Email attachments
Before you send an email, you can choose to add an attachment to it. Attachments can be written text (like a Word document), or may be photos, music files or movies.
Some attachments are fine to open, while others can be infected with viruses that can damage your computer. It can sometimes be hard to tell which is which! A good rule of thumb is to ask your parent or caregiver before opening an attachment, just to make sure you don’t accidentally open an infected one.
So what can I do about it?
- Don't open an attachment to an email unless you know the person who sent it to you. Even then, you should always save it and scan it first, just in case it contains a virus. Click here to read some info on scanning programmes with your parent or caregiver.
- Never open an attachment from someone you don’t know, particularly if it is spam email.
- Always have a look at the type of file before you open it. Photo files usually end with the letters “.jpg” or “.bmp”, and written documents will often be “.doc” or “.pdf”. However, even these types of attachments can contain viruses, so it’s always a good idea to check with a parent and scan them before opening.
- If you’re not sure, just hit delete.
Did you know . . .
Viruses can be called anything, but usually end in ".exe" or ".scr." (for example, “cutephoto.exe”). If you open this type of attachment, it can infect your computer. Often, viruses will be called names that sound exciting to make you look at them. If you’re in any doubt about whether or not an attachment is ok to open, ask your parent or caregiver to have a look at it or just delete it.
Click here to go back to the All about emails homepage.
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