Tuesday 25 January 2011

"Is the Internet safe?"


Occasionally, I don the White Coat of Hope, and go onto the masses, in my ordained role of IT Support Reverend, and perform the sacred rite of FixemUp. On many of these occasions, my brethren will impart unto me their woes, and one of the most frequent woes is spoken thus:

"Is the Internet safe?"

In computing circles, this is almost an ecclesiastical question of the highest magnitude - it's like asking "Is their a God?", or more relevently "If I go swimming, will I be bitten by a shark?" Answers to this question have started heated debates ending in blood, tears, injury and lawsuits. Actually, the "shark" analogy is probably the most accurate - let me explain further...

The Internet is huge - take my word for it, it's like the Ocean. Finding what you're looking for is like swimming in the sea looking for a shipwreck of a pirate vessel loaded with gold dubloons - without maps or directions, you'd be lost, poor and wet. Search engines like Google then, are our friends, because they provide the maps for us to navigate the Internet ocean. Most of the time (as far as we are concerned), the sea is safe, and shark free.

However, as any diver, or watcher of Shark Week or Open Water will tell you, always lurking beneath the waves are the sharks - viruses, trojans, adware, phishing sites, porn - all swimming with you, but out of sight most of the time, but all hungry for blood. It's the foolish diver who starts throwing in bloody fish guts, just before he throws himself into the water... but in computing terms, the average user is doing this same thing every day. Lets look at the evidence...
  • Most people that browse use Microsoft Windows (nothing wrong with that) - an operating system that is easy to use, but where the home user (by default) has ADMINSTRATIVE POWER - great news for the shark, as all he has to do is to trick the user into running a program that will let the shark in - tantamount to giving the shark the keys to your shark cage...
  • Windows needs to be constantly updated to keep it secure - forget, and the sharks will sense blood. Trouble is, users have a habit of turning things off - like automatic updates. Forget to update, and that shark spear gun you were carrying will shoot you in the foot...
  • Most people use Internet Explorer - the most well known, abused, insecure browser that exists - to access the Internet. Never mind giving the sharks the key to the shark cage - the shark is now on the boat, wearing life support, and carrying UZIs...
Add all these together, and you may as well be wearing a blood-soaked wet suit, with bloody, raw steak tied to your weights belt, banging a dinner gong and shouting "YOO-HOO SHARKIES - COME TO PAPA!" - Quinn would be turning in his grave I tell you...

However, you can take precautions, and swim safely - and in the next installment, we'll discuss how. I'm off to buy a bigger boat...

2 comments:

MSzorady said...

Great tips here for Windows users. Very succinct and nice visuals.:) Bottom line, protect yourself at all times.

Hypervox said...

Glad you liked it Mark :)