With the spiraling increase in spam, viruses and other harmful and/or unpleasant things, these are some pointers to help you protect yourself, your identity, and your data from unknown and unforeseen dangers.

Windows:

• Always do all Microsoft Windows Updates, especially security related updates.

AntiVirus:

• Purchase and install a new antivirus program that updates itself automatically. Always let your antivirus program update itself. Recently there have been multiple updates per day for most antivirus programs. Failure to keep updated virus definitions could be extremely detrimental to your computer's well-being.

• IGS K-W recently began scanning all incoming e-mail for viruses, however, we cannot scan outgoing messages, nor can we protect you against other Internet related threats. Some websites can force downloads onto your computer, and Peer-To-Peer networks and Instant Messaging programs are wide open to attack from the outside world. A good, current antivirus program will prevent scripts from executing on your computer and will also scan open ports to prevent unseen attacks.

E-Mail:

• Never open unexpected or suspicious attachments, regardless of whom they are from.

• Never reply to unwanted "spam". Simply delete the message. The "opt-out" tag lines on the bottom of emails are usually just a way for spammers to harvest legitimate addresses that they can in turn sell to other spammers. 

• Never put your email address on a website form if you do not know who the site owners are, or if the site is not secure.

• If an email promises you things that seem too good to be true, they are. Don't be scammed by false promises.

Internet:

• Be aware of the difference between secure and non-secure websites. Any financial, shopping, or personal information garnering site should be secure. You can tell if a site is secure by seeing the address as https:// and in the bottom right hand corner of your browser you should see a small padlock. By right-clicking on the form you should also be able to view the certificate details, outlining the owner of the site and the security standards of the website.

• Consider purchasing a Firewall product, such as Norton Firewall, or Zone Alarm. These products will close any open ports on your computer that can be exploited by hackers and viruses. Be sure to always keep all products updated.

• Peer-To-Peer networks (such as Kazaa) and Instant Messaging programs are susceptible to any number of viruses and trojans, so keep your antivirus program current to scan all open ports.

• Always log out from secure websites, such as your financial institution.

• Delete your Temporary Internet Files on a regular basis

• Have the most current version of your Internet browser as you can. Make sure that your security settings are at 128-bit encryption.

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