Brian O'Connell, President

We all spend hours each day surfing the Web. We use the Web for business, for social activities, and for entertainment. It’s become a way of life.

Because so many of us are online so much of the time, we’re often lulled into a false sense of security. The truth is, there are cybercriminals out there – hackers who want to gain access to our hard drives, steal our personal information, and use our computers to perpetrate their crimes.

Needless to say, tax season is not the time to suddenly find yourself a victim of identity theft, or even to face the annoyance of having your computer run slowly or unreliably because of a virus.

The good news is, there are simple measures you can take to keep yourself safe.

Probably the easiest among these is choosing the right browser.

Use Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or IE8

I recommend using one of the three major browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer 8.

All three protect against phishing, malware, and pop-ups. Here are brief definitions of each threat:

Phishing - Phishing sites are counterfeit bank or credit card sites designed to look identical to the real ones. Their aim is to trick you into giving up your personal information, like your credit card or Social Security numbers.

Malware - Malware is short for “malicious software,” and it encompasses a variety of software or program codes – viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, and so on – that access your computer without your consent. Malware can be a minor annoyance – or, depending on what you stumble on, it can be downright criminal in function.

Pop-ups – Pop-up ads are advertisements that open a new window, usually a small one, and demand immediate attention. They’re generally more annoying than dangerous, but if you accidentally click on one, you could be redirected to a harmful site.

IE6 or IE7 Are Not Secure – Time to Upgrade

At this point, Internet Explorer 6 is nine years old and simply does not provide the security you need in today’s online environment. In fact, Microsoft, who owns Internet Explorer, is attempting to eradicate IE6. Internet Explorer 7 is not much better.

If you want to keep yourself safe as you surf the Web, upgrade to Internet Explorer 8, or use Chrome or Firefox. All three give you a warning screen when you’re about to click over to a suspicious site, and they scan all downloads for viruses, among many other safety features.

Upgrade Here for Free

It costs nothing and takes only a few minutes to switch browsers…

Download Google Chrome

Download Mozilla Firefox

Download Internet Explorer 8

Here’s a handy page explaining how to move your bookmarks from one browser to another.

Stay Safe This Tax Season

We’re heading into tax season, the busiest time of the year for accountants.

Why should hackers be allowed to disrupt your productivity and potentially steal your identity? Don’t take any chances. Upgrade your browser today and protect yourself against cybercrime.

And while you’re at it, sign up for a CPA website and take advantage of all its time-saving features – a secure Client Portal, a monthly Client Newsletter, a Dedicated Webmaster, Search Engine Optimization, and 100+ additional features.

You get the first 60 days free!

If you have a website hosted with CPA Site Solutions and have email via the Workteam Collaboration Suite, then you should be aware of some changes with Internet Explorer 6 and Google. Google plans to discontinue support for Internet Explorer 6.

Shared Calendars is One Feature Offered by the Workteam Collaboration Suite

IE 6 Not Supported. Google plans to discontinue support for Internet Explorer 6 starting March 2010. According to an email sent out to those who use Google Applications, “over the course of 2010, we will be phasing out support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 as well as other older browsers that are not supported by their own manufacturers. We plan to begin phasing out support of these older browsers on the Google Docs suite and the Google Sites editor on March 1, 2010.”

Since the Workteam Collaboration Suite is powered by Google Apps then the proposed change potentially affects those who use it. If you are of the 10% of those who still use IE 6 then you might consider some alternatives.

Switch to Firefox. In a previous post there is mention of many reasons to switch to Firefox. The decline of IE 6 can now be added to the list of reasons to switch.

Update Internet Explorer. It is free to just upgrade to IE 7 or just jump to IE 8 (option available within the same link). If you are like the other roughly 36% of users who like Internet Explorer then this is probably your best option.

Use Chrome. Google’s browser is called Chrome and, although only launched in September of 2008, already has over 10% of the browser share of users. It is faster than many of the other browsers and is easy to use. If you are interested in new frontiers this might be your option.

Use Safari. Safari is the default browser for those people who use a Mac. Even so if you own a PC you can use it as well.

Use Opera. You can also download Opera for free. Although only 2.2% of people use it, it is still an alternative to IE 6.

Although support for IE 6 is declining, there are alternatives. If you use the Workteam Collaboration Suite provided with any website hosted by CPA Site Solutions, then you want to be sure to choose one of the alternatives above.

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