Firefox & Internet Explorer Tips
Browse only secure websites
It's very important to only browse well known websites because you don't want to go to a site that has malicious code that could either infect your computer with a virus or spyware. What you will run into will be mostly spyware, it's important to understand that you my be asked to download software or what happens more often is a pop up window will show up saying you infected with a virus and to please install Antivirus 2008 this is not a program that removes viruses but it a virus itself disquised as a Antivirus program. Please remember there is no such thing as Antivirus 2008 it is a virus and when asked to install it click Cancel and run away from that website you were on when it asked you to install it.
You should scan for spyware every month or so to insure you computer isnt infected with something. The biggest threat at the moment is navigating through myspace because many people that have myspace profiles like to create a certain look and feel to their page and to do this they get code from other websites that offer them. The stuff they usually put on their myspace page will be pictures, music players and slideshows, usually it is all done by code and sometimes the websites that offer the code will purposely infect the code with something malicious so that when someone inserts the code into their myspace profile they infect other users who look at their myspace page. It does happen to a small portion of people on myspace but it does happen.
You should also watch out for websites that are disguised. Some bad people on the internet try to steal your username or password so they can take control of your account, this can be either your ebay, paypal or bank account. You will either receive an email from them lets say ebay asking you to update your information, the website itself looks just like ebay but if you look at the address bar it isn't "http://www.ebay.com" it is something else that has nothing to do with ebay. They also might ask for things that ebay would never ask for like your Social Security number and before every putting in sensative information make sure the address bar has the direct like to that website so you can be sure it isn't a something more malicious. This is called spoofing and is very dangerous because many people fall victim to it, make sure you never enter sensative information to any website until you make sure it is the actual website by checking the address bar.