By Doctor Security
Recently, I read a great article about how important it is for private citizens to keep their computers secure not only for their own protection but for the good of their country.
Yes, it’s your civic duty to have security software on your PC and practice safety online. Why? The more secure you keep your PC, the less likely it will be used in criminal botnets to attack your neighbors or your government. Botnet – a term created from mashing up “robot” and “networks” – is made up of hundreds, thousands, and, in some cases, millions of compromised PCs (a.k.a. “zombies”). Most don’t even know that their computers have been taken over and are being used by criminals.
Botnets send out millions of spam and phishing emails for fraud and identity theft purposes. Botnets can also be used to overwhelm any Web site servers with denial-of-service attacks – 50,000+ PCs trying to visit a site at the same time can bring everything to a screeching halt, so legitimate users of the site are suddenly locked out – for hours or even days at a time. This is considered a form of cyber warfare that some countries have been accused of using against their adversaries.
So if you are using the Internet recklessly and not protecting yourself with solid, comprehensive security software like ZoneAlarm offers, you are not only putting yourself at risk, you could also be putting your country at risk. And you are potentially, if unwittingly, participating in a criminal activity.
Clearly, as the risks increase on a daily basis, it’s time to sound the alarm. Be a good cyber citizen. Protect yourself and protect your communities. Spread the word. Initiatives like this are long overdue.