It used to be that you only had to protect yourself against email viruses; now it’s your browser. Why?

The key-loggers are here. One of my clients recently was hit with such spyware, and I anticipate others soon will be as well.

A key-logger is a particularly malicious form of spyware that’s installed on your computer when you browse a contaminated website. Unknown to you, spyware captures your key strokes and sends that info to the crooks who then use it to compromise your privacy.

Yes, they may easily capture your credit card info and computer passwords. Once they have your website’s master username/password, they may wipe your files or infect your website to spawn yet more spyware.

Yahoo tech news recently reported that no websites are safe. Even seemingly harmless sites may harbor such badware. And note: Macs are just as vulnerable as PCs!

How do you know if a website is safe? You can’t, so you should use some kind of spyware protection that first searches each browser page for hidden code, just like your email virus protection software protects your email.

There are several free spyware prevention programs, but I recommend you and your staff use a professional program such as Spyware Doctor; the version I use provides protection from both email viruses and browser spyware. Such software isn’t foolproof, but it’s frequently updated databases catch most malware before it infects your computer.

Second, some websites are particularly prone to such malware, such as pornography, gambling and file sharing music websites. It may seem self-evident, but warn your staff that they shouldn’t use work computers to surf such sites.

What about your own website? Closely guard your website’s master username/password; don’t share them with anyone who doesn’t need access to your control panel or website files. Never connect to your control panel or FTP using free public wireless like those found in coffee shops and airports–someone could easily be “listening” in on your password protected transmissions.

Finally, please notify me immediately if your website encounters any problems so I can check your files for infection. I periodically monitor your website, but you’re probably the best detector of any suspicious behavior.