Email Security

Emails have gained worldwide popularity as one of the fastest ways of communicating with anyone in any corner of the world. So much important information is exchanged via emails everyday that they often fall prey to people who obtain unauthorized access to these information, to the problems of viruses, Trojans, worms with which the mails can be infected. The terms, 'hacking', 'phishing', 'spamming' etc are known to almost all people around the world, so great is their threat and the amount of valuable information lost to them. ?

People who aren't well aware of the technology behind emails cannot possibly know that emails sent by them do not go directly to the receivers' inboxes but the ISPs store copies of the email addresses on their mail servers before they delivers the mails. It's quite possible to get unauthorized access to these information. ?

Your email accounts must be managed properly to avoid these menaces. Here are some ways of doing it:?

Whenever you are accessing your email account, you MUST log out when you're done, especially in public computers. It's advisable that you also close the browser you were using as some email services will continue displaying your id even after you've logged out.

It's advisable that you use minimum 3 email accounts, for work, personal and general uses. This way, your inboxes will remain less cluttered. The last account, called 'catch-all' account is the one targeted by spammers. So you'll not have your important accounts flooded with spammed messages.

You must have a good anti-virus software in your PC to scan all attached files for potential threats of Trojans, viruses, worms etc. Many email services have in-built scan for this purpose.

There are scams stating that you've won the lottery, phishing emails which even experienced users will fall victim to. These emails will stress that you've won lottery prizes, cash, gifts etc; the phishing emails will look like authentic emails from different reputed organizations and make you provide your personal information. There are several ways to detect a phishing email. Look out for distorted logos, mails addressing you as 'Dear User' than your name, those claiming 'Security compromises' etc.There are other rules like you must never share your passwords with anyone; you must encrypt your important emails and wireless connections, use digital signatures and think of complicated passwords that are difficult to guess.?

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