Desktop Self-Defense

Instructor:

Eileen O’Sheaipweb@infopeople.org

An Infopeople WorkshopFall/Winter 2005

This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project

Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a wide variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis.

For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the project, go to the Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

Introductions

NameLibraryPosition

Desktop Self-Defense Overview

Spam, scams & viruses & what you can do to protect yourself

Why webmail is useful - and what to look for in a webmail account

Firewalls & Internet Explorer security options

How to protect your computer from spyware & adware

Desktop Self-Defense:A Few Important Tips

Make sure automatic updates are turned ON & you install the updates

Make sure you have file extension viewing turned ON

Make sure you have antivirus software on your computer & you update it AT LEAST once a month (weekly is better!)

Be smart about your passwords!

first up…

Getting a Grip on Email!

Getting a Grip on Email!

What Is Spam?

Spamming is the use of any electronic communications medium to send unsolicited messages in bulk. While its definition is usually limited to indiscriminate bulk mailing and not any targeted marketing, the term "spam" can refer to any commercially oriented, unsolicited bulk mailing perceived as being excessive and undesired.

How Much Spam?

Spam accounted for 77% of all email traffic in 2004

Telephone-based survey of adults who use the Internet found that more than 75% receive spam daily

The average spam messages per day is 18.5 and the average time spent per day deleting them is 2.8 minutes

More than two in five spam emails are medically related

What Is Phishing?

Phishing (also known as carding and spoofing) is an attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords.

Tips to Avoid Spam & Phishing Scams

Don’t open strange attachments Never email personal or financial info Keep virus software up-to-date Never click on links in email that say

“click here” or “login here” Don’t buy into any email promising

you large sums of money if you email them personal information

Email that starts “dear customer” is NOT legitimate!

Using Bookmarks in Class

1. Go to: http://bookmarks.infopeople.org/desktopselfdefense_bk.html

2. With the page showing in Internet Explorer, click the Favorites menu, choose Add to Favorites…

3. Notice the name in the Name: box so that you can use the Favorites list to get back to the class bookmarks for the rest of the day.

Exercise #1

How to Spot an Email Scam

What Is a Computer Virus?

A virus is a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents. A computer virus behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. basic rule is that computer viruses cannot directly damage hardware, only software is damaged directly.

Viruses

Enable file extension viewing in Windowsso you know what you’re getting!

Don’t open email attachments that seem unusual - what you don’t open can’t hurt you!

Keep antivirus software current!Set up automatic updates for

antivirus software and Windows when possible

Exercise #2

Dealing with Viruses & Other Annoyances

Why Use Webmail?

Harder to get virusesAll you need is an Internet

connection & a web browserAllows you to have multiple

accounts for various activities - office, personal, Ebay, hobbies

No hard drive crash woes!

What You Want in a Webmail Account

Ability to send & receive attachments

Address book can be imported & exported

CalendarVirus & spam protectionAbility to create folders & filters

Using Webmail - Minuses

Often less space than email programsYahoo! Mail gives you one gigabyte for freeISP determines email storage limit

Limits on attachment sizesSlower than email programs like outlookLess “user-friendly” interfaces than

outlook or other email programsSome sites don’t accept email from

webmail addresses like yahoo.com or hotmail.com

Why Use Yahoo! for Webmail?

Address book can be exported & imported

One gigabyte of free spaceOffers virus/spam protectionCalendar can be

public/sharedhandy for libraries!

Spam Protection in Yahoo! Mail

On by defaultSave or delete immediately?Mark Spam + Not Spam

default settings are goodImage Blocking

safest is to let SpamGuard block as needed

Email Tips

CC vs BCC: know the difference!

Plain text vs. HTMLChoose plain text!

Use folders to organize emailUse filters to put email into

foldersUse a spam filter!

Exercise #3

Getting Familiar with Yahoo! Mail

Okay, enough about SPAM—

What about SPYWARE and other web browser evils?

Web Browser Woes

SpywareAnti-spyware software

AdwareAnti-adware software

Intruders/hackersIE security optionsfirewalls

Spyware

What Is It?“a broad category of malicious software

intended to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the user's informed consent. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party.”

--Wikipedia

How Pervasive Is Spyware?

49% of Internet users see spyware as a serious threat to their online security

63% of Internet users have been plagued by spyware in the past year

81% of Internet users say they have stopped opening email attachments unless they are sure these documents are safe

18% of Internet users say they have started using a different web browser to avoid software intrusions.

-- Pew Internet & American Life Project

How to Combat It

Anti-Spyware Softwarefree/shareware - SpyBotcommercial - Norton

Alternative BrowsersFirefox, Opera, Netscape

Check your ActiveX settingsLook for https:// in the URL

when ordering or entering personal info online!

What is ActiveX?

A Microsoft technology used on the Internet to make interactive web pages that look and behave like computer programs, rather than static pages. ActiveX controls may be used with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to interact with web pages. ActiveX controls provide functions similar to Java Applets.

Pros and Cons of ActiveX Controls

Good: view sophisticated web content

Bad: lack of securityGood: interact with anything on

the desktopBad: interact with anything on

the desktop - making spyware able to exploit it

Anti-Spyware Software:Some Good Options

Spybotfreeware, no requirements

Microsoft Anti-spywarefreewareMust have a registered version

of Windows to install

Adware - What Is It?

“Adware or advertising-supported software is any computer program or software package in which advertisements or other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software and displayed or played back after installation or in which information about the computer or its users activities is uploaded automatically when the user has not requested it.”

--Wikipedia

Adware Is Not Spyware - Usually!

Often the price you pay for “freeware” -- as with Eudora or Netscape

Adware passes Info on to advertisers

Doesn’t put malicious software on your computer

Has come to be associated with spyware

Stopping Adware

Anti-adware softwarefreeware: Ad-AwareCommercial: Norton, McAfee

Turn on popup blockingcan block good popupscan be customized

Exercise #4Spotting the Symptoms of

Spyware or Adware

Increasing Security in Internet Explorer

Deleting cookies & cache settings

Adjusting Security zone settings for greater privacywhat it does & doesn’t do

Turn on pop-up blockinghow much is too much?

Pop-ups

Not all are created equal!Good pop-ups:

part of a program (as with videoconferencing

part of a sign-up or sign-in system

Bad pop-upsadsspyware or malware

What to Do About Pop-ups

Built-in browser pop-up blockingmost new browsers offer this,

including IEPop-up blocking software

many freeware, shareware optionscommercial Internet security

packages also offer pop-up blockingToolbars - free from Google, Yahooyou only need one

Firewalls

Block attempts to hack your computer (zombie computers)

Can block good content as well as bad

You only need one firewall - if your local network is running one, you don’t need another on your computer

Firewall-Related Problems

May not be able to connect to sites like the Infopeople webcasts

Videoconferencing software often won’t work

File and printer sharing may not work

Is Windows Firewall Enough?

It won’t prevent viruses or spam from reaching your inbox

It won’t stop you from opening bad attachments

It will let you know when bad stuff attempts to get out & will block it

It will provide you with a log of suspicious activity

Exercise #5

Dealing with Pop-ups & Browser

Security

Review of the Day’s Big Points

Turn on file extension viewingTurn on Windows Automatic

UpdatesDon’t open strange attachmentsUse spam filtersUse anti-virus softwareInstall and use anti-spyware

software

Exercise #6On the Reference Desk