SE·CU·RI·TY: procedures followed or measures taken to ensure the safety of a state or organization.

Internet Storm Center Infocon Status

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Steps to Protect!

Web Application threats are becoming more and more of an issue for businesses and individuals. Luckily, there are many steps to stay protected and to prevent threats in the future.

Steps to protect/prevent threats within a business

Employee Training
Having the most secure networks and technology can be useless if employees do not understand their responsibilities in protecting the company’s resources. Not all employees will be tech savy, or up- to- date on the latest online safety procedures. It is the employers’ job to train employees on understanding the policies and practices that must be followed regarding online safety. Keeping files backed up, carefully scanning emails, and following rules on downloading and installing programs, can reduce the amount of vulnerabilities in your network, but only if employees are frequently trained on how to do so.

Protecting the Network
The primary tool for communication for a company is through email, which is also a primary way for a threat. Daily, many employee email accounts are flooded with fraudulent emails containing spam, and viruses, which may sometimes end up in the inbox instead of the spam folder. Compromising a company’s web address, and re-directing consumers to a different website is a way to hijack consumer information. These type of attacks are known as phishing. To reduce phishing, monitor returned emails, and consumer complaints pertaining to logins, passwords, and changes. Frequently search for websites that may have similar spelling to yours, also, search for the usage of your company’s logo.   

Steps to protect/prevent threats at home

Strong Passwords
I’m sure you’re thinking, “My password is strong enough, no one knows my birthday!”, but actually you may be wrong. Cracking passwords is a common security threat among attackers. A strong password does not only consist of numbers, but also symbols and a combination of upper and lowercase letters. Having a variety of passwords may be beneficial just in case one of your passwords becomes compromised.

Anti-Virus, Firewalls, and Anti-Malware
Viruses and malware can spread in many ways including through downloads, pop-ups, email attachments, links, and even over networks. It is very important to keep an anti-virus and anti-malware running on your computer to ensure protection. There are many times where you may accidentally click on a pop-up while trying to close it, and if that protection isn’t running on your computer to fight off the attack, it could cause major damages. If you are not sure what type of anti-virus/anti-malware to use, there are many free trials available on cnet.com.  Popular anti-virus software such as McAfee, Norton, and Avast are a few that you can “try before you buy”. Firewalls on the other hand are already installed on your desktop or laptop computers. Enabling your firewall protects your computer from network attacks and threats. If you are a mobile browser such as myself, these software are available for installation, simply by visiting your mobile’s application market.

Updates
Using updated software, plugins, and web browsers are critical to stay protected. By changing user settings to “automatically update”, that will ensure your software is always up-to-date. Often after an update, the software may prompt you to reboot the computer so that changes may be applied. Without properly updating software, plugins, and browsers, that may open up a window for an attack.

Tips
From a business and individual standpoint, it is important to stay educated. Always pay attention to the news regarding internet safety and changes. Don’t be afraid to share tips with family and friends. Browse and download safely from the websites and applications that you trust. Having control over your online safety is the way to keep YOUR privacy private.


References:
http://www.staysafeonline.org/business-safe-online/monitor-threats/
http://www.staysafeonline.org/business-safe-online/protect-your-customers/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jameslyne/2013/10/22/computer-virus-spreading-that-means-you-never-get-to-see-your-files-again/
http://download.cnet.com/windows/antivirus-software/

6 comments :

  1. Very informative blog post! These are all very efficient ways to protect yourself from online security threats. I personally use the protection/ prevention methods you mentioned both at home and at my work computers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with Courtney and would almost be willing to bet that you could continue this as a weekly/monthly blog edition post because there are so many steps to take both within the home and organization to protect against threats. This is a wonderful start and you hit on some critical threats.

    Kerrie Scott, CleverAnalytics

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks! That is great that you are implementing those methods already, Courtney!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kerrie, you are correct! There are several different methods to protection, and many are dependent on what you are protecting. From authorization to read/write abilities, we certainly could blog for a while on this topic!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Very nice post! I like the topic on strong password. Now i acknowledged the elements of how to create a strong password. It's very useful to me. But, you know when having a verity of password like that I keep forgetting my password so that i have to reset the password again and again..lol.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Needing to have so many passwords for so many accounts would be impossible for anyone to remember unless they kept a journal (which is a big no-no)!

    At the very least, your password for your email should be unique, and the password for your bank account should always be unique.

    If someone is able to get into your email, they will be able to reset the password for numerous accounts you have that won't require any further verification (think Pandora Radio or Foursquare).

    ReplyDelete

Wikipedia

Search results