still legal and viable, despite legislation in many international and national jurisdictions attempting to make it illegal.

The costs organizations - extensive lost productivity and even fraud. Plus it is just plain annoying as the interruptions can be extensive in a given work day. That's why it is important to keep an up-to-date and active antivirus Internet security program on your personal computer and company network at all times.

Kristin Gabriel writes for Trend Micro Titanium Internet Security products which use cloud technology to automatically stop viruses and spyware before they reach your computer. Real-time updates keep PCs protected from the latest online threats. Titanium antivirus software is designed to be easy-to-use and understand with simple screens and reports and includes spam blocking and customizable parental controls.Visit: www.trendmicro.com.

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