Most spam is designed to get you to respond with your own email or to click a link to "unsubscribe." When you respond or click the "unsubscribe" link, the sender takes your email address and adds it to a SPAM database of active email addresses. You might then start to receive a large amount of SPAM in your inbox. Do not respond or click the "unsubscribe" links.

No one from the HelpDesk or Tech Support will ever ask you for your password, nor will we ask you to set it to a known value. If we need to access your account for some reason, and cannot contact you ahead of time, we will reset the password and notify you by voicemail. Anyone calling and asking you for your password is most likely trying to gain unauthorized access to our network. If you receive such a call, notify your supervisor immediately.

This is shown by either a closed lock or an unbroken key at the bottom of the browser window. You can also check to see if the URL begins with https://. While https by itself is not an indication of a secure site, when it is combined with the lock or the unbroken key, then it indicates your data is being encrypted from prying eyes as it crosses the Internet. If you have https without the lock or key in the browser, then it has been faked and is not secure. Sometimes you may also encounter a pop up box that indicates you are about to enter or leave a secure area.

The truth is your e-mail is sent in plain text (i.e. readable by anyone who picks it up along the way) and is passed around the Internet with multiple stops until it reaches its destination. People with evil intentions can intercept your e-mail, read it or even alter it before it reaches your intended recipient.

Some programs actually store the password in clear text in a file on the computer. This means anyone with access to the computer can read the password. It's best to retype your password each time you log in eliminating the possibility that someone will be able to steal or use it.

These are very likely to be hoaxes or just plain wrong. Be very suspicious of messages that ask you to pass them to "everyone you know". What should you do with the next one you receive? Delete it! Why, you ask? Because chain letters and hoaxes have the potential to cause problems (lots of network traffic or just filling up someone's inbox) and they can also be very annoying.

The alert means any company that checks your credit has to contact you to authorize new credit.

You can get a free credit report once a year from each of the three credit reporting agencies. They have set up a web site for this:

In most cases you can trust your instincts (if an email message looks suspicious, it probably is). However there are some messages that look like the real thing but aren't. If an email message contains any of the following phrases, there's a good chance it could be a phishing scheme.

Once you send an e-mail, it has a very good chance of being saved in someone's mailbox or archived on a server forever. People involved in scandals like Oliver North, Monica Lewinsky, Patricia Dunn (the former Hewlett-Packard chairman), and Bill Gates probably wish they could take back an email or two... Instant Messages can also be saved and used at a later date to embarrass you. Paris Hilton might be able to shed additional light on that subject. Be careful about what you put in writing and whom you send it to.

Common printing areas are frequented by people coming and going. Often, other individuals may handle your printouts before you. This leads to unnecessary information disclosures. At one institution, the boss had a print job disappear, and had e-mailed the whole floor about it. The pages never turned up. Always use the closest print station, or a dedicated printer for confidential information, and go get it right away!

If you didn't request information about the product or service, it is probably a spam and a scam. If it promises to enhance parts of your body, it won't. If it promises you an easy mortgage, you can do better by visiting your bank. If it promises that you can make a fortune on a penny stock, you can't. If you are unsure, ask five friends. Chances are four of them also received the spam and you can know to steer clear.

Any character on your Windows or Mac keyboard is legal in a password you make for your own computer. Remember to include at least 8 characters and avoid common words and proper names. Some characters may be illegal for certain networked systems; when in doubt, try it out. Another way to make your password complex is to base it on a word in a foreign language with a least 8 letters, avoiding common words and proper names. Just add a number, a symbol, and a capital letter or two as you go.

Social Engineering is a term used to describe recent methods that are being employed to steal sensitive information from Institutions. Rather than using difficult and technically complicated attempts to find holes in computer security systems, these hackers have found a much easier way to gain access: con employees into providing access to the information.

Information stolen can be anything of value to the hacker, but typically includes such things as social security numbers, passwords, credit cards and financial information, confidential communications, and other personal information.

The thieves range from individual criminals to sophisticated international organized crime. They can also be professionals such as private investigators, bill collectors, and marketers.

Computing Services recognizes the responsibility to protect the sensitive and personal information of all present and former faculty, staff and students at Adams State College. We employ great effort to ensure that hackers are unable to breach our computer systems to steal information.

Social Engineers are very aware of the barriers to a technical attack, and the world community is just beginning to understand the degree to which these social engineering methods are being used against us.

Information Technology departments cannot protect their users against these attacks with technical solutions. More than ever, security is becoming the responsibility of all Adams State personnel.