Internet Safety Tips (Part II)

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Internet Safety Tips, Part II:

Sometimes you may find yourself using  a public computer in the library, a computer café, or even the Employment and Learning Centre computer lab. If you are checking on your email or even a social media such as Facebook, where you have to log in, before you leave the computer you must remember to log yourself out. You do not know who is going to be sitting at that computer going forward, and leaving that information open is just asking for trouble.

When you first open one of these log-in pages, there is usually a check-box to keep yourself signed in at that computer. Make sure the box is not checked, because that means anyone sitting there after you will not need to put in the password to access your account.

On your own computer, it is advised to have an anti-virus program installed. Some of the better known ones are Sophros, Norton Antivirus Protection, and AVG. The first two are purchased, and update almost daily for the extent of your contract (usually one year). AVG, however, is free online.

One annoying virus is pop-up windows that block your screen. A way to avoid this is to turn on the pop-up blocker on your computer. If you use Internet Explorer, click on Tools, which is on the top scrollbar on the screen, and then click on “Turn On Pop-Up Blocker.” If a “Turn Off Pop-Up Blocker” notice appears, that means the blocker is already activated.

For Mozilla Firefox, click on Tools, which is on the top scrollbar on the screen, and then click on “Delete Recent History.”


 

Internet Safety Tips (Part I)

From the Employment and Learning Computer Lab:

Internet Safety Tips, Part I:

When you enter the Internet world, the fear is that you are exposing yourself and your machine to mischief. While that is a possibility, there are easy measures to be taken to sidestep dangers. Here are some examples of ways to more safely enter the Internet.

When looking at your list of new e-mails, if you see that you have received an attachment from someone you do not know, do not be inquisitive, rather erase the e-mail unopened. Clicking on an unrecognized email can lead to downloading a virus.

Sometimes hackers can get cleaver and send an email that looks legitimate from an organization like a bank, or even from the email provider itself. If they ask for any information, such as user names, passwords, or other personal data (Social Insurance number, banking number, phone number, and such), erase the email. These companies will already have whatever information they need, and all have a policy of not asking for it over the Internet. Rather, if they needed to reach you because of something important, they would ask you to contact them, rather than their reaching out to you for that information.

Sometimes you may receive an email from someone you know, but it may still look suspicious, perhaps stating that they are lost in Europe and need money, or suggesting you check out a product. Do not hit the Reply button, as it will be redirected to the illicit sender rather than your friend. Instead, send a separate email to the person and ask if they had sent it. If they have not, then they have been hacked and someone is remotely using their address. Suggest to the person that they change their password, which will break the link to the hacker. If you get a questioning email from someone about an email in your name and you did not send it, then change your own

password.