If your email address is published on this website it will eventually be harvested by spammers and will start to receive spam. There is nothing the CSTA can do about this. If this concerns you, ask for your email address to be removed.
The internet is like the outside world to a small child: full of interesting things, but a potentially dangerous place.
Here's the executive summary.
Everyone is going to need:
Optional (but strongly recommended if you have broadband):
If you are running a PC, (as opposed to a Mac) then your computer is vulnerable to viruses - malicious code spread mostly by email. Viruses target Microsoft software almost exclusively, especially Internet Explorer but also Outlook & Outlook Express. Using non-Microsoft products will reduce your chances of catching a virus. Even so, every PC needs anti-virus software. You can buy this, but why pay money when it's free? At home I use Avast.
You should also visit the Microsoft website regularly to update your prodcuts.
Web servers (the computers which host websites) often leave cookies on your computer. The original purpose of a cookie was so that the server can remember who you are.
However people have used this functionality to do other things. These so called bad cookies have a number of purposes. Sites with banner advertisements use cookies to send you a different ad when you revisit the page. Effectively they track your computer usage. This behaviour is called data mining and is an example of spyware - programmes that spy on your computer usage.
These malicious cookies are not viruses and will not be stopped by anti-virus software.
You can make it more difficult for programs to leave cookies on your machine.
If you are using Internet Explorer: On the menu select
Tools -> Options.
Select the Privacy tab.
Move the slider from Medium at least to High.
Some sites won't work without cookies - you can add them to a list of allowed sites.
Secondly you can get free software which looks for adware and spyware on your machine. I use Ad-Aware from Lavasoft. Spybot and SpywareBlaster are also good programs; some people use all three!
Imagine that your computer is a house with thousands of doors called ports. Different parts of your computer use different ports to do their work. Outside, hackers are constantly scanning the internet looking for computers to attack. They are like burglars, constantly trying all the doors to see if they are open.
Mostly your computer will refuse to open the port. However, the hacker has found your house and will now start going round all the doors, trying them until he finds one that opens. Probably they are all locked - but are you sure?
A firewall is a special kind of doorman. Not only does he check who gies in and out of the house: he makes all the doors invisible. The hacker never even sees your computer, so can't even try to attack it.
If you have a broadband internet connection then your computer is connected to the internet all the time it is switched on. For such users a firewall is a very good idea.
Firewalls can also prevent the activity of trojan horses - hopefully your anti-virus software will have stopped these from downloading in the first place.Large companies use special hardware for their firewall; everyone else uses software. Personal users can find free software.
As with everything on your computer, get the simplest software you can. It's the least likely to go wrong and make a mess of your computer. I use Sygate Personal Firewall. It's free.
Your computer does lots of things without telling you. Going back to the house analogy: imagine you have servants and tradesmen going in and out of your house. When you install a firewall it stops everyone and asks you for your approval. You only have to tell it once; it will recognise them next time.
But if the computer is a large house and the firewall the doorman, then you are the lord of the manor who hasn't a clue how his household his run. When you install a firewall it will ask you questions about all the workers you didn't know you had. If you already have anti-virus software it's unlikely that you have and burglars wondering in and out of your house. Just tell the firewall that they are all okay - it's very unlikely that a burglar has turned up in the last five minutes. If you're not confident about this then you'll need a technically competent friend