The average family and individual spend an average of 3 hours a week surfing on the Internet. Most families use specific Internet web sites with functions such as checking their e-mail and staying in touch with their family and friends through e-mail programs and chatting online.

With so many consumers using web sites to arrange their financial business and working online, not to mention using online many transferring services, private and sensitive data are entered via personal computers. Malicious programmers (called hackers) write programs (viruses) that enable them to grab the details (such as the IP address) of consumers using banking web sites and people simply cannot tell when or how this type of activity takes place.

With personal details and bank account numbers hackers can break in to computers and enter someone else's data to earn and transfer money that is not theirs.

Consumers should protect their personal details and their computer with passwords. Safety begins at home and every pc needs a password to keep others from entering the pc. Burglars can steal a pc and end up with your personal computer and a whole lot of data that are saved deep in the memory of your computer.

Identity theft is another thing that consumers should worry about. The more successful hackers are in gathering as many data about your private life as possible, the more they can do with those data. Getting a good virus detector and installing a so-called fire wall to protect businesses and people.