Business Security Information

I was thinking about how busy life and business seem some-days–today being one of those days.  It got me pondering how complicated security can be for a business, especially computer security issues.  Fortunately there are some simple things that can be done to protect PC’s in your business without you  having to spend enormous amounts of time or money–things that you can do right now!

• Use a firewall – There is a lot of information out there about software versus hardware firewalls, and it can get confusing on what you should do.  I am not advocating that you shouldn’t research your security options before implementing them or do nothing at all, but instead, use what you have.  You can use either a software-based firewall that you already have on the PC or one of the many free ones that you can download and use.  You can also look at using an older hardware firewall you may have or building one using an old computer until you decide on a better solution.  I prefer the use of both a hardware and software solution.  Being an open-source user, I have a hardware firewall with my router and also use iptables for my software-based firewall.  Either one is better than using nothing.
• Use anti-virus software – There are a number of good, free anti-virus programs out there . Download and install one.  If you don’t like one, try another, but at least use one of them and make sure you keep the virus definitions up to date.  Some of the higher rated ones are Avast, Avira and AVG.
• Change your password -  How many times have you been told this in your life time?  Passwords have many shortcomings, but having a password is better than not having one at all, unless it is one you have used for the past two years.  Default passwords come with some computer devices, and these should also be changed immediately.  Pick a good password that you can remember fairly easily. It should include letters, numbers, and at least one or more special characters.  At minimum, the password should be eight characters long.  Lastly, don’t forget to change it on a regular basis.
• Use encryption - If you are using e-mail for sensitive information, then use encryption.  This is not always as easy as it sounds, but the Thunderbird e-mail client does have an extension you can install that helps with encryption.  The extension is Enigmail .  Also, if using g-mail you can go to settings and scroll down and check the “Always use https” box so your e-mail will always be viewed using SSL encryption.  I did this for my g-mail accounts recently.  I have also used PGP for e-mail encryption in the past.
• Update your browser -  No matter what browser you use, keep it up to date.  This will help reduce the variety of web-based attacks that affect your browser.  I know Firefox allows you to set it to automatically check for updates.  The new Google Chrome browser also has an automatic update feature built into it.  Again, no matter what browser you choose, either set it to automatically update or manually update it frequently.

Well, there you go–a few items you can complete before leaving business on a Friday afternoon or evening.  I am not advocating doing just these few items, but you would be surprised how many businesses don’t implement even basic security measures, such as the ones noted above.  These items will get you started down the right road and can also be used as temporary solutions until you get done researching and implementing additional security for your business.

Related posts:

1. Windows XP Desktop Security
2. Encrypted USB Flash Drive Flaw
3. Understanding Web Application Firewalls – Part One!