How Are You Putting Yourself at Risk?

You are in danger on the Internet from two directions: inbound and outbound (see Figure 1-1). Spam, viruses, and spyware flow toward you through e-mail, instant messaging (IM), Web sites, and so on. They can be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge. There is much you can do to protect yourself from these threats, and most online security books focus on this kind of defense. (See Appendix A in Part IV for my basic advice about implementing technical protections.)

Risk flows both ways online.

Figure 1-1. Risk flows both ways online.

Perhaps more dangerous are outbound risks; these occur when you willingly (though often unwittingly) ...

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