We have all seen the films and TV shows . . . . Young guy sits at a terminal, presses a few buttons, tries a few passwords and hey presto! He has hacked into some government computer and is busy copying top secret information to a floppy disk. Is this fact or fiction? Is it really that easy to hack (gain illegal access to) a computer? YOUR computer? Well, the reality is somewhat different from the films and TV, but it IS possible and you should be aware of it when accessing the Internet. Before I go into details, I would like to mention a few popular myths and legends... True or False? Someone can hack into my computer although my external modem is switched off. FalseUnless your PC is connected to a network, your computer's only link with the outside world is via your modem. If it is turned off then no one can gain access to it. Internal modems are different. They are always on while your computer is switched on. People cannot access my computer whilst it is turned off True Your computer's data is only available whilst the PC is up and running. Anyone can access my computer while I'm on the net. False In order to access your PC, the hacker would need to know the IP address of your computer. Unless you have a permanent link to the Internet (which usually only means companies), it is difficult (but not impossible) to find this out. An IP address looks like 127.0.0.1 — four numbers separated with dots. Your IP address changes every time you log on to the net. If you are ever asked for this, never give it out to a stranger! People can see what I have been doing on the net — where I have been (web sites) True It is possible to trace your activity through the Internet. One method is to have a look at a special file called cookies.txt. Search your system and see if one exists. Cookies store information about sites you have visited and may contain personal information. There are programs that let you see which cookies are being used. Some people think they are great as they store information about pages that you have visited, but they can be used to find out about you.
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