Being on the internet is exposing yourself to possible risks whether it is through dial up or broadband. However, the risk factor is much higher on a broadband connection like DSL or cable internet at home. This is because it is an "always-on" connection unlike dialup that disconnects upon logoff or shutdown. Broadband connections also have high speed which makes attacks easier. The risks for possible virus attacks, loss of data, or your computer being used to launch attacks or to monitor or to send out spam emails are much higher using a broadband connection. The higher speed of a broadband connection is more attractive to a hacker than a dial-up connection.

A packet sniffer is a program that captures data from information packets as they travel over the network. That data may include user names, passwords, and other confidential information that travels over the network. Cable modem users have a higher risk of exposure to packet sniffers since entire neighborhoods of cable modem users are effectively part of the same local area network. A packet sniffer installed on any cable modem user's computer in a neighborhood may be able to capture data transmitted by any other cable modem in the same neighborhood.