Key PC security advice

A newly discovered flaw in Internet Explorer can render family PCs vulnerable to some nasty hacks, the Washington Post reports. Just by going to some Web sites with Explorer, a user can download "an entire kitchen sink of malicious software." Right now it's just a handful of sites, mostly those publishing pornography, but that number is expected to grow, and porn won't be the only kind of site serving up these nasties: e.g., "the incredibly invasive Spybot worm," trojan software that takes control of PCs, and keylogger software that records every key stroke. The Post's PC security writer, Brian Krebs, suggests that, "if you or someone you care about [like your kids!] is in the habit of cruising the Web with IE, now would be a very good time to get acquainted with another browser that doesn't use IE's rendering engine, such as Firefox or Opera." But if you continue to use IE, "make sure you have Windows set to receive automatic software updates, and be very careful about visiting Web sites that are off the Internet's beaten path." Also see Brian's Sept. 19 12:06 a.m. update for further good advice. Also, if you're concerned about identity theft, the Post has a great resource on it, including info on how to avoid it and what to do if you've been victimized.