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Consider this true scenario: Two teenagers are both hit by some very nasty, damaging computer viruses. One was a virus that took down his Windows desktop at random times. The other was a trojan, with a hacker at the other end trying to blackmail him for game CD keys. Neither of the teens had up to date anti-virus software. Only one had a firewall.
Fact: Teenagers often suffer numerous other problems - from corrupt systems that need to be restored, to having E-mail accounts stolen, to being impersonated on instant message chats.
Security experts know that home users are the most vulnerable to viruses. In fact, many home users are teenagers. They often have the best computer (for games), and spend the most time on the Web. And while the news media and parents have done a decent job of warning teenagers of the risks of strangers in public chat rooms, they've done virtually nothing to teach teens other aspects of computer security.
Always Use Protection: A Teen's Guide to Safe Computing contains the most important things every teen needs to know about computer security. Not just the usual information about protecting teens online, but the equally important information on protecting computers from viruses and preventing identity theft (which teens surprisingly suffer from as well).
List of contents
in Depth.- I Protecting Your Machine.- 1 Gremlins in Your Machine.- 2 When Software Attacks: All About Viruses.- 3 From Sneaks to Slammers: How Viruses Get on Your System.- 4 The Built-In Doctor: Antivirus Programs.- 5 Guardians at the Gate: Firewalls.- 6 Locking Up, Part 1: Software Updates.- 7 Locking Up, Part 2: System and Application Configuration.- 8 Backups: The Most Important Thing You'll Probably Never Do.- 9 What to Do When You've Been Hit.- II Protecting Your Privacy.- 10 When They Think It's You, but It Isn't: Identity Theft.- 11 Passwords: Your Key to the Internet.- 12 The Traces You Leave Behind: What Your Machine Says About You.- 13 Every Move You Make, They'll Be Watching You.- III Protecting Yourself.- 14 Chat Rooms, Public and Private.- 15 Scams.- VI Appendix.- Appendix A Everyday Security.- Protecting Your Computer.- Using Your Computer.- Links.- Appendix B Registry Tricks.- Using the Registry Editor.- Which Programs Are Viruses?.- Disabling CD Autorun.- Appendix CA Note For Parents.- Teenagers Aren't Children.- The $99 Security Budget.- Grow Your Own IT Manager.- Don't Expect Perfection.- Don't Rely on Technology to Teach Values.- Final Thoughts.
