Spyware: This is an all-inclusive term that includes the majority of malware like trojans (“Trojan Horses”), adware, pop up ads, modified cookies and key-loggers, to name a few. Spyware is generally constructed to look over your online activity and reveal flaws in security. Hackers have come up with complicated tools like key-loggers that can record every key that is typed — passwords, bank data and email can all be revealed with this software.

Prevent Spyware: Look for an anti-spyware program which is endorsed by a trusted company like CNet.

Identity Theft: Hackers are able to use various methods to steal information about you. Once the information is accessed, it will make it easy for them to purchase items online with your credit card data, create fake documents, and intercept your paycheck. This issue is addressed in most high quality Internet security software.

Avoid ID Theft: Make certain you know exactly who you are buying from. Before entering any information, be sure that there is a valid SSL certificate on the page. Sites that are secure start with “https:” instead of “http:” and there should be no error or warning icons evident in your browser.

Spam: Spam (unsolicted email) that you receive in your email is usually just annoying, but can include malicious links that can infect your computer with a virus, spyware or attract additional spam. One viable option is to utilize a good spam filter application.

Avoid SPAM: Avoiding too much spam mail can be achieved by using Internet security software and, of course, common sense. If you haven’t subscribed to an email, don’t “unsubscribe” from it. This informs that spammer that you are an actual person and your spam can actually double or triple instantly if you click on the “unsubscribe” link.

Phishing: This is a term related to identity theft and is a serious Internet security threat. This plays out by sending messages to your email address that appear to be from a trusted site, such as a financial institution or even Paypal. The links take you to a fake site that looks and acts like the trusted one. When you enter your personal information, the hacker will be able to make online transactions using your money or your info that was entered at the site.

Do Not Allow Phishing: Never enter a link that appears “phishy”. Find out exactly what the “.com” is linked to. The URL ought to conclude with the expected name, instead of starting with the expected name. If you go to the Bank of America site, the URL should look like this: http://somesubdomain.bankofamerica.com. But if you are at a phishing site, the URL may look like this: http://bankofamerica.myphishingdomain.com. And immediately exit if the website directs you to an IP address (an IP address looks like: 111.22.333.456) You can be more confident (but it is not 100% effective) if you are using Internet Explorer, as it has a phishing filter that can alert you to suspected phishing sites.

Along with spam advertisements hawking prescription medicines, ‘cheap’ mortgage rates and online gambling sites, there are a number of common scams whose sole goal is to separate you from your money.

One well-known example, circulating for years now, is the Nigerian bank scam. The sender, allegedly the wife or relative of a former dictator or government official (usually in Nigeria, hence the name) tells the sad story of how millions were deposited in a bank account which is no longer accessible. In exchange for your help, they’re willing to share this wealth – for a few mere thousands from your bank account for ‘expenses’. As ludicrous as it seems, people fall for this every year. In one well-publicized case an elderly Czech man who had lost his life savings to this scam shot the Nigerian consul in Prague.

Another fairly common scam is investments with extraordinary returns. They’ll claim to be risk-free but this is obviously not the case. Once you send them your initial investment, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever hear from them again, unless it’s to ask for more money.

These scams can also effect legitimate businesses you might be dealing with. Because there is so much spam these days, the email services are working hard to filter it out. These filters can sometimes stop legitimate messages, however, and you may not receive something you wanted.

How To Avoid Getting Stung

First, never reply to spam. This just tells the spammer that your email is in fact valid and the amount of spam you’ll receive will quickly multiply. Some spam will even include a link at the bottom for removing yourself from their list. If it’s a true spam email, don’t use this – it just confirms your email address as well. If you did sign up to receive the email however, this is a legitimate way of removing yourself from future mailings.

And above all else, never give any private information like credit card numbers or bank account information via email. Companies like Paypal or your bank will never ask for your username and password in an email message.

Spam isn’t an easy things to stop, but if you don’t recognize the person sending you the message, and it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Besides, how many dead Nigerian dictators with huge bank accounts can there really be?

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Most of us get spam trying to sell us things, most commonly prescriptions, cheap mortgage rates, online gambling and other, more “adult” topics. Most of us just delete them or hit the “spam” button and move on. There are some other types of spam that are a little more serious, however.

One of the most common ones has been around for many years – the Nigerian bank scam. The person sending the email pretends to be the wife, brother, lawyer, banker or have some other relationship with some kind of government official in Nigeria. They tell the sad story of money that was deposited in a bank account but can’t be accessed because the person has died. They offer to give you a share of the wealth in return for accepting a transfer of the money to your bank account. The catch is, you need to give them your bank account information and transfer several thousand dollars to them first for “expenses”. Naturally, you never see any of the money that is promised after sending the expense funds. It sounds obvious, but people fall for this scam year after year, even though it has been going on for so long.

Another fairly common scam is investments with extraordinary returns. They’ll claim to be risk-free but this is obviously not the case. Once you send them your initial investment, it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever hear from them again, unless it’s to ask for more money.

Remember these offers are worse than even ordinary spam. Legitimate businesses do not promote their products by spamming. They e-mail selected groups, generally those who have purchased from them before or voluntarily offered an e-mail address. Other offers should usually be ignored. Simply hit your delete button. However, even highlighting the e-mail in order to delete it can signal a spammer that you received one.

How To Sidestep These Scams

Firstly, never ever reply to spam, either by hitting reply or by clicking a link in the email. These things will only serve to confirm your email address is active and you will shortly start to receive much more spam than you do already.

Never send any private information like credit card numbers or username & passwords by email. Legitimate companies like Paypal or your bank will never ask for these things directly through email.

What is spam to one person may be a welcomed advertisement to another, so it isn’t a simple thing to stop. But in general, if you don’t recognize the person sending you the message, it’s probably not someone you wanted to hear from. After all, how many former dictators can there really be in Nigeria?

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Pop-ups are the annoying ads and other things on the internet that open on your monitor as you’re surfing the web. Their main goal is to either get you to visit a certain website or to collect your name and email address for marketing purposes.

These pop-ups are usually caused by something called Javascript, which is a simple programming language built into the web page you’re visiting.

Sometimes these pop-ups can be useful. It may ask you for your login information or something else to log you into the website, or it might give you more information on something without taking you away from the page you’re looking at. Music sites, for example, often use a pop-up for their players. These reasons are all legitimate uses and are quite a bit more acceptable than some of the advertising pop-ups.

The Javascript language can set the size of the window, where it’s displayed on the screen and even whether or not the close button gets displayed. If the menu bars and close button are hidden, it can be next to impossible to get rid of the pop-up, unless you either enter what it’s asking for or close your browser completely.

Some of these pop-ups can cause other problems as well. They may be poorly programmed, or they may be intentionally malicious and can cause many windows to be opened. And when you close one, several more open to replace it. When this happens, the only way to get rid of them is to close the browser.

A recent type of pop-up is created using software called Flash and can even be made to follow your mouse around the screen as you move it.

One of the more notorious uses of pop-ups is in adware, which often opens pop-ups related to the web pages you’re looking at, even if it’s not from that website. This adware is supported by advertising, which is why it uses these pop-ups to get your attention. It usually comes along with some other program, which may actually be useful, and gets installed at the same time. If you don’t read the license agreement closely when you install it, you might miss the fact that this is going to happen even though they tell you (although it’s usually hidden somewhere in the middle of the agreement, where most people never see it).

Another form of pop-up is called the pop-under. It opens a window behind the main window and you won’t see it until you close your main browser window. These types are less annoying, but can still be a pain.

The main problem with pop-ups is the nuisance they cause, and almost every web browser has some kind of pop-up killer included these days.

You can also get specialized pop-up killer software that will catch most of the pop-ups that the browsers miss, giving you an almost 100% pop-up free internet experience.

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