Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

The US-CERT privacy policy governs this website and our activities - and yours - when you visit this site. We do not collect personal information such as names or addresses when you visit the site. However, if you choose to subscribe ("opt in") to one of our information products by submitting your email address, we will retain and use your email address solely to send you the information product(s) you request, and for no other purpose, except as provided in this agreement (see Site Security, below) or explicitly agreed to by you. If you choose to provide other personal information such as your name and address, that information will only be used to fulfill your request for information.

We do collect some technical information when you visit to make your visit seamless. The section below explains how we handle and collect technical information when you visit our website.

• The internet domain (for example, "xcompany.com" if you use a private internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you connect from a university's domain) and IP address (an IP address is a number that is automatically assigned to your computer whenever you are surfing the web) from which you access our website;

• The type of browser (e.g., Netscape, Internet Explorer) and operating system (Windows, Unix) used to access our site;
  • The date and time you access our site;
  • The pages you visit; and
  • If you linked to this website from another website, the address of that website.

This information is only used to help us make the site more useful for you. With this data we learn about the number of visitors to our site and the types of technology and information our visitors use. We never track or record information about individuals and their visits.

We only share the information you give us with another government agency if your inquiry relates to that agency, or as otherwise required by law. We do not create individual profiles or give your information to private sector organizations for marketing or other purposes. US-CERT does not collect information for commercial marketing.

• For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, this government computer system employs commercial software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

• Except for authorized law enforcement investigations, no other attempts are made to identify individual users or their usage habits.

• Unauthorized attempts to upload information or change information on this service are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

Prohibitions The US-CERT website will not link to any website that exhibits hate, bias, or discrimination. Furthermore, we reserve the right to deny or remove any link that contains misleading information or unsubstantiated claims, or is determined to be in conflict with the Department of Homeland Security's mission or policies.

Disclaimer of Endorsement The information posted on the US-CERT website includes hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. This website provides these links and pointers solely for our users' information and convenience. When users select a link to an outside website, they are leaving this website and are subject to the privacy and security policies of the owners/sponsors of the outside website.

• US-CERT does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of information contained on a linked website.

• US-CERT does not endorse the organizations sponsoring linked websites and we do not endorse the views they express or the products/services they offer.

• US-CERT does not and cannot authorize the use of copyrighted materials contained in linked websites. Users must request such authorization from the sponsor of the linked website.

• US-CERT is not responsible for transmissions users receive from linked websites.

• US-CERT does not guarantee that outside websites comply with the requirements of Section 508 (Accessibility Requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.

You may link to the US-CERT website by using "US-CERT" as a text hyperlink, provided the following text is included on the website: "This link is provided for informational purposes only and does not represent an endorsement by or affiliation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)." You are not permitted to use the US-CERT or DHS wordmark, logo, seal, or icon.

At this time, you may not reproduce or distribute documents available on US-CERT's website, in whole or in part, for commercial use. For noncommercial purposes or solely internal distribution, you may reproduce documents from US-CERT's website provided you include a produced by statement.

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