Learning Zone

Many people allow their browsers (Firefox, IE, etc) to store passwords for them and Amazon, for one, has made it easier for people to spend with them by remembering their credit card details so that one click will buy the item.

The question to ask yourself is whether anyone else could have access to your computer. If the answer is ‘yes’, then you should think twice before allowing it to store such credentials for you.

In practice, there are so many passwords needed every day that many people do just that.

The bottom line is that if someone else has access to your PC, it isn’t your PC any more.

The other part of your question refers to hacking, implying someone outside your home accessing your PC across the network.

A brand-new PC purchased from a shop and connected to the Internet is usually very vulnerable to this threat and typically will be attacked within minutes.

There are three main areas where you can protect your computer from such attacks.

1) Install a firewall, either a software one like ZoneAlarm, or a hardware one, generally incorporated in a router. This makes your PC less visible on the Internet and less of a target.

If your router is a wireless one (“WiFi”), make sure that the wireless connection is secured. Use WPA rather than WEP as the latter is now insecure.

2) Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date. AVG is free and effective, but you can purchase one of the offerings from McAfee, Kaspersky, Norton, etc, if you prefer.

3) Install the regular security updates issued by Microsoft, Java and other software manufacturers. Software always has flaws in it and as they are discovered, patches are issued to fix them.

Finally, be careful where you go on the Internet. There are hostile websites out there which may attack your PC when it connects to them, attempting to infect it with malware (a term meaning “bad software”).

If all of the above has worried you, then it should, as there are a lot of criminals on the Internet. But don’t let it stop you using and enjoying the Internet. The important thing is to do it safely.