E-mail Security Best Practices

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  1. Don’t open or launch attachments (documents or programs) from unknown senders.
  2. Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mail with attachments even if you know the sender.
  3. Don’t open attachments unless absolutely certain of what they contain. If you decide to open an attachment, save it to your hard drive first and then manually scan the file for viruses before opening it.
  4. Watch out for hoaxes. These messages usually contain bogus warnings and requests with the intent of only frightening or misleading users. Do not forward them to all your friends and colleagues.
  5. Beware of odd subject lines.
  6. To reduce spam, consider using a free e-mail account (i.e. Gmail. Yahoo, or Hotmail) if you frequently submit your e-mail address for non-business online shopping, blogs, subscription services, or social networking sites.
  7. Be cautious of files downloaded from HTML formatted e-mail.
  8. Do not open Junk e-mail, spam, or chain letters. These can contain viruses. Delete them immediately from your Inbox and then empty your “Deleted Items” folder in Outlook.
  9. Look out for fraudulent spoofing and phishing e-mails that ask for private information like account passwords, social security numbers, or your credit card numbers. These e-mails are scams. Boston University will NEVER ask for sensitive or personal information from anyone via e-mail.
  10. If you get a suspicious message requesting that you make changes to your computer (i.e. delete certain files, etc.), don’t do so. Contact the NetHelp line immediately at x3-7328 to report your concerns.
  11. Do not auto-preview messages in Outlook. Some viruses can be activated if the messages that contain them are auto-previewed.
  12. Don’t forward virus warnings you receive be e-mail to any other staff member. Even if the warning appears to come from an antivirus vendor or to have been confirmed as authentic by a large computer company or your best friend. These messages are usually hoaxes and forwarding them can be as disruptive as an actual virus. Not only do hoaxes spread misinformation but they also waste staff time and resources. If you believe you may have received a hoax virus warning, please contact the NetHelp line at x3-7328 to report your concerns.

Important: If you suspect your computer may be infected by a virus, or if you have received a “Virus Found” notification on your computer, immediately contact NetHelp at ESO-NetHelp@bu.edu or call the NetHelp line at x3-7328 to report the incident.