Installation manual

117
5.2.1 Advertisements
Internet advertising is one of the most rapidly growing forms of advertising. Its main marketing advantages are
minimal costs and a high level of directness; what’s more, messages are delivered almost immediately. Many
companies use email marketing tools to effectively communicate with their current and prospective customers.
This type of advertising is legitimate, since you may be interested in receiving commercial information about some
products. But many companies send unsolicited bulk commercial messages. In such cases, email advertising
crosses the line and becomes spam.
The amount of unsolicited email has become a problem and it shows no signs of slowing. Authors of unsolicited
email often attempt to disguise spam as legitimate messages.
5.2.2 Hoaxes
A hoax is misinformation which is spread across the Internet. Hoaxes are usually sent via email or communication
tools like ICQ and Skype. The message itself is often a joke or Urban Legend.
Computer Virus hoaxes try to generate fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) in the recipients, bringing them to believe
that there is an “undetectable virus“ deleting files and retrieving passwords, or performing some other harmful
activity on their system.
Some hoaxes work by asking recipients to forward messages to their contacts, perpetuating the hoax. There are
mobile phone hoaxes, pleas for help, people offering to send you money from abroad, etc. It is often impossible to
determine the intent of the creator.
If you see a message prompting you to forward it to everyone you know, it may very well be a hoax. There are many
websites on the Internet that can verify if an email is legitimate. Before forwarding, perform an Internet search on
any message you suspect is a hoax.
5.2.3 Phishing
The term phishing defines a criminal activity which uses techniques of social engineering (manipulating users in
order to obtain confidential information). Its aim is to gain access to sensitive data such as bank account numbers,
PIN codes, etc.
Access is usually achieved by sending email masquerading as a trustworthy person or business (e.g., financial
institution, insurance company). The email can look very genuine, and will contain graphics and content which
may have originally come from the source it is impersonating. You will be asked to enter, under various pretenses
(data verification, financial operations), some of your personal data – bank account numbers or usernames and
passwords. All such data, if submitted, can easily be stolen and misused.
Banks, insurance companies, and other legitimate companies will never request usernames and passwords in an
unsolicited email.
5.2.4 Recognizing spam scams
Generally, there are a few indicators which can help you identify spam (unsolicited emails) in your mailbox. If a
message fulfills at least some of the following criteria, it is most likely a spam message:
Sender address does not belong to someone on your contact list
You are offered a large sum of money, but you have to provide a small sum first
You are asked to enter, under various pretenses (data verification, Financial operations), some of your personal
data – bank account numbers, usernames and passwords, etc.
It is written in a foreign language
You are asked to buy a product you are not interested in. If you decide to purchase anyway, please verify that the
message sender is a reliable vendor (consult the original product manufacturer)
Some of the words are misspelled in an attempt to trick your spam filter. For example “vaigra” instead of “viagra”,
etc