Making financial transactions online or just surfing the Internet can jeopardize the security of your personal data.
Since this summer reports of unlawful withdrawals and transfers from accounts through online banking have been on the rise.
The cases have been traced back to spyware or "key loggers" programs, which track and record a set of key strokes and send it back to a hacker, installed on PCs to monitor keyboard input and steal user passwords.
Unlike computer viruses, spyware does not destroy files. Most PC users do not realize their machines are infected with the malicious programs because they operate covertly. In many cases, the programs are downloaded from the Internet as a hidden component of free software, images or games, or when accessing pornographic sites.
"It is risky to access or download from unreliable and suspicious sites," Naoki Kuroki of Trend Micro Inc. said.
Computer specialists also say a surge in the number of PCs that remain connected to the Net for long periods due to increased use of broadband communications has given rise to an environment that enables malicious software to invade.
Software firm Computer Associates International Inc. said they received less than 100,000 reports of spyware from their customers between April and September 2002. However, the number surpassed 1.4 million during the same period in 2004.
PC users are recommended to use antispyware software and always keep their operating system updated.
Computer Associate's Kazuo Hase said ensuring computer security is more vital than locking one's front door.