| Although the
Internet is a worldwide network of
interlinked computers, there is no
single body or organisation that controls
or monitors appropriate usage of the
Internet. Teachers and schools must
continue to stay up-to-date with current acts
of Internet vandalism and have strategies
in place to combat them. |
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| Viruses
and Virus Protection |
The
easiest way for you to
prevent infecting your
friends' and colleagues'
computers with viruses
is for you to NOT GET
A VIRUS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
As long as you practice
"safe surf"
-- update your antivirus
definitions regularly,
run Windows Update and
download all of the Critical
Updates at least once
a month, enable macro
virus protection in Microsoft
Word, and avoid email
attachments by either
not opening them altogether
or at minimum deleting
any email attachment that
ends in .exe or .vbs and
virus scanning all remaining
attachments before opening
them -- your computer
will be about as safe
from viruses as it can
get. |
Patrick Douglas
Crispen in TOURBUS Vol. 7, No. 23, 11 Oct 2001 |
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| Patrick's advice is always timely,
especially for schools where
so many people have access to
the network.
Students should be encouraged to use the virus
scan on every email attachment before opening, even if
they know the person sending it. They can also be encouraged
to include short Word documents in the body of an email
rather than sending them as an attachment. |
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| Useful websites |
- How Computer Viruses Work
This How Stuff Works article about 'traditional' viruses and email viruses is designed to enable people to learn how they work and understand how to protect themselves.
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- Computer Viruses
An entertaining free BrainPOP animated video for young students.
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- McAfee.com
The Department of Education in Western Australia has
a statewide licence for all school, district office
and central office workstations and fileservers to
McAfee Anti-Virus Software.
The contract also licenses all WA Public School
staff and students for non-commercial, home use of
these products.
For information about the licence see:
intranet.det.wa.edu.au/groups/ict_purchasing/sft-mcafee-main.asp [accessible only to DET employees]
McAfee
Virus Information
The McAfee Virus Information section
has detailed information on where viruses come from,
how they infect your computer system, and how to remove
them. It also has ten useful prevention tips. |
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| Hoaxes |
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- Hoax
Warnings
Considered to be the industry standard information
source for new virus hoaxes and false alerts, this
site provides up-to-date information about email virus
alarms.
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- SCAMwatch
SCAMwatch is a website run by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). The aim of SCAMwatch is to provide information to Internet users about how to recognise, avoid and report scams.
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| Spam and Phishing |
- Spam, Getting
Rid of Spam, Phishing
Webopedia contains helpful articles with an
excellent definition of spam, suggestions for minimising
junk email and the more recent phenomenon of phishing.
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- Spam, spam. spam
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has a page devoted to spam and how to deal with it.
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- Spam and e-security
This section of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website provides practical information and handy tips on how to reduce and help to fight spam.
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- Phishing
This section of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) website explains what Phishing is.
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- Phishing (hoax)
emails
This Australian Government website explains that these fraudulent messages appear to come from legitimate businesses such as banks and other financial institutions, but may also appear to come from an Internet Service Provider, a government agency, or a university (if the receiver is a student).
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