Hackers hacked me, HELP!

What is a hacker?

Hackers are individuals who attempt to hack into someone else's computer by using viruses, worms, and other types of Internet attacks. One of their favorite "tricks", is to use these computers to bring down a large web site by overloading the targeted site with millions of transmissions in a "denial of service" (DOS) attack.

While they were glorified in the early days of the Internet as people standing up for their rights against big corporations and the Government, this is now the hobby of criminals and thieves. These terrorists prey on all citizens on the Internet and can be extremely dangerous to individuals, corporations, and governments.

How do criminals find your computer?

Most attempts against personal computers come from viruses and worms running from an infected PC. It is not very difficult for the creator of the virus to predetermine the Internet addresses that his program will attack. This is why you should never open attachments in any e-mail, even if you know the person. Contact them directly, if possible, and ask did they send this to you. If they don't know about it, their computer is likely infected with a virus or worm program. There are also "crackers", that use software programs, to randomly check for online computers to attack.

What makes Spamming or Hacking Illegal?

No national law has been passed in the United States that specifically outlaws spam or hacking. However, 21 states have passed anti-spam laws that have various penalties for illegal spammers and "coders". If you don't live in a state with an anti-spam law, you are still protected from fraudulent schemes, illegal pornography, and other illegal acts by various state and federal laws. In addition, if a spammer or hacker causes harm to a Government computer they are subject to the penalties of USC Title 18, Part I, Chapter 47, Sec. 1030. - Fraud and related activity in connection with computers.

Now that we know the definition of illegal spam and hacking, let's move on to the practical matter of defending your computer against spammers and hackers.

The best defense is using anti-virus software and some type of firewall to "cloak" or hide your computer.

Don't click on "remove" from mailing lists. I know how that advice sounds but if its a mailing list you subscribed to, or a store you trust, then you can use the email's unsubscribe feature. For any other type of spam, you shouldn't unsubscribe from it as this just invites more spam, nor should you be reading it in the first place. If it is spam, the link provided does nothing more than confirm that you are there at that address.

Use your email program's spam blocking features. Most email programs have spam blocking features. Take some time to figure out how to block email from spammers. With many email programs it is possible to specify exactly who is allowed to send you email. But this takes a little work, so don't be afraid of it.

I know, I have said this before but it bears repeating. Always run your anti-virus software and keep it up to date. If you have a firewall, make sure it is always on and running whether it is a software or hardware type. If you want to turn these off, disconnect from the Internet first! Better still....

If you are not using your computer, either disconnect it or shut it down. Hackers can easily find you when your computer stays on because your "address" on the Internet doesn't change if you stay connected. It also saves some energy and wear on the hard drive, so shut down your computer, especially at night. If you would like some software to take care of spy-ware or possibly a key logger Click Here!