Dangers on the web

Planning to avoid the H1N1 virus by staying out of the shops and trading online? Be sure you're not exchanging one kind of infection for another, warns a video produced by Comodo.

Malls are full of dirty door knobs and coughing strangers, but the Internet has its own dangers—clever programmers intent on separating visitors from their money.

Websites infected with malware may damage computer performance. Malware can also steal confidential information such as bank account numbers and passwords and reporting them back to their devious creators.

Other online threats include spurious emails designed to trick the unwary out of their money.

The video, "Dangers on the Web" points out that online threats have cost US consumers $8,500,000,000 in the last two years—enough to make annual mortgage payments for nearly 500,000 families.

The video may be seen at www.comodovision.com/home-computing/dangers-on-the-web/