Introduction

According to www.internetworldstats.com 1,802,330,457 people are connected to the Internet. Whether you know it or not, via your phone line/cable/mobile phone network you are connected to all of these people (in a roundabout way). Amazing isn't it? Well I think so, but have you ever thought where your email to Aunty Edith actually goes? What your "Complete Internet Security" software actually does? What your web browser does when you surf the web? Most people would answer "no" to these questions, and rightly so, the Internet is a complex place.

Working within corporate environments on a day to day basis I get to see the lengths businesses go to to protect their data. Some of these systems are highly complicated, and have huge teams of experienced people dedicated to maintaining and updating them. Generally home users only have a few computers (yes this does include laptops, 3G enabled phones, games consoles and anything else which connects to the Internet!) to look after, but protecting personal data can be a daunting task. Luckily my friends and family can harrass, erm, I mean ask, me computer security related questions. But what do you do? With some basic information you can understand what the threats are, how the bad guys operate and most importantly, what you can do to help protect yourself.

I get asked the same questions over and over, and while I am (mostly) happy to answer these questions, if the answers are in one place it will make my life easier ;) Hopefully they can help others as well.