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Essential email security tips and
information here followed by some basic emailing
etiquette that if followed, will make everyone's life easier. The last
thing you need is to have an errant email slip past you.
The etiquette helps out those of
us who receive loads of email and spend the time to sort them
all. |
Jump to:
Email
Security Testing
- Spam Prevention -
Email Spam Stats -
Email Scam and Fraud Sites
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Email Forwarding Etiquette -
Email Clean-up
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Phishing Information and Prevention
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Some Email Related Links
Email Security Testing
Surf The Net Safely
4 Different sections here:
Jason's Toolbox Email Test
E-mail addresses
entered in this form will not be collected. This form will
merely send you an e-mail with a harmless .VBS script attached.
This way you can test your defenses against script viruses
without running the risk of infecting your computer.
Some servers will reject messages with VBS attachments without
you even seeing the message. While this will protect you against
viruses, you also won't know if the e-mail reached you properly.
If you'd like, this page can send you a "control" e-mail without
an attachment. If you get the control e-mail, but not the one
with the attachment, you know that your mail server blocked the
e-mail with the test script
 GFI Email Security Testing
Zone
Is your email
system secure against email viruses and attacks?
The most deadly viruses, able to cripple your email system and
corporate network in minutes, are being distributed worldwide
via email in a matter of hours (for example, the LoveLetter
virus). Email worms and viruses can reach your system and infect
your users through harmful attachments. But that's not all! Some
viruses are transmitted through harmless-looking email messages
and can run automatically without the need for user intervention
(like the Nimda virus). Are you covered against such threats?
Find out now by doing a vulnerability check on your email
system!
Sign up to test for these real world threats by entering your
name and email address below. You will receive an email asking
you to confirm your request by clicking on a URL, after which we
will perform a vulnerability check of your email system. You
will receive the results by email.
Spam Prevention
Here are a few tools which you can
use to help manage spam, and they also work in guarding against
phish attempts as well.
Email Spam Stats
Email Intelligence From
Message Labs
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Top Viruses
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Virus Intercepts
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Spam
Global Threat Center
Top 10 viruses and spyware stats
on a global map.
Email Scam and Fraud Sites
Hoax-Slayer
Get news on the latest email hoaxes and current Internet scams delivered direct to your in-box. Hoax-Slayer also features computer security and anti-spam information, PC tips and a lot more.
Hoaxbusters
FraudWatchers.org
The aim of FraudWatchers.Org is
firstly to provide support, guidance and assistance to victims of fraud. We are
aware of the circumstances under which people fall prey to these crimes - quite
often it is out of the simple, human desire to have a second income, or to help
a "charity" in Africa or maybe it is just the result of buying something on the
Internet for your children. We understand - it is not always blind, mindless
greed that causes fraud victims. We care - we have seen hard cases before and we
always try our best to look after them. We know - we co-operate with police
forces all around the world and can guide you to the right people to report your
case. It is highly unlikely that any losses you have suffered would be
recovered, and we cannot and will never offer to undertake such a service.
Scam Fraud Alert
In a nutshell, ScamFraudAlert.com is
about:
Helping the innocent or naive online users learn about the inner
workings of the internet
Providing knowledge to those who do not know better
Putting a face on those who site behind computers with the sole purpose
of committing crimes
What We Believe
We believe the Internet and other new media should be free of criminal
activities if we are to reap the benefits and enjoy the ease of
communicating they now offers.
Email Forwarding Etiquette
There are fundamentals about addressing email that too many users either
don't know, or just don't care about -- and that goes for heavy users of
emails as well as the n00bs. Most email apps require
something in the To: field. When addressing email to several people,
assume that the information is written to the people in the To: field.
If the email is also for the information of others -- but they are not
expected to act on it and/or reply to it-- put their addresses in the
CC: field. 'CC' stands for 'carbon
copy'. All recipients will see who the message is To: and who has been CC'd and if any of them Reply All, 'All' means those in the To: and CC:
fields.
If you want others to read the email without revealing their addresses
to the To: and CC: recipients, place their addresses in the BCC: field.
BCC stands for 'blind carbon copy'. A Reply All from To: or CC:
recipients will not go to those originally in the BCC: field, since
BCC'd addresses are hidden from the To: and CC: recipients.
When addressing email to more than several recipients (I have groups set
up, see below) -- and if you don't expect (or want) them to be able to
Reply to anybody but you, there are at least two ways to hide their
email addresses from each other. One, of course, is to put them all in
the BCC field. Since email clients require something in the To: field,
you can put your own address there. One problem with this method is that
so few people are aware of the BCC option or its uses, they may think
you are sending the email solely to them.
Another method of hiding email addresses is to create a distribution
list. This should be an option with all email clients , although I know
it's much easier with some software than with others. I can create a
list containing fifty recipients from my address book, and
send my mail to this list name (Example: 'Soccer Team', 'Family', so
forth) nearly as
easily as I could place fifty addresses in the BCC field. Once created,
a group list can be edited (to add or remove addresses) and used
again.
Especially with emails that are forwarded over and over, users who don't
follow these practices create two problems:
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Large emails
with very little useful content -- the bulk of which contains
previous headers and their email addresses, which really bugs me to
no end.
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Then there is the
outside chance someone is going to just pass along the huge list of
headers\email accounts with some chain letter -- all of which die a
painful death in my delete box -- and they will be easy picking for
some spam bot.
Email
Clean-up
>>>>Here is
another thing that bugs me.
>>>> >>>>>Don't you hate it when you get emails, open them,
and find loads of these...>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>> >>>>>>If the email is
worth sending at all, then its worth the time to try and
clean it up some
>>>>>> And you just know that if you have seen the
chain\hoax\urban legend style email once, more than likely
so have your friends
>>>>>>So do us all a favor, firstly, by not sending
obvious chain mail, and most all of them are hoaxes (see
link below), >>>>>>
>>>>>>And secondly, by removing all
these>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>> >>>>>>You should also remove
headers from previous mailings -- including the email
addresses -- if any
emailSTRIPPER
emailStripper is a free
program for cleaning the ">" and other formatting characters out of your
emails. It will restore "forwarded" or "replied" emails back to their
original state so they're easier to read.
Phishing Information and
Prevention From
Wikipedia:
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In computing, phishing is
an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information,
such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as
a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and
online banks are common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by
email or instant messaging, and often directs users to enter details at
a website, although phone contact has also been used. Phishing is an
example of social engineering techniques used to fool users. Attempts to
deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include
legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical measures. |
The most essential rule to avoid
phishing entrapment is common sense and sticking to one simple rule; if you
don't 100% recognize the address from where an email purports to be, delete it!
If you get the slightest inkling it may be bogus, delete it! Looks ever so
slightly odd or different...DELETE IT!
Anti phishing software:
Phish reporting
Some Email Related
Links
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Malware
Advisor Blog 
