Identity Theft - Computer Security

Computer security is a big issue these days, with the majority of Americans accessing the Internet. There are a variety of ways a thief can steal your identity, both passive and active. Passive methods are those in which the thieves entice you to provide your identity information to them without realizing you're being scammed. Active methods are those in which the identity thief retrieves your identity information from your computer. Identity thieves are always coming up with new ways to steal your personal information.

To protect myself online, I use ZoneAlarm Security Suite, which includes identity protection, a firewall, virus and spyware protection, and much more.

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I recommend ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite, which includes antivirus and spyware protection. If you don't need virus and spyware protection, then I recommend ZoneAlarm Pro.

Another potential security problem is information on your hard drive. Did you know that deleting files and even formatting your hard drive doesn't remove all the information from your hard drive? The only way to make sure identity thieves can't retrieve files an information you thought you had deleted is to "wipe" it with a program that will remove the data and overwrite it with random data, thus replacing your information with random information. I recommend WipeDrive, a progam that is approved by the United States Department of Defense, and it is trusted by government agencies and major corporations. With WipeDrive, you can safely remove files and folders, or you can wipe an entire partition or disk drive.

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For more information on passive identity theft methods, check out my Identity Theft Alerts page. For tips and information on computer and Internet security, check out OnGuard Online, a Website operated by the U.S. government which provides information to help you protect yourself and your computer.