1. Maintaining safety of data
and personal information
in digital environments
Created by Toni Watt 2011

2.  Xtranormal Video
 http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/12253
005/suitz-movie?listid=22577182
Has this happened to you?

3.  How to effectively verify Internet
◦ Hoaxes
◦ Viruses
◦ Scams
Protect Yourself

4.  Urban Legend  Academically
 Folkloric Correct
 Academically  True
Inaccurate  Fact
 Fallacies  Reality
 Old Wives’ Tales  Actuality
 Rumors  Authentic
 Gossip  Legitimate
Fact or Fiction

5. Prey upon our fears and
worries
Urban Legends

6. w
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.
s
n
o
p
e
s
.
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o
m
A reliable source to check your
suspicious email. www.snopes.com

7.  Free giveaways
 Appeals to help sick children
 Pointless petitions
 Warnings about products
Recognizing a Hoax in Email

8.  Does the email ask you to send it to a lot
of other people?
 Does the email fail to provide confirmation
sources?
 Is the language used overly emotive or
highly technical?
Questions to ask yourself about
the nature of the email

9. Viruses

10.  Computer Performance
 Computer Crashes or restarts on its own
 Mysterious pop up messages
 Computer screen is black
How can I tell if I have a Virus?

11.  Never download software form senders
you do not completely trust.
 Never download software with “fun” or
“valuable” functions
 Look out for popup windows that claim to
be antivirus software.
 Update your antivirus
software, antispyware software and
firewall regularly.
 Only use licensed software.
How do I reduce the Risk?

12.  Install antivirus software and keep it
updated.
 Use caution when opening and installing
files, including those contained in e-mail
attachments, downloads, diskettes, CDs
and DVDs. Ask yourself if you trust the
source of the file before taking any action.
Take Virus Protection Seriously

13. To cheat or defraud
Scams

14.  Error! Click to Scan Disk
 Phishing
 Congratulations you are a Winner!
 Overseas Auction Checks
 Friends in Trouble
 Cashing in on Disasters
 Make Money Fast
What to avoid!

15.  Install a firewall or antivirus software
 Always open your personal pages such as
bank pages by directly typing into the
address bar
 Delete emails too good to be true
 Only use auction approved payment
methods
 Only use recognized charity websites
 Anything offering big awards for little
effort should be researched first
How to Protect Yourself from
Scammers

16. Protecting Yourself with Effective
Passwords

17.  Is my password easy to guess?
 Do I write my passwords down?
 Are my password automated?
 Is my password my child’s name?
 Do I use the same password for
everything
Questions to Ask Yourself?

18.  It's at least eight characters
 It includes upper and lower case
letters, as well as numbers and symbols
 It is changed frequently
 A new password is significantly different
than the previous one
What to Consider With Your
Passwords

20.  Christensen, B., M. (2010). Hoax-slayer. Retrieved from http://hoax-
slayer.com/#latest-email-hoaxes
 Dictionary Entry. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com
 Geek News Central (2011). Ten computer scams to avoid. Retrieved from
http://www.geeknewscentral.com/2010/04/18/computer-scams-to-avoid/
 Internet Access (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.cybernet1.com/computer_virus.htm
 Kidsandmedia. (2010). Protect your computer. Retrieved from
http://www.kidsandmedia.co.uk/article/314
 Microsoft (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/smallbiz/themes/techwise/5stepscrashfreec
omputing.mspx
 Microsoft (2011). How to create effective passwords. Retrieved from
http://www.microsoft.com/canada/smallbiz/themes/techwise/createeffectivepa
sswords.mspx
 Mikkelson, B. & Mikkelson, D. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.snopes.com
Resources