Greetings
It's time to "March ahead" and continue learning about the Internet with a little help from our eNewsletter. It starts with a warning about a fake Microsoft Outlook update that's currently circulating via e-mail, including a review of the dead giveaways that identify it as a scam. Next, you'll find out about the mechanics (and etiquette) of declining a Facebook friend request, as well as how to remove those annoying colored lines from a forwarded e-mail before sending it to others. Be sure to check out the Great Sites for a championship resource, a keyboarding training ground, an out-of-this-world opportunity, and a healthy variety of recipes.
E-Mail Virus - Watch for Fake Microsoft Outlook Update
A spam attack is now circulating e-mails that appear to be sent from Microsoft Support, advising users of a new security update for Outlook/Outlook Express. Recipients are told that this is a critical update for stability and security, and are given instructions for opening the attached zip file to complete the installation. In actuality, the only thing that would get installed in this process is the malicious Bredolab.Y virus and a rogue antivirus program called SecurityTool—both of which could cause serious problems with your computer.
If you receive an e-mail like this that claims to come from Microsoft, delete it and do not open the attachment. Keep in mind that Microsoft NEVER sends patches or security updates as e-mail attachments. Any e-mail asking you to install such items should be considered a dead giveaway of fraud.
In addition, Microsoft advises the following precautions:
- Keep your firewall turned on.
- Keep all your software and your operating system up-to-date.
- Keep your antivirus software up-to-date.
- Keep your antispyware technology up-to-date.
To learn more about how to get authentic Microsoft security updates, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/security/updates/bulletins/201001-oob.aspx
It's Worth The Effort To Secure Your Wi-Fi
In a YouTube video that went viral recently, technology guru Leo Laporte explains to a woman, described as "clueless" by a few bloggers, that the free wireless Internet she has been using not only isn't hers for the taking but is "dangerous."
"You were doing the most dangerous thing you can do," Laporte tells the woman, who called in to his radio show. "You were at great risk." (Watch the video)
While the woman remains miffed that her free Internet access has disappeared, Laporte gently lays out the risks inherent in unsecured Wi-Fi use, risks posed to both the free-loader and to the owner of an unsecured wireless router. "If you were a bad guy, you could've gotten on their network and accessed all their systems," Laporte said. "Anybody else on that Linksys router - anybody in your neighborhood - could see your e-mail password floating through, catch it, and now they've got access to your e-mail."
Besides outright theft of personal information, wireless thieves can suck up valuable bandwidth by downloading video or other large files, making your own connection much slower. Some of those video downloads, or similar downloads of games and music, could violate federal copyright law. When your service provider and the feds come looking for the offender, all they have to go by is an IP address - your IP address. The Internet thief will be long gone by then.
For the freeloaders, Laporte warns that identity thieves often set up unsecured wireless access points and then collect the information of those who tap into it.
For those with wireless routers, it's not difficult to avoid security pitfalls. It's merely a matter of turning your unsecured Wi-Fi into a secured connection, usable only by you and those you choose to share it with and unusable or even invisible to other users.
Here are a few steps you should take, both at home and at your business.
- Change the login and username for your router as soon as the network is up and running. Hackers often try well-known default logins and user names in attempts to access wireless networks. Passwords with both letters and numbers are recommended.
- Enable pre-set security features by following instructions that come with your router or by finding this information online.
- Choose WPA encryption over WEP encryption. Hackers have been able to decipher the WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy) passwords, but they've had more trouble cracking WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) passwords.
- Place the wireless base unit in the center of your office or home. This will spread coverage evenly throughout your facility and limit its availability outside.
- Disable the SSID broadcasting feature and experiment with lowering the router's transmission power. This will make your network invisible to neighbors and others looking to "borrow" your connection.
When you are the one with a free-range laptop looking to log on, you can take steps to protect yourself from those looking for personal information.
- Turn off your laptop's Wi-Fi capability when you're not online.
- Make sure your laptop's settings prompt you to manually select a Wi-Fi connection rather than automatically choosing one for you.
- Don't conduct financial transactions, use messaging applications or log in with passwords and usernames while using an unsecured connection.
- Be sure your laptop has up-to-date firewalls, browsers, antivirus/antispyware software and a current operating system.
-Cornerstone Group contributed to this article
This Month's FAQ - What's The Polite Way To Decline A Facebook Friend Request?
Question: People I knew (and didn't particularly like) in high school have been contacting me about being a friend on Facebook. What's the polite way to decline a Facebook friend request?
Answer: The mechanics of this are pretty simple. You have two options for responding to a Facebook friend request. You can either click on Ignore or Confirm. When you click on Ignore, the friend request is removed from your inbox and the requester receives nothing. When you click on Confirm, the requester receives a notification of your decision.
So, if that former classmate is paying attention and notes that a friend notification regarding you never shows up, he or she can figure out what happened. However, you probably don't need to be too concerned about hurt feelings. Chances are good that this person was sending friend requests to everyone they ever knew, and in a few days, won't even remember sending one to you.
Everyone uses Facebook differently. Some people want to collect as many friends as possible, and others want to limit their Facebook interaction only to close friends and family. Do what feels comfortable for you.
Sites Of The Month - Great Sites To Check Out In March
Trouble Typing?
http://keybr.com - Is your hunt-and-peck typing method amusing to your friends? Typing (or keyboarding) is an important skill, and this site helps you improve your speed and accuracy. It will give you sample text or you can import Web content to practice on. With each session, you'll see your words-per-minute rate and number of mistakes. You can also view a chart showing your progress and see the letters that cause you the most trouble.
Cooking Outside the Box
http://backofthebox.com - This site contains thousands of recipes literally taken from the back of food product boxes. You can search for recipes under food type, reader favorites, or "quick and easy." You can also check out the helpful cooking hints. If you'd like, let the recipes come to you by subscribing to the Recipe of the Day or the weekly newsletter.
Healthy Eating With the Biggest Loser
http://nbc.com/the-biggest-loser - March is National Nutrition Month, and you can celebrate by finding out more about healthy eating. One way to do so is to visit the Biggest Loser site, where you can join the Biggest Loser Club. Club members gain access to ideas for better food choices for weight loss and health, as well as recipes, meal ideas, exercise demonstrations, interactive assessments, ways to handle everyday food challenges, and other resources.
"Four" Events and More
http://ncaa.com - Visit this site to get all your college sports information in one place, including scores, statistics, rankings, and videos. Check on tickets and get details on the three big championship events coming up in April: the Final Four in Indianapolis, the Women's Final Four in San Antonio, and the Frozen Four in Detroit. Still want more? Visit the site's shop to find clothes and accessories from your favorite teams.
Be Part of the Next Mars Mission
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate - In the fall of 2011, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory will launch the Mars Science Laboratory rover to help determine the "habitability" of the red planet. On this site, the Laboratory invites the world to participate in the mission by following its progress on Twitter, submitting your name to be included on a microchip on the rover, becoming a virtual citizen of Mars, or competing in the Pathfinder Innovation Challenge.
Short Tutorial - Preventing Colored Lines in Forwarded E-mails
When a rich text e-mail has been forwarded many times, it can be full of vertical colored lines on the left side. These items detract from the e-mail's appearance and can be annoying to recipients of the message. Follow the steps below to adjust your settings to prevent colored lines from appearing in your forwarded e-mails. You'll also find notes on how to "clean up" an e-mail from someone else before you send it on to other people.
Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Outlook Express
Computer Operating System: Windows XP
- With Outlook Express open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu and select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
- When the Options window opens, click on the "Send" tab.
- Within the "Mail Sending Format" section, click on the "HTML Settings..." button.
- When the HTML Settings window opens, uncheck the box next to "Indent message on reply." Click "OK" to return to the Options window.
- Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close the Options window.
NOTE: If you receive an e-mail that already has colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Ctrl and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Decrease Indent." Repeat as needed.
Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Windows Mail
Computer Operating System: Windows Vista
- With Windows Mail open, click your cursor arrow on the "Tools" menu and select "Options..." from the resulting drop-down menu.
- When the Options window opens, click on the "Send" tab.
- Within the "Mail Sending Format" section, click on the "HTML Settings..." button.
- When the HTML Settings window opens, uncheck the box next to "Indent message on reply." Click "OK" to return to the Options window.
- Click on the "Apply" button and then the "OK" button to close the Options window.
NOTE: If you receive an e-mail that already has colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Ctrl and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Decrease Indent." Repeat as needed.
Preventing Colored Lines In Forwarded E-mails Using ...
E-Mail Program: Mail.app
Computer Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5
- With Mail.app open, click your cursor arrow on the "Mail" menu and select "Preferences" from the resulting drop-down menu.
- When the Preferences window opens, select the "Composing" tab by clicking on its icon.
- Under "Responding," uncheck the box next to "Increase the quote level."
- Close the Preferences window by clicking the red dot in the upper left corner.
NOTE: If you receive a message that already has the colored lines from being previously forwarded and you want to eliminate them before forwarding it, address the message as normal. Then select all of the text in the message by clicking in the body of the message and pressing the Command and "A" keys on your keyboard. The contents of the message will be highlighted. Click on the "Format" menu and drop down to "Quote Level" and then "Decrease" from the submenu. Repeat as needed.
