Home Computer Security
    http://edu-observatory.org/cfs/hcs/Week2.html 


  EMAIL
  
    

  Use Care When Reading Email with Attachments
    http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/#3
    http://www.cert.org/homeusers/email-attachments.html

  You probably receive lots of mail each day, much of it unsolicited
  and containing unfamiliar but plausible return addresses. Some of
  this mail uses social engineering to tell you of a contest that you
  may have won or the details of a product that you might like. The
  senders are trying to encourage you to open the letter, read its
  contents, and interact with them in some way that is financially
  beneficial - to them. Even today, many of us open letters to learn
  what we've won or what fantastic deal awaits us. Since there are
  few consequences, there's no harm in opening them.

  Email-borne viruses and worms operate much the same way, except
  there are consequences, sometimes significant ones. Malicious email
  often contains a return address of someone we know and often has a
  provocative Subject line. This is social engineering at its finest
  -- something we want to read from someone we know. 

  Recently a friend of mine sent me this email message:
    > I did not check the veracity of this email; however, the IT
    > specialist sent it to everyone- all members of the school
    > board, parents, everyone. So at least he is concerned, since
    > I have some forward happy friends on PC's... read up
    >
    > You should be alert during the holiday season:
    >
    > Do not open any message with an attached file called "Merry
    > Christmas" Regardless of who sent it, It is a virus that
    > opens as an Open Log Fire and Will burn the whole hard disc
    > in your computer.
    
  Anyone can quickly check by typing into the google search box an
  entry such as:
    hoax "any message with an attached file called "Merry Christmas"
  
  There are a lot of hoaxes and scams coming in email every day. Get
  savvy. Remember: Problems continue to be found in operating
  systems, applications software, networks and technology. And an
  onging battle between the good guys fixing the problems and the bad
  guy exploiting the problems. Your role is important in this ongoing
  drama! That includes people trying to get private information out
  of you.

  Email viruses and worms are common. If you've not received one,
  chances are you will. Here are steps you can use to help you decide
  what to do with every email message with an attachment that you
  receive. You should only read a message that passes all of these
  tests.

  1. The Know test: Is the email from someone that you know? 

  2. The Received test: Have you received email from this sender
     before? 

  3. The Expect test: Were you expecting email with an attachment
     from this sender? 

  4. The Sense test: Does email from the sender with the contents as
     described in the Subject line and the name of the attachment(s)
     make sense? For example, would you expect the sender - let's say
     your Mother - to send you an email message with the Subject line
     "Here you have, ;o)" that contains a message with attachment -
     let's say AnnaKournikova.jpg.vbs? A message like that probably
     doesn't make sense. In fact, it happens to be an instance of the
     Anna Kournikova worm, and reading it can damage your system. 

  5. The Virus test: Does this email contain a virus? To determine
     this, you need to install and use an anti-virus program. That
     task is described in Task 1 - Install and Use Anti-Virus
     Programs of "Home Computer Security." 
       http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/#1
   
  
  Excellent (free) alternatives to Microsoft Outlook Express
    http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird/ 
    http://www.eudora.com/email/


  Test your bandwidth
    http://speedtest.frontiernet.net/
    http://www.speedtest.net/
    http://www.bandwidthplace.com/


  REFERENCES
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Email
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
    http://www.publicradio.org/columns/futuretense/
    http://www.cert.org/homeusers/HomeComputerSecurity/
    http://www.cert.org/homeusers/
    http://www.cert.org/homeusers/goalof_computersecurity.html
    

    
     
    swormley1@mchsi.com