The Illusion of Security on the Internet

According to the APWG there are 31,173 phishing and password stealing websites recorded. Every quarter, those sites increase by a minimum of 4%. Top government officials had their passwords snagged by Chinese phishing sites. Viruses like Stuxnet's source code, a computer virus that was made in order to topple nuclear plants was recently released on the internet. $500,000 worth of bitcoins was recently stolen via a virus and sold. On the internet, people's most personal data, your personal data included, is seen by hackers as a string of text with a value attached. There is a black market for trading passwords, email addresses, credit card numbers, video game accounts, and anything else hackers can get their dirty hands on. So what can you do to protect your personal information on the internet?

The first, most obvious solution is to install a proper antivirus in order to handle your security. But even then, there are viruses that mask themselves as antivirus, when in reality, they are in fact viruses. On top of that, there are literally thousands of antivirus programs to choose from. Over all, this contributes to an illusion of security on the internet, when in reality, you may be offering your computer up to hackers, or malicious software. You could spend hours reading up on what antivirus software will handle your computer best, looking up reviews, and trying to decide what it is you should purchase, or you can consult a professional to help you secure your system.

However, even with that, you should know who you're talking to. Take for example Best Buy's Geek Squad. Geek Squad was thought up as a marketing ploy for Best Buy. You take your computer to them and immediately get an outrageous fee just to tell you what is wrong with your computer. Then, you have to sit there while they try their best to make you buy as much software as you can. Why take your serious problem to someone who is just there to sell you a sales pitch?

However, among all the madness, there does exist a beacon of hope. Local computer shops dedicate themselves and make their entire business on keeping customers happy, and will avoid entirely that sales pitch companies like Best Buy are oh-so-ready to throw in your direction, hoping you'll cave and take their expensive recommendations, charging you the entire time.

If you're interested in real security rather than an illusion of it, or you're looking for something beyond security through obscurity and hoping that someone doesn't highjack your information and sell it, consult a professional that knows what their doing. Give your local computer repair store a call and ask their recommendations. They'll gladly give you real advice and help you get some iron clad security on your computer.


If you're in the Denver area and you're looking for some advice, looking for someone to take a look at your computer, or want some recommendations on what direction to head in, try giving this Denver Computer Repair shop a call.