Using Caution with Email Attachments

Why can email attachments be dangerous?

Some of the characteristics that make email attachments convenient and popular are also the ones that make them a common tool for attackers:

• Email is easily circulated - Forwarding email is so simple that viruses can quickly infect many machines. Most viruses don't even require users to forward the email—they scan a users' computer for email addresses and automatically send the infected message to all of the addresses they find. Attackers take advantage of the reality that most users will automatically trust and open any message that comes from someone they know.
• Email programs try to address all users' needs - Almost any type of file can be attached to an email message, so attackers have more freedom with the types of viruses they can send.
• Email programs offer many "user-friendly" features - Some email programs have the option to automatically download email attachments, which immediately exposes your computer to any viruses within the attachments.

What steps can you take to protect yourself and others in your address book?

• Be wary of unsolicited attachments, even from people you know - Just because an email message looks like it came from your mom, grandma, or boss doesn't mean that it did. Many viruses can "spoof" the return address, making it look like the message came from someone else. If you can, check with the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it's legitimate before opening any attachments. This includes email messages that appear to be from your ISP or software vendor and claim to include patches or anti-virus software. ISPs and software vendors do not send patches or software in email.
• Keep software up to date - Install software patches so that attackers can't take advantage of known problems or vulnerabilities (see Understanding Patches for more information). Many operating systems offer automatic updates. If this option is available, you should enable it.
• Trust your instincts - If an email or email attachment seems suspicious, don't open it, even if your anti-virus software indicates that the message is clean. Attackers are constantly releasing new viruses, and the anti-virus software might not have the signature. At the very least, contact the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it's legitimate before you open the attachment. However, especially in the case of forwards, even messages sent by a legitimate sender might contain a virus. If something about the email or the attachment makes you uncomfortable, there may be a good reason. Don't let your curiosity put your computer at risk.
• Save and scan any attachments before opening them - If you have to open an attachment before you can verify the source, take the following steps:
  1. Be sure the signatures in your anti-virus software are up to date (see Understanding Anti-Virus Software for more information).
  2. Save the file to your computer or a disk.
  3. Manually scan the file using your anti-virus software.
  4. If the file is clean and doesn't seem suspicious, go ahead and open it.
• Turn off the option to automatically download attachments - To simplify the process of reading email, many email programs offer the feature to automatically download attachments. Check your settings to see if your software offers the option, and make sure to disable it.
• Consider creating separate accounts on your computer - Most operating systems give you the option of creating multiple user accounts with different privileges. Consider reading your email on an account with restricted privileges. Some viruses need "administrator" privileges to infect a computer.
• Apply additional security practices - You may be able to filter certain types of attachments through your email software (see Reducing Spam) or a firewall (see Understanding Firewalls).

Both the National Cyber Security Alliance and US-CERT have identified this topic as one of the top tips for home users.

Authors: Mindi McDowell, Allen Householder

    courtsey::  US-CERT

Azim Premji: Capacity Building Helps Ethical Behaviour

Azim Premji
The Man: The chairman of Wipro converted a vegetable oil manufacturing and trading firm into one of the world’s most respected IT services companies; identified the potential of energy and environment business early on—and is betting a quarter of Wipro’s revenues will come from green services. He tells us the real threat to business is from within, from poor ethical standards and lack of integrity.

The Oeuvre: Two years ago, Premji transferred Rs 8,000 crore worth of shares to Azim Premji Foundation which works on education and related areas.

X-Factor: Low-key, private and sometimes brutally honest.

The Message: Businesses must reconnect success and profits with social progress.

The Hypothesis 
The real threat to business is from within, from poor
ethical standards and lack of integrity that can do incalculable harm. History has proven repeatedly that business ethics, shared value and corporate governance determine the longevity of an enterprise.

So What? 
What is required is ‘capacity building’ towards deeper ethical behavior. Employees must know compliance is not a tick-box activity and they ought to witness their organisations transcend compliance and infuse ethical practices into every day action. They need to be empowered to thwart unethical action at work and appreciate the fact that business integrity is directly related to the future of the company, their families and that it securitizes their livelihoods.

Any business has two obvious dimensions; first, to do businesses we must be creative, enterprising and innovative. That’s what leads to good business ideas—ideas that serve society, create employment, generate wealth, and improve the world we live in. Second, once a business is created, it must protect and sustain itself. We think of this as being centred on finding capital, great talent, intelligent marketing and raising barriers by creating competitive advantages. However, the real threat to business is from within, from poor ethical standards and lack of integrity that can do incalculable harm. In a world that is plagued by constraints, being an ethical organisation calls for serious and sustained action. 

History and recent past have shown repeatedly that business ethics, shared value and corporate governance determine the longevity of an enterprise. Integrity and unflinching commitment to values is what builds the backbone of a strong business. It is this that drives the trust that society, clients and employees place in any enterprise. 

The last two decades have been especially revealing. We have witnessed businesses succumb to poor ethical standards, impacting not only on their immediate stakeholders, but entire economies and industries. A common reason attributed to the falling trust in business is that the latter is trained to act primarily in its own interests with little consideration for the larger good; the 2008 global financial crisis is often cited as an illustration of this moral shortcoming. Naturally, there is a crisis of confidence in the values of business organisations; there is a crisis of confidence in their ability to lead; and there is a crisis of confidence in their moral right to continue to do business. 

However, there is a silver lining to the cloud. Over the last decade or so, the response from the business community to integrity violations and breaches is growing wider and stronger. This is encouraging. We are witnessing a course correction. Societies and companies are creating better ways to address the issues of eroding business values, integrity and ethics. Policy and standards are coming into play, stronger management systems are evolving, transparency in business conduct is highly prized and where there is failure the penalties are severe. This is commendable. But it is difficult to say if these are truly the solutions that drive business sustainability. Sometimes, policy, standards and legislation appear to tilt on the other side, and seem stifling. 

Maintaining guidelines and reporting frameworks come with a cost. Invariably, the cost is transferred to the customer. My apprehensions with depending solely on guidelines and standards persist for other reasons. Primary amongst them is the fact that regulations lead to compliance and not necessarily to business sustainability. Anything externally driven is not sustainable. On the other hand, ethical standards are fundamental and earn the goodwill of all stakeholders Does this mean that guidelines and standards should be junked? Not in the least. They must be embraced. With some road testing, these guidelines could become norms, and hopefully, over a period of time, they will be integrated in business systems and processes.

From an India perspective, there is an equally deep and urgent need to go beyond compliance enforced by standards. Last year, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs announced the National Voluntary Guidelines (NVG) outlining the social, environmental and economic responsibilities businesses must work towards. It is progressive guidance. It may appear to be a small start, but there are very few countries to have had the foresight to formulate such recommendations.

The timing of the NVGs is perfect. Globally, corruption adds up to 10 percent to the total cost of doing business and 25 percent to the cost of procurement contracts in developing countries. The cost of moving a business from a relatively spotless geography to a country that has high to medium levels of corruption is fairly high: The corruption adds the equivalent of a 20 percent tax on foreign business. There are even bona fide economic reasons for businesses to develop ethical standards. 

Read more: http://forbesindia.com/article/third-anniversary-special/azim-premji-capacity-building-helps-ethical-behaviour/32932/1#ixzz1vZr0agVo
                                       courtsey: forbesindia magazine may 2012

Mr. A.P.J. Abdul_Kalam

     Role model and inspiration for millions of young and energetic Indians and other youths of the world Mr. A.P.J. Abdul_Kalam is finally on Facebook. Mr. Kalam has created a  page on Facebook already 7500 likes. He joined Facebook on January 20. Mr. Kalam may be our former president of India and a former rocket scientist but he is always a role model for Indian youth. Now he is on a most popular social platform so more and more people will be in direct touch with him and will see his bold opinions.  Mr. Kalam will share his travel experiences and new ideas for the youth.

So anyone can follow Mr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Facebook for his updates.

2050 we will need three planets

GENEVA, Switzerland, May 15 (UPI) -- A significant decline in biodiversity is hitting low-income countries least able to afford it, the World Wildlife Fund reported in Switzerland.
"Overall, biodiversity has declined by 28 percent around the world since 1970. But in low-income countries the loss is particularly important -- it reaches 60 percent. The depletion of the natural systems is hitting hardest in countries that can least afford it," said Jim Leape, director general of WWF International, introducing the organization's 2012 Living Planet Report Monday in Geneva.
The environmental organization's report, released every two years, looks at biodiversity around the world and at humanity's ecological footprint, the pressure put on land and water.
That footprint has increased significantly, WWF officers said.
"We are using 50 percent more resources than the earth can support. Today we are living as if we had 1 1/2 planets," Leape said.
"If we continue like this, by 2050 we will need three planets. Our pattern of consumption is unsustainable."
On average, the WWF said, high-income countries have an ecological footprint that is five times that of low-income ones.
The report came out five weeks ahead of the United Nations Sustainable Development Conference, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro.
"The challenges underlined in the Living Planet Report are clear," Leape told Inter Press Service. "Rio+20 can and must be the moment for governments to set a new course towards sustainability."


Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/05/15/WWF-report-By-2050-we-will-need-3-planets/UPI-85601337117734/#ixzz1v6XGSGJC

Pranav Mistry 6th Sense Technology

                 Retrieving any information or data from the cloud will become seamless

                 through invisible computing says "Pranav Mistry".

  

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