Slow connection speeds are generally the result of two factors, the physical phone line your computer uses to connect to the Internet and your computer’s modem. Because dial-up connections use a standard phone line, your connection speed is largely dependent on the quality of the phone line that you are connected to. If you live in an area where there is a lot of line noise on the phone lines, you are not going to be able to connect at the same speeds that you would if you lived in an area with higher quality lines.

The physical phone cable you use to connect your computer to the wall jack is also a factor. This cable should be as short as possible and should not go through a phone line splitter or other devices. Each of these decreases the quality of the telephone signal.

If you have a fax or answering machine on the same phone line as the computer, move these to the connection on the “outside” of the computer. Many modems have two connectors, one to connect to the wall and the other to the telephone itself (the “outside” one we mention).

The second factor is the configuration of your modem. We will cover two important modem settings. You can find instructions to alter these settings and others in the help section of the GoBigWest homepage. Click on the setup section and then modems.

The first setting is the modem speed. This is found in the modem properties and is typically set by default to 115200 bps, which is twice as fast as your 56k modem. This means that your computer is trying to “talk” to your modem faster than your modem is designed to “listen”. By changing this setting to 57600 bps (the equivalent of 56k), you are telling your computer to talk to the modem at a speed that the modem can understand. This decreases the number of times that your computer has to repeat instructions so you will experience faster downloads with the correct setting. The U.S. and Canadian government sets the maximum connect speed to 53k. Good phone lines will generally get you a speed in the 48k to 52k range. It is rare to get higher speeds with a dial-up connection.

The second setting, the flow control, tells your computer what general type of modem you are using. Modems, are either hardware-based or software-based. Hardware modems have more processing in the modem itself while software modems depend on the rest of the computer to handle the signals. By default, your computer treats a modem as a hardware-based modem, although the majority of modems today are software-based. As a general rule, internal modems are software-based and external modems, Pccard (PCMCIA) laptop modems, or V34 modems are hardware-based. Laptops with built in modems can be either hardware or software-based. This means that if you have a desktop computer that came with a modem, you most likely have a software-based modem and may benefit from setting your flow control to software. If you would like, you can experiment with this setting to find out what works best for your computer. There is no harm in switching this setting back and forth so you can simply try both hardware and software and compare the results. As with the modem speed setting, instructions to change the flow control can also be found in the modem section of the GoBigWest help pages.

Having seen more than a few hoax letters, we were hesitant to believe the story the first time we heard it so we did a little research. After less than 30 seconds on Google, we came across a site specializing in e-mail hoaxes that listed the letter and a properly researched rebuttal to the tale. It is a fantastic story and the e-mail describes it very well, however, it is not even close to the truth.

For about as long as the Internet has been in existence, information and misinformation has been transmitted from one user to another. E-mail hoaxes are a classic example of this. These hoaxes range from harmless letters like the one described above to virus warnings to scams such as the letter from a Nigerian businessman or wealthy heir that promises millions in exchange for a “business partnership” (for more information about this type of scam, please visit http://www.secretservice.gov/alert419.shtml).

Normally, these hoaxes are at worst an annoyance or a source of embarrassment, but sometimes there can be more tangible consequences. Fake virus warnings have successfully instructed people to delete necessary files on their computers by telling them that the file is virus and scam letters have duped users out of millions of dollars.

Fortunately, hoax letters are usually easy to spot if you are paying attention. They seem too fantastic or too horrible to be true, they lack good specific evidence and they often times are written by an indirect observer (ex. This happened to my friend’s sister). Also, hoax letters often times appear to have a grassroots type of motivation behind them and use the phony evidence to urge recipients to boycott goods or stores, vote a certain way or make some sort of lifestyle change. Finally, large portions of hoax letters are a type of chain letter and end in the same basic way: “NOW SEND THIS TO EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST!!”

If you suspect that you have received a hoax letter or if you merely want to read some sample hoax letters, there are a large number of sites you can go to. One good site we found is www.truthorfiction.com. On the site, you can use the search tool to find information on a specific letter or you can browse their catalogue of hoaxes going back to 1998. Here you can read many, sometimes very amusing letters about deadly spiders hiding under toilet seats in Chicago’s Blare airport (no such airport exists) or how children are starting satanic churches because of the Harry Potter books (a story that started as a fictional article in the humor/satire site theonion.com).

So next time you receive an e-mail about a serial killer that uses a $5 dollar bill to lure his victims or a surefire method of making thousands of dollars using PayPal, think twice before forwarding the letter to everyone in your address book and certainly don’t send anyone money or personal information.

Because search engines are such important tools for Internet users, many web browsers such as Internet Explorer and Netscape have included search engine features. In this week’s letter, we want to show you a trick that you can use with your web browser that will make online searching a little bit easier.

When most people search online, they go to the web site for their search engine of choice such as www.google.com and then type in the topic that they are searching for. It is possible, however, to perform a search using your engine of choice without first browsing to the search engine page. The newest versions of the most common browser programs have a search feature built in that allows you to perform a search from the browser itself, regardless of the page you are currently visiting. For example, Internet Explorer lets you search using the engine of your choice simply by typing the search term directly into the address bar at the top of the window.

Depending on the browser you are using and the search engine you prefer, you may need to change some settings in your browser in order to best use the search capabilities. Below we have included information about and instructions for configuring the most popular web browser programs.

Internet Explorer: Users can perform searches using their choice of search engine by typing search terms directly into the address bar. To change the search engine that is used, open the search pane by going to View->Explorer Bar->Search. Click Customize in the Search pane and then click the Autosearch settings button. Here you will be able to select from a list of search providers.

FireFox/Netscape 8: Users can perform searches using the FireFox search bar next to the address bar. To change which search engine is used, click on the search engine logo in the search bar and select from the resulting list.

Netscape 6 & 7: Users can perform searches using their choice of search engine by typing search terms directly into the location bar and then clicking the Search button. To change the search engine that is used, go to Edit->Preferences->Navigator->Internet Search and select a default search engine.

Safari: Users can perform searches using the Google search bar next to the address bar. At this time, Safari does not allow users to change which search engine is used.

Opera 8: Users can perform a Google search directly in the address field by typing the letter g followed by a space and then the search term.

Below are a few guidelines that you can refer to when sending e-mails. This is not a complete list and not every guideline is applicable for every situation, but they help illustrate some of the things you can do to ensure that your messages will be well received.

Guidelines for E-mail Etiquette:

1. Use the BCC line when sending to multiple recipients – When you send a message to multiple people by putting all of the addresses in the To or CC lines, the addresses of each person are sent to every other recipient. Many people like to guard their e-mail addresses and will take offense to having their address displayed to others. By putting the multiple addresses in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) line, you conceal the addresses of your recipients.
2. Include the original message when replying – Some people receive dozens of e-mails per day so it can be difficult for them to remember what you are replying to. By including some or all of the original message, you can help remind people what you are writing about.
3. Use a good subject line – Letters with non-descriptive subject lines such as ‘Hi’ or ‘Check this out’ must be opened in order to determine the contents of the letter. Then, if the recipient wants to find the letter again in the future, they must open each message in order to find the one that they are looking for. By using descriptive subjects such as ‘Mom’s Birthday Present’, you make it easier for the recipient to organize and retrieve the message.
4. Avoid writing letters in all caps – Traditionally, typing a word or phrase in all capital letters is used to add emphasis. When this is overused, it can appear to a reader that you are ‘shouting’ at them. Additionally, people are used to reading things that are written with proper punctuation. Writing in all caps makes your e-mail harder to read.
5. Use spell check – Proper spelling not only makes your message easier to read, but it also avoids situations where people may make judgments about you based on your letter. This is especially important when you are sending letters in a formal or business setting.
6. Include a signature – Don’t make the mistake of assuming that people will know who you are by looking at your e-mail address. Be sure to include your name at the bottom of your messages.
7. Avoid large attachments – Large attachments take a long time to download and clog up mailboxes. Our customer service department receives a handful of calls everyday from users who cannot access their mail because there is a large file in their mailbox. Whenever possible, provide links to files or get permission before sending an attachment.

If you would like more information about e-mail etiquette, you can find an abundance of sites by searching for the term e-mail etiquette in any search engine. There is no definitive authority on e-mail etiquette, but you will find that most people have the same opinions of what is acceptable because they base their rules on experience and common sense.

Click here to send a customized holiday greeting card. Simply select the card style you would like to use, enter the name and e-mail address of the person you are sending the card to, enter your name and e-mail address and then add your personal message. Click the Preview Card button to see what your card will look like and if you are satisfied with the letter, click the Send Your Greeting Card button. If you want to change anything in the letter before sending it, simply click the back button in your browser, make your changes and click the Preview Card button again.

Feel free to send cards to as many of our friends and family as you wish. There is no charge to send a letter so don’t hesitate to spread the holiday cheer.

During the month of December, GoBigWest will be conducting a special promotion where customers, new or existing, who sign up for 12 months of service will be entered into a drawing for a 1GB iPod Shuffle. Even better, we will be giving away 1 iPod Shuffle for every 10 people who are entered in the drawing! This means that unlike other drawings, your chances of winning do not change as more people sign up. No matter how many people sign up for GoBigWest service in December, you always have a 1 in 10 chance of winning. Sign yourself up, refer family members or refer friends and you will all have a 1 in 10 chance of winning a new iPod Shuffle!

For more information about this special promotion including how you can enter in the drawing, please click here. If you are referring friends or family members to the GoBigWest service, please make sure they sign up using the links provided on this page to ensure they are entered in the drawing. The easiest way to do this is to forward this e-mail to whomever you want to refer to the service.

The iPod Shuffle is a fun accessory for any computer user and we look forward to giving them out to our customers. For more information about the iPod Shuffle, please visit www.apple.com/ipodshuffle.

Thank you for using GoBigWest as your Internet service provider and best of wishes for this holiday season.

Dear Sir/Madam,

we have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites.

Important:
Please answer our questions!
The list of questions are attached.

Yours faithfully,
Steven Allison

++++ Central Intelligence Agency -CIA-
++++ Office of Public Affairs
++++ Washington, D.C. 20505

++++ phone: (703) 482-0623
++++ 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., US Eastern time

The subject of the message was “You visit illegal websites” and had a To address of Z-User@GoBigWest.com. The From address was Admin@cia.gov.

The attached file was named list888.zip, however, as you would expect, the file was not a list of questions. Instead, it was a mass mailing worm known as W32.Sober.X@mm by Symantec (see http://www.sarc.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sober.x@mm.html for details). If we had opened the file, it would have installed itself on our computer, collected all of the e-mail addresses in our address book and started sending out more letters like the one above to our contacts.

Fortunately, we were able to easily determine that the message is fake and did not open the attachment. Unfortunately, there are many others who have fallen for this type of ruse, which is why these types of virus messages exist. That is why we want to point out some of the things you can look for to determine the authenticity of an e-mail message.

First, let’s look at the things the writers of the message have done to trick us into opening the attached file. They started by trying to convince us that the message was actually sent by the CIA. The From address is spoofed, or altered to appear as if the message was sent by a legitimate organization, and the contact information at the bottom of the letter is the correct contact information for the Office of Public Affairs (http://www.cia.gov/cia/contact.htm). Next, they try to scare us by making a claim about our online habits in order to make us behave emotionally instead of rationally. The subject of the message makes a straightforward accusation, which is seemingly supported by the message itself. Their goal is to make us start worrying about how to defend ourselves against the accusation instead of realizing that the accusation is false in the first place.

Now that we know how the virus writers are trying to con us, we can more easily see through their con. We know that we cannot determine the true sender of an e-mail by looking at the From address, so we are not fooled by the Admin@cia.gov address. Also, we know that the signature in the e-mail address, even though the contact information is correct, does not necessarily mean that the CIA sent the letter. In this case, the virus writers confident that very few people will take the time to call the number provided. Finally, we can be reasonably certain that the Office of Public Affairs, who acts as the point of contact for the CIA, would take the time to use proper capitalization and subject-verb agreement.

Since we know the message is not real, we know the accusations made in the message are not real and that the attachment is not a list of questions. If, however, you are unsure about whether or not a message is real, we still suggest that you do not open the attachment. It is best to never open attachments unless you know exactly what you are opening. Even if you know the person who sent the message to you, remember that it is easy to disguise the true sender of a message. When in doubt, contact the person and verify that they sent the message.

Later in the day, you check your messages again and that is when the aggravation starts. As was the case before, a few messages are downloaded, but then the download appears to stall again and you may receive an error message again. Furthermore, when you look at the messages that were downloaded, they are the exact same messages you already received.

The scenario above is often the result of there being a message in your mailbox with a large attachment. By default, when your mail program downloads your mail, it moves a copy of each of your e-mail messages from the GoBigWest mail server to your computer. After it has moved all of the messages, it considers the download a success.

When there is an e-mail with a large attachment on the server, it takes much longer to download the message to your computer. If the message is sufficiently large, it will take so long to download the message that your mail program will give up and assume that there is something wrong with the message. This creates a problem because the mail program does not consider the download to be a success and the next time you try to check for new messages, your mail program goes through the entire process over again starting with the first message. That is why you end up receiving duplicate messages.

To fix this, you will need to log into your mail account from the GoBigWest home page. After you log into the site with your e-mail username and password, you will be able to view all of your messages that are currently saved on the GoBigWest mail server. Next to each message will be the size of the message so you will be able to see which messages are likely causing the problems.

Using this web mail interface, you can view your messages and attachments and you can delete the message that is causing the problem. If you are unable to delete a message, wait 25 minutes and try again to ensure that the server is not trying to deliver the message to your mail program. After the message is removed, your mail program will be able to download your messages to your computer properly.

While this stored information has its benefits, it can also cause problems if someone else uses your computer. For example, imagine that you spent the morning using Google to research video games to make sure you get little Timmy that perfect birthday gift. You searched for “best video games”, “recommended kids games” and any other phrase you could think of. After finding some good sites and getting some good recommendations, you settle on a game title, turn off the computer and move on to other things. Then, later that day when little Timmy gets home, he boots up the computer, goes online and uses Google to do a search for “baseball”. As soon as little Timmy types in the “b”, all of the searches that have been entered into Google starting with the letter “b” display in a dropdown menu, including your search for “best video games”. Little Timmy gets suspicious, checks the browser history, sees a list of all the video game sites that have been visited that day and is now slyly inquiring about your newfound interest in arcade style racing games.

Whether you are trying to prevent little Timmy from ruining his birthday surprise or are using a public computer to access the Net, you may want to edit or remove some of the information that gets saved by the browser. The following is a brief look at the types of information that your browser may be saving and where you can go to learn how to manage this information.

Browser Cache

The browser cache is where your browser saves information such as images and text in order to speed up your browsing. This information is used the next time you visit a page so your computer does not have to download it from the Internet again. These saved files can also be used to view visited Web pages even when you are not connected to the Internet.

Browser History

The history is a list of Web pages that have been visited using your browser. The history can be used to easily go back to previously visited pages without retyping the address and in many browsers can be accessed by clicking the dropdown button next to the address bar. The history is typically organized chronologically so it is possible to retrace your steps online.

Browser Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are used by Web pages to store information on your computer such as usernames and other identifying information. While cookies are generally harmless and are often times required for a Web site to function properly, they can be used to track online activities.

Saved Form Information

In order to make it easier for you to browse the Net, browsers have the ability to save the information you type into forms, including search engines. This is done to reduce the amount of time spent typing repetitive information such as usernames and passwords. Especially when using a public computer, it is important to make sure your personal information is not saved in the browser and made available to others.

For instructions on managing and clearing the information that is saved in your browser, please visit the Help section of the GoBigWest homepage (http://www.gobigwest.com/preportal/help.asp). Then click PC Windows Setup or Apple Macintosh Setup depending on whether you are using a PC or an Apple Macintosh computer. Click the Browsers for Surfing link, select your browser from the list and follow the instructions provided.

The first problem, not being able to e-mail attachments, is limited to users of Outlook Express but since the program is used by so many customers, it is worth mentioning. By default, the newest versions of Outlook Express automatically enable a setting that restricts users from opening attachments that could be a virus. This is done to protect users from accidentally installing malicious programs on their computer. The problem is that this setting tends to restrict users from opening attachments they know are safe. In order to open attachments in Outlook Express, you must disable this setting. To do so, open Outlook Express, click on Tools, Options, and then the Security tab. Remove the check next to “Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus”. Please note that if you do decide to disable this feature, you will need to be diligent about making sure you only open attachments that you know are safe. We strongly recommend that you use a current virus protection program to scan all incoming e-mails.

The second problem, frequent disconnections, is commonly the result of a mail program automatically disconnecting from the Internet after it has finished checking for new mail. This can be especially frustrating when the mail program is set to check for new mail every 15 minutes because that means you will be disconnected from the Internet every 15 minutes. There are multiple mail programs that can cause this problem and we have listed the steps to change this setting below. If you would like more detailed instructions, there are screen shots that will walk you through the steps in the help section of the GoBigWest homepage.

Outlook Express 5 & 6: Go to Tools->Options->Connection tab->Remove check next to “Hang up after sending and receiving”
Outlook 2000: Go to Tools->Options->Mail Delivery tab->Remove check next to “Hang up when finished sending, receiving, or updating”
Outlook 2003: Go to Tools->Options->Mail Setup tab->Remove check next to “Hang up when finished with a manual Send/Receive”
IncrediMail Xe: Go to Tools->Options->Remove check next to “Hang up after sending and receiving”
Eudora 5 & 6: Go to Tools->Options->Highlight Internet Dialup->Remove check next to “Hang-up after receiving and sending”

Phishing attacks work by sending Internet users official looking e-mails that appear to come from sources such as eBay, PayPal, or CitiBank. The letters tell users that they need to update their account information and instruct them to open a link contained within the e-mail. The link then takes them to an official looking but fraudulent Web page where they are asked for information such as credit card numbers, pin numbers, and social security numbers. The information that is entered into the page is then sent back to the scammer behind the phishing attack, allowing them to use the information to access bank accounts, use credit cards, or perform other identity theft related crimes.

A good website to learn more about phishing and how to spot a phishing attack is www.antiphishing.org. On the site you can find examples of phishing attacks complete with pictures and a good, although sometimes grammatically poor, description of the tactics that are being used by scammers and how you can detect them. There is also a detailed section titled “Consumer Advice: How to Avoid Phishing Scams” that provides numerous steps that you can take to ensure that you do not become a victim of a phishing attack. This section can be accessed by clicking on the “How to Avoid Phishing Scams” link or by browsing directly to www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html.

The second type of fraud is the increasing number of fake shopping sites on the Internet that appear to let you purchase items online but in fact merely collect your billing information with no intention of shipping the products you ordered. This type of fraud is different from phishing in how it works, but the end goal is the same, to harvest credit card numbers and other personal information. Like phishing sites, fake shopping sites are designed to collect personal information but they attract people in a different way. Phishing instructs people to visit the fake sites through threatening e-mails telling recipients that something bad will happen if they do not comply. Fake shopping sites try to lure people by offering great deals or free products by spam or sometimes even through search engines. This is why it is increasingly important to only shop online at stores that you trust and to never attempt to buy anything advertised in spam.

Adware and spyware programs are applications that get installed on an Internet user’s computer that in their most benign form will display unwanted pop-up advertisements, and in the most extreme form, can degrade computer performance, change browser settings, and record keystrokes with the intent of capturing and recording sensitive data. These programs are usually, and unintentionally, installed by Internet users who are installing a separate desired software program that has the deceptive program bundled with it. A common example of this is free file sharing software that users install so they can swap music or other types of media that has adware or spyware included with it.

Listed below are some signs that your computer may be running one or more of these deceptive adware or spyware software programs.

1. Your homepage changes to an unknown site or continues to change back to a particular site even if you change the homepage settings in your browser. Many deceptive software programs try to force you to use specific sites so the site owners can earn advertising revenue.
2. When you click on the Search button in Internet Explorer, you are taken to a page that you’ve never seen before.
3. Your browser window starts displaying unwanted toolbars or search forms that are difficult to remove or keep coming back.
4. You receive an increase in pop-up windows, even while browsing to pages that have not had pop-up windows before. Under normal conditions, pop-up windows come from the Web pages you visit. Adware is able to create its own pop-up advertisements independent of the page that you are viewing.
5. Your computer seems much slower than it used to be. Deceptive software steals your computer’s resources such as computing power and bandwidth in order to deliver advertisements or track activities.

Fortunately, there are a number of tools that you can use to detect and remove adware and spyware from your computer. Two free programs that we suggest are Lavasoft’s Ad-aware (www.lavasoft.de/ms/index.htm) and Spybot Search and Destroy (www.safer-networking.org/microsoft.en.html). You can learn more about or download these programs by visiting the links provided above. Both of these programs will let you scan your computer for deceptive software and remove any software that is found. Both also have the ability to download updates so they are able to detect even the newest threats.

For additional details about adware and spyware, please visit www.microsoft.com/spyware. This site provides a handful of helpful links to information and tips that you can use to help protect your computer.

So what can you do to stop spammers from getting your address? One step is to make sure that you do not give out your address online. Many sites request that you give them an e-mail address in order to log in. On reputable sites, this is an innocent means to get your contact information for purely legitimate purposes, but some sites may use this tactic to harvest addresses to use for spamming or to sell to spammers.

To avoid giving your address to potential spammers, it is a good idea to use an e-mail address other than your personal address when you fill out forms online. You can do this by creating a new GoBigWest e-mail address just for this purpose. That way, if the new address becomes a target for spammers, you can simply rename it and start over without losing your primary address and without having to notify your contacts of the change. To set up a new e-mail address, go to https://accounting.gobigwest.com:9070/members/login.cgi, sign in using your GoBigWest username and password, and click on the link labeled My E-Mail. Then click on the Add button, enter the desired username and password, and click the Submitbutton.

It will take approximately 15 minutes for the account to be created. After that time, you will be able to access the account using the GoBigWest homepage. In order to access the account using a mail program such as Outlook Express or Eudora, you will need to add the new account settings to your mail program. Instructions to do this are provided in the help section on the homepage or you can contact a customer service representative at 866-335-0006 for assistance.

In some cases, however, it may take more time to find a file on your computer than it takes to download it from the Internet. This happens when there are so many files saved in the cache that your browser has to take a long time to find the ones it needs. In these cases, it becomes necessary to manage your browser cache in order to improve your browsing speed.

To get the most benefit from your browser’s caching abilities and in turn maximize your browsing speed, you should adjust your browser settings to best match your computer and your Internet connection. Depending on which browser you use, you can adjust the amount of your computer’s disk space the browser can use to cache files and whether or not your browser should use files from the cache or from the Internet when you return to a page.

As an example of how you can adjust these settings to improve your browser’s performance, suppose that you have a faster than average computer and are using a dial-up connection. In this scenario, you will want to store a large number of files in your cache because your computer will be able to find them more quickly than it will be able to download them. A cache size of 50-60MB (50,000-60,000KB) is suggested in this case. In contrast, if you have a slower computer and are using a broadband connection, you will want to limit the size of your cache and rely more on your Internet connection. Try setting the cache size to about 10MB (10,000KB).

Instructions to adjust the size of your browser’s cache and to clear the cache are included below. If you have questions about managing your browser cache, you can find detailed instructions in the help section of the GoBigWest homepage.

Internet Explorer 6
- To clear the cache, go to Tools and then Internet Options. Select the General tab and click Delete Files.
- To adjust cache size, go to Tools and then Internet Options. Select the General tab and click the Settings button. Adjust the Amount of disk space to use by using the slider bar or by typing in a size.

Firefox and Netscape 8 for Windows
- To clear the cache, go to Tools and then Options. Select Privacy and click on the Clear button to the right of Cache.
- To adjust cache size, go to Tools and then Options. Select Privacy. Click the word Cache if it is not already selected and type a size in the provided text box.

Safari
- To clear the cache, go to the Safari menu and click Empty Cache.
(Safari does not include the ability to adjust the cache size)

Firefox for Macintosh
- To clear the cache, go to the Firefox menu and click Preferences. Select Privacy and click on the Clear button to the right of Cache.
- To adjust cache size, go to the Firefox menu and click Preferences. Select Privacy. Click the word Cache if it is not already selected and type a size in the provided text box.

While Web page images are usually desired and in some cases are necessary to use the page, they can become a headache for users who are only interested in what a page says and not how it looks. If you are reading news, doing online research, or visiting other sites primarily for reading material, especially when using a dial-up connection, you may find that you are spending time waiting for images to load that you do not need to see. Turning off images in your browser can make Web pages load faster and help you get more out of your time spent online.

Listed below are the steps to turn off images in the most popular Web browsers. In each case, turning off images is as simple as removing a check mark and turning images back on is accomplished by re-adding the same check mark.

• Internet Explorer 6: Go to Tools and then Internet Options. Select the Advanced tab, scroll down and remove the check next to Show Pictures.
• Safari: Go to Preferences in the Safari menu, select Appearance and remove the check next to Display images when the page opens.
• FireFox for Windows: Go to Tools and then Options. Select Web Features and remove the check next to Load Images.
• FireFox for Macintosh: Go to Preferences in the FireFox menu, select Web Features and remove the check next to Load Images.

Finally, removing images while browsing can speed up your online browsing, but some Web pages rely on images to display properly. If you decide to try browsing without images, make sure you know how to turn them back on so you don’t get stuck not being able to view image dependent pages.

Along with this surge in popularity of online purchasing has come a darker element of increased identity theft and fraudulent purchases. Here at GoBigWest, we are not suggesting that you do or do not make purchases online; that is a matter of preference that is left entirely up to you. However, we do want to provide you with a few pointers if you elect to make purchases online.

1 – Shop at stores you trust – Chances are, if you are shopping on the website of a large retail chain with a solid presence, you are going to have a positive online purchasing experience. Outlets such as Amazon and eBay have solid reputations and large integrated retail corporations such as Best Buy or Wal-Mart may even be able to offer in-store pickup, returns, or exchanges.

2 – If you are unsure of the reputation of a retailer, do your homework – Before trusting your personal information to an online retailer, see what others have said about them. One good resource is www.epinions.com where people are able to post reviews of both products and retailers. If a retailer has negative reviews or has not been reviewed by many people, it may be a red flag.

3 – Look for and read company security and operating policies – See what types of policies are in place to protect you as a consumer. What is the company’s return policy and what can be done in the event of a billing mishap? If you are unable to find this information, that may also be a red flag.

4 – Make sure the site uses encryption protection – Encryption ensures that the information you submit on a website cannot be viewed by a third party. Before submitting sensitive information on a site, look to see if the connection is secure. You can generally tell if a connection is secure because the address of the web page you are on starts with https:// instead of just http:// and there is an icon of a closed padlock in the status bar of your browser window. Most browser programs can also be set to display a pop-up window when you are entering into a secure connection.

5 – Do not submit information via e-mail – Unlike encrypted connections, e-mail is not a secure way of transferring information. For this reason, reputable companies will not ask you to send personal information via e-mail. If you do receive an e-mail asking you to click on a link to a Web page to submit information, be very suspicious. This is a common ploy used by scam artists to get your information. Instead, go directly to the company site by typing in the Web address and submit information or call the company directly and provide your information over the phone.

6 – Be diligent about checking your bank statements – This is good practice at any time, especially when making online purchases. Watch for fraudulent charges so they can be caught early. Many experts even suggest that you use a separate credit card with a low credit limit specifically for online purchases to make the process easier.

We hope that you find these tips useful and that if you decide to make online purchases, it is a positive experience. If you have any questions about this letter or about any other aspect of the GoBigWest service, please let us know.

Hardware – The physical parts of a computer. This includes the internal chips, wiring, and drives as well as the monitor, keyboard, and other devices.

Software – The computer programs that tell the hardware how to work. Also commonly referred to as a program.

Operating System – The program that manages all other programs on the computer. Examples are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) – The coded language that is used to create web pages. HTML is a set of instructions for displaying a web page.

Browser – A software program that is used to view web pages. The browser converts HTML language into viewable web pages. Examples are Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, Firefox and Safari.

Server – A computer that provides, or serves, information to other computers.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) – The address of web pages and documents on the Internet. For example, www.gobigwest.com is the URL for the GoBigWest homepage. When you type a Web page address, or URL, into your browser, you are sending a request to the server that stores the Web page to serve the Web page, usually in HTML format, to your browser where it is converted into the text and pictures that you are accustomed to seeing.

This list is small but should be sufficient for understanding the language that we use in our letters. If, however, we do include a word or phrase that you do not understand or you run across a word elsewhere that you need defined, the Google search engine has a good tool for getting definitions that may not be in the dictionary. To use the tool, go to www.google.com and type define: (with the colon) and then the word that you would like defined. This will return multiple definitions for the word from various sources.

Most major search engines give you the option to adjust a handful of settings. You can choose to search only the sites written in certain languages, adjust content filtering levels, and specify the number of results displayed on the page. Some search engines such as Google and MSN also let you specify the language that is used by the search engine. Google goes so far as to let you choose from such languages as Pig Latin, Klingon, and Elmer Fudd. You can see all of the languages that Google currently offers by going to www.google.com and clicking on the Preferences link. To change the language, select a language from the dropdown menu in the Interface Language section and click Save Preferences. Now Google will be displayed in the language you chose. (Don’t worry if you select a language that you can’t read. You can reset Google to English by clicking the Google.com in English link or by going to www.google.com/ncr)

Another useful setting included in many search engines in the option to turn on content filtering. Content filtering is used to prevent objectionable pages from being displayed in your search results. Depending on the search engine, you can choose to have content filtering turned off or set to block all objectionable content, block images only, display a warning message and more. While these filters, as with any other filtering technology, are not always 100% effective, they can clean up your search results.

Finally, because many search engines save your preferences by placing a cookie on your computer, your browser must be set to allow cookies. Also, if you delete your browser cookies, your preferences will be deleted as well.

There are also updates for security and other issues for the Microsoft Office products available through the Microsoft Office webpages. Similarly, Adobe, the creator of the Adobe Acrobat Reader, recently discovered security vulnerabilities with some of their products and has released updates; as have other software manufacturers.

So now that we know that looking at the address that a message appears to come from is not an effective way to identify virus messages, we can move on to what does work. The best method to determine the nature of an e-mail is to look carefully at the text of the letter itself. Letters that contain viruses are written to entice you into opening the attached file and they are quite effective at doing so, but there are limitations placed on the virus writers that, if you are aware of them, can be used against them. For starters, virus letters are essentially form letters. They are sent out to large numbers of people and because of that, have to be general in nature and cannot contain specific information about you. For example, many simple viruses have text that is similar to “Here is the file that you requested” and nothing more. If you receive a message like this, you should immediately be on guard.

Because messages like the one above are relatively easy to sniff out, more recent virus writers have become smarter about the text that they include, but they are still limited in what they can do. An example of this is a current virus message circulating has a spoofed address making the message appear to come from a legitimate source. In the case of a GoBigWest subscriber, this message would appear to come from GoBigWest and tells the recipient of the message that GoBigWest has detected that their computer has become infected with a virus. It would then instruct the recipient to open an attached file that will clean the virus off of their computer. It would then be signed at the bottom of the letter with the signature “The GoBigWest team.” Although this message appears to be a helpful and official letter, the file that is attached to these letters that is supposed to help the recipient is in fact the virus, and the signature on the letter is spoofed just like the address that the letter appears to come from.

As you can see, recognizing a virus that is written like this is a bit more difficult, but is certainly not impossible. The first thing that you should determine when looking at an -mail is to determine if it is a form letter. If the letter appears to come from a friend or other similar contact, does it refer to you by name? Does it mention other specific information that only people who know you would be able to include? If not, then the letter is probably a form letter. Once you have determined that the e-mail is a form letter, you should look to see if the letter has an attached file that it is trying to get you to open or if it is asking you to submit information of any kind. Legitimate sources are not going to send you form letters with attached files and any message that prompts you to submit information online should have a phone number that you can call to verify its authenticity. Messages that fall under either of these categories should be treated as if they were virus letters and should be disposed of appropriately.

Finally, we realize that this message has been lengthy, but once again we feel that this is a very important topic to cover. As always, if you have any questions or comments about this or any other letter, please let us know.

Another thing that you will want to do before departing, is make sure that you know how to change the dial-up number in your computer’s settings. Having the appropriate number will do you little good if you don’t know what to do with it. For instructions on how to change your computer settings when traveling, please click on the Frequently Asked Questions link in the Help section of the homepage. Here you will find a link labeled How Do I Connect While Traveling?

If you have any questions or comments about this post or about GoBigWest’s roaming access in general, please let us know.

Try Google Earth now.

You can direct e-mail automatically to a folder other than your Inbox by modifying your e-mail address. For instance, if your e-mail address is johndoe@gobigwest.com, simply place a hyphen (-) after the username and the name of the folder in which you’d like the mail to be placed. It would follow this format:

johndoe-foldername@gobigwest.com

As an example, let’s say you purchase something from Amazon.com. You will have to provide them with an e-mail address they can use to contact you. If your e-mail address is johndoe@gobigwest.com, then you can make sure that whatever mail they send you goes directly into a folder labeled Amazon by using the address johndoe-amazon@gobigwest.com when you fill out their form. When Amazon sends an e-mail to your address, it will be placed in a folder labeled Amazon. If you do not already have a folder named Amazon in webmail, one will be created automatically. You can test this trick by sending yourself an e-mail using youremailaddress-foldername@gobigwest.com.

Trick 2: Get mail from your webmail folders using your mail program.

Normally, e-mail programs only download messages from your Inbox and not other folders. Suppose that you created the folder as described in Trick 1 and now have a handful of messages in the folder labeled Amazon that you would like to download to your computer. You can download the messages by configuring a new account in your mail program using your username followed by a hyphen (-) and the name of the folder. Going back to the example above, this would mean that the username in the new configuration would be johndoe-Amazon instead of just johndoe. You’ve now configured two accounts in your e-mail program accessing different folders in the same webmail account, one with the username of johndoe and the other with the username of johndoe-Amazon.

Instructions to set up filters or folders in the GoBigWest webmail interface as well as instructions to configure your mail program can be found by browsing to the help section of the homepage and clicking on the setup and then e-mail links.

Read more at News.com …

Below we have included some additional tips and shortcuts that can be used to make your searches on Google and Yahoo! faster and more productive.

define: word
- Returns the definition of any English word. Example: searching for Aurora returns information about Aurora, Colorado and searching for define: Aurora returns information about the atmospheric phenomenon

minus (-) sign before search term
- Removes results that contain a specified search term. Example: searching for USS Enterprise -star -trek -startrek will make sure that you only receive results pertaining to the aircraft carrier and not the TV show

term site:domain
- Only returns search results that are on the specified domain. Example: searching for NFL site:espn.com only returns pages on the ESPN site that contain the term NFL

stocks: ticker symbol
- Returns stock information for the desired company. You must use the ticker symbol and not the company name. Example: searching for stocks: yhoo returns current stock information for Yahoo! Inc.

The above list has a few helpful shortcuts that we feel will aid you in your searches but it is not an exhaustive list. You can find even more hints and shortcuts by browsing to the Google and Yahoo! advanced search and help sections.

E-mail spoofing, or the technique of making an e-mail message appear as if it were coming from someone other than the actual sender, is a common tool of spammers, phishers, and other devious characters. By spoofing the sender of an e-mail message, these con artists are able to get people to open e-mail messages and e-mail attachments that they otherwise would not.

Aside from the spammer who uses spoofing to hide their true identity so they can continue with their illegal trade, spoofing is used in more malicious ways. One of the ways that phishers or virus writers use spoofing is to make an e-mail message look like it is being sent from a legitimate source. This is the spoofing that was mentioned in last week’s letter. Phishers use spoofing to make an e-mail message appear to come from a bank or an online retailer. They know that you are more likely to believe that a message you receive asking for personal financial information if the from address says support@ebay.com or accounts@citibank.com.

This type of spoofing is particularly troublesome for Internet service providers such as GoBigWest and is one of the tricks used by the MyTob virus that was the topic of last week’s post. The virus message tells recipients that their account is going to be closed, that they have a virus on their computer, or some other false claim. It then instructs recipients to open an attachment. The trick that the senders of the messages use is to make the message look like it was sent by their Internet service provider. They do this by combining a legitimate sounding name such as ‘support’ or ‘administrator’ and the tail of the recipient’s e-mail address. The from address then looks like support@aol.com, adminstrator@netzero.com, or support@gobigwest.com depending on the recipient’s e-mail address.

Another type of spoofing is used by viruses to send messages that appear to come from a friend or family member of the recipient. Once they infect a computer, many viruses will find the address book on the computer and send copies of themselves to the addresses they find. This is a particularly effective trick because the recipient of one of these messages often times knows the sender personally. If they know and trust the person, then they are much more likely to open e-mail attachments if they think the message is from that person.

There are other types of spoofing and we will probably see new and unique variations on this technique in the future, but the point of the letter remains the same. It is not possible to determine whether an e-mail is legitimate or not simply by looking at the sender of the message. Instead, you need to look carefully at the message itself for clues. If a message appears to be from a friend or family member, is there any information in the body of the letter indicating that the sender knows who you are? If the message claims to be from your bank or your Internet service provider, does it address you by name or include any other information that is specific to your account? If not, then you should treat the message with caution. For any messages where you are unsure of the true sender, contact the person or company that the message appears to be from before opening any attachments or clicking on any links.

E-mail spoofing is an important and sometimes confusing topic so if you have any additional questions about e-mail spoofing, please let us know.

Error Numbers or Messages:
When you call into technical support with a problem that needs troubleshooting such as an inability to connect to the Internet, pull up web pages, or access email; the first bit of information that the technician is going to need is a specific description of what is going wrong. In order to have this available, it is a good idea to write down any error messages that you see on your computer so you can read them to the technician exactly as they appeared. This will save you time that you may have spent trying to describe what is happening in less certain terms.

Operating System Version:
Your operating system (i.e. Windows or Macintosh) is the program that essentially runs your computer. There are a handful of different operating systems available and each one is a little different so the technician that you are talking to will need to know which one you are using in order to effectively assist you. If you are using a Windows operating system, you can determine the version of the operating system by right clicking on the My Computer icon and then left clicking on Properties. Macintosh users can determine which version they are using by clicking the apple icon in the top left corner of the screen and selecting About This Computer or About This Mac.

Program Version Information:
Along with having multiple different operating systems available for use, there are also many different programs to perform the functions of displaying web pages and accessing email. Technicians will need to know what program and sometimes what specific version of the program that you are using. You can determine the version number of most Windows programs by opening the program and clicking Help and then About [Program Name]. If you are using a Macintosh operating system, you may have to access the version information by opening the program and then clicking on the program name in the toolbar and then About [Program Name].

Dial-up Number (When using a dial-up connection):
If there is some sort of systemic issue, a technician will be able to quickly determine if the problems that you are having are related to that issue by looking at the phone number you are using. This can save considerable amounts of time.

By having the items on this list available at the time that you call, you will be able to make sure that your problem is resolved as quickly as possible so you can move on to doing other things. As always, if you have any questions or comments, please let us know.

Salt Lake City (June 1, 2005) - IKANO Communications, the world’s largest provider of private-label Internet services, has acquired the subscriber bases of two Texas-based Internet Service Providers, CookeNET Internet Services and CompuWise Internet Solutions, serving the Gainesville and Decatur markets. Both ISPs were previously operated by Morgan Publishing, a digital and print publishing company based in Bowie, Texas.

Full story from ISP-Blog

The fake anti-spyware tool mentioned above is a prime example of this cycle. Adware programs that display unwanted pop-up advertising and alter browser settings exploded onto the scene, prompting a response in the online security community in the form of adware and spyware blocking tools. These tools help Internet users detect the presence of adware or spyware programs on their computer, assist in the sometimes difficult removal of these programs from their computers, and depending on the program, actively work to prevent the installation of adware and spyware. Not to be outdone, however, some unscrupulous advertisers have taken to peddling false anti-adware programs.

According to an article written by Paul F. Robert of eWEEK.com titled “Spyware-Removal Program Tagged as a Trap”, one of the false anti-spyware programs that have been discovered has two methods for duping users. One version of the software has been redesigned simply as an adware program and users who download and run the software are bombarded with pop-up windows. The original free version, although not an adware program, still attempts to make a profit using underhanded means. According to security experts who tested the original version of the product on a computer that was free of any adware or spyware, the program displayed a list of infections on the computer. The number of false-positives led the experts to conclude that the free version is merely a ploy to get users to pay for the full version at a price of $59.95 per year. (You can view the entire contents of the article by browsing to www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1821134,00.asp.)

As mentioned in previous articles, protecting yourself from these sorts of threats and scams requires a level of diligence on your part. Aside from making sure that you keep your operating system and anti-virus software updated, you must also be careful about which email attachments you open and which programs you download to your computer. Returning to the adware example above, this means that if you need an anti-adware program, you should properly research a program before installing it. To find software, visit sites that you know to be reputable or seek out the advice of people in the know. For example, by visiting the page www.microsoft.com/spyware or by searching for the term “adware” on the Microsoft homepage (www.microsoft.com) and digging a little bit, it is possible to find three good anti-spyware programs. Microsoft provides one and the other two are from independent companies.

The Internet is a resource without comparison and by practicing proper care, users can take advantage of the wonders it provides. If you have any questions about this or any other letter, please post a comment.

John Doe
ABC Widgets, Inc.
Director of Obscure Tasks
address@gobigwest.com

“The smallest good deed is better than the greatest intention.”

The specific steps required to add a default signature to e-mails varies depending on the program that you are using to send mail, but the process is basically the same. In this letter, we will only describe the steps required to add a signature to messages sent using the program Outlook Express 6, however, you should have little trouble figuring out how to add signatures in other programs. Steps to do so can usually be found in the help section of each program.

To add a new signature in Outlook Express 6, open the program and click on Tools and then Options. Click the Signatures tab and click the New button. Enter the text of your signature in the Text box near the bottom of the window. Make sure that there is a check in the box next to ‘Add signatures to all outgoing messages’ at the top of the window, and click the OK button.

Whether functional or fun, e-mail signatures can make a message appear either more professional or more personal and can eliminate the need to type repetitive text at the bottom of each message.

If you have questions about this or any other topic we have covered, please let us know.