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Virus News
Protecting yourself against common threats on the Internet
Scam Alert:
If you have received an email asking for personal information recently then please read the
information about Phishing below.
Attention GroupWise Users:
Please help us keep the resources of the GroupWise system available for all users by; 1)
Removing items in the Sent Items folder that have file attachments in them, 2) After saving the
file(s) to a drive then immediately delete the received message item, and 3) Never CC yourself
(GroupWise is different that other systems - receving a CC item in your mailbox is not proof of
other receving it and only creates an unceessary copy of the item).
Use "Delete and Empty" when deleting messages with file attachments. When you just delete an item it
will remains in your trash for a week. If you don't delete the items they will eventually
be archived on your local drive. If you must keep the item for tracking purposes then archive
it as soon as you have verified that recipients(s) have received the items.
Main Index
Phishing
What is Phishing?
Phishing attacks use 'spoofed' e-mails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into
divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords,
social security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online
retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to
respond to them. See examples of Phishing at
http://www.antiphishing.org/phishing_archive.html.
FTC Consumer Alert about Phishing:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/phishingalrt.htm.
Viruses
A virus is a computer program file capable of attaching to disks or other
files and replicating itself repeatedly, typically without user knowledge
or permission. Everyday the DHR anti-virus system checks thousands
of Internet messages for the GroupWise system and stops hundreds of viruses.
There are times when e-mail may contain a virus that is so new that
the anti-virus software cannot catch it. If you receive an e-mail
that you suspect contains a virus or one that has a questionable attachment
then you should forward the e-mail to Virus Help to be diagnosed. You
will be contacted as to what action to take if a virus is detected.
IMPORTANT:
Receiving an email alert stating that the virus came from your email address is not an indication that you are infected as the virus often forges the from address.
Some general rules about how to prevent infection on your
computer are:
- Never access a secondary e-mail account (like Hotmail or Yahoo)
from a state computer. This bypasses our virus protection system.
Also, the virus scanning used on these e-mail accounts cannot be trusted.
- Do not open any files attached to an e-mail from an unknown, suspicious
or untrustworthy source.
- Do not open any files attached to an e-mail unless you know what
it is, even if it appears to come from a dear friend or someone you know.
Some viruses can replicate themselves and spread through e-mail. Better
be safe than sorry and confirm that they really sent it.
- Do not open any files attached to an e-mail if the subject line
is questionable or unexpected. If the need to do so is there always save
the file to your hard drive before doing so.
- Delete chain e-mails and junk e-mail. Do not forward or reply
to any to them. These types of e-mail are considered spam, which is unsolicited,
intrusive mail that clogs up the network.
- Do not download any files from strangers.
- Exercise caution when downloading files from the Internet. Ensure
that the source is a legitimate and reputable one. Verify that an anti-virus
program checks the files on the download site. If you're uncertain, don't
download the file at all or download the file to a floppy and test it with
your own anti-virus software.
- When in doubt, always err on the side of caution and do not open,
download, or execute any files or e-mail attachments. Not executing is
the more important of these caveats.
Other resources for virus information:
CERT® Coordination Center
http://www.cert.org/other_sources/viruses.html
The National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC)
http://www.nipc.gov/
McAfee Total Virus Defense Update
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/
Hoaxes and Chain Mail
Internet hoaxes and chain letters are e-mail messages written with one
purpose; to be sent to everyone you know. The messages they contain are
usually untrue. A few of the sympathy messages do describe a real situation
but that situation was resolved years ago so the message is not valid and
has not been valid for many years. More information about this can
be found at http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/HBHoaxInfo.html
. Remember that the person you send a message to is relying on
you as a trusted source.
Subject: RE: WORST EVER VIRUS as announced by CNN [Hoax]:
http://www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/icard4u.html
Spam
Spam is flooding the Internet with many copies of the same message, in
an attempt to force the message on people who would not otherwise choose
to receive it. Most spam is commercial advertising, often for dubious products,
get-rich-quick schemes, or quasi-legal services. Spam costs the sender very
little to send - most of the costs are paid for by the recipient or the
carriers rather than by the sender. The newest type of Spam is in
a hyperlink enabled message. This is where you actually see a web
page in your GroupWise message. Some people are seeing this for the
first time because their client was updated or they just never received a
message like this before. Most are not malicious and can be stopped
if you did not request it. If the message is from a reputable site
you usually can follow the directions at the bottom of the message to discontinue
delivery. If not, then just delete it. You can use the GroupWise
rules or filters to assist in removal from your mailbox.
Other resources for Spam information:
http://spam.abuse.net/
http://www.cauce.org/about/problem.shtml
Inappropriate file attachments
If the file is not work related do not send it. This can take the
form of movie, picture, hypertext, and presentation files. The movie
files (MPEG, AVI, etc.) are the worst because they are so large. If
you send it to two friends and they send it to two friends it can get out
of hand very quickly. By sending these files you are reducing the resources
of GroupWise systems, the state network system, and slows down message delivery for everyone.
DHR Policy
The DHR Human Resource/Personnel Policy 1205 – USE OF STATE PROPERTY
outlines the provisions on use of state computers. This policy states
in part “. . .Use of computers, which includes E-mail, Internet and other
computer searches and communications, should be professional and for work-related
reasons only.” This policy may be viewed in its entirety at the OHRM
Web Site:
http://www2.state.ga.us/departments/dhr/ohrmpol.html
Protecting Your Home Computer
The best defense against virus attacks begins at home. If you use your home computer to access
this website then you should make sure you follow the guidelines in the links below. You're not
only protecting yourself, your family, and personal information, but everyone you correspond with
on a regular basis.
Go to
http://www.staysafeonline.info/,
http://www.cybertipline.org/, and
http://www.cert.org/tech_tips/home_networks.html for more detailed information about protecting your home computer.
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