“Today is a new day.” Computer users please keep this in mind when thinking about security. It does not matter whether you are a Mac user or a PC user. Security is more than just preventing malicious software from interfering with normal computing functions and wreaking havoc on your computer. Security includes making sure computers are not vulnerable to the outside world regardless of the operating system in use. Security also pertains to protecting your personal and business information, and avoiding misuse of your computer by others to access other computer systems.
People often become accustomed to what they know about what makes a computer and network secure. This leads to trouble for many users because security needs change. For example:
• Do you remember learning not to open an email attachment unless you knew who sent it? Then things changed and people started to receive emails with an attachment from someone they did know, but it turned out the known sender did not generate it?
• Do you know what a phishing email looks like? How about the new trend in phishing where you, the user, is directed away from a legitimate site like your bank, and redirected unbeknownst to you, to a phishing site that looks exactly like your bank site. The site is identical to most people and even has the green security bar at the top of the browser showing the site is secure. The only telling sign for most is a slightly modified request for not only the user name and password, but also a field for debit card or account number information and a request for your PIN.
• Do you feel your computer is secure when you have an up-to-date firewall and antivirus solution? The general discussion about this has been that these two very important solutions secure your computer. A clean scan does not mean your computer is secure. However, in the past, being aware of this fact seemed less important than it is today. This is more important to understand now because more people are getting into the networks of others and they are doing it without anyone’s knowledge. Cybercrime always seems a step ahead of the solutions available.
The shift in understanding computer and network security begins with knowing how cybercrime is changing. The most damaging hackers today do not want to impress others with their ability to get into networks. They want to get in undetected and remain that way for as long as possible.
Changing trends makes it more difficult for the solutions you use to be effective. The following sites provide useful information about security issues that affect you and your computer network:
For Mac users:
http://www.apple.com/support/security/
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222
For Windows users:
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/
Other Resources:
https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/resource-center/cyber-insecurity/cyber-insecurity-hub.htm
These links do not cover everything. However, they are a good place to begin brushing up on things you may not already know. Consider this!
