Security Centre
Tips For Email Safety And Security
Email is an integral part of the daily life for most computer users, and many may not be aware of the security risks and threats that email can pose.
Tips For Email Safety And Security
Email is an integral part of the daily life for most computer users, and many may not be aware of the security risks and threats that email can pose. Many viruses and worms, such as the Melissa virus and the Conficker worm, have the ability to be spread through emails, and this can be a problem. Most viruses and other malicious software programs need to be executed by the user before they become active, and this is normally caused by deception. You may get an email that includes an attachment, and the email may appear from someone in your contact list. You click on the attachment and the malicious software is activated. By the time you realize that the email was fake it is too late, and your PC is infected. This occurs because the malware program goes through the email contact list when a PC is infected, and the virus is sent out to all the contacts on your list. It appears that the email is coming from a known contact, so most users trust this and open the attachment.
There are ways to protect yourself against email infections. Never open email attachments unless you are absolutely sure of what they contain. It is also possible to scan email attachments with an anti-virus program, but this is not always foolproof. If the infection is a new one that has not been updated in the virus definitions yet the attachment may appear clean. Some new malicious software programs may activate simply by opening an email, and these are more dangerous because simply clicking on the mail to read it can cause your PC to become infected. The best way to protect your PC is to never even open an email unless you are aware of the sender, and even in these cases do not open any attachments unless you are aware of exactly who sent them and what they contain.
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