Desktop Self-Defense

1. Desktop Self-Defense Instructor: Eileen O’Shea ipweb@infopeople.org An Infopeople Workshop Fall/Winter 2005

2. This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople Project Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project supported by the California State Library. It provides a wide variety of training to California libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered around the state and are open registration on a first-come, first-served basis. For a complete list of workshops, and for other information about the project, go to the Infopeople website at infopeople.org.

3. Introductions • Name • Library • Position

4. Desktop Self-Defense Overview • Spam, scams & viruses & what you can do to protect yourself • Why webmail is useful - and what to look for in a webmail account • Firewalls & Internet Explorer security options • How to protect your computer from spyware & adware

5. Desktop Self-Defense:A Few Important Tips • Make sure automatic updates are turned ON & you install the updates • Make sure you have file extension viewing turned ON • Make sure you have antivirus software on your computer & you update it AT LEAST once a month (weekly is better!) • Be smart about your passwords!

6. first up… Getting a Grip on Email!

7. What Is Spam? • Spamming is the use of any electronic communications medium to send unsolicited messages in bulk. While its definition is usually limited to indiscriminate bulk mailing and not any targeted marketing, the term "spam" can refer to any commercially oriented, unsolicited bulk mailing perceived as being excessive and undesired.

8. How Much Spam? • Spam accounted for 77% of all email traffic in 2004 • Telephone-based survey of adults who use the Internet found that more than 75% receive spam daily • The average spam messages per day is 18.5 and the average time spent per day deleting them is 2.8 minutes • More than two in five spam emails are medically related

9. What Is Phishing? • Phishing (also known as carding and spoofing) is an attempt to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication, such as an email or an instant message. The term phishing arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords.

10. Tips to Avoid Spam & Phishing Scams • Don’t open strange attachments • Never email personal or financial info • Keep virus software up-to-date • Never click on links in email that say “click here” or “login here” • Don’t buy into any email promising you large sums of money if you email them personal information • Email that starts “dear customer” is NOT legitimate!

11. Using Bookmarks in Class • Go to: http://bookmarks.infopeople.org/desktopselfdefense_bk.html • With the page showing in Internet Explorer, click the Favorites menu, choose Add to Favorites… • Notice the name in the Name: box so that you can use the Favorites list to get back to the class bookmarks for the rest of the day.

12. Exercise #1How to Spot an Email Scam

13. What Is a Computer Virus? • A virus is a self-replicating program that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other executable code or documents. A computer virus behaves in a way similar to a biological virus, which spreads by inserting itself into living cells. basic rule is that computer viruses cannot directly damage hardware, only software is damaged directly.

14. Viruses • Enable file extension viewing in Windows • so you know what you’re getting! • Don’t open email attachments that seem unusual - what you don’t open can’t hurt you! • Keep antivirus software current! • Set up automatic updates for antivirus software and Windows when possible

15. Exercise #2 Dealing with Viruses & Other Annoyances

16. Why Use Webmail? • Harder to get viruses • All you need is an Internet connection & a web browser • Allows you to have multiple accounts for various activities - office, personal, Ebay, hobbies • No hard drive crash woes!

17. What You Want in a Webmail Account • Ability to send & receive attachments • Address book can be imported & exported • Calendar • Virus & spam protection • Ability to create folders & filters

18. Using Webmail - Minuses • Often less space than email programs • Yahoo! Mail gives you one gigabyte for free • ISP determines email storage limit • Limits on attachment sizes • Slower than email programs like outlook • Less “user-friendly” interfaces than outlook or other email programs • Some sites don’t accept email from webmail addresses like yahoo.com or hotmail.com

19. Why Use Yahoo! for Webmail? • Address book can be exported & imported • One gigabyte of free space • Offers virus/spam protection • Calendar can be public/shared • handy for libraries!

20. Spam Protection in Yahoo! Mail • On by default • Save or delete immediately? • Mark Spam + Not Spam • default settings are good • Image Blocking • safest is to let SpamGuard block as needed

21. Email Tips • CC vs BCC: know the difference! • Plain text vs. HTML • Choose plain text! • Use folders to organize email • Use filters to put email into folders • Use a spam filter!

22. Exercise #3Getting Familiar with Yahoo! Mail

23. Okay, enough about SPAM—What about SPYWARE and other web browser evils?

24. Web Browser Woes • Spyware • Anti-spyware software • Adware • Anti-adware software • Intruders/hackers • IE security options • firewalls

25. Spyware • What Is It? • “a broad category of malicious software intended to intercept or take partial control of a computer's operation without the user's informed consent. While the term taken literally suggests software that surreptitiously monitors the user, it has come to refer more broadly to software that subverts the computer's operation for the benefit of a third party.” --Wikipedia

26. How Pervasive Is Spyware? • 49% of Internet users see spyware as a serious threat to their online security • 63% of Internet users have been plagued by spyware in the past year • 81% of Internet users say they have stopped opening email attachments unless they are sure these documents are safe • 18% of Internet users say they have started using a different web browser to avoid software intrusions. -- Pew Internet & American Life Project

27. How to Combat It • Anti-Spyware Software • free/shareware - SpyBot • commercial - Norton • Alternative Browsers • Firefox, Opera, Netscape • Check your ActiveX settings • Look for https:// in the URL when ordering or entering personal info online!

28. What is ActiveX? • A Microsoft technology used on the Internet to make interactive web pages that look and behave like computer programs, rather than static pages. ActiveX controls may be used with Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser to interact with web pages. ActiveX controls provide functions similar to Java Applets.

29. Pros and Cons of ActiveX Controls • Good: view sophisticated web content • Bad: lack of security • Good: interact with anything on the desktop • Bad: interact with anything on the desktop - making spyware able to exploit it

30. Anti-Spyware Software:Some Good Options • Spybot • freeware, no requirements • Microsoft Anti-spyware • freeware • Must have a registered version of Windows to install

31. Adware - What Is It? “Adware or advertising-supported software is any computer program or software package in which advertisements or other marketing material are included with or automatically loaded by the software and displayed or played back after installation or in which information about the computer or its users activities is uploaded automatically when the user has not requested it.” --Wikipedia

32. Adware Is Not Spyware - Usually! • Often the price you pay for “freeware” -- as with Eudora or Netscape • Adware passes Info on to advertisers • Doesn’t put malicious software on your computer • Has come to be associated with spyware

33. Stopping Adware • Anti-adware software • freeware: Ad-Aware • Commercial:Norton, McAfee • Turn on popup blocking • can block good popups • can be customized

34. Exercise #4Spotting the Symptoms of Spyware or Adware

35. Increasing Security in Internet Explorer • Deleting cookies & cache settings • Adjusting Security zone settings for greater privacy • what it does & doesn’t do • Turn on pop-up blocking • how much is too much?

36. Pop-ups • Not all are created equal! • Good pop-ups: • part of a program (as with videoconferencing • part of a sign-up or sign-in system • Bad pop-ups • ads • spyware or malware

37. What to Do About Pop-ups • Built-in browser pop-up blocking • most new browsers offer this, including IE • Pop-up blocking software • many freeware, shareware options • commercial Internet security packages also offer pop-up blocking • Toolbars - free from Google, Yahoo • you only need one

38. Firewalls • Block attempts to hack your computer (zombie computers) • Can block good content as well as bad • You only need one firewall - if your local network is running one, you don’t need another on your computer

39. Firewall-Related Problems • May not be able to connect to sites like the Infopeople webcasts • Videoconferencing software often won’t work • File and printer sharing may not work

40. Is Windows Firewall Enough? • It won’t prevent viruses or spam from reaching your inbox • It won’t stop you from opening bad attachments • It will let you know when bad stuff attempts to get out & will block it • It will provide you with a log of suspicious activity

41. Exercise #5Dealing with Pop-ups & Browser Security

42. Review of the Day’s Big Points • Turn on file extension viewing • Turn on Windows Automatic Updates • Don’t open strange attachments • Use spam filters • Use anti-virus software • Install and use anti-spyware software

43. Exercise #6On the Reference Desk