Smart Rules for Using the Internet

  1. Use anti-virus software:  Have a reliable anti-virus software program installed on your PC that scans all emails and email attachments before presenting them to you. Run a thorough scan of your hard drive and any portable drives you save files to at least once a week.
  2. Use McAfee’s free SiteAdvisor software:  Finally one of the big security software companies has provided a useful service to help folks avoid bad websites. Bless you, McAfee. Go to http://www.siteadvisor.com/ (will open in a separate window) and download SiteAdvisor. McAfee has tested millions of websites to see which ones are clean and which ones are risky. When you do a keyword search in your browser, there will be a little green, yellow, or red icon next to each website listed on the results screen. Only click on the green ones and ignore the others.
  3. Guard your email address: Treat it like your social security number. I'm constantly being asked for my email address from companies who do not need it (this morning the animal hospital asked me for it!). When shopping, use an Internet email address. Also, read the company’s Privacy Policy. If there isn’t one, or if they admit to selling your personal information, don’t buy from them.
  4. Have an Internet-only email address:  Have one email address dedicated to friends and family who are security-minded, and have separate, “disposable” email addresses (yahoo, gmail) for shopping and other Internet activities (these email addresses are free). Since you will be more likely to get spam on the yahoo or gmail address, you can just delete the address and create a new one. Also, emails to these addresses are not downloaded onto your PC since you view and send mail from the email site (i.e. yahoo, gmail).
  5. Use Bcc: when forwarding emails and tell your friends to do the same:  When you forward an email via To: or Cc: - you’re broadcasting your friends' email addresses to strangers. Put your email address in the To: area and list everyone elses's under Bcc:.
  6. Choose a smart email address and password:  Choose both that are not easily “guessable.” Spammers have programs that send out millions of emails at lightning speed to “guessed” email addresses. And they can determine the good addresses because those are the ones that don’t bounce back with an “undeliverable” email response. If you are bwilson@xyz.com, the spammers may find you because they will test awilson, bwilson, etc. Some experts say that putting a period in your email address is helpful.
  7. Never open an email from a stranger:  Many spam emails contain viruses and other malware in the actual email itself - not in an attachment. Beware!
  8. Never reply to a spam email and never click on a link in a spam email:  If you do open a spam email, don’t reply to it and don’t fall for the “click here to unsubscribe from our mailing list” scam. It’s a trick to get you to validate your email address. And never click on any link in an email from a stranger. Did you know that when you put a link in an email, you can type whatever URL you want to appear? A crook can label the link as your bank’s website, but in reality take you to a fake copy of the bank’s website sitting on their server.
  9. Be careful opening any email attachments:  Opening an email attachment from a stranger is a guaranteed infection. But what if the email attachment comes from a friend? The rule of thumb is:  don’t open it unless you’re expecting it, or it is very personalized, I.e. JasonBirthday.jpg (and your friend’s son just had a birthday). Used common sense. Don’t open any attachment with innocuous sounding names like “havefun.exe.” Call or email your friend to verify that they sent the attachment. 
  10. Don’t fall for phishing emails:  Banks and other financial institutions don’t send out emails requesting personal information. In fact, they seldom send unsolicited emails at all. Do not open an email from a financial institution unless it’s a reply to an email you sent them. Delete these emails without opening them. These are Phishing emails from crooks trying to steal your identity. They send you an official-looking email stating that you need to provide personal information for some reason and if you don’t, your account might be frozen, etc. Inside the email is a phony link to the “bank’s” website. If the email bothers you, call or visit your financial institution.
  11. Surf smart:  Don’t click on pop-up ads. Don’t say ‘yes’ when a website wants you to download some cute thing.  Don’t sign up for free stuff … usually the purpose of the offer or contest is to get your email address. Don’t register on a site unless you’ve thoroughly checked it out; see what others say about the website. Make sure the website’s privacy policy ensures your privacy. And last, but not least, remember the #1 rule of Internet browsing:  the more questionable the website, the more likely you will get infected.
  12. Only download software from reputable sites:  Only download software from websites that have a reputation of thoroughly checking each application for spyware or malware. See my separate document titled Great Free Software for a list of reputable sites - www.download.com is probably the most popular. Read editors’ reviews and user reviews. Be aware that songs and other files downloaded from peer-to-peer programs like Bearshare or Limewire can be infected.
  13. Scan all downloaded files before opening:  Have a designated folder for all downloads. There is a setting in your browser where you tell it that you want to be asked where to place the downloaded file. Before opening any downloaded file, scan the file or folder with your anti-virus software at minimum. On many systems, all you have to do is right-click on the file and click the option to scan with your anti-virus software. It's a good idea to scan with at least one of your anti-spyware programs as well. AVG Anti-Spyware shows up on my right-click menu.
  14. Spoof  your email address:  Try to avoid newsrooms and forums that don’t let you mask your email address. If you have to use the website, then spoof it. Instead of typing bwilson@xyz.com, type bwilson at xyz.com.
  15. Set up message filters in your mail program:  Most email programs like Outlook, Thunderbird, etc., can be setup to filter incoming emails. You can create rules that will delete emails that don’t specifically include your email address in the To: or Cc: fields. You can also create rules to block emails with certain undesireable words in the Subject Line.
  16. Use an anti-spam program:  If spam has become a problem and you can’t change your email address and start anew, use anti-spam software which filters junk email out of your inbox and puts it into a special spam folder. Your ISP may have this function available for you.
  17. If you have your own website, don’t post your email address on it in text:  Email scanners look at websites for email addresses. If you need to post your email address, put it in a graphic image (.gif or .jpg) or encrypt it in some way. Some folks use contact forms, but scanners are beginning to figure out how to bypass security on them.
  18. If you own a website, pay to have your Domain Name Registration information “unlisted”:  It's a legal requirement that all domain names have valid contact information posted on the Internet and you can view the contact information on websites such as www.whois.com. Spammers regularly visit the “whois” database to harvest email addresses. Make sure the web hosting company you sign up with has an option where you can pay to have your contact information private. The web hosting company becomes the contact for your domain and your name, address, phone number, and email address stay off the Internet.

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