Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it’s always safe and warm.
“Come in,” she said,
“I’ll give you … shelter from the storm.”
No doubt about it, the Internet is not kind to the innocent. There’s mischief lurking at every fork in the road.
Many of the common online dangers have a physical presence. They wind up as something on our systems that we can find and remove to regain a warm and fuzzy sense of safety—like a virus or spyware.
But there are stealthier threats out there that can sneak past even the best preventatives. It is highly likely that we have all been victimized without ever knowing it.
These stealthy threats lurk in friendly looking web pages. It can either be a legitimate page with hidden, malicious code planted surreptitiously within, or a totally phony page that is dressed up to look just like a legitimate page.
One of the threats posed here is completely silent—theft. The ruse is to make you think you are in a place that is safe and warm. Nothing gets installed on your computer, no signature, no calling card, no apparent risk, nothing to clean up. The malicious code in this case just wants to take information stored in your browser. It wants your cookies and the cookies could contain anything, including a password that protects sensitive information, like from a bank.
So, the real threat is the trust we have mistakenly placed in forged content. Treat all sites as untrustworthy, unless you know the site well and know that you are really on that site.
Here’s the short list of basic self-defense axioms:
· Never go on the Internet when logged on as an administrator. Many malware programs require administrative privileges to be installed. This is a very simple, but effective, precaution.
· Keep your system updated with the latest patches for the system itself and any applications you use while online.
· If using Windows, have firewall, anti-virus and similar products installed and set to update automatically.
· Never open suspicious looking email and never click on any link in an email or web posting that originates from someone you do not fully trust.
· Even if it is someone you trust, be suspicious of forwarded emails. People pass on all kinds of stuff with good intentions, not knowing what it really is.
· Treat unknown websites with the same level of suspiciousness that you do unknown email. Never heard of the site? Anything unusual about what they do or where they are? Are they offering some kind of super deal? Tread softly.
That last one is important and something we are not as tuned in to.
I’ve heard newborn babies wailin’ like a mournin’ dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
“Come in,” she said,
“I’ll give you … shelter from the storm.”
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an’ they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
“Come in,” she said,
“I’ll give you … shelter from the storm.”
