| Consumers and companies are being
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| | the resale of credit card and customer
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| victimized by spam e-mails offering
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| | data to third parties.
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| counterfeit software and pharmaceuticals.
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| | Beware of Trojan Horse and Other Attacks
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| For the average consumer, his identity
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| | Purchasers from these Internet
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| could be in jeopardy or he could
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| | storefronts have also reported that
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| unknowingly be funding criminal activity
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| | viruses and "trojans" have appeared on
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| initiated by groups based in Eastern
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| | their computers. Trojan horse attacks
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| European countries.
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| | pose one of the most serious threats to
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| The software industry's biggest problem
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| | computer security. The result is that
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| in Internet piracy over the past four
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| | buyers of pirated software also often
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| years has been caused by Internet
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| | unknowingly propagate spam, since their
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| storefronts that sell pirated software
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| | computers are secretly "hijacked" and
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| for pennies on the dollar. The criminal
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| | turned into spamming robots.
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| activities of these counterfeit spammers
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| | Here are some practical tips to avoid
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| extend beyond software piracy. They
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| | getting infected:
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| include threats to public safety such as
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| | 1. Never download blindly from people or
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| counterfeit pharmaceuticals, child
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| | sites of which you are not 100 percent
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| pornography and identity theft.
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| | sure.
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| Criminal Operation
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| | 2. Even if the file comes from a friend,
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| The perpetrators reach consumers via mass
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| | you still must be sure what the file is
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| spam e-mail, as well as ads on popular
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| | before opening it.
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| search engines. They lure customers to
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| | 3. Beware of hidden file extensions.
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| Internet storefronts that appear
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| | 4. Never use features in your programs
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| legitimate, and then deliver unauthorized
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| | that automatically open or preview files.
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| copies of products to them via both
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| | 5. Never blindly type commands that
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| postal mail and electronic download.
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| | others tell you to type, go to Web
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| According to industry estimates, the
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| | addresses mentioned by strangers, or run
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| criminals make more than $10 million
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| | prefabricated programs.
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| annually for software that sells
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| | 6.Don't be lulled into a false sense of
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| legitimately for more than $100 million.
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| | security just because you run anti-virus
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| Illegal revenue is generated in two ways:
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| | programs.
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| directly from the illegal activity,
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| | 7. Don't download an executable program
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| whether it involves software,
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| | just to "check it out."
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| pharmaceuticals or child pornography; and
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| | 8. Finally, if the price is too good to
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| identity theft via the unauthorized reuse
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| | be true, it's probably counterfeit.
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| of harvested credit card information and
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