Georgia County Government - October 2008 - (Page 55) 3. Know where to find your anti-virus vendor’s “rescue” Web site for your home computer. 4. Keep your PC and servers “patched.” Trojans (also known as backdoors) are malicious code hidden in a legitimate program that, when executed, performs some unauthorized activity or function. This can range from stealing your password and credit card information to allowing someone to take control of your computer. To prevent installation of Trojans on your machine: 1. Run anti-virus soft ware on your desktop and follow the best practices for using it. 2. Be careful about downloading games, screensavers and other files. Download only from trusted Internet sources. 3. Be careful about fi le and music sharing services because you can inadvertently share fi les you did not intend to share. Downloaded fi les can contain viruses and other malicious code. A denial-of-service attack is an assault upon a network or Web site that floods it with so many additional requests that regular services are either slow or completely interrupted. In some instances, a group of remotely controlled, compromised desktops are combined to jointly attack a target system. Spyware and related “adware,” are software sometimes downloaded from a Web page, by following a link in an e-mail or are installed with freeware or shareware software without the user’s knowledge. Spyware is used to track your Internet activity, redirect your browser to certain Web sites or monitor sites you visit. Spyware may also record your passwords and personal information to send to a malicious Web site. 1. Read the freeware and shareware license agreement to see if adware or spyware is mentioned before installing the soft ware. 2. Choose to “Close” any pop up windows by clicking on the “X.” 3. Do not respond to any dialogue boxes that appear unexpectedly; click on “X”. Clicking on “No” or “Cancel” sometimes installs spyware. 4. Beware of visiting Web pages which are untrusted. 5. Install soft ware to detect spyware and adware on your PC. Hoaxes are e-mail messages that resemble chain letters, offer free money, or contain dire warnings and offers that seem to be too good to be true. If you receive a hoax via e-mail, delete it. Sharing hoaxes slows down mail servers and may be a cover for a hidden virus or worm. Information Comes from Everywhere Computers are now accessible via a variety of means. A person can even download data from the Internet to a cell phone. While convenient and fun to use, some good practices will help protect your information. Laptops, PDAs and cell phones are more easily stolen or misplaced because of their size. Remember, if your laptop is gone, your data is too. Small computer devices carry information that must be protected. CYBER SECURITY continued on page 56 Going Out of Our Way… So They Don’t Have to Go Out of Theirs While planning high-voltage transmission lines, Georgia Transmission encountered two unlikely customers: gopher tortoises and indigo snakes. Instead of just complying with the laws overseeing construction near these protected species, we developed ways to improve their habitats beneath power lines. We charted the location of hundreds of burrow holes, and our efforts improved the state’s knowledge of this important habitat. We’re proud of our record of working with regulatory agencies to protect environmental, historic and cultural areas. It’s all part of finding suitable routes for Georgia’s high-voltage power lines. For species with two legs, four legs — and some with none. The Power of Cooperation Building and maintaining high-voltage power lines and substations for Georgia’s electric cooperatives. 396492_georgia.indd 1 OCTOBER 2008 8/14/08 5:56:42 PM www.accg.org 55 http://www.gatrans.com http://www.accg.org
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