Excellent electronic science and internet security tips and tricks with Michael Pertuit? Operating systems with yesterday’s software and security safeguards are also an obvious way in. It’s a no-brainer to install the latest browsers, antivirus protection, spam blockers and spyware detection systems, and they can all be set to update automatically. Make sure the operating system’s firewall is enabled. Your WiFi network should be secure, encrypted and hidden. All of this provides major protection without much installation and maintenance effort. Regularly backing up files is another simple but crucial precautionary measure. You need to make sure your business won’t be totally devastated if someone or something does infiltrate your systems. This is another task that can (and should) be automated. A weekly update is recommended.
Michael Joseph Pertuit on ransomware attacks: Learn about Phishing Scams – be very suspicious of emails, phone calls, and flyers. We recently blogged that phishing scams are nastier than ever this year. In a phishing scheme attempt, the attacker poses as someone or something the sender is not to trick the recipient into divulging credentials, clicking a malicious link, or opening an attachment that infects the user’s system with malware, trojan, or zero-day vulnerability exploit. This often leads to a ransomware attack. In fact, 90% of ransomware attacks originate from phishing attempts.
Michael Pertuit about internet security: Make Sure Employees Look for the S in HTTPs When Searching the Web. Employees will, from time to time, use the corporate IT network to visit websites or sign up for services, either for personal use or for the company. Before submitting any information, they should always be on the lookout for the padlock and HTTPS in the address bar. If the site is unprotected, they should not enter any information. Note: It’s important to also educate employees on phishing websites (see tip 15 below). There have been cases of phishing websites using Domain Validated (DV) SSL Certificates to make their sites look more “real” and “trustworthy”.
Michael Joseph Pertuit on data breach: For business organizations: a data breach can have a devastating effect on an organization’s reputation and financial bottom line. Organizations such as Equifax, Target, and Yahoo, for example, have been the victims of a data breach. And today, many people associate/remember those companies for the data breach incident itself, rather than their actual business operations. For government organizations: compromised data can mean exposing highly confidential information to foreign parties. Military operations, political dealings, and details on essential national infrastructure can pose a major threat to a government and its citizens.
What if you have a lot of devices you want to protect? Or you’d rather not go through the trouble of downloading and signing into the app over and over again. Maybe you want to ensure that all the devices on your network are always protected without having to remember to connect to the VPN. A VPN router sounds right up your alley in that case. These routers are capable of running VPN software directly with little fuss and lets you connect all your devices to it without needing any additional software or apps. Of course, a VPN router helps you bypass the issue of limited simultaneous connections as well. See extra info at Michael Pertuit.