Устное высказывание на тему "INTERNET SECURITY"

INTERNET SECURITY

How would you feel if you knew that the time you spend online chatting, instant messaging, and surfing could give someone access to your personal information? No big deal? Ничего особенного? How about this: after gathering enough information about you, it’s possible for the wrong kind of person to use your name, address, and date of birth to become a cyber |ˈsʌɪbə \ version of YOU.

Hard to believe? Online identity theft-stealing or hijacking someone’s personal information to commit fraud - has become an increasingly popular crime as a result of the very technology we love: the Internet.

The Internet makes it easy for us to apply for credit cards, make online purchases, and do research for school projects. At the same time, the Internet gives thieves access to our personal information and a cloak of invisibility: they don’t have to be there in person to make a fraudulent purchase or to apply for credit in your name. Also, Internet criminals can be far more anonymous because they’re virtually untraceable.

Using the Internet not only makes it easier for thieves to steal your ID, it also makes it more difficult to trace them when they do. Online identity theft is difficult to track because it can take months for victims to realize that their identity has been stolen. By the time victims discover the crime and report it, the thief is long gone.

Here are steps you can take to decrease your risk:

·         Install antivirus and personal firewall protection that blocks intruders from unlawfully breaking into your PC.

·         Choose passwords that aren’t easy to guess. Users should create passwords that contain numbers as well as letters and avoid using common words or names that could easily be discovered by an identity thief.  Don’t use the same password for different sites, and don’t store your passwords on your computer. Keep your password to yourself, no matter what, and you never have to worry about it.

·         Never give away any personal information about yourself in chatrooms. If you share your address and phone number on a social networking site, you open yourself up to threats   |θrets| of identity theft and other personal dangers like burglaries.

·         Use only one credit card to shop online and keep the credit limit low. Shop at familiar, reputable Web sites. Check your credit report on an annual basis.

·         Scan all incoming email attachments you plan to open with anti-virus software. Do this even if you recognize and trust the sender. If you’re unsure about an attachment, delete |dɪˈliːt| it.

·         Download with caution |ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n| and avoid files you can’t be sure are safe.  Be sure to scan each program before running it.

·         Personal and private matters should never be shared on your wall. Messages are between the sender and the receiver, just like an e-mail. This falls under the nebulous  |ˈnɛbjʊləs|  world of social networking etiquette  |ˈɛtɪkɛt|. There is no official handbook (руководство; справочник)for this sort of thing, but use your best judgment. If it's not something you'd feel comfortable sharing in person (лично) with extended family, acquaintances, work colleagues or strangers, then you shouldn't share it on your Facebook wall.

·         If you're planning a party or an outing with a group of friends, send a personal "e-vite" for their eyes only and nobody is the wiser.

·         You may be dying to tell the world about your new work promotion, but if it's news that could be advantageous to one of your company's competitors, then it's not something you should share. News of a planned expansion or a big project role and anything else about your workplace should be kept private. Many companies are so serious about not being included in social networking sites that they forbid employees from using sites like Facebook at work.

·         Social networking sites are a common place for people to share pictures of their families. It's a sad fact, but there are a lot of predators who use the Internet to stalk |stɔːk| their prey. If you post pictures of your family with information like, "my husband is out of town this weekend" or "little Johnny is old enough to stay at home by himself now," then your children's safety could be at risk. Nobody ever thinks it will happen to them until it does.

·         Always be polite and never abuse |əˈbjuːs| others.

·         Скачано с www.znanio.ru