# How safe is this internet thing, and how worrying are scaremongers?

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/08/17/how-safe-internet-thing-and-how-worrying-are-scaremongers/
- Published: 2008-08-17T21:03:35+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

As a prospect researcher, I spend most of my working day on the PC, and much of 
that time using the internet. I was a little concerned to read an article in the
August 2008 edition of Information Age (www.information-age.com) regarding “malware”–
dodgy computer code uploaded to legitimate websites. The article reported that a
Sony website and the website of the Association of Tennis Professional were amongst
thousands of websites that are infected each year.

While many of the attacks seem to be quite crude, and might not fool visitors, it
could (apparently) be easy enough to enable these sites to download keylogger programmes,
to visitors’ computers. If it is so easy, wouldn’t it be quite common?

Some people might say that there might to be a bit of scare mongering by security
firms. Are the standard anti virus and internet security packages any good at protecting
computers from this sort of attack? Will more secure methods of using the internet
be developed?

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I cannot see prospect research retreating from using the internet. I wonder how 
risky it will prove to be.

 * **[City and Guilds publishes 2008 Rich List](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/08/27/city-and-guilds-publishes-2008-rich-list/)**(
   27 August 2008)
 * **[Business Information Sources](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/08/29/business-information-sources/)**(
   29 August 2008)
 * **[Wikipedia](https://fundraising.co.uk/2008/09/02/wikipedia/)** (2 September
   2008)