We use it every day. We rely on it for work, school, and communicating with family and friends. And while it may be one of our favorite forms of communication, it can also be one of the most troublesome due to its potential vulnerabilities. OU IT strives each day to make sure your email is secure, but there are a few additional things you can do to help. Please read through the sections below for tips on how to safeguard both your computer and your personal information when using email.

Phishing

We’ve all seen bogus email messages before:

You must verify your account information immediately!
If you don’t respond within 48 hours your account will be closed!
Click to here to enter your username and password!

They’re called phishing messages, and they are one of the fastest growing threats on the internet. So what happens if you click that link and enter your information? You will have unwittingly exposed your banking/credit card/email information to the con artist on the other end, which can result in identity theft. Some phishing emails also contain harmful viruses or unwanted software that can track your online activities or slow your computer.

The following tips will help you recognize phishing attempts and prevent your personal information from falling into the wrong hands:

     • Do not respond to emails requesting personal information. Financial institutions will        never ask for your information through email. If you receive an email from your        financial institution, call or visit their website through your browser, but do not click on        the link within the email.
     • Be extremely stingy when asked for your personal information over the phone, on the        web, through email, or in person. Accidentally giving your account information to        strangers can negatively impact your credit score, your good standing with a company,        or even your bank account.
     • Check the web address. You can tell if your connection to a website is
       protected by looking at the address bar. Only enter sensitive personal data
       on websites that begin with https://. A website that only has http:// is not using        encryption to protect the data you send to it.
     • Additionally you should always verify the security certificate issued to a
       site before submitting any personal information. You can check the
       certificate details by double-clicking the yellow lock icon that is usually
       at the bottom of your web browser. If the browser warns you about a problem
       with the security certificate, be sure to investigate the validity of the
       site further before proceeding with entering sensitive data on that site.
     • Utilize free downloadable phishing filters, which can help recognize whether or not you        are visiting a legitimate website.
     • Change your password immediately if you have accidentally responded to one of these        messages with your personal information. You can change your OUNet ID password           by visiting account.ou.edu.

OU IT will NEVER ask for your log in information via email. Call (405) 325-HELP if you have any questions.

Email Headers

Outlook 2007:
Open Outlook.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
On the Message tab, in the Options group, click the Dialog Box Launcher icon image.
In the Message Options dialog box, the headers appear in the Internet headers box.

Older Versions of Outlook:
Open Outlook.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Click the View menu, and select Options....

The full headers will appear in a new window.

Outlook Web Access:
Log in to Outlook Web Access.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Click the Message Details icon at the top of the message.
Select and copy the text. Paste it into a new message.

Outlook Express:
Open Outlook Express.
From your inbox, locate the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Right-click the message, and select Properties.
Open the Details tab in the dialogue box.

The full headers will appear in the dialogue box.

Gmail:
Log in to Gmail.
Open the message for which you would like to view headers.
Click the down arrow next to Reply, at the top-right of the message pane.
Select Show original.

The full headers will appear in a new window.

Yahoo!:
Log in to your Yahoo! Mail account.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Click Full Headers at the top of your message.

The full headers will appear above the message text.

Netscape:
Log in to your Netscape Webmail account.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Click the yellow triangle in the gray header section (on the right side, under Next >).

The full headers will appear above the message text.

Eudora
Open Eudora.
Open the message for which you would like to view the headers.
Click the Blah Blah Blah button next to the Subject field.

The full headers will appear in the window below.
Mozilla
Open Mozilla.

Attachments

     • Never open an attachment unless you are confident about its contents. Viruses are        often transmitted through email as attachments.
     • Enable continuous scanning in your AntiVirus software (Auto-Protect in Symantec),        which scans email attachments for viruses.
     • Make sure the message is from a safe sender. If you know the person sending the        email, chances are it will be safe, but this is not always the case.
     • Block automatic picture downloads in your e-mail client.

Spam

It’s annoying. It’s time consuming. It crowds your inbox.

Lose a Pound a Week the Safe Way!
Attract Women Easily!
Please Read! This is Not Spam! (Yes, yes it is.)

Upwards of 90% of the email messages sent to campus are spam. OU IT is able to block about 85% of these, but there are a few additional things you can do to help get rid of it:
     • Learn more about OU IT’s spam filtering options by visiting OU's spam site.
     • Auto-forward questionable messages to spam@ou.edu.
     • Check https://alerts.ou.edu for spam and phishing notifications.