January 23, 2009
To: All Table Top Customers
From: Table Top Internet Support
Subject: Internet Fraud and How to Protect Yourself NOW

Today, some of Table Top's internet customers received an email from a counterfeit site masquerading itself as Table Top Telephone. Unfortunately, internet fraud is a global problem, and it is so complex, if not impossible, to determine the source and its location, that law enforcement has pretty much given up on protecting the consumer from day-to-day email threats. So, it is UP TO YOU to protect yourself from worldwide attacks through the email. The purpose of this letter is to let you know what Table Top does to protect your private information, and to remind you of some of the key things that you must do to protect yourself, too. PLEASE keep in mind, that when your computer is connected to the internet, you have opened the door fully to your home and all that is in it.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

We do not sell your private information.
We keep your private information confidential.
We protect your private information.
We only supply private information IF the Company is in receipt of a properly executed and delivered subpoena by federal, state, or local law enforcement.

INFORMATION SECURITY PROTECTION

Your security information resides behind a robust firewall and is monitored by our network experts. Our website also uses sophisticated encryption and virus detection software to protect your information. The virus detection software is updated in real time continuously.

PRIVACY PROTECTION

Table Top Telephone protects the information you share with us. We do not sell to third parties or marketing firms.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Regularly review your accounts and notify us immediately of unauthorized activity.
2. Protect passwords, Online IDs, and PINs. NEVER store your Online ID, password, and PIN in your browser, for malicious programs ATTACK INCESSANTLY seeking to find your information and SEND IT TO THIRD PARTIES. Do not share your passwords, Online IDs, and PINs casually, including family and friends.
3. Protect your computer. Make sure that any computer you use has the most current anti-spyware, anti-virus, and firewall software, and that the software is run regularly and updated.
4. Keep your browser up to date. Always use an up-to-date supported browser with at least 128-bit encryption.
5. Keep your operating system up-to-date. Check for the latest updates on your operating system.
6. DO NOT REPLY TO EMAIL REQUESTS THAT ASK FOR PERSONAL OR FINANCIAL INFORMATION. REPEAT ... DO NOT REPLY! Do not click on a link within an email if you suspect it might not be legitimate.
7. Stay informed regularly on the latest security issues and advice.
8. Cooperate fully with us in investigating any unauthorized activity on your account.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

1. Is your computer an open door? Your first line of defense is to keep your computer secure by creating strong passwords. Here are some password management tips:
   1. Create a unique password for each service and site you use.
   2. Create original passwords using a combination of numbers, upper and lower case letters, and punctuation.
   3. Choose a meaningful and memorable password that would appear as a random string of characters to another person.
   4. Be careful using software or websites that save your password.
   5. Don't use the "Remember Me" function when logging on to a website.
   6. Change your online passwords at least twice a year.
2. Avoid passwords that use:
   1. Your social security number.
   2. Account numbers.
   3. Phone numbers and addresses.
   4. Birth dates or anniversaries.
   5. Names of relatives or pets.
   6. Sequences or repeated characters, such as, "abcde," "12345," and "77777."
3. Table Top's Barracuda Email Firewall.
   
   The Barracuda software is updated continuously by the manufacturer/provider. It offers another layer of protection in addition to that provider by the internet user. The Barracuda email firewall provides anti-spam, anti-virus, anti-spoofing, and anti-phishing protection. Keep this in mind: For any email firewall to update its protection, the software provider must first know of the problem, and only then can protective steps be initiated. This means usually that the attacks must take place somewhere across the globe, before software firms can act. So, until an email software release is downloaded, and until the internet user installs the update, the consumer is at risk.
   
   You may customize the Barracuda email firewall so that you may "Whitelist" or "Blacklist. " "Whitelist" means you always want email from a specified sender. "Blacklist" means that you do not want email from a specified sender. So, you can filter and to the extent reasonably possible, control your receipt of wanted and unwanted emails (spam for example).

A tutorial on How to "Whitelist" and "Blacklist" Emails by Using Barracuda.

The Basic Steps for Emails Already Received

Step One

• Login to Barracuda.
• Click on the "Preferences Tab."
• Note there is a "Whitelist" section at the beginning and a "Blacklist" section a bit further down.
• Note that "Whitelist" and "Blacklist" each has a window with the words "Email Address" just above.
• Minimize the Barracuda web page.

Step Two

• Retrieve your emails.
• Locate an email you wish to "Whitelist," and open it.
• In the email header, locate the sender's email address and right click on it, then click on "copy email address."
• Minimize the email web page.
• Maximize the Barracuda web page.
• Scroll to the "Whitelist" section.
• Place the cursor in the window under "Email Address" and right click.
• Now, click on "Paste" and the email address appears in the box.
• Then, on the right-hand side, click on "Add" and wait a few seconds.
• Unless the email address is already "White listed," you will see "Configuration updated."

Step Three

• If you wish to "Blacklist" an email, it's pretty much the same way as "Whitelist," except that when you open the email, do not click on any aspect of the body of the email or open any attachment.
  
• After you right click on the email address, then click on "copy email address."
  
• Minimize the email web page.
  
• Maximize the Barracuda web page.
  
• Place the cursor in the window under "Email Address" and right click.
  
• Now, click on "Paste" and the email appears in the box.
  
• Then, move the cursor to the right-hand side of the page, and click on "Add."
  
• In a few seconds, you will see "Configuration updated."

The Basic Steps for Quarantined Emails

• Login to Barracuda
  
• Notice any quarantined emails.
  
• If you want to "Whitelist" one, click the left-hand box and click on "Whitelist+Not Spam."
  
• If you want to deliver an email, click on the left-hand box and click on "Deliver," after which you will receive it, where you may take further action, if you like.
  
• If you do not want an email delivered and you do not want to "Blacklist" it, simply check the left-hand box and click on "Delete."

AN ANALOGY

We all drive cars on public roads and highways. It is the responsibility of the government to provide, maintain, and repair them. It is the responsibility of the owner and/or operator to insure that the motor vehicle is operated safely and that it is maintained and repaired properly, too. The highway patrol, police, and the sheriff help insure that the roadways are used properly.

The same is true on the internet highway. Table Top installs, operates, maintains, and repairs its portion of the data network, as do all other providers and carriers along the way. The Federal government and the State of Arizona help insure that the telecommunications and data providers are satisfying their obligations. The internet user is responsible for operating, maintaining, and repairing his or her computer hardware and software, and keeping the system free of viruses and preventing malicious attacks on the network and his or her neighbors' computers, too. Federal and state law enforcement can, and does, enforce the rules of the road, a.k.a. the internet highway.

CLOSING WORDS

The internet and the personal computer take us to another dimension, far beyond what our Forefathers envisioned when U.S. Constitution was amended by the Bill of Rights. As in anything that is good and to be cherished in a democratic setting, it is up to every one of us to safeguard this freedom and look out for our fellow citizens' interests, too.