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Using E-gold doesn't require any special security. It's no more risky than other types of on-line transactions. Make sure you read E-gold's security recommendations.
Basic security is a good idea to ensure that your private information stays private. Things like having anti-virus software and avoiding 'spyware' makes a big difference and can cost nothing. More and more common these days, a computer virus can be spread by email or by a nasty script in a web page. If you visit sites on free hosts, you've probably been exposed to a virus or trojan of some kind. Of most concern are key logging scripts, a virus that records your keystrokes and mails them off to a hacker. This can be used to find your paswords. A good free anti-virus is AntiVir Personal Edition. The paid-for software like Norton AV or MacAfee is better as it has more feaures and is constantly updated. AntiVir is a great free option if you can't afford to pay. You can read more from TechTV or Trendmicro's site. A firewall protects your computer by restricting what can get in and out from your computer. Hackers looking for an open port to sneak in get blocked and nasty software like porn dialers get stopped from dialing out. A popular and well-respected option is the free version of Zonealarm. It's simple to install and to run. A weak point in many secure systems is people using weak passwords. Choosing a good password that people won't guess is a good start. Avoiding words found in the dictionary helps prevent automated hacking programs finding your password. The e-gold website has its own anti-hacking protection. For more help picking a good password, see our password tips page. E-gold recommends members avoid using the Internet Explorer browser due to its security flaws. Other free browsers, like Opera or Mozilla, may be a more secure option. Whatever browser you choose you can reduce the risk of problems. Most hacks require a script to work and you can stop these by turning of Javascript, Java and ActiveX. The Tools (perhaps called Preferences or Options) menu of your browser should let you tick boxes to turn these scripting languages on and off. You can leave scripting on when using trusted sites and turn it off when visiting less trusted ones. The free adult hosts are a good example of untrusted sites as they are often full of dialer downloads, browser hijacks and other garbage. Adware is software that uses in-built advertising so it can be provided free (or cheaper). Spyware is software that grabs information about you without your knowledge. Both of these are often installed along with free software. Some adware that people accept is actually spyware, secretly recording stuff about you and sending it to it's owner. If you don't like giving away information, or not knowing what's being watched, you need to get rid of adware/spyware. Both Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware are good free programs. Be warned - some programs require adware to work! Check it will still work before removing essential components. You might prefer the adware (and free programs) to the privacy. |