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| Basic Security Protection The key to an effective and safe security infrastructure is developing a multilayer defense that will protect you against a variety of threats that are out in the wild. Equally important is developing a policy or procedure to routinely evaluate what security tools you have employed, and which you may need to implement! According to IDC, only 7% of small businesses (10 people or less) have a dedicated IT staff in place compared to 75% for medium to large corporations (100-10000 people or more). There are so many threats, who can count!?? There are outside threats, inside threats, root kits, botnets, drive-by downloads, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting. Don't forget about our 'friends' viruses, worms, spyware, Trojans, spam, Phishing and now Pharming!! How can you recover once disaster strikes? Avoid as much of the nonsense as possible. Please read on.... Operating System Patches & Fixes Hackers can freely and quickly jump on Operating System (OS) flaws before most Small Business (and therefore homes) will even hear about them! Some form of Patch Management is required and highly recommended whether it's using Microsoft Windows Update, Microsoft Update (set to Automatic Update with Approval), Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or simply doing it yourself manually is helpful. Either way, make sure your OS is up to date on all the latest security patches, fixes, and service packs. This goes for all OSs including; Windows 2000/XP/Vista/2003/2008, Linux Distros, and even MACs! Firewalls This is pretty much the first line of defense against external assaults from the bad guys (and gals). Newer Windows OSs include a basic firewall that provides built-in, half way descent protection for the home user. Most new routers (wireless and wired) have a firewall built-in as well. Keep these turned ON unless you have a separate firewall that recommends otherwise. There's no excuse not to have some form of firewall protecting you and your information. There are even free products available. See "Services Provided" for a list of some free software to help with your security needs. Anti Virus / Anti Spam / Anti Spyware As with the usual firewall protection, it's hard not to have at least some form of basic capabilities in this area. It's pretty simple for malicious software (called "malware") to hijack functions of your computer (yes, without your knowledge), and to collect information or install botnet agents (botnet = robot network). There are a few very good Anti Virus and Anti Spyware products out there, and most if not all web-based E-mail providers (Yahoo, GMail, Windows Live Mail, GMX mail etc) have strong anti virus and anti spam measures in place. Strong Passwords Here is a great password recommendation site directly from Microsoft: | |
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