Wait a Minute...I Didn't Send That!
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If
you've ever received a return to sender email that indicated your email message
couldn't be delivered, but you never actually sent the original message, then
you've been
Backscattered
.
With nearly 87% of all email being classified as spam, the defense
against these nuisance messages has increased, but so have the savvy methods of
the spammers that send them. In order to get past spam protection,
spammers have found new means to get their messages delivered. That's
where backscatter comes into play. If your email address is published anywhere
on the web, then you are a prime candidate for this rising trend. Since
spam filters have become more sophisticated and will reject messages sent from
phony domains, spammers have started to find ways around this by sending from
your REAL email address.
Using legit email addresses found on the web and sending spam emails
"from" that return email address is how this all starts. If the
email is not deliverable for any reason, the bounce back message is delivered
to the email address that it appears to have come from, which in many cases is an
innocent victim who didn't actually send the message. These return
emails are often from automated "Out of Office reply messages", old email addresses
that are no longer active, or email accounts that require verification prior to
delivering a message.
Though it is estimated that backscatter makes up only about 3% of all spam, it
can still cause major issues for companies. At a minimum it is a disruption
that can cause a user to worry if their computer has been infected or hacked,
but at its worst, backscatter can bring a server down from the high traffic it
creates. A prime example of this extreme case occurred earlier this year to Stephen Gielda, president of Packetderm, when his computer was flooded with
10,000 bounce back messages per second.
Due to the high volume of email, the server's Internet connection was throttled
and Gielda was forced to take his site off-line for an entire business
week.
Though it is difficult to completely absolve any user of backscatter, there are
steps that can be taken to minimize the risks involved. One proactive
step you can take is to ensure that your mail server is configured to reject
these spam messages rather than simply bounce them back. If you are unsure if
your organization is set up to appropriately reduce your risk, talk to your IT
support or contact
ForeSite
to learn more.
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Vista Replacing XP...Not Quite Yet.
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If you haven't already heard, June 30th was the "official" day Windows XP went off the market. As of July 1st, (OEM's) Original Equipment Manufacturers and Retail Channels are only supposed to
sell new PCs with the Vista Operating System. However, the outcry of
negative feedback about Vista has forced Microsoft to offer an option to obtain
an XP license for a new PC, but it doesn't come without its share of frustration.
It all sounds simple enough. A license for XP is provided with almost every
copy of Vista Business or Vista Ultimate. This can then be installed to "downgrade"
the PC to utilize XP. But, as PC World's Christopher Null has found, just
because manufacturers are allowed to install XP does not necessarily mean that
they will do so or that employees have been trained to understand the
surrounding policies and procedures.
In his article
"What Does it Take to Get a PC with XP?"
, Null spoke with the nine largest PC makers in the U.S., including Dell, HP and Gateway, to find out just how simple their downgrade policies appeared to be in writing, and how those policies translated into actual customer service experience.
Read his article
to find out which companies were clear on their downgrade policies and offered
helpful options, and which companies you may just want to steer clear of until
they better understand how to deal with the inquisitive consumer.
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Backup a Sec...You Can Do That Online?
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With the rapid increase of mobile workforces and telecommuting, the need
for a reliable remote backup solution has never been higher. Traditional
tape backup systems located at corporate headquarters struggle to capture the
information of remote locations reliably, fighting firewall configurations, VPN
setups and bandwidth limitations. Online backup solutions are becoming
much more attractive options by providing a means to backup remote information
securely using only your Internet connection.
Added benefits include more reliable data for restores and never having
to remember to change the backup tape again! If you find yourself worried about
your data backup and security
contact ForeSite
today for more details about how we can
help!
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Headquartered in East Hartford, CT, ForeSite has been
designing solutions and troubleshooting problems for computers, networks and
web sites, since 1997. We are committed to providing personalized customer
service and practical yet insightful solutions which fit a wide range of business
needs. With the recent opening of our Worcester office, ForeSite continues to
provide premium technology solutions to the central Connecticut and western Massachusetts
regions.
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New Service Offering!
ForeSite VISION Program
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ForeSite has recently introduced a brand new service offering, the ForeSite VISION program.
BENEFITS OF VISION INCLUDE:
-
Proactive Remote Maintenance
To learn more about ForeSite's VISION program
contact us
or call Rosey Das at 1-866-GO-4SITE x22
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Five Enhancements New in Word 2007
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1.
Customize Quick Access Toolbar:
The Quick Access toolbar, located in the upper left hand corner, displays
commonly used commands such as
Save, Open
, and
Print.
You
can choose the dropdown located to the right of the toolbar to customize
the commands to include commonly used icons that don't appear in the ribbons or
are hard to find.
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2. Minimize Ribbon
The new Word 2007 ribbon can take up a lot of room. So to quickly access
more space, hold [Ctrl] [F1] keys and the ribbon will automatically
minimize. The same key combination will maximize it again.
3. View Styles without Committing
to Them
The new Live Preview feature allows you to select text you would like to
format. Mouse over the
Style
selections and display the text in that
style without applying the changes.
4. Building Blocks Quickly Create Polished Documents
Choose the
Building Block Organizer
from the
Quick Parts
menu on the
Insert
Ribbon.
Here, you can easily add built-in
Cover Pages, Headers, Footers, Tables,
and much more. This is a great tool to quickly build a professional
looking document.
5. Enhanced Spell Checker
Spell check has always been a great feature that is heavily relied upon
but has never caught the inevitable misuse of "to" instead of "too"
or "there" when it should have been "their". The new
Contextual Spell check now catches just such errors. Simply go to the
Word Options menu under the Microsoft Office Button (replaced File Menu),
choose Proofing in the left column, and select the Use Contextual
Spelling option.
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Check out ForeSite's Newest Web Releases!
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