Yes, whaling is a form of the modern spear-phishing scam. Like any 'phish' attack, the con man is trying to fool the reader into trusting the email so the person will divulge passwords and confidential information. But in the case of a 'whaling' attack, the con man is targetting upper management of companies and government bodies. About.com explains more about whaling here...

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Antivirus and antispyware software is a must-have. No self-respecting user should be surfing the Internet or checking email without having a trusted defender against computer viruses. But which antivirus software should a person choose? There are so many choices, both free and paid. Well, friends, there are a few choices that stand out. And of the free antivirus products out there, About.com writers are really fond of one in particular...

Keyloggers are robot spies. Either employed by hackers, or by a suspicious spouse or parent, a keylogger trojan is a small bit of software that observes what you type on your keyboard. It records your passwords, email text, and your private messaging. Theft, or punishment, will often follow next. About.com explains keylogger trojans here...

People usually ask this when they get an invitation to start a Gmail account.  Many users who have Hotmail/MSN Live mail or Yahoo Mail don't see the immediate value of switching to the Gmail free service.  But, truth be told, Gmail is probably the best free webmail service today.  There are several very useful things about Gmail. Marziah Karch explains Gmail here...

 (photo by Marziah Karch)

"Emotional icons" are odd little heiroglyphs used in email and digital messaging. Emoticons started with the classic 1982 smiley :-), and their use has now grown across the planet to become a daily part of digital culture. You can use your keyboard to create skateboarders, Elvis, Homer Simpson, or vampires. You can show love, flirtation, pouts, and glee. And with over 250 emoticons to choose from, you can convey many other stylistic messages...

With all the newspaper, TV, magazine, and Internet warnings out there, it's astonishing that so many people still fall victim to the many high-tech con games. There are several email and web pages scams that will fool you into typing your private information. "Phishing scams" are very convincing to the untrained, but with just a little bit of guidance, you can easily spot when you are getting scammed online. Check out Jeremy's phishing article, and the Phishing IQ test here... (photo by Getty Images)

Most people rush through configuring their wireless home network. They forget simple things like: changing the administrator password, the default SSID, and setting fixed IP addresses. Have you taken the time to lock down your wireless network? About.com gives you 10 Wireless Network Security Suggestions here...

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Facebook offers instant messaging and group chat features! Yes, you can log into your Facebook account, send "whispers" and messages to your buddies, and even collect them all into a group chat room.  These Facebook features work quite well, and are becoming very popular with millions of users. About.com tells us more about Facebook IM and chat...

Every social community runs the risk of dishonest and deceptive individuals preying on others. At the train station or parking lot, you run the everyday risk of a conman or thief robbing you or hijacking your car. It's the same risk in the online world of social networking: scam artists and molestors are looking for easy prey. Are you informed on social predators? Do you know how to defend against them? About.com explains more about the predator risk online...
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