Instant Messaging: Who's watching you?
by Mike Panning
When you think of IM (instant messaging), you normally
think of teenagers talking with their friends online.
Instant chats, no waiting for email responses. That's
the name of the game - the faster the better!
More and more business people are using IM for the
speedy conversations and special features many of the
popular Im's have built in like Video and whiteboard
features. Yahoo, MSN and AOL have their own versions
and each have their own security flaws.
One of the biggest flaws of IMs is the lack of encryption.
Anyone on the internet could potentially intercept and
read your messages. There are many freeware and shareware
software programs available which allow anyone to read
and log your messages.
Most chats are conducted in the same manner as a face-to-face
conversation so if you are not careful, you can type
something and send it only to regret it later. The problem
is that whatever you type, it can be saved and then
emailed to anyone. So those off-the cuff comments can
come back to haunt you later.
Another threat is that anyone can pose as anyone and
potentially direct you to a malicious website or sent
you a harmful program. If you do not keep your virus
software up-to-date, you are running a major risk of
exposing your system to external threats.
Just use some common sense and remember, you are being
watched!
About the Author
------------------
Mike Panning is the founder of http://www.nortra.org,
a low cost ezine and ebook resource offering netpreneurs
with a hassle free way to get the right article, add-on
ebook offers & free pdf creator. Contact Mike at mike@nortra.org
in case you have any questions or comments regarding
this article. Mike Panning has been a computer professional
for the last 15 years and has writen articles on a variety
of topics.
|
