National
Cyber Security Awareness month is coming to a close. We’ve already touched on
best practices for email and Twitter direct message links, search engine
searches, WiFi, and passwords. For our
send off of the month, we offer the following final tips:
Cyber Security Awareness month is coming to a close. We’ve already touched on
best practices for email and Twitter direct message links, search engine
searches, WiFi, and passwords. For our
send off of the month, we offer the following final tips:
- Update
your antivirus and all other programs (Microsoft, Adobe, Java, etc.) when you
receive update notifications. (Double check with the software directly that it
requires an update as rogue pop ups can mislead you into downloading unwanted
software.) - Use
well formed passwords on your computer, laptop, smart phone, and tablet. Not
only will this help you avoid being hacked by some cyber-criminal but it can
also save you from family or friends tweeting or posting how much you love Rick
Astley. (Don’t ask.) - Backup
your data on a regular basis. This can be with an external hard drive or a
cloud data storage plan. Don’t wait until it’s too late because we WILL say “I
told you so.” - Be
thoughtful when adding new apps; don’t add unnecessary apps to your phone. Is it a known trusted source for an app?
Don’t forget that apps even from trusted sources are used to collect data from
your laptop, smart phone, and tablet. A recent article in New York Times’ discusses how this is legally still a grey area. Applications that seem so handy and innocent such as Angry Birds or the one that turns your phone
into a flashlight, are also collecting personal information, usually the user’s
location and sex and the unique identification number of the smartphone. What
is even more unsettling is that “in some cases, they cull information from
contact lists and pictures from photo libraries.” So think twice before
downloading that app.
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| Angry Birds Space – 082/366 (Photo credit: Frikjan) |
Closing
our series so close to Halloween it seems fitting to mention a scary statistic:
In a recent survey by AT&T and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, 83% of small businesses allow employees to use personal devices for
work.
our series so close to Halloween it seems fitting to mention a scary statistic:
In a recent survey by AT&T and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, 83% of small businesses allow employees to use personal devices for
work.
We hope we’ve contributed to your
awareness of security this all important month. Be sure to use what you’ve
learned here all year-round. Be safe out there. The Internet is a spooky place. Why not check out our complimentary Nemesis trial?
awareness of security this all important month. Be sure to use what you’ve
learned here all year-round. Be safe out there. The Internet is a spooky place. Why not check out our complimentary Nemesis trial?
