Notes

It is important to protect your
work computer!

We must always be extremely careful with our work computers in order to protect ourselves from computer system threats. There have been malicious scams happening externally due to people taking advantage of the COVID-19 situation. As health care professionals, we must constantly ensure that patient information is secure.

Please keep these tips in mind as you use Spectrum computers to access your email and complete your daily tasks. While none of these methods are 100% foolproof, the best defence is your watchfulness, diligence and use of your best judgement. Here are some reminders to help minimize vulnerabilities on your computer:



· Please ensure you only access sites which are HTTPS enabled. Look for the padlock in the address bar of the browser indicating it is an HTTPS site. The HTTPS sites have encryption enabled on them and information between your computer and the web server of the website you’re accessing will be encrypted. This ensures that there are no eavesdroppers and your information is secure as it makes its way through the Internet.



· Scammers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to scam people by calling or emailing them and impersonating as “doctors” that work for Centers for Disease Control (CDC). These scammers are asking people to download malicious attachments or follow the link for more information. Please beware of these e-mails that originate from unknown sources. Carefully examine the e-mail address and please don’t click on the links in the e-mail.



· Be cautious of e-mails originating from unknown senders. If the content does not seem to be personalized, appears very generic and or contains suspicious links, do not open the email and do not forward to anybody including HelpDesk. Contact HelpDesk immediately to let them know. Phishing emails may masquerade as notifications from a delivery service, an e-commerce resource, a law enforcement agency or banking institution.



· Even if it looks legitimate but you are still unsure, carefully examine the sender’s email address. Often emails containing a threat will mimic the email address of someone in your address book. Do not open anything with a suspicious email address.



· Disconnect your computer by unplugging the network cable or disable your Wi-Fi if you notice: a file name has been changed to a name you do not recognize, the file

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