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If you want to avoid the possibility of getting a virus via attachment (you may have small children using your computer and they like to open everything) you might want to make a message rule that either deletes all messages over a particular size (most, though not all, viruses are more than 28 kb in size). Or you can simply delete all messages with any attachment from the server. The disadvantage of the latter is that when one of your own email is bounced due to a typo in the address you used or any other reason, the returned mail contains an attachment. If you delete that from the server, you won’t know that your mail did not go through.
     To do either of the above, click on an email in your Inbox (or in any of your mail folders). Doesn’t matter which mail you use as a starter. Then choose Message > Create Rule from Message.
      In the Create Rule dialog, in the top text box (1.Select the conditions for your rule) deselect (uncheck) the item that is checked by default, then choose (check) “Where the message size is more than,” or choose “Where the message has an attachment.”
     In the second box (2. Select the actions for your rule) scroll all the way to the bottom of the list and choose “Delete from server.”
     In the third box (3.) if you chose the “size is more than” choice in box 1, you’ll need to enter a size. Click on the highlighted text in the box to open a small dialog where you enter your size limit.
     In the last box, at the bottom of the Create Rule dialog (4.), highlight the text, delete it, and enter a descriptive name for you rule so you can find it later.
     If you want to change or remove this message rule, go to Tools > Message Rules > Mail and click on the message rule’s name and then click the Modify button. The Create Rule dialog will open and you can edit your rule. Be sure and edit the rule name to reflect the change in the rule.
     Or, if you want to get rid of the rule, click the Remove button. To temporarily disable the rule (so your Mom can send you those vacation pictures...) uncheck the rule in the list window. Remember to go back and recheck it after you’ve gotten the attachment that you are expecting.

If you ever get any email from anybody, including (what looks like) your bank, your ISP (for example, AOL), or any other institution (eBay, or PayPal for example), asking for (or demanding) your password, your social security number, your account number or any other personal information, do not respond or click any links embedded in the email. Do not save or open any files attached to such email. There are many very convincing ways to make an email, and a linked Web site appear to be genuine when in fact, they are not. If you feel the email may be genuine, telephone the place of business, or open your browser and go there directly by entering the appropriate URL into the browser. Do not respond to the email or click on any links within that email.

The Blaster worm that infected so many computers in 2003 did not arrive via email. If your computer was connected to the Internet, not patched (Microsoft had issued the patch a month earlier), and not behind a firewall you almost certainly got hit (infected).
     If you did, you don’t need me rubbing salt in the wound by pointing out that you must keep your computer patched if you’re going to be connected to the WWW. I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson. A firewall will help protect you the next time this happens (and there will be a next time).
      I highly recommend ZoneAlarm. It’s free, seems to be bug-free and non-intrusive and is highly rated by people who know more about these things than I do. Get it. Install it. Leave the Alert Events window on for a while to see how many times people try to access your computer. When you don’t want to see that window any more, check the Don’t show this window checkbox in the lower left of the alert window to make it go away. To get it back later, or change ZoneAlarm’s settings right-click the ZA icon in your sys tray (lower right side of your Windows taskbar) and choose Restore ZoneAlarm Control Center.

[Update/Warning: as of August, 2005, the latest release of the paid version of Zone Alarm, Zone Alarm Pro (which I use), is a total disaster. I do NOT recommend getting or using it. I believe the free version is still good, but the new build of Zone Alarm Pro is a complete disaster. Check the forums at the Zone Labs web site for details and (hopefully) future improvements.]

When you install new software on your computer, make sure you turn off ZoneAlarm and any virus protection software that you are running before installation. And then be sure and turn both back on after the install. To turn ZoneAlarm off, right-click it in the sys tray and choose Shutdown ZoneAlarm. To turn it back on, find ZoneAlarm in your Programs list. It also is always on after a reboot.

In addition to the above, I do two more things to limit my system’s exposure to intruders. I don’t believe Windows 98, Windows ME users have this option (not sure about XP Home), but Windows 2000 and Windows XP Pro users can make new accounts with limited rights/access to the system. I always log on a limited User when I am connecting to the Internet. Limited users can’t do much of anything, in particular, they can’t install anything. Some of the Microsoft updates require administrative rights to install, so in those rare instances, I will log on and connect as Administrator, but at all other times (and I mean all other times) I log on with the limited User account before connecting to the Internet.
     The last thing that I do, and this can be tiresome if you’re not as security obsessed as I am, is set Internet Explorer to High. This disables just about everything. Many Web sites simply won’t work at this setting (no javascript, no Flash, no downloading ...) I also disable cookies (a separate tab in IE 6; it was included with the other security settings in earlier versions). You’ll often get a message telling you that you can’t even look at a site’s pages until you allow cookies. If I feel comfortable that the site is secure, I’ll reset my security setting to Medium while I’m at that site, and allow cookies; and then set it back to High as soon as I am finished. For example, I frequently buy books from Amazon. Their server won’t find my Amazon cookies (which link me to my account and my history there) until I set security to Medium and allow my cookies to be seen. And the DP Review forums won’t work at the High security setting so I use Medium while there. You may find all of this changing back and forth to be too much trouble. It’s up to you.
     To set IE (Internet Explorer) to High security, at the top of your IE window choose Tools > Internet Options. Click the Security tab at the top of the dialog. Click the Custom Level button. In the Custom Level dialog, in the Rest To menu, scroll up to find the High setting (you always have to scroll to get the darn thing; use the little up arrow at the right side of the menu). Choose High, then click the Reset button. Click OK in the alert that appears. Click OK to get back to the main Internet Options dialog. While there, click the General tab and delete all of your temporary files. You’ll be amazed at the amount of junk that is in there. Click the Delete Files button, then, in the alert that appears, check (select) the “Delete all offline content” checkbox and click OK. If you have a lot of crud in your temp folder, it will take a while for it to clear.
     Once that’s finished, look to the right of the Delete Files button and click on the Settings button. In the Settings dialog, click on the View Files button. If you just used the Delete Files button as I instructed, the only things you’ll be seeing are cookies—those are put in there, unbeknownst to you, to track your surfing habits, or to remember the settings you used at a particular Web site. If you’ve never cleaned them out, you may well have many pages of them. I save only a half dozen from sites where it is convenient for my settings to be remembered (Amazon, Staples, PayPal, Adobe). I delete all the others. They only get in there when my security is set to Medium, so I don’t get too many.

Possibly a more sensible solution to trying to secure Internet Explorer, is to use another browser. Mozilla (Firefox) is highly recommended by many users (mozilla.org).

An alternative to all of the above, albeit an extreme one, is to swap your PC for a Mac. OS X (currently Panther) is considered a much more secure OS than Windows. In addition, virus writers rarely bother to attack Macs. If you share your computer with young children or parents who are not computer-savvy, this could be the best option for you. Your Elements 2 CD comes with both the PC and Mac versions (but most of your other software probably does not). Elements 3 only works on one or the other (whichever you buy).

I hope this advice helps you keep your computer secure. Remember to keep up with all of the Microsoft security updates, don’t open any email attachments, and get a personal firewall such as ZoneAlarm.

Copyright © 2002 by Jay Arraich.
All rights reserved.
All photographs copyright ©2002 by Jay Arraich
jay@arraich.com