'Crimeware' joins list of Net hazards

First there were viruses. Then came spam, then adware and then spyware.

Now comes "crimeware," the growth of which is really scaring some security officials because it parallels the growth of online banking and the growing practice of entering credit card data online.

It gets on your PC when you click on a link in an e-mail, via an attachment, via an infected instant message or via an infected Web page. What it does is log your keystrokes when you log on to a banking site or other secure location and send that data to a crook over the Internet.

I know; you're tired of hearing more about crime on the Internet. But consider that your computer is basically a window on the world. And the world has good parts and bad parts.

What can you do to protect yourself?

• Never, ever respond to an e-mail from a financial institution by clicking on any link. If your bank sends you something and you think it's legit, type the address into your browser directly. Never click on a link.

• Install an anti-virus program. If you don't buy one, use a free one like AVG or Avast.

• Keep your PC up to date. This is critically important for Windows PCs, which have far more security holes than Apple or Linux machines. For Windows, use the Windows Update site (www.windowsupdate.com) regularly and install all critical updates.

• Turn on the Windows firewall at least or install a second party firewall.

• Use Mozilla's Firefox browser instead of Internet Explorer. Firefox, though not perfect, has far fewer security issues. Some sites will require Internet Explorer so you need to hold on to it. But use it only when you have to.

• Pick a secure password. It needs to have both letters and numbers, scattered throughout. Don't make it something like "password" or "password11." Make it something like "rt56pz41we."

But make it a code you understand. On the first of every month, change your password for every banking site you use, plus sites like eBay, PayPal and your credit card sites. Each change should take only a few moments, and it's those moments that may save your good name someday.