Privacy Tips
Welcome to our Tips Section. In this addition page we offer email privacy tips apart from the general topics we describe in articles. The goal is to provide short hints and practical advices for those currently interested in some email related issues.
Passwords
Passwords are often used to authorize users in computer systems and within computer software applications. You gain access to your email account by providing the email server a login and a password. You'd be surprised just how insecure passwords can really be.
Email Attachments
Email allows us to communicate with people all over the world and it also lets us share documents via email attachments. Email attachments are files sent along with the email message. An attachment can be any kind of file at all including graphics, video, word documents, spreadsheets, databases, and software. Unfortunately, sending and receiving email attachments is risky - attachments can contain computer viruses. Here are some practical advices on how to treat attachments responsibly.
HTML Email
Some mail programs allow you to use HTML (hypertext markup language) when you compose a message. However, it is often dangerous because when you open an HTML email in any of email clients, you're really opening a web page just as you would in your web browser. And any threat that you face while using your web browser is now a threat to you when you open and read email.
Viewing Windows File Extensions
To make your viewing easier, Windows offers the option of turning off the viewing of file extensions and therefore it is a common exploit to use two file extensions to spoof users into believing the attachment is benign and is something other than what it truly is. For instance, a file that is truly named FILENAME.DOC.EXE would show up in Windows as being a Word document. Double-clicking upon it, though, will launch virus or Trojan.
The Preview Pane
The Preview Pane is a feature of email clients like Microsoft Outlook Express and other such programs. It shows a preview of non-opened selected email message. This can cause troubles because viruses can run even if the computer gets a mere sniff of the offending email by showing it in the Preview Pane. Also, having a preview pane allows senders of spam to get some unjustified gratification.
Disable JavaScript
JavaScript in an email message is a bad idea because JavaScript can be used to put viruses and snoop/spy software on your computer. Some email client software that can display HTML-formatted email messages can execute JavaScript. So it's a good idea to disable JavaScript.
Offline Mail Reading
An obvious technique to stop webbugs and HTML in their tracks is to read your email while you're not connected to the Internet. But disconnecting from the Internet after downloading and prior to reading your email is annoying. In this case, pseudo offline proves very useful.
Trojan Protection Tips
There are some Trojan protection tips you can use on your computer.
