Computer Use & Care 101

E-Mail Safety Tips: Do's & Don'ts

How secure are YOUR passwords?

How to Identify "Phishing" Messages

Virus Warnings and Solicitations: What Should I Do?

Delivery Error and Virus Notification Messages

Questionable Attachments and Links

Virus Information

FHSU Acceptable Use of Computing Resources Policy

Delivery Error and Virus Notification Messages

If you have received a delivery error or virus notification for a message you did not send, the message was probably created as the result of a virus on someone else's computer. Some viruses "spoof" (change) the "From" address on e-mails so that they appear to come from someone else. What often happens is that someone's computer has a virus and they happened to have your e-mail address (or the address of a listserv you belong to) on the computer. It is extremely difficult to trace messages of this nature to identify the sender.

Unless you receive a delivery error message for a message you personally sent, it can be ignored. If you have any reason to believe your computer has a virus, then we suggest updating your virus software and scanning the computer (see Virus Information). Otherwise, you can simply just delete these messages.

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Questionable Attachments and Links

NEVER open an attachment unless you know what it is and who sent it. If you have any doubts, contact the sender by telephone or separate e-mail to ask if they sent it. It would be better to delete a legitimate message and have to have it sent again, than to open a malicious attachment and suffer the consequences of having your computer infected with a virus.

Likewise, NEVER click on images or links to Web sites if you are suspicious of them for any reason. This includes links in e-mail messages and links on Web pages. Some links that may look harmless are designed to redirect you to a site with undesirable content (such as pornography) or to a site that will transmit a virus to your computer (or both). Using a bit of caution while reading e-mail and browsing the Internet can be quite helpful in avoiding virus problems.

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