ONLINE BILL PAY

Email Security

» Email Reputation

»  Protect Your Information

»  What can I do to prevent from receiving SPAM

» Email Whitelisting

» Mailer-Daemon Messages

» Email Etiquette

» Prevent Malware

» FAQ's

Email reputation explained

Email is a “best attempt” service and is based on reputation. Devices, such as SPAM firewalls inspect the reputation of the Email being received. If the message is determined to have a good reputation, then your Email is passed through the filter and sent to the receiving Email server. If the reputation is bad, however, (such as with an exploited Email account, poor Email server configuration, poorly maintained networks, viruses, or botnet machines) your Email transaction may be impacted, and additionally, may not make it to your intended recipient.

If the receiving server is busy or has problems then there may be a delay. There is no guarantee/warranty with Email. The receiving Email server must be in good working order to complete the Email transaction. If the receiving Email server crashes, is overloaded, or if there is a scheduled maintenance being performed, it will impact the Email you are trying to send.

Back to Top

Your Protection

We neither maintain, nor have any relations with Email blacklisting services. We do not whitelist servers or problematic customers Email addresses that are blacklisted. Doing this would pose a substantial security risk that can lead to malicious messages coming through to your Inboxes. Protection of our customers and network is vital. It is up to the Email System Administrator and/or owner of the subscriber’s server to negotiate this removal process/clean up are responsible for ensuring their network infrastructure is properly managed and maintained.

Back to Top

Receiving SPAM

Filter your email either with your email client and/or the Quarantine Management System in place at PGTelco.

Do not reply to spam messages, just delete them.

Think twice before offering your email address to a web site. You may wish to check the site's privacy policy first to be sure it uses secure technology, and that the company does not share your email address with others.

Use a secondary email account for message boards, coupons ect...

Back to Top

Email Whitelisting

Protection of PGTelco customers and network infrastructure is paramount. Therefore, we do NOT whitelist.

PGTELCO does NOT block any Email Addresses, Email Servers, Domains and/or IP Addresses.

ALL Sending Domains sending Email to PGTelco Domain must resolve to valid A OR MX record. Connections from IPs or domains that do NOT have valid DNS entries will be REJECTED.

If an email was rejected, the error message will contain the details of the reason why, example below.

----- Reason: Reputation Enabled Defense IP 212.66.35.243 -----

----- http://www.reputationauthority.org/lookup?ip=212.66.35.243 -----

If the senders email servers are on a blacklist, it is the responsibility of the Domain Administrator/Hosting Company to fix/repair their problem to send email to the PGTelco Domain.

If the senders IP address is on a blacklist, it is their responsibility for them to resolve this, the sender can contact their ISP for assistance.

PGTelco does NOT whitelist blacklisted email addresses and/or email servers, doing so would pose a substantial security risk.

PGTelco does not maintain Blacklist nor have any ability to 'de-list' senders IP ranges or Email servers on blacklist.

Back to Top

Emails from MAILER-DAEMON@pgtc.com

Why am I receiving emails from MAILER-DAEMON@pgtc.com, what are these emails?

Sending email is no different than sending a postcard to a friend, if the address on the postcard is incorrect/invalid it will never reach its destination. Email is no different if the address is invalid, contains a typo or it does not exist it will never reach the desired recipient. The email server will try to send the email for a specified period of time, before it finally gives up and you will receive an email from MAILER-DAEMON@pgtc.com stating the email you tried to send 'bounced back' to you.

Another reason you may receive a MAILER-DAEMON@pgtc.com email is when you have been blocked/rejected for sending unwanted emails to recipients (NOT a problem at PGTELCO). Sending chain-emails/blasting out to many email recipients is a sure fire way to get tagged as SPAM and blocked from recipients. PGTELCO has no control over what an individual ISP/Hosting Company/Business decides to block/reject when it comes to an individuals email address.

If the remote email server (receiving recipient is down/experiencing problems, setup incorrectly. The sender may/or may not receive a 'bounce back' stating permanent problems with remote server.

What does an email look like when it 'bounces back' to the sender?

----- The following addresses had permanent fatal errors -----

John_Doe@myispcomapny.com

----- Transcript of session follows -----

554 permanent problems with the remote server mail.myispcompany.com

Mail Delivery Subsystem MAILER-DAEMON@pgtc.com

A common misnomer is 'I sent an email to this individual/company before, why it is not working?

A great example of a domain that does not exit - lincoln.nwsc.k12.ar.us - no matter how many you send it will never get there because it does not exist... Please call the Lincoln Schools to see what their new email domain address is.

Some email clients may 'cache' the email address you typed in, it may have been incorrect/typo and it is causing an error based on this.

Lastly, it is entirely possible you have been 'greylisted' or marked/tagged as [SPAM] from the recipient and/or the SPAM Filtering device on the recipients end. Again PGTELCO has no control over another ISP/Hosting Company/Business decides to block/reject it is up to their discretion.

Blasting out emails with with your entire address book to all email recipients is the exact behavior SPAMMERS use. If the email addresses are invalid/do not exist any longer or the end user has marked your email as SPAM you may receive 'bounce back' messages as well.

Back to Top

Forwarding Emails (chain Email)

Don’t send or forward Emails to people or add them to your “round robin” mail list without asking them if they want to be included. They may not want to hear every joke you think is funny or what your dog did last week and the Email address you have on file for them may be a work Email address, for instance, to which this type of personal Email could range from an annoyance to actually getting them into trouble.

If you must forward the information contained in an Email, unless the entire content is vital (an ongoing conversation for instance), always cut and paste the specific information you want to share, removing the multiple carriage returns that often appear “>>“ and other information, like Email addresses and names etc. (this goes for all online posting and instant and SMS messaging).

Never forward the contents of an Email from a friend or colleague without their prior permission, especially if it carries a disclaimer. Likewise, if you do not want others to forward the contents of your Emails, tell them. Here is a general disclaimer you can add to your signature file or cut and paste into your Emails:

Just forwarding (or cutting and pasting) the entire content of a forwarded Email (especially one that has already been forwarded many times) means that the Email headers and therefore the Email addresses of everyone who has ever sent and/or received that particular Email will be visible. Nobody wants to have their Email address advertised and leaving this type of information intact puts the owners of those Email addresses at risk from spammers, online predators and a host of other cybercriminals and malcontents.

The most efficient way to prevent this from happening in the first place is to use the “Bcc” option in your Email client. The "Bcc" field (unlike the “To” and “Cc” fields) prevents multiple recipients of an Email seeing any of the other Email addresses the message was sent to - they only see their own.

Most security warnings sent by Email, such as virus alerts, are hoaxes. Unless you have received a security warning from a legitimate anti-virus organization (that you signed up for), you can be 99.9% positive that the information is fraudulent. You must check the information you receive before you decide whether or not to send it to someone else. Forwarding security alerts without verifying their accuracy can cause annoyance, panic, and damage to others’ computers (some virus hoaxes erroneously instruct a user to delete vital files from their operating system or actually contain a virus themselves). Embarrassment can easily happen when you find out that the information you just Emailed to everyone in your address book is a hoax.

When you receive a chain Email (even from a trusted friend):

However, please remember: No chain Emails are legitimate, credible companies do not conduct their marketing in such a haphazard fashion. Chain Emails cannot bring you fortune or cause bad luck, they will not make you rich and you will never get that luxury holiday. Most are lies, at best mischievous at worst (like virus hoaxes) designed to cause worry and disruption.

Finally, if you truly want to help disadvantaged children, endangered species or support another charity or movement, go to their Web site(s) and make a donation or sign up as a volunteer. You can use a search engine to find them, it takes about the same amount of time and effort to run a search as it does to forward a questionable Email. If you really want to tell a friend or loved one that you care about them, don’t do it with a junk Email that has been repeatedly forwarded. Tell them yourself. Write a personal note - from your heart or, even better: tell them face to face.

Back to Top

Preventing Email Viruses, Worms, and other Malware

There are several steps you can take as a user to prevent malicious software from compromising your computer and personal information.

Back to Top



FAQ's

What is a Botnet?

A botnet is a network of computers commanded by the source of the common software owner, called the Bot-herder. The software can be installed on your computer by masquerading as an "innocent-looking" file or program. A botnet can span the entire globe. Most botnets are illegitimate and have one purpose in mind: to harm you, the user. botnets are constantly changing their trends as time progresses. Here are a few of the many active botnets today:

What is Email Blacklisting?

Blacklisting is a process of actively monitoring the Internet for reports of Email traffic for a variety of sources sending unsolicited commercial Email (SPAM) and then publicly listing that known information on Internet sites for others to reference as a measure to fight spam. Many ISP's and independent organizations then use these blacklist databases as a reference filter applied to their inbound mail servers to aid in preventing SPAM and to encourage internet security. PGTELCO uses these sources to fight SPAM.

How did I get on an Email Blacklist?

There are many ways you can wind up on an Email blacklist. Here are some scenarios:

Visit sites like MX Toolbox or The CBL to determine if your IP address, or the IP address of your sending Email server, is listed on various Blacklists.

How do I get removed from an Email Blacklist?

To be removed from a blacklist(s), you will need to contact the Blacklisting service as each service has their own criteria for making blacklist determinations. Below are some of the more popular Blacklisting services, or RBL’s (Reputation Block Lists):

You are not always guaranteed to be removed from blacklists, or to be whitelisted. This is at the discretion of the blacklisting service based on past reputation.

What do I do if my Email account has been breached/exploited?

If there are people you know (whose addresses reside in your address book) who have received Email from you that you know you never sent, then you need to contact your Service Provider and have your password changed. It is important to adhere to the security policies of your Service Provider. A good Service Provider will enforce these policies in an effort to keep your Inbox as clean as possible.

Another indicator of a possible Email account breach is if your quota has rapidly been reached. Your Sent Items go against the Email Mailbox’s quota size. If you notice that your Email account has sent messages that you obviously haven’t, then contact your Service Provider immediately for assistance. This is not to be confused with your Email quota being reached from legitimate usage. It is always a good idea to clean out the Trash folder as well as any unwanted messages in the rest of your folders.

Why is Email reputation important?

Just like your credit score measures your personal reputation, your sender score is a measure of your Email sending reputation. SPAM filters use this data to determine if your Email is a known spamming account (or Email server) or if it is allowed through.

How do I check my Email reputation?

First, you will need to determine what your IP address is. This is the address your computer uses to access the Internet. Visit any of these sites to determine what your IP address is:

Second, you may choose to browse to websites such as these:

Why did I receive an Email asking for my userid, password, account #, etc?

These types of Emails are called Phishing Scams. The sender's goal is to deceive legitimate users by saying that their sending Email address is “admin@.....com”, “webmaster@....com”, etc. and that they are the webmaster/administrator of the company. The criminal will typically include a message either threatening the receiver that their account will be closed (or at risk of being exploited), or state that they are “improving system security”. In these types of messages, they will ask you for your personal information. DELETE THESE E-MAILS IMMEDIATELY!

A friendly reminder: PGTELCO will NEVER ask for this information over Email !

Attackers are always finding crafty ways of pretending to be a legitimate sender. Therefore, SPAM filtering devices, do not always catch 100% of all the SPAM coming into our Email server, but they catch more than one might think. Fact: approximately 2% of all Email traffic is truly legitimate.

How do I tell the difference between legitimate and spam Email?

If the Email is too good to be true, it probably isnt! You have to use your best judgement and be on the defensive when viewing an Email from a source that you have no knowledge of.

Most businesses rely on spam filters to determine the legitimacy of incoming Email. Filtering technology remains far from perfect, and a good deal of junk Email still winds up in users' Inboxes. This fact makes it important to be able to visually spot the differences between real Email and the digital rubbish spammers generate. Being able to quickly tell the difference between real Email and spam will help you save time, unclog your inbox and pay closer attention to the messages that you really want to read.

Why are there specific requirements on choosing my Email password?

Very weak passwords (such as “doggy”, “bunny”, etc.) are at the absolute highest risk of being exploited. A hacker with the right equipment can guess these passwords in a matter of seconds. Any hacker not trying very hard can still manage to figure these out. If your Email account is compromised, your IP address may very well be blacklisted by SPAM filters across the Internet, which can ultimately result in NO ONE receiving your Emails. Getting your IP address off of the Blacklist could be a less-than-appealing process.

By strengthening your password, you can do your part in preventing your account being exploited and securing your Emails with a peace of mind.

Our recommendation is to visit a website called The Password Meter. You simply enter a password you are considering and this site will measure the password strength. Always aim for 100%. Your password should be at least 8 – 15 characters in length. For example, if you still want your password to involve “bunnies” (as noted above), you can make your password something like ^^8unN1eS*, which is 100% in strength.

Making your password more secure may be a laughing matter to some, but the laughing usually stops when your bank or other secure account gets breached due to a weak password. We mean well with the suggestion to keep your information more secure.

What is an Email client? Do good Email clients cost money?

There are two types of Email clients:

How do I secure my Email client application?

We have included instructions, on a few Email clients, that you can follow to better secure your Email client.

To turn on plain text mode for reading all Email messages in Outlook Express, follow these steps:

  • Start Outlook Express.
  • On the Tools menu, click Options.
  • On the Read tab, click to select the Read all messages in plain text check box.
  • Click OK.

To turn on plain text mode for reading all Email messages in Thunderbird, follow these steps:

  • Start Mozilla Thunderbird.
  • On the Tools menu, click “Account Settings...”.
  • Highlight the Composition and Addressing.
  • Uncheck the box next to “Compose messages in HTML format”.
  • Click OK.

To turn on the Read all standard mail in plain text option in Outlook 2003, follow these steps:

  • Start Outlook 2003.
  • On the Tools menu, click Options.
  • On the Preferences tab, in the Email area, click Email Options.
  • In the Message handling area, click to select the Read all standard mail in plain text check box.

    • Note: By default, the Read all standard mail in plain text option is turned off.

To turn on the Read all standard mail in plain text option in Outlook 2007, follow these steps:

  • Start Outlook 2007.
  • On the Tools menu, click Trust Center, and then click Email Security.
  • Under Read as Plain Text, click to select the Read all standard mail in plain text check box.
  • To include messages that are signed with a digital signature, click to select the Read all digitally signed mail in plain text check box.

    • Note: When the Read all standard mail in plain text option is turned on, you receive the following notification on the InfoBar at the top of the Email message: “This message was converted to plain text.”

To turn on the Read all standard mail in plain text option in Outlook 2010, follow these steps:

  • Start Outlook 2010.
  • Click the File tab in the Ribbon, and then click Options on the menu.
  • Click Trust Center on the Options menu.
  • Click the Trust Center Settings tab.
  • Click Email Security.
  • Under Read as Plain Text, click to select the Read all standard mail in plain text check box.
  • To include messages that are signed with a digital signature, click to select the Read all digitally signed mail in plain text check box.
 Back to Top

Copyright © 2012 Prairie Grove Telephone Co. All Rights Reserved. 479.846.7200 | 139 N. Mock St. Prairie Grove, AR 72753