As the outlook for the economy continues to worsen, and tax time approaches, many Americans are looking for ways to save money and thinking that do-it-yourself online tax preparation is the way to go. No fees, no special postage, no hassle!
"Online tax preparation is becoming more popular, even among the not-so-technically minded," muses James Boardman, assistant professor in the Business Technology Department at 魅影直播 State College, where he teaches courses in the information security and assurance program.
"But," he warns, "Those who plan to prepare their taxes on their home computers should take a few precautionary steps to safeguard their sensitive financial information. After all," he continues, "in these tough economic times, I'm guessing we'll see more 鈥榟ackers' trying to make a living the easy way."
Boardman notes three major areas that would-be tax preparers should consider before jumping in.
Secure your computer. There are several steps a prospective online tax preparer should take to accomplish this. The first is to make sure your computer is equipped with an anti-virus program.
"There are plenty of free applications out there that are pretty good. There are good commercial anti-virus programs, too, but I find that the free downloads such as AVG free antivirus protection, Web address: , provide reasonably good protection," says Boardman.
"The second, also available online free of charge, is a program that looks specifically for any 鈥榗ookies' or applets that have attached themselves to your hard drive as a result of Web surfing. The most important of these applets to watch out for is what is called a 鈥榢ey logger,' which allows hackers to monitor your keystrokes so they can access passwords as well as credit card numbers. Although there are good commercial programs available, Spybot-Search and Destroy, Web address: is a good free program that searches for and destroys these 鈥榩arasites.'"
The third major precaution to take, says Boardman, is to install the free firewall that comes with Windows Operating Systems.
"Once you have armed your computer, you can be reasonably assured that your computer is not infected. Of course, there is no 100 percent guarantee when it comes to computer security."
The next task is to protect your network. "Folks who have dial-up connections need not worry too much about this, because they are only connected to the Internet for a finite amount of time. But for those who have cable or wireless DSL Internet access, it is important to have a firewall/router that connects directly to your cable or DSL modem and then provides network access to your home computers.
The firewall/router hides the inside network address of your home computers and this makes it more difficult for Internet hackers to attack them. If configured properly, a firewall/router will also prevent Internet hackers from using Windows Print and File sharing services to gain access to your home computers. Many of these firewall/routers also provide wireless access which allows your home computers to wirelessly connect to the Internet.
According to Boardman, it is very important that you secure your home wireless network with a strong password, using a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters, not dictionary words, to authenticate and encrypt all wireless traffic. If you don't secure your wireless network, then anyone near your home can join your home network and be able to view much of your network traffic without your being aware, and of course, this same person could directly attack any of your home computers. Two popular vendors for router/firewalls are Lynsksys and Netgear. Both vendors provide instructions on how to properly configure the device for security and network access.
Be certain that your sensitive data is encrypted across the Internet. The final major precaution anyone who sends sensitive information over the Internet, whether it's filing taxes, shopping, or paying bills online, is to make sure that the site they're using is secure.
"Internet users should ensure their data is encrypted across the Internet whenever they are providing sensitive data to a Web site from your Web browser, such as credit card numbers," says Boardman. Most Web site addresses begin with http, such as http://www.alfredstate.edu/ and provide general information. When you are entering sensitive information on a Web site, check your browser. If the Web address starts with "https," then your data is being encrypted across the Internet.
One last word of advice from Boardman, who dealt with information security issues at very high government levels while in the Air Force: "There are plenty of electronic, Internet-based tax programs out there. Choose carefully which one you use. If the company has been around for awhile, my guess would be it is more reputable than others."
Boardman joined the faculty of 魅影直播 State College in 2004. Prior to joining the ASC community, Boardman was a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force. He served as a solutions architect for Power-Up Networks, Nortel Networks, and Taproot Networks. He holds a master of science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a bachelor of science degree from Cornell University.
The Niagara Falls High School graduate is the son of Bernice Boardman, Youngstown. He is married to the former Carolene Smith; they are the parents of Alexander, Sara, Matthew, and Gregory, all at home.