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E-Card Security
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Published: October 18, 2006
As convenient and inexpensive alternatives to traditional paper cards, e-cards are becoming more popular among Internet users.
Though most e-card providers offer secure online services, hackers, scam artists and pornography suppliers have started to move into e-card territory in an attempt to deceive the unsuspecting network user. Even though e-card scams are not new to the Internet, people continue to be victimized by the trickery because they are not using enough caution when opening their e-mail.
According to McAfee Security, a variety of problems – some annoying, others potentially destructive – may stem from fake e-cards. For example, once clicked-on or downloaded, a legitimate-looking e-card could possibly be spam, or even worse, could lead to a potentially harmful computer virus. Therefore, it is important for people to protect themselves from these threatening occurrences by recognizing the various aspects of e-card security.
Spam
When sending an e-card, the sender chooses to give the recipient's e-mail address to that particular service. As with other third party services, the e-mail operator has the opportunity to ignore e-card security by misusing the recipient's address. For example, the company may choose to send advertisements to the recipient's e-mail address. As a result, the recipient may receive spam mail, which is best defined as unsolicited, undesired bulk mail. In this particular case, not only could the e-card provider be at fault for the act of spamming, but the sender may be held responsible, as well, for breaching e-card security by providing the recipient's address.
Indications of a Fake E-Card
Because fabricated e-cards can contain harmful viruses, it is important to recognize the features of a fake online greeting, thus enhancing e-card security. Various clues can help determine whether or not an e-card is legitimate. For example, if the electronic greeting was sent by a trustworthy source, then it likely is safe to open the card. However, it is always best to scan for potential viruses before downloading an e-card because people can easily find ways to send a card from a source appearing to be reputable and then redirected to a malicious site.
Another indication of a fake e-card is that the URL ends in “.exe.” In this case, an executable program has the chance to run on the user's computer once the link is activated. This can be dangerous because harmful malware – designed to break into or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent – may be installed onto the computer.
Other indications of a fake e-card include typing errors, poor use of grammar and misspelled words.
If it Seems Suspicious
If an e-mail message looks suspicious, there are various precautions to ensure the legitimacy of the greeting and to follow the proper e-card security measures. First of all, never click on the actual link in the message, but verify its authenticity by copying it and pasting it into the address bar at the top of the page. Another step is to put the mouse pointer on top of the URL message, and without clicking on the URL, look at the actual URL appearing in the e-mail client (most often located in the lower left corner of the window).
For additional e-card security measures, contact the alleged sender to verify they actually sent the electronic greeting. Also, performing a search of the actual URL, or some other distinctive part of the message (ex: subject header) on various search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, can help determine whether or not an e-card message is genuine.
How to Avoid a Fake E-Card Scam
Although many e-card providers can keep e-cards private, not all of them do; some even use outdated e-card security methods. Rather than try to determine which sites provide good e-card security, it sometimes is better to assume an electronic greeting can be viewed by anyone.
In order to avoid opening and sending illegitimate e-cards, various e-card security guidelines should be followed:
• Use an e-mail filtering software program to block malicious spam (ex: McAfee SpamKiller)
• Avoid adding personal information to the e-card, such as a home address, phone number and credit card information
• Never download anything from an unknown source
• Use a firewall
• Install antivirus software and spyware protection software
• Be cautious of e-mail messages sent from unknown sources
• When sending online greetings, use established greeting card sites
What to do if you Receive an Illegitimate E-Card
According to a Web site for Kansas State University, if you receive a phony e-card, you should immediately delete it from your Inbox because there is not need to save the message or report it to anyone.
For more information about e-card scams, as well as advice on how to safely use e-cards, visit www.scambusters.org/ecards.html.
Sources:
E-card: Security. Wikipedia. 16 Oct 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-card#Security
Greeting card e-mail scams. Information Technology. 12 Sept 2006. Kansas State
University. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/security/topics/ greetingcards.html
How to send and receive e-cards more safely. Microsoft. 14 Dec 2004; updated 23 Sept 2006.
Microsoft Corporation. 15 Oct 2006.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/online/ ecardfraud.mspx
Open e-cards with care: Security tips that can help you avoid fake e-card scams. Microsoft.
14 Dec 2004. Microsoft Corporation. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.microsoft.com/nz/athome/security/onli ne/ecardfraud.mspx
"Tis the Season… for Fake Email Greeting Cards. McAfee: eSecurity News. 18 Oct 2006.
http://dispatch.mcafee.com/esecuritynews/nov2002 /news_ecards.asp
Though most e-card providers offer secure online services, hackers, scam artists and pornography suppliers have started to move into e-card territory in an attempt to deceive the unsuspecting network user. Even though e-card scams are not new to the Internet, people continue to be victimized by the trickery because they are not using enough caution when opening their e-mail.
According to McAfee Security, a variety of problems – some annoying, others potentially destructive – may stem from fake e-cards. For example, once clicked-on or downloaded, a legitimate-looking e-card could possibly be spam, or even worse, could lead to a potentially harmful computer virus. Therefore, it is important for people to protect themselves from these threatening occurrences by recognizing the various aspects of e-card security.
Spam
When sending an e-card, the sender chooses to give the recipient's e-mail address to that particular service. As with other third party services, the e-mail operator has the opportunity to ignore e-card security by misusing the recipient's address. For example, the company may choose to send advertisements to the recipient's e-mail address. As a result, the recipient may receive spam mail, which is best defined as unsolicited, undesired bulk mail. In this particular case, not only could the e-card provider be at fault for the act of spamming, but the sender may be held responsible, as well, for breaching e-card security by providing the recipient's address.
Indications of a Fake E-Card
Because fabricated e-cards can contain harmful viruses, it is important to recognize the features of a fake online greeting, thus enhancing e-card security. Various clues can help determine whether or not an e-card is legitimate. For example, if the electronic greeting was sent by a trustworthy source, then it likely is safe to open the card. However, it is always best to scan for potential viruses before downloading an e-card because people can easily find ways to send a card from a source appearing to be reputable and then redirected to a malicious site.
Another indication of a fake e-card is that the URL ends in “.exe.” In this case, an executable program has the chance to run on the user's computer once the link is activated. This can be dangerous because harmful malware – designed to break into or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent – may be installed onto the computer.
Other indications of a fake e-card include typing errors, poor use of grammar and misspelled words.
If it Seems Suspicious
If an e-mail message looks suspicious, there are various precautions to ensure the legitimacy of the greeting and to follow the proper e-card security measures. First of all, never click on the actual link in the message, but verify its authenticity by copying it and pasting it into the address bar at the top of the page. Another step is to put the mouse pointer on top of the URL message, and without clicking on the URL, look at the actual URL appearing in the e-mail client (most often located in the lower left corner of the window).
For additional e-card security measures, contact the alleged sender to verify they actually sent the electronic greeting. Also, performing a search of the actual URL, or some other distinctive part of the message (ex: subject header) on various search engines, such as Google or Yahoo, can help determine whether or not an e-card message is genuine.
How to Avoid a Fake E-Card Scam
Although many e-card providers can keep e-cards private, not all of them do; some even use outdated e-card security methods. Rather than try to determine which sites provide good e-card security, it sometimes is better to assume an electronic greeting can be viewed by anyone.
In order to avoid opening and sending illegitimate e-cards, various e-card security guidelines should be followed:
• Use an e-mail filtering software program to block malicious spam (ex: McAfee SpamKiller)
• Avoid adding personal information to the e-card, such as a home address, phone number and credit card information
• Never download anything from an unknown source
• Use a firewall
• Install antivirus software and spyware protection software
• Be cautious of e-mail messages sent from unknown sources
• When sending online greetings, use established greeting card sites
What to do if you Receive an Illegitimate E-Card
According to a Web site for Kansas State University, if you receive a phony e-card, you should immediately delete it from your Inbox because there is not need to save the message or report it to anyone.
For more information about e-card scams, as well as advice on how to safely use e-cards, visit www.scambusters.org/ecards.html.
Sources:
E-card: Security. Wikipedia. 16 Oct 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-card#Security
Greeting card e-mail scams. Information Technology. 12 Sept 2006. Kansas State
University. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.k-state.edu/infotech/security/topics/ greetingcards.html
How to send and receive e-cards more safely. Microsoft. 14 Dec 2004; updated 23 Sept 2006.
Microsoft Corporation. 15 Oct 2006.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/online/ ecardfraud.mspx
Open e-cards with care: Security tips that can help you avoid fake e-card scams. Microsoft.
14 Dec 2004. Microsoft Corporation. 16 Oct 2006.
http://www.microsoft.com/nz/athome/security/onli ne/ecardfraud.mspx
"Tis the Season… for Fake Email Greeting Cards. McAfee: eSecurity News. 18 Oct 2006.
http://dispatch.mcafee.com/esecuritynews/nov2002 /news_ecards.asp
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