You're probably familiar with much of the information in this guide. Nevertheless, reviewing these tips can only improve the way you protect your personal information online.

1. Choose a long and memorable password. A password is like a toothbrush: choose a good one, don't share it with anyone, and change it at the first sign of problem. A password can be any length, and may contain spaces, symbols, or numbers. You should come up with something that's easy for you to remember but impossible for someone to figure out.
   
   
2. NetServeAfrica will not ask for your password in an unsolicited email or phone call. If you receive such a request, assume it's a hoax and don't reply.
   
   
3. Be suspicious. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can register for an ISP account, and Internet email protocols allow anyone to send a message that appears to be from any other person. Don't assume an email from "Mom" or "Uncle Dave" was actually sent from someone you know, and don't assume that an unsolicited message from user@netserveafrica.com was really sent by that account.
   
   
4. Scams abound. Scams are a popular way of getting your personal information. The most common scams are fake login pages and forged emails that ask for your password, credit card number, or other sensitive information. Ignore or report anything you see that strikes you as questionable or suspicious to security@netserveafrica.com.
   
   
5. Know your software. Malicious software (e.g., viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and spyware) often masquerades as legitimate and even useful software. Think carefully before installing or running new software, especially anything unsolicited.
   
   
6. Use anti-virus software. This can detect many, but not all, forms of malicious software before they have a chance to affect your computer. Most notably, anti-virus software does not detect spyware.
   
   
7. Keep your software up to date. You can prevent many problems by regularly checking for and installing updates for your operating system, browser, messaging software, and other programs.
   
   
8. Clean up after using shared computers. If you share a computer, whether it's in a public or private setting, make sure to sign out when not using your account. You should also learn how to "clear the cache," if you use the computer to browse the Internet. Remember that using a shared computer is always riskier than using a computer to which you are the only person with access.
   
   
9. Contact account-security. If you think your account has been compromised or someone else knows your account verification information, contact the NetServeAfrica account security team – security@netserveafrica.com for assistance as soon as possible.
   

Everyone has a role to play. By working together, understanding the risks and knowing how to protect ourselves, we can enjoy our online experience more and be less likely to run into trouble.

There are two common methods used to trick members into revealing their passwords: impersonation and social engineering.

Impersonation

Impersonated Web Pages

You can find web pages that exist for the sole purpose of collecting user IDs and passwords. These pages mimic the NetServeAfrica sign-in screens, and are sometimes referred to as "spoof" or "password phishing" pages.

Do not enter your NetServeAfrica ID or password on any web page unless you are on the NetServeAfrica network and your intent was to visit a NetServeAfrica service that requires you to be signed in.

Make sure a "trailing slash" appears after "netserveafrica.com" -- sites that impersonate NetServeAfrica will not have the "trailing slash."

Impersonated Emails

You may receive an email from someone claiming to be a NetServeAfrica employee who asks for your password for any number of reasons -- to help recover your account, prevent your account from being deleted, or identify your account are a few or the more popular scams. The person may ask you to reply with your password or may direct you to a fake sign-in screen. These are scams. Please forward the email to security@netserveafrica.com. Include the full email headers and the HTML source code of the email you received.

If you are directed to a web page by an email, make sure the web page is in the NetServeAfrica network, as mentioned above.

Social Engineering

"Social Engineering" is a term that describes non-technical methods used to gain access to accounts, passwords, credit card numbers, names, addresses or other personally identifying and confidential information. These methods are mostly based on human interactions and, specific to your NetServeAfrica account, can be separated into two types.

Con Games

In a con game, the social engineer will try to convince you to share your password. They may impersonate NetServeAfrica (as mentioned above), claim to be with law enforcement or someone else of authority, or they may befriend you to gain your confidence and offer to help solve problems you may be having with your account.

• Never share your password. Your password is confidential and should not be given to anyone.
• Most online services, including NetServeAfrica, hold you responsible if you do not properly safeguard your password and your account is used by another person. If you lose a password from another company or online service, you may have that company email your password to you. Thus, if someone else has the password to your Mail account, they may be able to read these emails and be able to access to online accounts from other companies.

Victim Knowledge

A social engineer may also use information they know about you to guess your password or use our password lookup utility to gain access to your account.

• To reduce the chance of someone guessing your password, choose your password wisely.
• Be careful about what you post publicly and with whom you share personal information. Social engineers may take months to gain your trust, get to know you better, and gather information about you.

Such scams are not targeted only at NetServeAfrica members. The more popular an Internet service, the more likely fake log-in pages have been set up to collect IDs and passwords. Only give your ID or password when you know you're on a legitimate and trusted web site.

Reporting Password Scams

• Email: If you receive an email impersonating NetServeAfrica, please forward the email to security@netserveafrica.com. Include the full headers and the HTML source code of the email you received.
• Web page: If you see a web page asking for your NetServeAfrica ID and password and you feel it is a scam, please report it to security@netserveafrica.com. Include the full URL of the web page collecting passwords.

If you have already been tricked into giving your password, report it to security@netserveafrica.com and supply as much detail as possible.

If you entered credit card or bank account numbers, you should immediately contact your financial institution.

If you feel your life is in danger, call your local police department immediately.

Shared Computers

 Most of us access the Internet from different locations -- a friend's house to check email, an Internet café to check information and services, or the library to research a term paper. Sharing a computer is a great convenience, but you must take extra precautions to safeguard your personal information.

Here are some tips to help protect your NetServeAfrica account when sharing a computer.

Never leave your computer unattended while you are signed in.

Someone could approach your computer and easily access your account information.

Always sign out completely.

If you use a public or shared computer, it's especially important to always sign out completely by clicking the "Sign Out" link when you finish using NetServeAfrica.

Clear your browser's cache.

Your browser's cache contains copies of the web pages you have recently visited and stores these files on your hard drive. Clearing your cache is a simple process.

Know the risks.

Some shared computers allow you to install software on them, making them vulnerable to virus attacks or malicious programs such as keystroke logging programs. If you have any concerns about the security of a shared computer, don't hesitate to ask the administrator about the steps they've take to protect their computers.

Cookies

A cookie is a small amount of data, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier, that is sent to your browser from a web site's computers and stored on your computer's hard drive.

Each web site can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

Choices about Cookies

• You can configure your browser to accept all cookies, reject all cookies, or notify you when a cookie is set. (Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu of your browser to learn how to change your cookie preferences.)
• If you reject all cookies, you will not be able to use NetServeAfrica products or services that require you to "sign in," and you may not be able to take full advantage of all offerings.

NetServeAfrica Practices Regarding Cookies

NetServeAfrica uses its own cookies for a number of purposes, including to:

• Access your information when you "sign in," so that we can provide you with customized content.
• Keep track of preferences you specify while you are using NetServeAfrica services.
• Display the most appropriate advertising banners and content, based on your interests and activity on NetServeAfrica.
• Assist NetServeAfrica Shopping to process the items in your shopping cart.
• Estimate and report our total audience size and traffic.
• Conduct research to improve NetServeAfrica's content and services.
• Require you to re-enter your NetServeAfrica password after a certain period of time has elapsed to protect you against others accidentally accessing your account contents.