Text Box: Microsoft Office Tip - E-mail Signatures Text Box: Computer Classes Microsoft Excel 2003 - Next class scheduled for May QuickBooks 2007 - Next class scheduled for May Microsoft Word classes also available  Schedule subject to change Call us at 257-5050 or e-mail us for more information

Volume 4, Issue 4, 3/31/2007

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■ Training         ■ Web Design     ■ Video Conferencing 

■ Software, Hardware & Network Solutions      ■ Disaster Planning & Recovery
Text Box:  Phishing Scams Phishing is a type of deception designed to steal your valuable personal data such as credit card numbers, passwords, and account data. To make phishing e-mail messages look legitimate, the scam artists may place a link in them that appears to go to the legitimate Web site (1), but it actually takes you to a phony scam site (2) or possibly a pop-up window that looks exactly like the official site. Click here to learn how to tell if an e-mail message is fraudulent. If you suspect that you've responded to a phishing scam with personal or financial information, or entered such information into a fake Web site, immediately take these steps to minimize any damage. Blogging The practice of blogging, short for keeping a "Web log" or online personal journal, has spread like wildfire—especially among teenagers. Recent studies show that teenagers write roughly half of all blogs today, with two out of three providing their age, three out of five revealing their location and contact information, and one in five revealing their full name. Obviously, there are potential risks in sharing this type of detailed personal information. As more young peers create more blogs, they tend to compete with each other for attention. Sometimes this can lead to kids posting inappropriate material such as provocative pictures of themselves or their friends. Click here to read 12 safety tips on blogging for parents and kids. Strong Passwords Your passwords are the keys you use to access personal information that you've stored on your computer and in your online accounts. To an attacker, a strong password should appear to be a random string of 8-15 characters. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing wrong with writing passwords down, but they need to be adequately protected. Passwords written on a piece of paper are more difficult to compromise across the Internet than a software-based storage tool, such as password managers. Click here to read how to create and use passwords. Text Box: Protect Your Computer Text Box: Keep your Firewall Turned On A firewall helps protect your computer from hackers who might try to delete information, make your computer crash, or even steal personal information such as passwords or credit card numbers. You should make sure your firewall is always turned on. Keep your operating system up to date High priority updates are critical to the security and reliability of your computer. They offer the latest protection against malicious online activities. Microsoft provides new updates, as necessary, on the second Tuesday of the month. Use Updated Antivirus Software Viruses and spyware are two kinds of usually malicious software that you need to protect your computer against. You need antivirus technology to help prevent viruses, and you need to keep it regularly updated. Besides using antivirus technology, you can make your computer better protected from viruses by not opening e-mail messages and attachments from people you don't know. Learn more. Use Updated Antispyware Technology Antispyware helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. To keep up with the latest forms of spyware, you must keep your antispyware updated. Some can be set to run automatically, but those such as Spybot need to be run manually. One tip is to coordinate with another chore you perform weekly. In our home, we run Spybot on Sunday while we are having our weekly family meal.

Excerpted from Microsoft.com article, “Security at Home ”
Text Box: Protect Yourself

à In Outlook, go to Tools > Options > Mail Format > Signatures

 

à Click New and create a name for your signature. You will then be able to enter your signature details, customizing the font and color, and adding a picture of yourself or family.

 

à Create different signature files to alternate between different people using the e-mail program. For instance, you could create one for you and one for your children.

Excerpted from Microsoft.com article, “Security at Home”
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NEWSLETTER

Personalize your e-mail messages and provide important information to recipients by creating a custom signature. This signature can appear at the bottom of all your outgoing messages so you do not have to retype it each time.