Open Letter: Safe Email Practices
Written by Russ Cooper - 7/9/99 1:30:00 PM
Over the past few months many people have had their computers affected
by problems caused by the unsafe use of email.
Any email message you receive or send which includes an attachment
might cause problems. Therefore, try and follow the rules below;
Receiving Email with an Attachment: - regardless of who sent you the email
- DON'T TOUCH THE ATTACHMENT. Don't open it, don't view it, don't save it to disk.
- Contact the person who sent it to you and verify they actually sent it to you.
- Ask them what it is, specifically.
- If you are at all unsure about it, contact the person you turn to if your
computer is acting up. If you're in an office, contact your Network Administrator.
If you are at home, contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider). DO NOT SEND
THEM A COPY OF THE ATTACHMENT, describe it to them and then wait until they
ask you for it.
Sending Email with an Attachment: - remember, you could be sending them a virus!
- Before you send the message with the attachment, ALWAYS send the
recipient a message telling them you are about to send them an
attachment. Describe what the attachment is and why you are sending it.
Remember, viruses can do this too, so try and include something unique
in this message so the recipient will know its from you and not some
automated virus.
- Avoid sending messages with attachments that contain
executable code (codes that run things), like Word documents with
macros. You can use Rich Text Format, or RTF, instead of the standard
.DOC format. RTF will keep your formatting, but won't include any
macros. There is, however, a couple of viruses out there that will fool
Word when you save as RTF, so while you cannot completely trust .RTF
files it is still good practice. This may avoid the embarrassment of
you sending them a virus if you are already infected.
- Run an Anti-virus product, and update it frequently, but don't
rely on it to completely protect you. Remember, they can only detect
what they already know about. Specifically scan any file you are going
to include as an attachment in an email before you send it to someone
else.
Summary:
Always err on the side of using email safely.
This problem is not going away. You need to think of this like you think of locking
your doors at night, or riding a bike on a busy street. There are safe ways and
unsafe ways, be smart, ask questions, and think before you click on things. Our
only goal is to help you enjoy the use of your computer.
Russ Cooper
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