Recommendations for Email Security

Below are tips for using your email more safely.
1. Minimize the use of attachments
Copy and paste text as often as possible.

2. Question unsolicited document
Unsolicited bulk mail and commercial email can put you and your organization at risk. Questioning it means not opening it, not passing it on, but make sure to notify your system administrator immediately.

3. Never respond to spam email
For a spammer, one "hit" among thousands of mailings is enough to justify the practice. Instead, if you want a product that is advertised in a spam email, go to a Web site that also carries the product, inquire there, and tell them you do not approve of spam methods and will not patronize a company that uses spammers.

4. Never respond to the spam email's instructions to reply with the word "remove"
This is just a trick to get you to react to the email. It alerts the sender that a
human is at your address, which greatly increases its value. If you reply, your address is placed on more lists and you receive more spam.

5. Never sign up with sites that promise to remove your name from spam lists
These sites are of two kinds: (1) sincere, and (2) spam address collectors. The first kind of site is ignored (or exploited) by the spammers, and the second is owned by them. In both cases, your address is recorded and valued more highly because you have just identified it as read by a human.

6. Keep your virus protection up-to-date
Always make sure that the virus protection in your computer is in use and up to date.

7. Question executable programs received via email
This is the common way of passing viruses. Do not open them, do not pass them on, and notify your system administrator if you receive them.

8. Disable macros on your machine
To do this, you will need to open the application on Word 2000, select Tools, then select Macros, then select Security, and then checked High: Only signed macros from trusted sources will be allowed to run. Unsigned macros are automatically disabled.

9. Make sure that file extensions are viewable
This will alert you to files of the following types: .exe, .vbs, and .shs. To view file extensions in Windows select the Start menu, then select Settings, then select Control Panel, then select Folder Options, then select View, then UNCHECK the command that reads Hide File Extensions for Known file Types.

10. Notify the person you received an infected file from
This helps them to correct the problem within their system before passing the virus on to other users.

11. Monitor your transactions.
Review your order confirmations, account operations and trading statements as soon as you receive them to make sure that you are being charged only for transactions you made. Immediately report any irregularities.

12. Do not reply to any e-mail that requests your personal information.
Be very suspicious of any business or person who asks for your password, PIN (Personal Identification Number), or other highly sensitive information.