Computer viruses, identity theft, and hackers are an unfortunate part of everyday life. Those who write viruses are becoming more and more sophisticated and prey on unsuspecting individuals to activate some hidden malicious software code. Their intentions run the gamut from bragging rights to blackmail to the destruction of data and systems.
Regardless of whether you are using your office machine or your personal home computer, awareness and following simple practices goes along way towards minimizing the exposure and impact of computer viruses.
The simple act of opening or previewing an email can infect your PC. It's even possible to inadvertently install malicious software on your PC simply by opening an email with a blank subject line and no text in the body. If you receive an unexpected email with an attachment from someone you know, confirm that the sender did actually send it. If you receive an email from someone you don't know, be very, very careful. If you receive a suspicious email, delete immediately, do not open, do not forward.
Here are just a few basic Tips to better protect your office as well as personal home PC and data:
- Passwords should contain a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters as well as numbers or specials symbols (like % or $).
- Passwords should never be something simple like the name of a family member, address, or birth date.
- No reputable company or tech support department will ask you to provide your username, password, social security number or other sensitive information in an e-mail. Also, never click on Web links within unsolicited e-mail.
- Be aware of who is nearby, and secure information assets by locking your PC before you leave your desk.
- Do not use State resources to forward spam.
- Unless you are 100% sure of whom the e-mail came from and what the attachment contains, do not open or execute an e-mail file attachment. Delete it!
- Do not disable or deactivate your antivirus scanning software. At home, be sure to keep the anti virus software updated.
- Do not install unapproved software or freeware from the internet. Investigate the source thoroughly.
- Do not click on links sent from unknown email addresses or instant messaging users. Phony web pages are specifically engineered to entice you to provide private and some times sensitive information.