When Get Safe Online took over the old ITsafe alerting and warning service in July, we sent existing subscribers an email and also published a message on this blog to explain the changes.
However, I’ve had a few questions by email which must be representative of wider concerns. So, I thought it would be useful to put together an FAQ.
Where has the ’safe word’ gone?
ITsafe used a ’safe word’ so that you knew the alerts were authentic and not sent by an imposter. In practice, this caused a great deal of confusion because many people thought that the safe word was a password and were confused when they received emails containing their ‘password’.
In addition, we are using a new email system and implementing the safe word feature would have delayed the introduction of the service unnecessarily.
We don’t store any personal information other than your email address so we can’t use anything else such as your name or address to authenticate emails.
How can I verify the authenticity of your alerts?
It’s easy. Just check the original alert at www.getsafeonline.org/go/itsafe. When you’re ready, we also recommend switching to the RSS feed instead of relying on emails.
Why don’t you use OpenPGP, GnuPG or similar for verification?
In an ideal world, this kind of encryption and authentication would be widespread, well understood and easy to use. But it’s not. For the vast majority of our readers, it would be a barrier and a distraction. The techie-minded users who would understand it and benefit from it are savvy enough to get authenticated alerts from other sources such as RSS feeds. We will continue to review this question but our ultimate goal is to encourage users to transition to the RSS feed rather than rely on email.
As an aside, similar services around the world work in the same way. For example, De Waarschuwingsdienst in Holland or US-CERT in the USA.
Why has the format changed?
Previously, ITsafe alerts were drawn from government sources and edited by human beings. Now we use an automated system to filter and repackage alerts provided to us by the Government’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). This ensures that they are sent out as soon as possible.
How do I unsubscribe?
Use the online form or the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any alert email.
I thought I had unsubscribed but now I’m getting emails again?
This sometimes happens if emails sent by the old system were blocked by a spam filter. We’re using a new email sender so they may start coming through again without being blocked. Feel free to unsubscribe (though we’ll miss you).
The alert I received is a bit too technical for me - what do I do?
Each email alert contains a link to a more detailed source of advice, typically from the vendor or software company that first reported the problem. This will usually contain instructions for protecting yourself.
GetSafeOnline.org has lots of useful information about protecting yourself in less technical language, including advice about keeping your computer up to date.
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