KISS Training – Keeping IT Simple
Posts tagged Avoiding Scams
Beware the Attachment
Dec 10th
Viruses can (and do!) come via email.
Isn’t email great? You can keep in touch with friends and family. You can quickly and easily send them a message, and even include photos, jokes, programs and viruses. Wait… viruses!??! That’s right, one of the most common ways that computer users get viruses is via email attachments. When you download an attachment you are in essence saying, “I trust the person that sent me this file, and I’m confident it won’t harm me.” The problem is, how do you know where that person got the file? If it’s simply a funny “thing” that they are forwarding you, it might have come from anyone – including a virus or spy-ware producer.
This article tells you how to stay safe when it comes to email attachments.
How to Avoid Getting Hooked by Phishing
Nov 27th
In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.
Follow these simple tips to help you avoid becoming hooked.
