It is surprising that someone who had worked with computers for five years would be uneducated about viruses and how they spread. Mrs. Smith did not use her email appropriately, in fact what she did was rather risky. Depending on how much Mrs. Smith relied on her computer, she could have a lot of private information stored on the hard drive which could easily be invaded by a virus. Mrs. Smith, or any computer/Internet user needs to understand the importance of knowing who does and does not have your email address and be familiar with your contacts. Just like adding a number to a cellphone you can add an email address to your online address book and then edit the contacts information accordingly.
One thing Mrs. Smith had done correctly was recognizing that her computer was not running normally so she ran an anti virus scan. If you are going to be using the Internet it is highly recommended that you download a reliable anti virus program, this protects all your personal and valuable information from hackers. Take for example this article from Newyork Times, a group of Cybercrimminals were able to hack into the bank's software using a virus (or malware) and steal $300 million dollars. Computer users need to understand that there are such things as viruses and Cybercrimminals and it is very possible for someone to hack into your computer and obtain your bank information. Be aware of anonymous emails, especially if they are offering you something for free. If you keep on receiving spam either block that address or report them.
Hello Kylee!
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! A lot of people are like Mrs. Smith. Many people who are new to computers really only know the simple functions of a computer. What the keyboard is and where all the letters are, and how to access the internet. Most people are only aware of the simple functions and do not consider the viruses their computer may catch. I know my dad has been using his laptop for about 5 years as well, he also caught a virus once from opening a message. Ever since then, if his computer starts running a little slower or if something pops-up (pop-up ad), he becomes really wary about it and starts panicking thinking it is another virus. You're right, people should be a lot more aware of these happenings and educate themselves more about this topic!
Awesome post!
--Helen
Hey Hellen,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your father, ironically mine did just the same on our family's computer. After having to repair my desktop my mother and I sat down with him and showed him examples of emails that contain viruses. I know a popular one is recieving messages from Banks like TD Canada Trust asking you to verify your account. Its scary how legitimate the emails look.
Hi Kylee,
ReplyDeleteThis seems to be a common problem with fake or virus filled emails! My mother opened a bank email once without thinking and she had to go through mega theft prevention because of it. To this day she still has heightened protection at all of her banking institutions and the Credit check companies such as Equifax and Transunion. Whenever she tries to buy something large or needs a credit check preformed the process is delayed due to these safeguards in place. They need to make sure it really is her! Great post I enjoyed the read!
Take care,
Alex
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteThats horrible! Im sorry your mother had to go through that. I wish accounts like Hotmail or Google could do a better job at detecting viruses on emails, although I'm sure if they did that making an email account probably wouldnt be free. But lets say if Hotmail or Google even had a minor upgrade package; pay X amount to ensure the safety of your inbox. I probably wouldnt upgrade but I can see people in the business field that are not tech-savvy benefiting from something like that.
Thanks for sharing Alex!
Hi Kylee!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised as well that a person who considers themselves as tech savvy would open an anonymous email! Those kinds of emails are usually in my junk box and I never open them! I wouldn't want to risk receiving viruses! My sister did that once and her whole laptop was hacked for 1 week. Whenever we would open her laptop, the camera would go on immediately and a page would pop asking us to pay hundreds of dollars for this to go away. It was scary knowing someone had access to all her information and was able to turn on her camera! I used tape to cover the camera so that they couldn't see us. We didn't pay and just waited a week until it was gone, however my sister's laptop stopped working well and she had to get a new one.
Great post! I need to invest in a reliable anti-virus for my laptop! although some may be costly, it is worth it!
Manal,
Hey Kylee!
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to leave a quick comment to say I agree with you about how it was great that Mrs. Smith was able to identify something was wrong with how her computer was running, and decided to take action. I have known a lot of people in the past, including myself, that have let warning signs go unnoticed and it leads to bigger problems. So kudos on that!
The fact that Mrs. Smith had been working with computer for 5 years and considered herself savvy goes to show that many of us are quite uneducated on the dangers of the digital world. As Helen mentioned above, some people only grasp the simple tasks they do everyday and do not venture out much more than that. It is so important to educate ourselves on how to stay safe online!
Cheers,
Jenna
Hi Kylee, there are many people that are like Mrs. Smith who do not know much about the ins and outs of technology and really struggles with the basic functions but it is never to late to keep practicing and being good at it! I can relate to you my mom use to not know much about using her e-mails and once she got a virus, which led to the laptop to slow down the speed. Most people have to be aware of not opening junk mail, as it is a scam or a virus embedded in the e-mail!
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
-Pooja Mody