Computer Safety and Security

Email Anti-Spam/Anti-Virus Tips

• Use disposable email addresses (yahoo, hotmail, etc...) when registering for online services or websites. Many websites require you to register before allowing access to their content. By creating an email address just for the purpose of registering online, you will cut down on spam to your standard email address.
• Do not respond to "opt-out" statements in email addresses unless you are comfortable that the sender is a reputable company. Many spammers use the "opt-out" statements to verify email addresses. Once you reply, you could be placed on a list to receive even more spam. Some "opt-out" statements are legitimate, but you must use common sense. For example: If you are receiving emails from Amazon.com, and you wish to be removed from their mailing lists, it is probably safe to request to be deleted from their mailing lists. Unless you know that the company is legitimate, your safest recourse is to just delete the spam message.
• Be sure that any mailing lists you subscribe to do not release the names of their members. Avoid publishing your standard email address on blogs and other websites. Many programs troll the web looking for email addresses to add to mailing lists.
• If you do not recognize the sender of the message and/or the subject line is senseless or offensive, delete the email.
• Do not open attachments unless you are expecting them. Even if you know the sender, you should be very careful opening attachments. Although an email may look like it is from someone you know it is possible a spammer is spoofing their email address. (Information on spoofing - here)

Password Protection

Strong passwords are important because generally that is the first line of defense between you and a hacker. Strong passwords can help you protect your computer resources and more importantly your identity. It is important to create passwords that are both easy for you to remember and also hard for someone else to discover.

Strong Passwords are:

• at least 6 characters - the longer the better
• contain uppercase & lowercase letters
• contain non-alpha characters ($%&!)
• contain numbers

Strong Passwords are NOT:

• variations of your name or login
• dictionary words
• names of your pets or family
• easily discovered numbers such as license number, telephone number, your favorite TV show, etc...
• all numbers or all lowercase letters

It is relatively easy to create passwords that are both easy to remember and hard to break. For example: Gc3$/glS is a good, strong password. It has a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, it contains a number and non-alpha characters. It also is relatively easy to remember.

G Gas c cost 3 three $ dollars / per g gallon l last S Spring

Note: Computing Services recommends that you change your webAccess password regularly. After logging in, just click on change password.

Additionally, you should setup your computer to lock itself after a short period of inactivity to keep unauthorized users from accessing your machine.

To setup a screensaver password in Windows XP:
Right-click on a blank part of the Windows desktop Choose Properties Click on the Screensaver tab Click the On Resume, password protect button Choose a short period of time (5 or 10 minutes) Click OK

Contact Info:
Computing Services Helpdesk ~ Baldwin Hall ~ Email: helpdesk@campbell.edu
Phone: Local: 910-893-1208 ~ On-Campus - ext. 1208 ~ Toll-Free: 800-334-4111
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