Neighbourhood Watch
Bulletin September 2002
Bogus Callers
An on-going initiative to protect vulnerable mebers of the community in Wiltshire is highlighting the problem of bogus callers. Recently people posing as employees of electricity, gas and water companies have carried out crime in the Amesbury area. The victims have been elderly who trusted these bogus callers enough to allow them into or onto their property. In all case athe unknown offenders have used various methods in gaining the trust of their victim and have not been caught. If you see any suspicious activity please report it to the police immediately; always note the registration of suspicious vehicles.
Computer Security Advice
by David Roycroft, IT Security Consultant
In the age that we now live in, computer crime has become a growing concern throughout the world. This month we include some general home computing security tips to reduce the risk of you becoming a victim.
- Tip 1: Best Practice in Passwords. Always ensure that you use passwords that comprise numbers and letters. For example try something like t1risfmotp: translated to "The 1 Rain In Spain Falls Mainly On The Plain". At all costs avoid dictionary words and names of family members, including pets. Social engineering would enable strangers to guess these types of passwords very easily.
- Tip 2: Remember Your Passwords. Never write down your passwords anywhere or tell them to anyone. The number of people that write them in their diary or keep them on post-it notes by their computer would surprise you.
- Tip 3: Passwords Auto Save. If your computer asks whether you wish it to automatically remember passwords for you, always answer "NO". Answering, "YES" enables someone else using your computer to potentially use all your passwords very easily.
- Tip 4: Use Virus Protection Software. That means three things: making sure you have some form of software installed in the first instance, checking daily for new virus signatures, in other words updated virus lists (most software does this automatically), and finally ensuring that you schedule periodical scans of your machine.
- Tip 5: Do Not Open E-mail Attachments From Strangers, regardless of how enticing the Subject Line or attachment may be. Be suspicious of any unexpected e-mail attachment from someone you do know because it may have been sent without that person's knowledge from a virus-infected machine.
- Tip 6: E-mail Confidentiality: E-mail in its native form can be intercepted between sender and receiver. The default format of the mail is actually clear text, in other words anyone else could read and change the mail if they were able to intercept it. If you wish to send a confidential e-mail, ensure you use special software or digital signatures to encrypt it. There is no guarantee if you don't.
- Tip 7: Using Credit Cards on The Internet: Always ensure that you are on a trusted site, over a secure link when entering your credit/debit/charge card details for any purchasing over the internet. A tip is to ensure that the address bar of your Internet browser (e.g. Internet Explorer or Netscape) reads https:// (the s stands for secure). You should also notice a padlock symbol at the bottom of your screen if you are using a Microsoft operating system e.g. Windows 95/98/NT/2000. Under Windows XP a Security Alert window will pop up to notify you.
- Tip 8: If You Use The Internet A Great Deal, Consider Having a Firewall: Firewalls are usually software products. They are essential for those who keep their computers online, through the increasingly more popular Broadband services now on offer. They aim to protect your computer from the world of hackers.