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Computer Support For Individuals And Small Business |
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4/4/11 |
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Seven Keys To Basic Email Security |
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Hackers and scammers long ago learned that emails are one of the easiest ways to gain access to a computer over the internet. Over the years they have become more sophisticated in their attacks. At the same time operating systems, mail programs, and anti-virus software have become more adept at warding them off.
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So what do we do as users to protect ourselves? First, use good practices in basic computer security.
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Second, vigilance is one our best weapons and will go a long way in shielding us from malware hiding in email. Here are seven basic keys to email safety.
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Anti-virus software – Make sure your anti-virus software is active and up-to-date. Check the configuration settings to be sure it is scanning your incoming email.
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Suspicious emails – If you receive a suspicious email and you can't verify its authenticity, consider deleting it.
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- Avoid opening emails from an unknown source. If you don’t recognize who it is from, it’s probably not something you want to read anyway.
- If an email is from a known source, such as a family member, friend, acquaintance, or company with which you do business, but it has an unusual subject or message considering the sender, look at it with a heavy dose of skepticism until you are satisfied it is legitimate. Consider calling the sender if you’re not sure, to verify he or she sent it.
- If you receive an unexpected and unsolicited email which appears to be spam, just delete it.
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Email attachments – many of the viruses and spyware gain entry into a computer when an attachment is opened. If you receive an email with an attachment, look carefully at the extension on the file, that is, the final group of letters after the last period.
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Look for executable files, which are the most dangerous – files with extensions such as .exe, .com, .bat, .js, .sys, .vb, etc. Some files are disguised by adding the executable extension to an innocuous extension, e.g. wordfile.doc.exe. Files with a .zip extension are particularly problematical, because they can be either a zip archive or an executable. If you are not sure about a file, don’t open it! Verify the safety with the sender.
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Downloads – Some emails will urge you to download a file from the internet. This is another favorite way of introducing malware into a computer. This is also a common and efficient method of installing legitimate software. Again, verify that what you are downloading is valid and something you want and expected.
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Email scams – There are many types of email scams on the internet. Many emanate from foreign countries, so the perpetrators are difficult to find or stop. Some will invite you to correspond with someone, typically from a nation such as Nigeria, who is promising a huge sum of money, even millions of dollars. Just delete these.
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Another scam going around comes to your inbox from an actual family member, friend, or acquaintance that has supposedly become stranded in a foreign country and is in need of financial assistance. We refer to this as the Please Help! email scam.
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Others claim to come from your financial institution, or similar company, indicating your account has been deactivated and asking you to log in through a link in the email to correct the problem. Often this will be an institution with which you do not do business in which case you know it is bogus.
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If it is from an institution with which you do business do not log in through a link in the email or call a phone number in the email. If you are not sure, call the company using a phone number you know to be correct, or log into your account directly from the institution’s website.
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Spam Filter – Based on the way you receive your email, you most likely have a spam filter available to you. Check the settings to be sure it is providing adequate protection from spam. If you use an email program such as Outlook or Thunderbird, check these settings. You may have additional spam protection available by logging into your account on-line and adjusting the settings for your account to filter out spam before it is downloaded to your email program.
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Email Hoaxes – Email hoaxes try to motivate the user to action through fear – if you don’t take the action recommended there will be dire consequences! Some of these have been making the rounds for years – they never die. Here is a general discussion of email hoaxes and what to do about them, and seven tell-tale signs for recognizing email hoaxes.
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The bottom line is common sense goes a long way toward email security. If an email seems suspicious or particularly unusual, verify its authenticity, or simply delete it. And, never provide a social security number, financial information, account number, password, mailing address, or any other personal information by responding to or clicking on a link in an email, or calling a phone number in a suspicious email.
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