OPEN ATTACHMENTS FROM UNKNOWN SENDERS Research shows that email attachments remain the number one means by which worms
and viruses propagate.
INSTALL UNAUTHORIZED APPLICATIONS such as file-sharing tools (Limewire, Azureus, and other Bit Torrent clients) - Illegal
downloads are against university policy and they, like email attachments, are simply
another means by which "bad" files get on your computer.
DISABLE SECURITY TOOLS While trouble-shooting slow applications, many users will turn off their anti-virus
and/or firewall. The problem is they forget to turn them back on!
OPEN UNSOLICITED OR SUSPICIOUS EMAIL While most people may know not to open email attachments, many don't realize that
dangers can lie in the body of an email too. HTML mail or mails that contain embedded
photos are just as dangerous. Embedded images and PDFs can contain malicious code
that is harmful.
SURF QUESTIONABLE SITES You will find, more times than not, that porn, gambling and sites that host illegal
content are the same sites that install malicious software on your computer.
GIVE OR LEND OUT YOUR PASSWORDS Don't be too trusting of fellow students and colleagues. Keep your UUID and Password
to yourself. Exposing it means you're exposing salary, banking, class registration
information, etc.!
SURF SITES THAT YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW Browsers are quickly becoming some of the larger vulnerabilities in computing. Adware
and spyware are written specifically to exploit Internet Explorer and Firefox. Stick
with the sites you trust.
USE WIRELESS NETWORKS Wireless networks are a huge risk because they are shared. The guy sitting across
from you could be a hacker, stealing your password. Make sure you leave the firewall
turned on and avoid sending passwords through the air. Try to use encrypted wireless
networks as they offer higher levels of protection.
FILL IN WEB FORMS AND REGISTRATION PAGES There may be nobody behind you watching you as you type. But that doesn't stop a
keylogger (a program or device that logs all your key-strokes) from collecting your
information. Try to keep all sensitive material on your own machine (the one that
you maintain and protect), and keep it off those public computers.
USE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES Sites like MySpace and Facebook are a dream for thieves and stalkers. They allow
anyone the ability to gather information about you that may aid them in stealing your
identity. Think twice before you post any sensitive or damaging information on these
sites.
FOR MORE INFORMATION download this pdf. Right click and select "Save Target As".