Internet Identity Theft
Internet identity theft can occur while you're surfing the web if you download files. Your internet browser automatically downloads many of these files to display websites. At other times, you manually download files. For example, you might download a program from the Web that demonstrates a new product, lets you play a trial version of a game, or installs a security patch. Each file download prevents a new opportunity for Internet identity theft. When you click a link on a website, your browser can download programs, sounds, video clips, documents, plug-ins, and more. But the Internet doesn't come without sacrifices and risks and the biggest risk might be Internet identity theft. For instance, your privacy can be compromised when a website downloads cookies to your computer that track your behavior on the Internet. In addition, files you intentionally download might not always be what they seem. How do you know your next download won't be a Trojan horse that unleashes a virus to erase your hard drive? You can take a few simple precautions to drastically reduce the risk of Internet identity theft. As you point and click your way around various websites, your browser is constantly downloading files. Web pages typically consist of files containing HTML. When these HTML files are displayed, they might request your computer to download a variety of supporting files, including images, sounds, videos, and so forth. Some of these files contain merely data, and others include small programs that add features to the web page. As you navigate to various web sites, you might find a site that contains downloadable files. Such a file might be anything from a recording of your favorite song, a short video clip of an upcoming movie, a demonstration of a new game, or a security patch for one of your applications. These downloadable files are normally harmless and can benefit you or your computer. Once in a while, however, you might accidentally download a file that's designed with malicious intent and possible to commit Internet identity theft. When downloading files from the Internet, you're exposed to two types of threats: threats to your computer's security and threats to your privacy such as Internet identity theft. Your computer can be damaged if you inadvertently download what's referred to as rogue content which is a virus or another malicious program. This rogue content can be a program or a file that you intentionally download, or it can be a supporting file that the web site downloads automatically. Certain downloads that can occur automatically and are used to track your activities on the Internet can threaten your privacy. Some risks are unavoidable when you're surfing the Web, but you can reduce other risks and sometimes eliminate them entirely with a little knowledge of where they come from and how to avoid them. Internet identity theft is growing rapidly so you should be careful when downloading files. |
