Mobilitechs

"I can resist anything but temptation." - Oscar Wilde

Email is possibly even more risky than web surfing. Relentless and creative evil-doers are sending their tempting little treats right to our desktops. How are we to resist? After all, maybe my bank does need me to log in immediately and change my password. Maybe I did forget that I requested a file from my friend in Russia? Maybe FedEx does need to get me important information about a lost shipment?

The bottom line is that it takes discipline and consistency. The first time you slip and follow a link to a phishing site, or open a malicious attachment, you're infected. So here is a list of safety tips to get you started.

• Have and keep current a reputable anti-virus program installed on your PC at all times. I like BitDefender or Nod32, but there are many good ones to choose from.
• A good spam filter is also a good idea. I like junkemailfilter.com for filtering email. Yahoo! and Google's email filters also work very well if you use one of their free accounts or subscribe to their premium services for checking your other accounts. There's no need to feel guilty if a legitimate email occasionally gets filtered out and you miss it. If someone really needs to reach you, they will try again or pick up the phone.
• Don't even open suspicious looking emails, emails from people you don't know and aren't expecting, or any email with an attachment you aren't expecting. It's not worth the risk!!!
• View all email in plain text and don't worry about what you're missing in HTML formatting. Your primary concern should be the information, not how pretty it looks.
• Remember that email is not secure. Let me repeat: email is not secure. It's not secure and you have no control over what happens to it when it leaves your PC. Keep that in mind when the temptation to gossip, flame, or divulge deep dark secrets or financial information strikes. Send a letter or pick up the phone.
• If you didn't sign up for a newsletter, don't try to unsubscribe. You're only confirming who you are or that yours is a valid email address.
• If you have to send sensitive data, look into PGP for encryption.

Mobilitechs is an IT consulting firm serving Lancaster, PA and Reading, PA. We can answer any questions related to email security and hosting as well as other hosting and IT support services.