TIPS FOR SAFE EMAIL

· Guard Yourself against Phishing.

· Change your password on regular basis as per the password policy.

·  Do not share your password with anyone.

·  Always remember to sign out properly after using your mail account.

·   Do not save or remember your password anywhere.

·   Use Anti-Virus software & update it on regular basis.

·   Update the operating system and application patches.

·   Use automatic reply only when needed.

·   Never open / respond any mail / attachment from unknown sender.

·   Never subscribe your email ID on unsafe locations (over internet).

  

1. Guard yourself against Phishing

Common email scams employ email messages and even websites that look official, but are in fact attempts to steal your identity to commit fraud. This is the activity commonly known as ‘Phishing’.

Make sure that the address in your browser is genuine and does belong to the website you need to access. Don't ever copy URLs from e-mails. Type out the URL in a new window.

Never click on a link within an email requesting that you enter your username, password, etc. The link can also be malicious.

Do not open any 'fishy' emails. Delete immediately. Emails that have misspellings, poor graphics, or include a long cc list of other email addresses can be suspicious.

Install a web reputation filter on your desktop that alerts users to phishing websites.

Make sure that you have unique username and passwords for each account/website you regularly visit.

Never give out sensitive personal or account information to someone that asks via email unless you have verified the message's authenticity.

2. Change your password on regular basis as per the password policy. 

It is recommended to change passwords on a regular basis .

3. Do not share your password with anyone. 

Don't share your password. Do not be duped by malicious e-mails asking you for your password. This is a well-known, trick designed to fool you into sharing your password. As a rule, never share it with anyone.

4. Always remember to sign out properly after using your mail account. 

Always log out of your email when finished, whether you are using web mail or POP mail. It is also recommended to log out whenever you have to leave your computer unattended for a considerable period of time.

5. Do not save or remember your password anywhere.

Do not “save / remember” your password anywhere (say your browser, POP Client).

6. Use Anti-Virus software & update it on regular basis.

It is also highly recommended to install and maintain a anti-virus software on your computer to prevent infection from USB drives, CDs or DVDs and so on. Make sure it is updated regularly. Scan all attachments with a virus program before downloading/executing any, even if they come from someone you know.

Computers that are infected with spyware/key loggers record every word that users are typing, hence a daily scan is recommended.

7. Update the operating system and application patches

Users need to ensure that their desktop/laptop has the latest operating system and application patches. If the patch levels are not updated, updated anti-virus software will not be able to prevent an infection. Both anti-virus and operating system patches need to work together.

8. Use automatic reply only when needed.

It is savvy to turn off any automatic replies in your email client saying that an email has been read or received, because this confirms that the email address is a good one. Spammers will then target your email as a priority and flood your inbox with even more unnecessary and potentially harmful mails.

9. Never open / respond any mail / attachment from unknown sender.

If it happens that a few spam mails do manage to sneak through, make it a must to delete all them. Replying / Opening such emails / attachments typically only informs the sender that they have found an active email address to send more spam emails or They may contain what are known as "letterbombs" or "viruses," which can damage your PC.

10. Never subscribe your email ID on unsafe locations (over internet).

Never subscribe your email address on any unsafe / fake website, they may try to flood your inbox or spammers will try to send bulk spam mails (which may contain virus).

Source : https://mail.nic.in/docs/nic1.html