Who can read your email?

Written by Mark Brooks


Continued from page 1

You're getting warmer, but this still isn't going to dorepparttar trick. It's a good way to stop packet sniffers from searching for key words in a file, but unfortunately it is not as secure as you might think. If you ever forget a Zip, Word or Excel password, don't worry, just downloadrepparttar 109566 password tool from Last Bit Software www.PasswordTools.com, it works very well. There are many other packages out onrepparttar 109567 Internet but Last Bit's tool isrepparttar 109568 most robust and easy to use, if a bit slower that some others.

So what can I do about it? ==========================

OK, so now that you understandrepparttar 109569 threat, what can you do about it?

. Stop usingrepparttar 109570 Internet? - More than a few professionals are returning to phone calls and faxes for all their important communications.

. Complain to your IT department? - If you have an IT department in your company this is a good place to start. But didrepparttar 109571 spam mail stop when you complained about it to your LAN administrator? Unfortunately he is almost as helpless as you are. . Encrypt your communications with PKI, etc. - For email this is a bit drastic, and can be very expensive, especially since you will need to install a key on each PC and coordinate this withrepparttar 109572 receivers of your email messages, your IT organization, etc.

. Use FileCourier - This is by farrepparttar 109573 easiest and most cost effective way to protect your email attachments, or replace FTP transmissions. It takes outrepparttar 109574 "idiot inrepparttar 109575 middle" with a very clever solution.

The FileCourier approach to Security ====================================

I believe that FileCourier isrepparttar 109576 easiest out-of-the box secure communication system available.

FileCourier approaches Internet data transfer security in a unique way. Until FileCourier was first released in December of 2002, all secure email and file transmission systems relied on encryptingrepparttar 109577 data duringrepparttar 109578 tried and true method of "upload, store, and forward". When you send an email, it and any documents attached to it are first transmitted to one or more intermediate servers. These mail server storerepparttar 109579 documents and then attempt to forward it torepparttar 109580 receivers email server. To securerepparttar 109581 transmission ofrepparttar 109582 email requires eitherrepparttar 109583 servers to use extra encryption software technology, or forcesrepparttar 109584 individual sender and receivers to install encryption software and their associated keys, or both. Not only is this a costly and time consuming exercise but it also often fails to protectrepparttar 109585 data overrepparttar 109586 complete path ofrepparttar 109587 transmission. What do you do ifrepparttar 109588 receiver is in another company and doesn't have any encryption software installed? What if his company is using a difference encryption standard? Ignoringrepparttar 109589 complexity of existing secure email and FTP systems their biggest failings continue to berepparttar 109590 "idiot inrepparttar 109591 middle". From a nosey email or FTP server administrator, to a hungry co-worker, to an incompetent who lets a hacker have free reign of their server, if your sensitive documents are stored on a server maintained by someone else then that person, or his company, can view your documents. The FileCourier approach is creative, yet simple. FileCourier utilizes existing email and instant messaging systems inrepparttar 109592 same way you use an envelope to send a letter thrurepparttar 109593 US postal service, as a wrapper forrepparttar 109594 real content. We assume that EVERYONE can read what is inrepparttar 109595 email, so we don't send your documents inrepparttar 109596 email at all. In fact your documents never leave your PC, untilrepparttar 109597 receiver ofrepparttar 109598 email requests it. How it works FileCourier lets you ticketrepparttar 109599 file you want to email, and then instead of sendingrepparttar 109600 file inrepparttar 109601 email, sends a "FileTicket" instead. The file is only transmitted torepparttar 109602 receiver ofrepparttar 109603 email when he opensrepparttar 109604 FileTicket and is "authenticated". Afterrepparttar 109605 receiver is authenticatedrepparttar 109606 file is transmitted through an SSL (secure socket layer) tunnel directly fromrepparttar 109607 sender's PC torepparttar 109608 receiver's PC through our secure relay servers. SSL isrepparttar 109609 same security used by banks and is impossible for packet sniffers to penetrate. With FileCourier each packet is encrypted using a 1024 bit key and is delivered to your receiver through his browser. FileCourier lets your communications go un-detected by any sniffer, and removesrepparttar 109610 "idiot inrepparttar 109611 middle" threat by never storingrepparttar 109612 data on an intermediate server. More over, FileCourier isrepparttar 109613 easiest way to secure your sensitive data transmission in both an Internet and corporate LAN environment.

Take Action Now! ================

Internet communications security is one ofrepparttar 109614 most important privacy issues we face today. It might feel a bit paranoid for a law-abiding citizen to encrypt his email communications and computer document transmissions, but would you send a customers contract thru normal mail without an envelope? How would you feel if your employer sent your next pay stub to you onrepparttar 109615 back of a postcard? Use FileCourier, just like you would use a envelope for regular mail. Downloadrepparttar 109616 no obligation free trial today at www.filecourier.com. and send 50MB of data securely for free!



Mark Brooks is a software architect, internet entrepreneur and founder of CanDo Networks Corporation. CanDo Networks Corporation makes easy-to-use software for communicating large amounts of data securely and privately over the Internet. Its flagship product, Filecourier (www.filecourier.com ), is used by thousands of legal, medical, and computer professionals to securely deliver files over the internet, to anyone, anywhere.


Small Business Q & A: Beware Of Spam Withdrawals

Written by Tim Knox


Continued from page 1

Spammers use "spider software" to crawlrepparttar web and harvest email address, so if you have a personal or company website that has your email posted on it, sooner or later a spam spider is going to grab your address and add it torepparttar 109565 mill. Likewise when you sign up to take online surveys or receive email newsletters, you are potentially exposing yourself to spammers.

How can you reducerepparttar 109566 amount of spam you get? Many people think that you can't fight spam, so you should just accept it and move on. In other words, you can not fightrepparttar 109567 Borg, so smile and be assimilated intorepparttar 109568 fold. While spam is hard to eliminate, there are things you can do to lessenrepparttar 109569 amount of spam you receive and it's impact on your daily business life.

First, stop clicking onrepparttar 109570 "unsubscribe" links atrepparttar 109571 bottom of spam emails. While some ofrepparttar 109572 links are valid and will get you removed from spammer's lists, other are actually there just to letrepparttar 109573 spammer know that your address is valid. Clickrepparttar 109574 link to unsubscribe and you might actually seerepparttar 109575 amount of spam you receive increase.

Second, it's a good idea to have at least two e-mail addresses. Use one for personal or business use, andrepparttar 109576 other for surveys and online purchases.

Third, consider installing a spam blocking software on your computer or company network. There are a variety of spam blocking applications onrepparttar 109577 market that range in price from free to a hundred bucks. Though none of them will completely eliminate spam, they can greatly reducerepparttar 109578 volume you receive. Searchrepparttar 109579 Web for "spam filter" and investigaterepparttar 109580 ones that you feel are right for you.

Your Internet Service Provider should also offer an anti-spam application, but be careful how you use it. I have a client who recently increasedrepparttar 109581 sensitivity of their ISP spam blocker to repparttar 109582 point that nothing was getting delivered to their company email accounts, including their own company newsletter. They had effectively built an email brick wall that stoppedrepparttar 109583 spam and everything else. Not a good idea.

Before investing in a commercial spam blocker you might also try adjustingrepparttar 109584 email filtering settings in your email software. Microsoft Outlook, for example, lets you set rules for handling incoming mail. The same is true with Outlook Express, Eudora, and Apple's Mail OSX. Each have built-in filtering features that can help eliminate unwanted email by parameters you set.

One thing to remember is that if spam didn't work, it would quickly go away. In other words, if spammers weren't profiting from sending unwanted emails they would go do something else.

Probably become a telemarketer or credit card debt collector.

Whether you use a commercial product or rely on your existing email software to filter out spam, just be careful that you don't batten downrepparttar 109585 hatches so tight that you no longer receive any email at all.

Here's to your success!

Tim Knox tim@dropshipwholesale.net For information on starting your own online or eBay business, visit http://www.dropshipwholesale.net

Tim Knox as the president and CEO of two successful technology companies: B2Secure Inc., a Web-based hiring management software company; and Digital Graphiti Inc., a software development company. Tim is also the founder of dropshipwholesale.net, an ebusiness dedicated to the success of online entrepreneurs. http://www.dropshipwholesale.net http://www.smallbusinessqa.com


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