ACTIVE RAIN AS A DATING SERVICE? EMAIL SECURITY 101 REFRESHER

I received this in my inbox this morning :

Hello sweetie


My name is judy, i am 25yrs old, i’m a free minded, open hearted girl, i like to take life as easy as i could, i’m one of the few that still belives in friendship,love, trust and signs, am very much single and ready to mingle. was browsing through the internet and came across your contact at (www.activerain.com) belive me i like what i see,it will be my sincere pleasure to be your friend if you don’t mind, i hope you will not take my request for granted, feel free to email me, i will appreciate it if you can send me some pics, i look forward to hear from you soon.
Take care.


Judy.

I didn’t open the attached photograph, but it made me smile; there is nothing hackers and scammers won’t try.

I’m sure we’ve all received emails from some generous person in Africa or Eastern Europe offering to pay us a healthy cut if we’d accept a deposit of several million dollars into our bank account…."just send your bank account information". These sorts of emails are all covered under the term Nigerian 419. The FBI has a good description of it in their website (http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm#nigerian).

It seems that the temptation, or impulse to take people at their word can often override common sense. We’ve all done it, myself included. Spam and anti-virus filters don’t always catch these emails. So, here’s a refresher….TO OPEN, OR NOT TO OPEN? THAT IS THE QUESTION…

• Never click on a link in an email unless you know for sure that it’s genuine. If it’s from someone you know, then it’s probably okay, but there is always a chance that someone’s email address book has been compromised and there are viruses that replicate and forward themselves. Sometimes a link looks almost real. For example "account.bankofamericaa.com" or something along these lines. Almost, but not quite the real thing…




• Any organization worth it’s weight in salt will not ask you for personal information by email, so don’t ever send information that could compromise you by email. This includes passwords, birthdays, social security numbers…you get the idea.




• Don’t open attachments. You may know the sender, so this can be a tough one. Recently, there have been compromises to PDF security, so there’s no guarantee that an innocent-looking PDF might be more than it seems. Of course, we all know never to open an attached ZIP file or executable program…




• Never reply to a "phishing" email. These are the kind that offer you something like a million dollars if you furnish some information, or "you’ve won the European lottery". It might be tempting to reply with "ha ha ha" or something stronger, but this confirms that the email address is active and being used. The next email might not be so easily recognized.





• Email attachments are a fact of life, so protect yourself by ensuring that your anti-virus / spam filter is up-to-date. Generally that means you’ve got to pay for it. I’m not a fan of freebies, especially when it comes to security products.




• If you usu products like Outlook, you’ll have a Spam folder. Yes, the occasional genuine message will go in there, but it won’t let you open links, so you have to make a conscious decision to do so.




• Never click on pop up windows. I’ve seen a lot of these lately that say things like "Your PC security is not up-to-date. Click here for a scan". The next thing you know your PC stops working until you "register" for the software.




• Instead of clicking a link in an email, if you believe it’s genuine and you absolutely have to click it, copy and paste it into your browser. In phishing or virus-laden emails, the text you see might not be the link that lies beneath.




• DON’T USE THE SAME PASSWORD ACROSS MULTIPLE SYSTEMS / WEBSITES.




• DON’T USE OBVIOUS PASSWORDS (ie "password" or your name).




• Keep your software up-to-date. With Windows, ensure you are doing your "Windows Updates" regularly. Be sure your virus software is current. Download the updates for products that you use a lot. Ensure your PDF reader is updated with the latest versions. Software companies do their best to react to breaches as soon as possible, but you have to keep yourself protected.

Computer security doesn’t stop at emails and browsing. There have been umpteen reports about social media links and compromises recently. Every new tool and technology seems to spawn it’s deviants…

Ultimately, security is like insurance. It’s a "best effort" approach. It will work most, if not all of the time. Sometimes, you’re going to be compromised because the stars aligned "just so". If so, then:

• Disconnect your computer from your network / Internet connection immediately.




• Call in the experts (Geek Squad, or your Technician or whomever…).




• Change all your personal security information as soon as possible.




• If you bank online, let your bank know your computer was compromised.




• Don’t try and work around the problem. If you think your PC has been compromised, listen to your gut feeling and take the appropriate precautions.

In many places, if you use Cox Internet, you get McAfee for free – worth checking out to save money. Like insurance, you hope you never have to use it, but a few bucks up front could save you a fortune later one…

Be safe.

Some useful links:

• PC World’s page on PC security (http://www.pcworld.com/topics/security.html)
• Indiana University PC security tips (http://kb.iu.edu/data/akln.html)
• Microsoft Windows update (http://update.microsoft.com)
• Symantec (Security) (http://www.symantec.com)
• McAfee (Security) (http://www.mcafee.com/us/)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader updates (http://get.adobe.com/reader/)
• Microsoft Internet Explorer (you should have the latest version) (http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/default.aspx)
• Mozilla Firefox Browser (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/)
• Google Chrome Browser (http://www.google.com/chrome)
• Opera Browser (http://www.opera.com/)

Talk to your IT / Security person about getting your PC / Mac secure. This information is not intended as definitive in any way….

SOCIAL MEDIA : LOOSE LIPS AND SINKING SHIPS

The Internet has become an even greater melting pot. Online and offline lives are blurred. Many people seem to live their lives online and communicate with a world of people they may never have met. Every detail of their lives is shared in Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Twitter, WordPress, Digg, Reddit…and of course email.

There are some very positive benefits to this incredible online world, I’m the first to admit it. I have clients around the US with whom I’ve developed relationships using purely online methods that I wouldn’t have dreamed of a few years ago. I can share information so easily, click-click-done.

But the ease of communication has blurred the lines between business and personal for many people. I’ve written about this subject a couple of times in the past (links below), but for the uninitiated, here goes:

Mixing Identities

I see it all the time. I communicate professionally with someone and the next thing I know they’re sending me a “friend” request on Facebook, or a network link on LinkedIn. If they want to connect with my professional identity, I’m alright with that and happy to share, but sorry if you want to be my “friend” on a personal level. Let’s have a few dates first…?

Many people don’t separate their personal and professional identities and this can have serious repercussions. I’ve received emails from people I barely know with everything from “please forward this message of goodwill to 10 people…” to petitions, rants about anything, links to cute videos, jokes…you name it.

Opening the professional door to a business relationship does not give you the right to assume that people want to see or share in your personal life.

The Risks You Take

Your opinions and tastes might be different from those people to whom you are sending emails to or trying to connect with in a social media context. If you’re sharing purely professional information, opinion etc, then all well and good, but a lot of people don’t stop there.

Consider the reaction to someone who disagrees with something you send them. What if they’re offended? Could it be the end of a relationship? There are increasing numbers of stories in the press about social media “faux pas” that end up causing retractions and apologies, but in this world of instant communication, once it’s said, it’s very hard to unsay. If you’ve invited someone to be your online friend, do you want them knowing your friends and family too…or the fact that you “got totally wasted dude”?

One shudders to think of the legal ramifications, especially if there are license requirements that one might be expected to observe!

Separation of Church and State

If you’re sharing your personal life with your business colleagues, be prepared. As much as many of us would like to think that our “work” and “play” personalities are the same, or at least similar, they should be different, especially online. 

I call it the “separation of Church and State”. If you’ve not considered separating the two, please do so. You do need to watch what you say. As the World War II posters advertised “loose lips sink ships” and it’s very true.

Can you afford to take the risk?

 

Related articles:

• EMAIL FAUX PAS
• SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

10 THINGS TO AVOID : EMAIL FAUX PAS, ETIQUETTE ET AL

Part 1 of 2

Email is so pervasive in our lives that many people, I’m sure, wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if someone pulled the Internet plug. A few short years ago, email was considered an “unreliable” delivery mechanism, meaning that if you had something of importance to say or send, you’d better use a backup plan to be sure your recipient got it.

No more. Email is routinely subpoenaed in legal cases. It’s considered in many courts to be as good as a written contract and there are several “contract” sites that rely on email for contract execution.

People now receive mail on their cell phones and blackberry’s. While some predicted that SPAM would be a major detriment to the email infrastructure, we’ve managed to handle it pretty well, both from a legislative and technical perspective.

Yet, I never cease to be amazed by what people “do” in email. Whether it’s forwarding something inappropriate or including a vast number of people on a “CC” list or replying to “all” instead of “one”…the list goes on. So, here is the current “Dave Segrove list of things to do and not to do” when it comes to email. Some are just ideas, some are common sense and others are…well, I’ll let you decide.

“DO NOTs”, “GOTCHAs” and other things(in no particular order)

1. WORK AND PLAY DON’T MIX

Do not confuse business and pleasure. In my mind, this has got to be the most ignored and fundamental “rule” when it comes to email. There are several “sub-categories” under this heading.

• Chain Emails

  I may be on your mailing list for some reason and I’m happy to be. But if my relationship with you is business-related, I do not want to see your chain emails. A “chain email” is one that you must forward to 10 or 100 people in order to get the message out, for good luck, to avoid bad luck, to sign a petition…the list goes on. SPAM still accounts for over 90% of all email traffic and chain emails are a big part of that.

  That’s not to say there is no place for some very good chain emails, but consider the recipient. Send it to your friends and family perhaps, but not your business colleagues.

• Jokes, Cartoons Etc

  I’m always amazed at the number of these I get from people I’d never have expected to. I like a good joke or cartoon as much as the next person, and if I get one from a friend or family member, that’s very different. I don’t expect (unless perhaps in rare cases) to receive these from business associates.

  Bottom line: you don’t know whether you might offend the recipient and you don’t know what that might result in.

  Many companies prohibit this sort of traffic as part of their policy, but I see it all the time.

• Pictures, Family Stories Etc

  Sorry gang, but business is business. If we’re friends, then by all means add me to your Facebook list or send me your photos or stories. As a colleague, client or vendor, I shouldn’t be copied on these.

2. DO NOT ASSUME PERMISSION

We may have communicated in the past. I may have received your business card from you in a meeting. Please don’t assume I gave you permission to add me to your mailing list. If you want to add me to your mailing list, send me an email or call me to ask.

In most cases, people are quite happy to join your list, but don’t take it for granted.

3. DO NOT BE CASUAL

If your email is business-related, keep the language thus. Don’t assume a “tone” you would not use in conversation. Email is very subject to misinterpretation, specifically because you cannot hear the voice inflexions of the sender.

4. NEVER EVER USE PROFANITY

’nuff said.

5. DON’T ABBREVIATE

Email is not texting. Sure, you may be emailing from your cell phone or portable device, but that’s your problem. Abbreviations are subject to interpretation. Don’t assume that someone will understand what TTYL or L8R means.

6. BIG ATTACHMENTS

As Internet “pipes” get bigger, so do email attachments. Unless someone’s expecting a big file, either give them some notice or find another way (FTP for example) of getting it to them. Many corporate firewalls and routers will block big messages. You run the risk of not knowing whether it was received or not. Not all email systems will tell you.

Big attachments also fill up mail boxes and may cost money in bandwidth, for either you or the recipient.

7. SHOOTING FROM THE HIP

“Flaming” is an Internet term for an attack on another. While these tend to happen in forum settings, they can happen in emails too. It’s very easy to take offense at a message, type a quick reply and hit send before you’ve had time to take a breath.

Now what?

Remember, in most cases you cannot take it back. You cannot “un-say”. If something upsets you, be careful before replying. In my case, I’ll often type up what I want to say in a word processor. That way, there’s little chance of me sending the message by accident (or on purpose). After I calm down, I can edit or delete what I’ve typed and then copy and paste it into an email.

8. IT WILL OUTLIVE YOU

Copies of email messages are stored all over the place. Don’t assume an email conversation is just between you and the receiver. Don’t send something that might come back to bite you later. Email is legally admissible in many places as evidence. Just because you deleted it from “Sent Items” doesn’t delete it from the Internet.

9. REPLY TO “ALL” / FORWARDING

This can be amusing when it happens. It can also be deadly (business-wise). You receive an email from someone who has copied a group of people. You reply with a comment intended for the sender’s eyes only. You hit “send”.

Hang on, did you replay to “all”…? Uh oh…

I received an email recently from someone who forwarded an email from someone else and I’m pretty sure that I wasn’t supposed to see the original because it wasn’t very nice. In fact, it’s what prompted this article.

Be careful when replying to messages that were sent to a group. Ditto, be careful when forwarding a message to one or more people. Is there something that wasn’t intended for general consumption in there?

10. AN ADDRESS THAT ISN’T “PORTABLE” OR APPROPRIATE

Now, this last item may be determined by your company. If you work for a corporation and use their email system, you are probably expected to send and receive work-related emails with a company address. In nearly every case, you can’t take this with you when you leave.

So, if you are using your company address for something else, you might want to stop doing so. This may be against company policy to begin with, but if you can’t take it with you, are you going to have a problem if you leave?

Use an email address suitable for your business. If you want to use AOL or GMAIL or YAHOO, then do so, but use an address that works and that is appropriate. onehotguy@[emailsystem.com] may be cool for your personal life, but does it work for your new legal practice?

So, there you have it. I’m sure there are many other things that could be on the list. As email evolves, we need to as well. It’s no longer the casual tool a few years years ago.

If you made it thus far, you have my complete admiration. This wasn’t supposed to be a novel when it started…if you email it to anyone, you might want to just send a link…I think that’s appropriate

READ ‘EM AND WEEP

It’s funny what you can come across when browsing for something completely different, but then again, it shows what a good blog article title can do…

BLOGGERS BUSTED BY COURTS

The article on legalzoom.com (here’s the link), discusses the 2009 case of Liskula Cohen, a model, who was called some rather unpleasant things in several anonymous blog posts. She decided to sue. Since the poster was unknown, her attorney’s had to go after Google, owners of Blogger.com where the comments were made.

The case made it to the New York Supreme court where it was decided that the comments had been defamatory and Cohen had rights to claim compensation. More specifically, they quoted a similar Virginia case and stated that anyone suffering "damages" as a result of "tortious or other actionable communications on the Internet" should be able to "seek appropriate redress by preventing the wrongdoers from hiding behind an illusory shield of purported First Amendment rights."
Back in 1995, the US Supreme Court had ruled the opposite, citing that the First Amendment guarantees protection, is vital to any democracy and "Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority".

A quick Google search for “bloggers sued” brings up a host of results (add 2009 to the search for more current stories) from here and abroad. It that there isn’t a part of the world that doesn’t have a blog-related lawsuit in progress somewhere.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, other than I shouldn’t be so easily sidetracked, it goes to show that "anonymous" isn’t necessarily so. Of course, many of us already know that once we step foot into the Internet world, we’re about as anonymous as a polar bear at a penguin convention. Yet, that aside, it also goes to show that what you say really can matter online. What you say can come back to haunt you, whether it’s a comment you make on a personal level, or, I’m guessing, a professional one too. The "offense" may not have been intended, but that’s up to the "offended" party. There are, I’m sure, some very legitimate cases that deserve a look, but that has to be balanced by the First Amendment (or other freedom-of-speech laws around the world) and allowing people to say what they want to.

The legal lines are very shaky in this regard. Quite literally, the jury is out when it comes to what’s okay and what’s going to end someone up in court. As an enthusiastic blogger and writer myself, I hate the thought of censorship at any level, but such is the world we live in. It’s going to be interesting to see how it develops, but in the meantime…if it’s something I wouldn’t say I loud in a public forum, it might be worth keeping to myself…that makes sense to me.

Oh – and this blog is my opinion and is not intended to offend anyone…sigh.

I write about different marketing strategies and techniques, both traditional and non in my online newsletter Webby’s Updates which you can read at www.JDELtd.com and subscribe to if you so choose. You can download this and other articles from by Small Business GENetics site, www.sbgenetics.com