Online Communities

Online social communities, such as MySpace, Facebook, and LiveJournal, are gaining popularity. Please be conscious of what information you release in your online profiles. Personal info such as phone numbers, addresses, and birthdates should be kept private.

You'd be surprised at how much personal information can be found online through simple searches. Personal information can be exploited by other individuals and may be used for malicious purposes.

Think Before You Click!

In today's age of instant gratification, we're used to clicking on anything and everything - we want our content and we want it now. However, one of the most common causes of virus attacks, spyware, and identity theft is carelessness and misplaced trust. Are you sure you know what's beyond the link you just clicked or the attachment you just opened? A little healthy suspicion can go a long way. Here are some guidelines:

• Don't open that attachment : Virus writers love email. By preying on people's trust and curiosity, they convince users to infect themselves! Never open an email attachment that you aren't expecting, even if it looks like it comes from someone you know.
• Emails lie : Scammers can easily craft authentic looking emails from your bank, your ISP, eBay, or practically any other organization. If it asks for personal information or requires you to click on an email link to login, it's usually a scam.
• Don't blindly click 'Yes' : Clicking "Yes" on annoying dialog boxes will make them go away, but it also may install unwanted spyware on your computer. Take the time to read dialog boxes and if you don't know what it is or don't understand what it's asking you to do, hit "No."