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US-CERT Website Policies

Notification
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

Notification
The information you have accessed is provided "as is" for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained within. In no event shall the United States Government or its contractors or subcontractors be liable for any damages, including but not limited to, direct, indirect, special or consequential damages, arising out of, resulting from, or in any way connected with this content, whether or not based upon warranty, contract, tort, or otherwise, whether or not arising out of negligence, and whether or not injury was sustained from, or arose out of the results of, or reliance upon the content.

The display of the DHS official seal or other DHS visual identities, including the US-CERT name or logo shall not be interpreted to provide the recipient organization authorization to use the official seal, insignia or other visual identities of the Department of Homeland Security, including US-CERT. The DHS seal, insignia, or other visual identities shall not be used in any manner to imply endorsement of any commercial product or activity by DHS, US-CERT, or the United States Government. Use of the DHS seal without proper authorization violates federal law (e.g., 18 U.S.C. §§ 506, 701, 1017), and is against DHS policies governing usage of its seal.

All content on this website or received via email distribution through this website are TLP: WHITE. Recipients may share TLP: WHITE information without restriction, subject to copyright controls. For more information on the Traffic Light Protocol, see http://www.us-cert.gov/contact/tlp.html.

The DHS does not endorse any commercial product or service, including any subjects of analysis. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by DHS.

US-CERT Privacy Policy

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.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically
When you browse, read pages, or download information on this website, we automatically gather and store certain technical information about your visit. This information never identifies who you are. The information we collect and store about your visit is listed below:
  • 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.

If You Send Us Personal Information
If you choose to join the mailing list for one of our information products by submitting your email address, or choose to provide us with personal information - like filling out a Contact Us form with personal information and submitting it to us through the website, we use that information to send you the information product(s) you requested, or to respond to your message and to help us get you the information you have requested.

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.

Site Security
  • 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.

Links to Other Sites
The US-CERT website links to other websites created and maintained by other public and/or private organizations. This website provides these links as a service to our users. When users 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(s).

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.
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Terms of Use
Permission to Link

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.

Copyright Permission

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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