This weeks Security tip is. 10 Tips for Safer Emails!!! 1.Don't reply to ANY unsolicted emails. Even clicking the UNSUBSCRIBE will alert the sender that your email address is being used.
2.Use your messaging softwares filtering tools to reject mail from your frequent spammer's email addresses, or with certain words (sex for example) in the subject line.
3.Find out if your ISP has a spam blocking service. If not, sign up for a third party spam-blocking service such as Brightmail ( www.brightmail.com)
4.Contact the largest directory services, such as Bigfoot, Infospace, Switchboard, Yahoo People Search and Whowhere, to tell them you don't want to be listed.
5.Encrypt and digitally sign all your sensitive email messages. If your messaging software doesn't support robust encryption, download PGP Freeware encryption software and use that.
6.Use WinZip (www.winzip.com) software to compress and password protect your attachments.
7.To avoid cookies sent via email, use email client software, such as Eudora Pro, that lets you shut of it's automatic Web Browser rendering engine.
8.Don't read email on a mchine that does not belong to you or someone you trust. If you use a browser to read email on someone else's machine, use the browser's Clear History tool when you finish, to prevent subsequent users from getting into your mailbox.
9.Don't send sensitive personal messages on your work machine.
10.Keep your antiviral software updated at ALL times.

I know for most of you that this information is pretty standard but, for some this will be new. It does not do any harm in checking to make sure that your software is working properly either, in only takes one Virus or Trojan, to mess up your settings. So check that your email editing software is still working and up-to date.

Thanks Tony for these great tips. Warm regards, Donna aka texgirl

Hello Anthony, Great info you have here....especially for the *newbies*. Harold (The Marathon Man) http://243440.marathonproject.net

Thank you so much for this important info. I am sure it will help allot of us here in our businesses. Your Friend,

Hi Anthony, I use Outlook Express 6 and have my ISP protection set to minimal protection. I don't want ALL the S*pam to get away :-) I've had a few GOOD e-mails lost through overfiltering, so I compensate :-) As I can preview my subject line etc., I download my e-mail, which is scanned for viruses as it's downloaded, and when it's done, I click on "File" and then "Work Offline". This prevents any HTML coded e-mails, and e-mails that are "web pages", from connecting to the interent to retrieve pictures etc., only the text comes through. It may occasionally cause a "Script Error" to show when you highlight the e-mail - that is basically a blocked cookie, from what I can tell - I'm NO expert. This also prevents the opening e-mail from returning information to the senders' website. The e-mail can be coded to record the opening of it, and then send a response to the senders website noting which e-mail address opened the e-mail. I then delete the e-mails as I go through them and before returning online, I empty my "Deleted Items" folder. Click on "Deleted Items", click an e-mail so it is highlighted, click "Edit", then "Select All". This is your last chance to look them over before they're sent into cyberspace. Then click the "Delete" button. You will get a warning. Click "Yes" and they're gone. "Ctrl-F3" will display the "Message Source" which contains the full headers for the e-mail - IF curiousity gets the better of you and you want to possibly see and read what the e-mail says, check it out :-) Responding in any way to most of these types of e-mails, will only get you more of them to contend with. As Anthony said, clicking or using the "unsubscribe" link only confirms to them that the address is active. The address then becomes a valuable "commodity" to these people who add it to lists and sell it, creating more S*pam. Sincerely, Max Welton Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada