TechDish: What to do if something goes wrong

Posted on: Fri, 10/16/2009 - 08:03 — us104_techdish

This week's episode content is again courtesy of the National Cyber Security Alliance. Read more about today's topic by clicking here.

This week on TechDish we're talking about what approaches you should take if you suspect something has "gone wrong" with your computer. The biggest thing to take away from today's episode is that it is very important that you understand how your computer runs normally, so you can decipher things that could be considered "strange behavior". So pay attention when using your computer—know how long things normally take to open, to run; be wary of popups that fire when you're not using your browser, or that fire consistently on certain web pages. If you know what your computer's "normal operations" are, it's very easy to see what you would consider unusual or unexpected behaviors.

1. Internet Fraud

   If you suspect you've been taken advantage of in an internet auction, shopping online, or in "free-commerce" (such as CraigsList), report it! The Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov) enters Internet, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints int Consumer Sentinel, an online database that tracks scamming behaviors in cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies.

   You can also report fraud or phishing incidents to the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (USCERT) on their website, www.us-cert.gov.

2. Deceptive Spam

   Deceptive spam would be things like the infamous Prince of Nigeria, or any email phishing (what's this?), among other things. If you receive any of this in your inbox, forward it to spam@uce.gov, an email box operated by the FTC.

   To learn more about deceptive spam practices, check out www.ftc.gov/spam or www.getnetwise.org for some very useful information.

3. Divulged Personal Information

   If you believe you've mistakenly given out your information, file a complaint at ftc.gov and then visit the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Website at www.consumer.gov/idtheft to learn how to minimize the risk of damage from a potential theft of your identity.

4. Hacking & Viruses

   We've talked extensively about virus protection throughout the run of TechDish; and we will never be able to emphasize enough the importance of keeping your computer and antivirus software up-to-date. If you suspect you've been hacked, or have been infected by a virus:

   • Immediately unplug the phone, network or cable line from your computer; then run full system scans using your antivirus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software.
   • Do not reconnect your computer to the internet until you are satisfied that "all is well".
   • Take steps to prevent this from happening again—if you were browsing a site, don't go back to it. If it happened when you tried to play a movie, music or open a certain file, run a scan on that specific file; if it happens again, delete it. The key is to not repeat the same mistake that caused this in the first place.
   • Contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP) with as much information as you can provide from the incident. Their support staff will work to prevent similar attacks and problems for you and all other customers in the future.
   • Contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center www.ic3.gov and file a complaint.