Obama Inauguration Spamming Activities
Target: All users using Windows XP and Windows Vista Operating Systems

New email spamming threats have been identified. A fresh wave of malicious spam messages is trying to take advantage of the popularity of the new President. Specifically, a new threat called W32.waledac uses classic social engineering methods to get innocent users to click on hyperlinks contained within e-mails that lead to another site filled with malicious links. Although W32.waledac is not a high-risk threat, users may be quick to link to get to the fake breaking news, forgetting about likely hazards. Who is at risk? Any person that uses e-mail!
Tips to Stay Safe from the Obama Inauguration Spam emails and W32.waledac:

1. Make sure that your computer is protected with an internet security solution and that you have run the latest security updates.
2. Do NOT click on links within emails that refer to the inauguration and lead to another site.
3. Keep your computer updated with the latest software patches. If you don’t know how to do this, have someone help you set your system to update itself.
4. Be wary of “free” security scan offers that pop up on many web sites. All too often these offers are fake, using scare tactics to try to get you to purchase “full” services. In many cases these offers include downloads that actually infect your computer while they run.
5. Turn off the “autorun” feature that will automatically run programs found on memory sticks and other USB devices.
6. Be smart with your passwords. This includes:
1. Changing your passwords periodically
2. Use complex passwords – no simple names or words, use special characters and numbers
3. Use a separate, longer password for each site that has sensitive personal information or access to your bank accounts or credit cards.
4. Use a passwords management system such as Identity Safe [Ex: Firefox Built In Feature (Master Password)]