IM Worried; Aren't You? Guthrie OK

Posted by : Maggie Biggs

Instant messaging (IM) certainly has become a popular way to reach someone in a hurry. It lets us stay in touch with relatives near and far and permits us to conduct business no matter what our physical location. We can use IM to transfer files, have audio and video conversations, and to collaborate using tools, such as shared whiteboarding.

Cambridge, Mass.-based industry research group IDC expects that the number of IM users online will grow to more than 506 million by 2006. But with all the convenience and helpful tools that IM brings, it also holds some great security risks that need to be addressed regardless of whether you use IM at home or at the office. Home IM users should be concerned about three key security risks.

First, depending upon what firewall technology you might be using (and you are using a firewall, aren't you?), starting an IM session can leave ports open on your system that can then be used as attack points for hackers or as easy entry points for spyware. Check with your firewall vendor to be sure they protect your system while you use IM. If it doesn't, switch firewalls if you must use IM.

Second, information that you type into an IM session is not protected as it traverses the Internet. The data you send and receive is not encrypted, so it can be easily read by third parties. Unless you install and use a tool that specifically encrypts IM messages (and we'll discuss some of these in a minute), don't send ...

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