Viruses/Scams/Hoaxes

ATMC offers virus-scanning and the SPAM-blocking service

The files in your SPAM Folder is the result of the virus and spam filtering options. Whenever the Virus Scanner or the Spam Filter catches a message that is identified as a virus or as spam, they will re-direct the message to the SPAM Folder. The SPAM Folder is essentially a quarantine area to contain these undesirable messages.


The SPAM Folder is configured to automatically delete after a period of 7 days or less, but can change. You may delete messages, forward messages, read messages, and configure a list of users that you always want to receive mail from.

Functions:

Deleting a Message:
Highlight message to delete. For multiple messages, highlight the first message and hold the shift key while highlighting additional message for deletion.


Viewing a Message:
To view a message, click on the subject. If the message has no subject, you may click on the envelope to the right of the date field to pull up the message. This will launch a new window. If the message contains attachments or inline images, it will not display for security reasons. In this case, if the message is spam, you can forward it on to your normal email client and read it. Headers are not included in the message display. In order to view headers, click on the header icon next to the envelope. To view a message with unsafe images (web bugs) click on the magnifying glass.
To Preview a Message: Click once on the message.
To Open a Message: Double click on the message.
To Open an Attachment: Click download link.


Forwarding a Message to Your Normal Email Account:
Click to highlight the message and then click forward.


Allowing Mail from Sender:
In the SPAM Folder, click the message and highlight. Then click "Action" at the top, then select "Approve Sender".


Adding, Editing, or Removing Users from Your White List:
Click on options at the top, then click "Spam Shieldpro". At the bottom, you can change and edit blocked or approved senders.


You can use wildcards - for example, to block everything from "my-example-domain.com", simply put *@my-example-domain.com on your blacklist. You can whitelist everyone from that domain by placing the same thing on the whitelist.


Statistics: Shows the number of messages which have been placed into your SPAM Folder on a month-by-month basis.

Basic About Computer Viruses

Viruses are potentially destructive software that spreads from program to program or from disk to disk. Computer viruses, like biological viruses, need a host to infect; in the case of computer viruses this host is a program. If such a program is transferred to your PC, other programs on your PC will become infected. Every time you boot your PC or execute a program the virus may also be executing and spreading its infection. While most viruses haven't been written to be destructive, almost all viruses can cause damage to your files.

Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via floppy disk, but the Internet has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms. With e-mail now used as an important business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster than ever.

Most virus warnings that you receive through e-mail are hoaxes unless they are received from your e-mail administrator or as a result of an e-mail list you have subscribed to from a reputable virus scan company.

Tips to prevent virus infection
Don't open attachments. You can only get a virus by executing an infected program or booting from an infected diskette. You cannot get a virus simply by being on the Internet or checking e-mail You will only become infected if you download an infected file and execute that file. (It's important to understand that Microsoft Office files act as executable programs since they can contain macro programs that are executed when you 'open' the file.) Viruses generally are attached to files that can execute themselves. Files with exe, com, bat, vbs. doc extensions are more likely to contain a virus.

Backup your files. Make sure you have at least two backups for all of your files. Backups are essential not only to safely recover from virus infections, but also to recover from the other threats to your data.

Utilize your antivirus software. Use a good antivirus product, update the virus definition files on a regular basis and utilize the features of your virus protection software such as setting it to check all files that you download or receive through e-mail for viruses before you open them. Tutorials and other information about settings are available through the software manufacturer's web site. (See Links to Antivirus Resources)

I have a virus. What do I do?

Install or update virus protection software.
If you don't already have a virus protection program installed, get one. Update your software with the latest virus definition files via the Internet update feature in the program.

Run the virus software.
If the virus protection software tells you it can clean the virus, you should make a back up copy of all the infected files. You can then let the anti-virus clean the originals only (not the backups). After you have cleaned them, try running the programs, to see if they work. If they appear to be working well, then you can delete the backups. If however they are not working, then you should delete the cleaned files, and restore your backups.

Try other virus protection software.
If the virus protection software you are using does not find a virus or cannot clean the virus, you should try other virus protection software, to see if they can remove it. Some virus protection software can usually remove some viruses that others can't. You may want to try Trends Micro's Housecall online virus scanning software. It will allow you to do a one time scan of your system and find infected files and clean them.

Restore from backup.
If you can't find anything that will remove it, and you have an uninfected backup, then you should reinstall the backup. If you do not have any backups, then I'm afraid you will have to wait a while for a new update of your anti-virus virus protection software, so that they will be able to remove it. During this time, you should not run the infected program under any conditions. If the program is not important, you can always delete it. If you do not know what the file is used for, do not delete it!

Get professional help.
If you are having problems such as operating the virus protection software or how to backup your files, contact your computer manufacturer or a computer repair shop for professional help.

Internet Scams and Hoaxes

Scams

For the most part, scams on the Internet are not that different from other types of scams. They usually involve an unreputable person or person misrepresenting their product and overcharging the consumer for a substandard product. The most important thing to remember is if it seem to good to be true, it probably is. Whenever possible only deal with companies that are established and have a good track record. Do they have a physical storefront somewhere? For how long? Do you know people who have had a good experience with this company? And do you homework, especially if this will involve a major investment on your part. Search for information about this company in reputable government and business links. When it comes to email scams, never send money or give credit card or banking information to a number given on an email.

Credit Card Use Online

Though there has been a lot of hype about hackers stealing your credit card information, most of it is just hype. Most hackers do not consider it to be worth their time or effort to sit online all day hoping to intercept a credit card number. They are usually more interested in the prestige that comes with cracking a web site they are not supposed to be able to crack. Actually most of the time you are more secure using your credit card online. When you use a card at an online site the entire process is usually processed by computers and no person has access to your credit card number. You are more likely to have your credit card information stolen by giving your card to a waitress, salesman or over the phone to someone you don't even see.

There are security features to be aware of and precautions that everyone should take when using a credit card online.

Always use a real credit card and not a check cashing card.
Most credit card companies will only make you responsible for purchases up to a certain level if your card is lost or stolen. The same is not true of check cashing cards.

The company should provide secure communications for any pages that request or process sensitive information. If the page you are accessing using this security, a lock (looks like a small yellow padlock) will appear in the lower right hand corner on the status bar of your browser.

Hoaxes

Hoaxes are fictional information that is circulated through the Internet, almost always by email. These hoaxes spread through chain email. Most of the time the chain email will say "send this to everyone you know" or "send this message on to ten people." It may appeal to your compassionate side ("help fulfill a little boy's dying wish") or use some type of scare tactic (if you do not sent this to ten people something terrible will happen). The new chain emails state that if you send this promotional information you will receive a free coupon or money. The thing to know is that there is no way for anyone to count the number of copies of an email in circulation on the internet, nor to count the number of times something has been forwarded. In order to actually do this, not only would you have to run a program that would "open" and examine the contents of many millions of email messages all over the world, the program would have to trace the path of each message. If it were even possible to accomplish this incredible technological feat, do you think anyone would find it worth there time?

Why are hoaxes so terrible? One reason is that people who are aware that these emails are hoaxes will think less of you if your are perpetuating them, especially in the work place. Also, if you only think in terms of your own perpetuation of hoaxes they seem to be very little risk or cost. Probably the biggest risk for hoax messages is their ability to multiply. If you sent an email to ten people and they sent it to ten people and so on, the amount of email messages generated can run into the thousands and that just for one message. The time spent reading these messages is wasted time, often at work, and the amount of work it adds to the servers handling email can slow down your ability to receive worthwhile emails or even crash a server. There have also been report of spammers (bulk mailers of unsolicited mail) harvesting e-mail addresses from hoaxes and chain letters and using these addresses for junk mail distribution. Many of these letters contain hundreds of good addresses, which is just what the spammers want. There are also rumors that spammers are deliberately starting hoaxes and chain letters to gather e-mail addresses (of course, that could be a hoax). So now, all those nice people who were so worried about the poor little girl dying of cancer find themselves not only laughed at for passing on a hoax but also the recipients of tons of spam mail. Also many of these emails tell you to call, mail, or email a particular person. As a result some unwitting business or organization will waste many hour having to respond to a hoax.

Many chain emails do not come in the traditional chain email format. They make you feel as if you are helping your friends by passing on important information. These emails come in two forms, urban legends and virus hoaxes. Below are examples, explanations and links for further information about urban legends and virus hoax chain emails:

Urban Legends
Urban legends are usually emails that have traveled around for years that unproven rumors. Below are a few examples of the older but still circulating urban legends:

New Charges for Internet - These usually state that the government plans to or will allow phone companies to charge you a per minute or long distance rate for Internet. They urge you to complain to your congressman. There is no truth to them..

Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe - The original email stated a woman liked a cookie she ate in the cafe at a Neiman- Marcus in Dallas so much she inquired about buying the recipe. The waitress told her she could for two fifty. The woman thought she meant $2.50 but a month later realized they had charged her credit card $250.00. Now to get at them she is distributing the recipe for free on the web. The department store may vary or the dollar amount might change but the overall story line and recipe tend to stay the same. Though people say the cookie recipe is very good, the story is a hoax. There is no cafe in Neiman-Marcus.

Craig Shergold Get Well Card Wish - This email talks of a young man dying of a brain tumor whose dying wish is to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for receiving the most cards from well-wishers. Actually this email is true but very out-dated. There have been variations to the story asking for business cards giving deadlines, etc. Craig Shergold broke the world record in 1990 when he was ten. Since that time he has had a operation that successfully removed the majority of the tumor. He is alive and doing well and doesn't want anymore cards. The Make-A-Wish foundation has had to divert staff from other away from there usual work to deal the the letters and call they have been inundated with.

These are just a few of the many urban legends that circulate the Internet. Other include the roach eggs on an envelope, the kidney harvestors, emails from Bill Gates, and free NIKEs. For a more complete list check out the links listed below.

Virus Hoaxes
Most virus warnings that you receive are hoaxes unless they are received from your email administrator or as a result of an email list you have subscribed to from a reputable virus scan company. Most real viruses, which are an actual threat to users, are not destructive; in fact they're usually quite tame. Hoax viruses, however, always seem to be able to erase you hard drive and completely disable your computer. Such hoax viruses can often do nasty things to your system that are beyond the abilities of of any virus or even most hardware technicians. Genuine virus alerts won't ask you to participate in a email distribution scheme. A virus hoax will urge you to warn all your friends. Valid virus email alerts shouldn't go into detail about the virus. The alert should summarize the threat and provide a link to a "for more info" page stored on a well-known computer security website. Though some hoaxes do have a general link to respected virus websites, the link to more information should take you directly to more information about the specific virus mentioned.

What to do if you suspect an email is a hoax

1. Delete the email. this is the easiest method. It helps stop the chain and take up very little of your time.
OR
2. Research the email (see links below) to see if it is a hoax and send an email to the sender with a link to more information.
If you feel you must send the information contained in the email to your friends, do not forward the email. If for example you received a chain email but you thought it had a great joke or inspirational saying and you wanted to share it with a friend, cut only that information out of the email and paste it into a new email. Do not include any mention of "forward this to all your friends" etc. This way you will take away the chain letter aspect of the email and protect the email addresses of those listed in the original message you received. In general, forwarding of email should be used very rarely. It should only be used in business when it is important to show the originator. No email should ever be forwarded more than two times. Also, remember that by choosing to forward a message you are revealing the person who wrote you the email as the responsible party. This may cause embarrassment to the original sender or even termination if the email transaction occurred at work and is not work related.

Related Links
http://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hoaxes/hoax.asp
National Fraud Information/Internet Fraud Watch
FCC Consumer Information Bureau

Spyware! & Adware

You know about spies, right? Secret agents dressed in disguise, blending unnoticed into a crowd, and recording the movements of the unsuspecting. If you understand how a spy operates, then you already know a lot about the Spyware that may have already slipped into your computer.

Spyware and Adware are software programs financially supported by advertisements. That is, you get some free software and the associated advertisements pay for it.

While this may be a great concept, the downside is that the advertising companies also install additional tracking, "spy" software on your system. These secret agents continuously "call in", using your Internet connection to report where you go on the Web to "the Agency", which uses the information for marketing purposes.

These programs are not illegal, but they do raise many privacy issues and cause Internet connection problems.

Spyware and Adware can also affect the daily operation of your computer in several ways.

They can:

• Prevent your computer from switching from a dial-up connection to a DSL connection.
• Cause your Internet connection to slow to a crawl.
• Flood your computer with annoying Pop-Ups advertisements.

You can keep the "spies" out of your computer by

• Installing Spyware and Adware removal software.
• Running your removal software often. Many are free to you for home use. Find Spyware and Adware removal programs at http://www.spychecker.com/software/antispy.html where they are reviewed and rated for effectiveness.