Online and within the news you’ve likely heard of some of the most common terms (malware, spam, viruses, and Trojans), but may not have known what they are, or, how to protect yourself or your computer from them. We’ve pulled together a quick resource guide outlining the who’s who, and where to go for more information. But when online, some of the most important things to remember are:

• Don’t trust pop-ups; things pretending to be virus checkers may actually be viruses (more on that later)
• You don’t have to understand a lot about online security to protect against the most common online threats. Keep your computer up to date and be suspicious about the sites you visit—employ the same skills you do in real life as you do online: don’t give out your personal information to strangers, and don’t trust something because it “sort of” looks official. And remember to trust your instincts: if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.

What’s malware?
Malware is software that does something you don’t want done, usually installed without your permission. It includes viruses, worms and Trojans.

What is spam?
Spam is/can be: the repeated postings of the same content; off topic banter/answers/comments; links to commercial sites or merchandise; in general, unsolicited, unwanted or irrelevant messages, links or postings. You may run into it in your inbox, on message boards, in comments sections, etc. Basically, anywhere that someone can enter or submit text is susceptible to spam.

What is phishing?
This is any attempt to steal your account information. Phishers set up fake web sites that look like those of trusted companies to trick you into disclosing your account information. These pages can look nearly identical to the real thing, so it can be hard to tell that you are on a phony site.

Most commonly, you’ll see these as emails asking for the password to your bank account, your Yahoo! email account (urging you to send your account information or else your account will be terminated), or your credit card information.  If you run into a phishing email on Yahoo!, please do report it to us!

Remember to never click on links in emails, no matter how official they look. Use bookmarks or physically type the site name in.
To protect yourself further, set a sign-in seal and don’t give out your Yahoo! password on your computer unless you see your sign-in seal (for more information on this, go here: https://protect.login.yahoo.com/) This helps you know when you’re on a phishing page, or when you’re on a legitimate Yahoo! login page.

Yahoo! Security Center

At http://security.yahoo.com/ you can assess your PC’s exposure to online threats, including malware, viruses, and an assortment of other online risks. Additionally, you can also learn about:

• Protecting your PC (http://security.yahoo.com/article_pc.html)
• Protecting your online privacy (http://security.yahoo.com/article_privacy.html)
• Protecting your children online at Yahoo! Safely (http://safely.yahoo.com)
• Getting rid of pop-ups, viruses, adware, or spyware (read the article here)
• And much more! (http://security.yahoo.com/all_topics.html)

How to help protect your machine
Be sure that your computer has antivirus software installed and that its virus definitions are up-to-date—many computers do not, and this leaves them open to many malware attacks. Programs like Norton Anti-Virus or http://www.malwarebytes.org/ will help protect and prevent future attacks.

If you see a pop-up, close it promptly, without clicking on anything inside the window (buttons inside the window may download software, no matter what the label on them says, even if it’s “No”, or “Cancel”). Click the close button on the window frame (the “x” in the upper right on a Windows machine, the red button in the upper left on  a Mac).

If  that doesn’t work  use “Ctrl + F4″  on Windows or  “Shift + Cmd + W” on an Apple machine to close the window.  Worst case, kill the browser with the Task Manager on Windows or Force Quit on a Mac, and if you can’t do that, reboot the machine. (Be sure to save your work in other programs!)

Then run a virus-scan using an anti-virus program to check for any malware remnants.

At  the end of the day, it’s up to YOU to help keep your online experience safe—keep your software up-to-date and be cautious about giving out information, including passwords.

Photo by Stitch

What I’m about to discuss may not be as light, fun or cheery as previous posts but nonetheless important because it involves the Answers community.  As you all know, misunderstandings and conflicts occur within any community, regardless if it’s online or offline.  And though it’s a normal thing, it shouldn’t be left unchecked or unresolved.  This is crucial if we want to continue to grow a fun, meaningful and responsible Pinoy online community.

I’ve been hearing some not-so-good news about some community members who accuse other users of using clone accounts for trolling.  When I say clone account, I mean Answers users who create new and alternative Answers account (or with multiple Answers accounts) that they use usually for trolling or spamming.  Its one thing to report abusive content and trolls as we see them in Answers, but it’s another thing to accuse others for being a troll and ganging up on them for a “crime” that they may not have committed.  If you think a person in Answers is trolling or spamming, my advice for you is to report this right away.  This is what a responsible community member will do.  Please don’t take matters in your own hands by accusing others for being trolls, it’s not what a concerned community member will do.  On the contrary, doing that only makes you more of a troll than the one you’re accusing.

I highly encourage everyone to be on the lookout for abusive content and to be vigilant in reporting them because it takes all of us to make sure the Pinoy Answers community is responsible, enjoyable and reliable.  In short, follow the golden rule: do unto others as you want them to do unto you.  Okay, lecture’s over.  Next post to follow, something light, fun and cheery!  Christmas party for the YAPpers!  Watch out for it!