Security Awareness Tip of the Week!

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Don't download sets of pictures from the Internet

A user downloaded a set of photos of pop icon Paris Hilton for her Windows desktop. Windows asked her to say yes to executing the file when she got it. Assuming it was just pictures, she agreed. Within a couple of hours, she knew something was wrong when her computer started to slow down to the point where she was unable to use it. Even when she rebooted, she couldn't launch her own programs. The IT department determined that she had downloaded a Trojan program along with the photo: her freebie photo had a malicious payload attached that used her computer to send out spam for a bad guy. Her computer had to be rebuilt to eliminate the program. She lost most of the day and a lot of her personal computer settings in the process.

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