Email and Internet Safety Tips for the Family
Is there a way to tell if someone else has been using my computer in my absence? For example, the last time it was booted?
Yes there is, and the answer is in your opperating system, right in front of you!
Windows XP has an Event Viewer to help you keep track of what your computer is doing. An event is anything noteworthy that happens to your computer. To bring it up, go to the Start Menu by either clicking the "Start" button, or by pressing the "Windows" or "Start" button on your keyboard.
Navigate to the "Run" icon and click it, or press enter to launch the "Run" box.
type the following in to the "Run" box...
eventvwr.msc
This will put you in a treeview. Events are stored in three log files: Application, Security, and System. These logs can be reviewed and easily archived.
For our purposes we want the System log. Click on "System" in the left-hand column for a list of events. People who use a screen reader can arrow down to "System". Look for a date and time when you weren't home and your computer should have been off.
By double-clicking, or by pressing enter on the event, you can get more details on what the event was. Just click on the link that says, "For more information..." If you are using a screen reader, you can tab through the available information for the event.
You can also use this log to see how long someone was on the computer. Just look at the time the computer was turned on and off for that day. Oh look, Junior was on for 6 hours! No wonder the yard work wasn't done. Maybe he's been on the internet? Maybe you should know where he's been?
Are you suspicious that someone in your house is visiting web sites they shouldn't? Everyone probably knows that your Web browser collects information about the places you visit and stores it on your computer. If you know where to look it's easy to find, but it's also easy to delete-especially by tech-savvy kids.
History files are the most obvious place to check. With Internet Explorer, Thunderbird and Netscape just type Ctrl+H to bring up History. There should be a list of sites visited each day and you can just click to return to the scene of the crime. If the history is empty after junior spent three hours online, then he is probably covering his tracks-you may want to make it family web-usage policy that if History files are deleted, then internet privileges will be revoked for a set period of time.
Cache Files, or Temporary Internet Files) keep temp copies of web pages visited on your computer. These make frequently visited pages come up quicker by saving them on your hard drive. To view your Temporary Internet Files in IE, click on "Tools" or hit ALT+T on your keyboard while in Internet Explorer. Arrow down to, or click on "Internet Options". Under "Temporary Internet Files" click "Settings". Screen reader folks will use the tab key until you reach the "settings" button.
In the Settings Window choose "View Files" and a list of all visited sites will come up.
Again, if this folder is empty after someone has been online, then you ought to be suspicious.
Cookies are files that websites leave on your system to keep track of passwords, shopping patterns, what type of pages you like, your preferences for that particular site, and more. Porn sites leave these on your computer too, so you will find them in your temporary internet file folder (Windows XP has a separate cookie file). You'll probably be able to tell if there are any from porn sites by the domain name.
Another way to find out where someone has been on the internet is to do a search of your computer. Search for "naughty words" using the "Search" option on the Start Menu. "Find Files" may also have to be clicked on older Windows Opperating Systems. Even a word like "babe" could bring up cookies and image files that are still on your system. You could also search for .jpg files and see what comes up-these often remain in your temp files even after they are emptied. JPG files are pictures, double click the file to view the picture if you dare.
If you have kids in the house, it is a good idea to make up a family Internet Usage Contract with guidelines and rules for everyone to follow. Have your kids sign it and hold them to the rules. And, of course, you all supervise your pre-teens and check in on your teens when they are online, right? I thought you did, just asking!
How Secure Is Online Shopping?
OK, so you've looked around the APH web site and found some things that you want to purchase. You're afraid of online shopping? You're asking yourself, "How do "secure servers" work? When I give my information, is it really safe"?
There are two things that indicate a secure web page:
- You will notice that the domain changes from "http://" to "https://". This information is always shown in the address bar of Internet Explorer. Screen reader users can hit ALT+D to be placed in the address bar. Remember to do a SHIFT+TAB to return to the current web page.
- If you can see the screen, a little padlock appears in the status bar at the bottom of your browser.
When you log onto a secure server, like the one here at APH, it communicates with your browser for a few seconds. During this communication, it sends your browser encryption information that only it, and your browser can read.
Once this encryption is set, it acts like a normal web page, except that all info coming or going is encrypted. This encryption makes it extremely difficult for any third party who would intercept the transaction to decipher it. All this extra protection is why secure servers seem to run slower than their non-secure counterparts.
Secure connections only protect the info as it is coming and going, not when it's just sitting on the server.
That being said, you probably have a better chance of getting ripped off by a sales clerk copying your credit card number at a department store than getting your information stolen over the internet.
In fact, I have never personally heard of anyone getting their card number stolen during an online transaction, secure or otherwise. Sure, I've heard of people using their credit card online, then having the number stolen, but they could not prove if the theft happened during the transaction or after the transaction.
So remember when shopping online, look for "https://" in your address bar, or the padlock to insure that your information is being encrypted.
Two Computer Users, One In Box
Sometimes having a family of computer users can be difficult. Reading email can be challenging because you are always looking at messages that aren't yours. Wouldn't it be great if each person in the family could have their own in box? What about protecting that in box from the kids?
Each person can have a separate mailbox in Outlook Express with separate message folders, contacts, and personal settings. You can do this by creating multiple identities. Once created, you can switch between them without having to shut down your computer or lose your Internet connection, and best of all, they can be protected with a password.
To add a new identity, go to File / Identities / Add New Identity.
Type the name of the new user. To include a password for the identity, select "Require a password" then enter one.
It will then ask if you want to log on as the new user. If you answer yes, you will be asked for information about your Internet connection. Answer no and the current user remains logged on.
Once you've set up a few, switching identities is pretty easy. Go to File / Switch Identities and select the user you want.
Kid Safe Mail
Kid Safe Mail is a provider of kid safe email accounts. Benefits of this service include:
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- Fun domain names
- Works both Sending and Receiving
- Works on all computers
- Use POP3 or secure Webmail
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- Free popup blocker
- Toll Free Phone Support
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