Virus Alert - For Real

We all get e-mails from well-meaning family members and friends. A huge virus is going around. Don't open this or your hard drive will be destroyed.

But something really is going around. Three different people I know were affected by a virus that cracked their free e-mail account and then sent out e-mails with their address books with a link to a website. Social media sites, such as twitter.com, have also been affected by this virus. The link contains a virus that reads both Outlook and proprietary address books (such as that of AOL) and send out e-mails.

How do you prevent it? Use a complex password and change it often. When you create or change your password, use upper case and lower case letters as well as numbers and punctuation, such as underscores or dots). Another good idea is to create an e-mail address on a free e-mail service and use this e-mail for all your junk e-mails. Finally, keep your spam filter on high. Somehow, e-mails from disreputable people and companies will get through, but it's one of the best measures you can take.

Speaking of hacking, some high profile hospitals in New York City admitted that patient data was compromised. Somehow it got on an open server. Hospital officials claim that no information was used inappropriately, but that remains to be seen. The real danger is not that someone is going to sell information about a celebrity's health problems to the National Enquirer, but that patients are at risk of identity theft. All a perpetrator needs is a name, address, social security number and date of birth. For a while it was available on an open server at large hospitals in one of the biggest cities in the nation. This is why they need to hire experienced security analysts and keep up to date on security software.

Imagine if there were a virus that sucked out a hospital's patient database. If that hospital were in a large city where people go to for the top specialized care, identity theft would be made easier and more widespread than ever. If you can, give only the last two or four digits of your Social Security number when asked for it by a doctor's office or medical institution. Don't make it easier for local amateurs to steal your identity. You don't know how safe your doctor's computer system really is.