Don't advertise that you are away from home - Some email accounts, especially within an organization, offer a feature (called an autoresponder) that allows you to create an "away" message if you are going to be away from your email for an extended period of time. The message is automatically sent to anyone who emails you while the autoresponder is enabled. While this is a helpful feature for letting your contacts know that you will not be able to respond right away, be careful how you phrase your message. You do not want to let potential attackers know that you are not home, or, worse, give specific details about your location and itinerary. Safer options include phrases such as "I will not have access to email between [date] and [date]." If possible, also restrict the recipients of the message to people within your organization or in your address book. If your away message replies to spam, it only confirms that your email account is active. This may increase the amount of spam you receive (see Reducing Spam for more information).

Lock up your valuables - If an attacker is able to access your personal data, he or she may be able to compromise or steal the information. Take steps to protect this information by following good security practices (see the Cyber Security Tips index page for a list of relevant documents). Some of the most basic precautions include locking your computer when you step away; using firewalls, anti-virus software, and strong passwords; installing appropriate patches; and taking precautions when browsing or using email.

Have a backup plan - Since your information could be lost or compromised (due to an equipment malfunction, an error, or an attack), make regular backups of your information so that you still have clean, complete copies (see Good Security Habits for more information). Backups also help you identify what has been changed or lost. If your computer has been infected, it is important to remove the infection before resuming your work (see Recovering from Viruses, Worms, and Trojan Horses for more information). Keep in mind that if you did not realize that your computer was infected, your backups may also be compromised.

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Authors: Mindi McDowell, Matt Lytle

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Produced 2005 by US-CERT, a government organization.