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How Your PC and Private Information Can Be Exploited On The Internet

Your PC and private information can be exploited by web criminals in various ways. Here are a few examples.

Vandalism

Vandalism is a behavior that aims to destroy or spoil anything that is beautiful or venerable. Internet vandals attack websites, chatrooms, forums, newsgroups etc. filling them with nonsense and trying to put them out of business. Vandals can target your personal website, blog, social network service profile and also your PC. They can attack your PC just for the purpose of putting it out of action. They can also target your PC and infect it with malware and use it to infect other PCs just for spreading chaos.

Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your private information like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. The person whose identity is being used can suffer various consequences when he or she is held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. When you use the Internet you can be exposed to individuals who try to gain access to your private information in order to steal your identity for various purposes such as:

• Credit card fraud - New credit cards can be opened on your name without anyone actually paying the bills. You will get the bills on your credit accounts, assuming the offender didn't change the bill address so you will not know that someone is emptying your account until it is too late.
• Utilities fraud - Using your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV.
• Government documents fraud – Your driver's license or official ID card can be used by strangers by issuing them in your name but with someone else's picture. Your Social Security number can be used to get government benefits.

There are, of course, more ways to exploit your stolen identity. Identity theft has become common on the web in the last few years. It is so common that there are banks of stolen identities offered over the Internet by criminals to whomever wants to exploit them.

Using your PC, Email, IP address, Website…

Your PC, email, personal website etc. can be targeted by individuals for the purpose of using them to spread malware, spam emails, malicious adware and so on. They will infect your PC with malware, which will enable them to take control and use it as if it was their own. Because spam emails are being recognized by security products if not sent from legitimate email address, they will use our legit email address to send them. They can use your PC in order to connect remote servers and spread malware. They can use your PC and IP address in order to run frauds throughout the web. The options are endless.

Extortion

Internet criminals that gain access to your PC and your private information can try to extort you. For example, they can threaten to spread your private photos or information all over the web. They can take control over your 'My Documents' folder and protect it by a password, and then request a ransom in order to release your personal documents.

Theft

The simplest way to benefit from your private information is to use your bank account details, credit card details, paypal account details to empty your accounts.