10 rules to protect oneself from spam and viruses

Two the most dangerous things for casual Internet user:
— SPAM
— Viruses

First case - you are subjected to mass mailings, bearing advertising character- every day you will receive up to several tens (and even more ) letters offering you to buy good, you do not need at all, enlarge you penis with the help of pills, earn one hundred million dollars per month, working three hours a day, or more interesting offer is that your advertisement will be sent in the same way for a definite sum of money.

Second case- your own computer will be used for SPAM mailing, for mass network attacks (of course, you will not know about it). You are also risking to loose your beautiful ISQ number, credit cards numbers, postal account, passwords from purses of internet payment systems. Do you have something else? You will loose this as well. Oh, almost forgot, this virus from your computer will be sent to all your friends, the information about e-mail addresses of whom is situated in your e-mail address book or ISQ contact list.

Not very happy, are you?

I will not tell you in this article about antiviruses, software, deleting Spy Ware, SPAM filters and other software of such kind. I would like to speak about something more important - about your brains:)

If you do not want all this would happen to you - you need to follow several simple rules, you have to know well.

SPAM protection is not an easy thing. It is very hard to protect yourself from such trash, though you can try to make SPAMMERS life difficult.

Rule number one- treat attentively the files you receive via e-mail.
Such rule should be especially followed by the ones who does not know about such software as Registry Monitor, Process Explorer and their functions

If you received without warning the letter, containing attachment - do not rush opening it. Even if the "return address" field has the name of your good acquaintance - it does not mean that the letter has been sent from the specified address, or the letter has been purposely sent by your acquaintances. If you are not sure - try to contact the letter sender (via telephone, ISQ or the e-mail) and find out from him: "Hi, Dima, tell me please what kind of file I got from you?" If the answer will be that Dima or Vasya has sent you his photo - you can open the letter. If it turned out that Dima had not sent you any letter - it means that Dima has to check his computer for viruses. And you need to delete the letter. Do not forget to delete it from "trash" box as well.

What should we do if the sender is not available, and you need to know what kind of file you have received? First of all , try to ask more experienced person to help you to find out what kind of file you received. If there is no such person - try to find out by yourself: Save file on the disk, to some separate folder. Our main task is not to open (not to launch by making a double click, not to press Enter on it) the files with "potentially dangerous" extensions (file type, usually there three letters after file name and points - e.g. EXE, the iLoveYou.exe file). Such extensio9ns are usually the following: exe, com, pif, vbs, vsh, lnk, url, bat, cmd ( these are launching files, files scripts, which may harm you after their opening). How to check file extension? Lot of "right" mailing programmes (e.g. TheBat!) inform users at once about file type (it can be seen in the window where letter attachments are being displayed), or when doing double click on file (at TheBat! Not on your computer hard disk!) "mailer" informs you about real file extension and ask you one more time if you are sure that you want to open the file.

If you do not have something similar and you have already saved the file on your hard disk without opening it - just follow the folder where the file had been saved, make right double click, and chose "properties" item from drop down menu. If the opened panel (for Windows XP ) shows you the meaning "Application" in "file type" field - it will be better not to touch it before finding out such file origin. Also such files have "compatibility" tab in "properties" window (needed for applications only).

I would also like to turn your attention that appearance can be fake. The file, containing .doc file icon - can be not exactly the MS WORD file, and "JPG image" file (icon) can be the launching application in real. Always pay attention to file extension. That is why I advise you to open Start/ Settings/ Control panel/ Folder properties/ "View" tab/ untick the "Hide extension from registered file types" field

This rule is applicable not only for files coming via e-mail, it also concerns files sent via ISQ, IRC and via other networks.

Rule number two - do not react on the advertising letters you receive (SPAM)
If you got such letter - just delete it. You should not answer it - in better case it will not be read by anyone (as the return address is fake), in worst case - you will show that your address is "alive" and it is possible to send a lot of advertisement to it.

Rule number three - do not "unsubscribe" from newstellers.
Lot of SPAM letters contain signature saying that "you may follow this or that link to unsubscribe if you do not want to receive information from us". This is a provocation, never follow links, contained in SPAM letters. It is not even the thing that you will make extra "tail" on the "promoted" site counter. The most dangerous is the link itself - such link may look like:
http://server.com/subscr.php?lamer_id=12345 , where 12345 is the number corresponding to your e-mail, and following this link you will confirm again that your e-mail "is alive and always ready to accept SPAM".

Rule number four - do not leave your e-mail everywhere.
If you are asked to specify your e-mail during some registration - think twice before doing it. If you are sure that this server is reliable and the registered users list will not be transferred to SPAMMERS- you can leave your e-mail freely. (the "reliable" servers are big Internet services, old checked forums).

What should you do then if you do need to register, but you are afraid to leave your e-mail? There are two variants: 1 — make extra e-mail, exactly for such registrations. 2 — use ipmouse.com service. The essence of such server is simple - during registration you specify e -mail address user_name@ipmouse.com, ( put any login, convenient for you, instead of user_name), register, and then follow ipmouse.com web site, enter your login (the password is not required) and see there a letter, sent to you during registration. I advise you chose difficult login, so that it could play the role of so called passwords when receiving data at ipmouse.com.

Also make sure that your accounts on all forums you visit have settings "do not show my e-mail" to other users (practically all modern forum scripts support such option). It is also not recommended to use your principal e-mail when participating at various echo- conferences.

Rule number five - (in general kind) do not click "Ok" at dialogues boxes of unknown sites.
Lot of trouble occur due to the fact that users click "Ok" unwisely, without even reading the content they agree. And what if it was your death sentence? :)

If case if during your work in Internet on some site the dialogue box with "yes" or "no" buttons appear: read attentively what you are informed about. If you are offered to install some software - do not agree. If your browser informs you that such page contents is nor safe - chose the option which will save your security, try not to ignore such warnings. If you are using Internet Explorer (Oh, it would be better if it was Opera) the best option is to install highest security level - menu Service / Browser properties / Security / Default / chose "medium". It is better to chose not lower then "medium".

Rule number six - do not install the software of doubtful type.
When surfing the Net and downloading various "screensavers", "trick software" and other trash from not checked sites - you are prone to catch virus when downloading such software. Lot of such "colourful trinkets" are created for such purpose.

It particularly concerns the "hacker software", most often "young talents", thinking themselves to be hackers and downloading megabytes of "trojans" together with old "nukes" and "internet crackers", are being caught on such tricks. The brightest example is a recently appeared software for so called "phpBB" forum crack, containing trojan virus in itself.

Rule number seven - install updates.
Lot of software know how to download updates. In our case the "updates" are not new software versions, but so called "Live updates". The essence is the following: For example there is a software Norton Antivirus. New viruses appear every day, and your software knows nothing about them. It order to enable it for successful viruses fighting it needs viruses definitions base updates. Such updates (if you did not change anything in your settings) are usually automatically performed, or the software offers you to make check in a definite period of time. It is very important to update your antivirus software, operational system ( Windows XP update parameters — Start / setting / control panel / System / Automatic update )

Rule number eight - do not chose to simple name for your mail box.
When registering your e-mail you are sure to want to register some simple name kind of "sasha", "vasily" or something of such kind. It is quite logical such e-mail is easy to be remembered, dictate by telephone and still it has better look on the business card. Let's see such approach from other part: If SPAMMER makes a list of the most popular logins and send its advertisement to mailing servers in accordance with such lists randomly - you are sure to be in such list. Remember such SPAMMER will not be alone. So it is up to you to decide what is more important for you short widespread login, or something more difficult, " not to be found in the dictionary", something, which will be difficult to guess.

Rule number nine - do not use simple passwords.
Your password should not coincide with your login. Your password should not contain one numbers only (this way it is easier to be looked "behind the back"). Your passwords should not be too short. Your password should not contain the symbols being on the one keyboard line. Your password should not contain the word "password".

The good practice is to type Russian words (this way they are easier to be remembered) in English alphabet. For example, I type password "synchrophasothrone" by typing Russian letters when English alphabet is on.

Rule number ten - never store your passwords open.
If you are working with big number of passwords - never store them open in text files and do not write them on the paper.

There is enough software for storing passwords - one convenient another. The security here lies in the fact that your passwords should be protected by one password, though there is no another way - all passwords are not possible to be remembered.

I can advise you to chose quite long password and not to forget to make back up password base, and save it on floppy disk or flash card.

To conclude here are some advises without explanations: Try to read what software inform you about when offering you to press "OK" or "Cancel" buttons. Read software manuals. Install antivirus. Replace Internet Explorer and Outlook for more secure software like Opera and TheBat!, or by free Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird. Do not participate at mass games like "happiness letters", "sausages" at Live Journal etc. Install Ad-Aware SE Professional and check sometimes your computer for the presence of malware with the help of it. (do not forget to update definitions base for this software).