10 Cocktail Party Security Tips From The Experts
Security pros offer basic advice to help average users ward off the bad guys.
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It’s getting a little bit more than scary for the average computer user. Companies and federal agencies are regularly hacked. Ransomware stories abound. And now, the CIA, FBI and NSA point to Russian hacking of our recent Presidential election. The plot thickens on alleged Russian transgressions with each passing day.
How can average users protect themselves when corporate giants, large federal agencies and our major political parties can’t?
We spoke to Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance and Frank Dickson, a research director at IDC, for advice. The idea was to develop a list of 10 simple security tips that could be easily explained at a cocktail party.
While our readers are some of the industry’s foremost experts, many are more used to explaining how to segment VLANs for security than explaining simple steps average users can take.
IDC’s Dickson says people should take care of the basics, such as resetting default passwords on connected devices or limiting the personal information they put on online accounts or social media sites.
“The reality is that hackers tend to go for big targets and people who keep a couple of thousand dollars in their bank accounts to pay their monthly bills are not likely the focus of individually targeted attacks for hackers,” Dickson says.
NCSA’s Kaiser adds that all this information should not overwhelm readers.
“It’s not possible to take care of all the tips at once,” Kaiser says. “People should carve out 15 to 20 minutes in their week and slowly work on them throughout the month.”
Here's a list of 10. We invite readers to chime in and add their own ideas.
Hackers like to take advantage of devices that have not been updated. Unpatched vulnerabilities are easy to take advantage of, so update your systems regularly. If possible, set your main devices to auto update. Also find out if your ISP does router updates automatically in the background or if you have to do them yourself. If your router is more than three years old, ask your ISP if you can replace it. The newer routers have better built-in security and given the threats and all the connected devices coming into the home should be replaced every year or two anyway.
Authentication may be a stretch for an average user, but they should really look at something stronger than a mere password. Remember that the 2016 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report found that 63% of breaches result from compromised credentials in the form of weak, default or stolen passwords. There are a lot of simple, inexpensive and easy to use methods such as USB keys that can improve authentication.
While EMV chips are not perfect, they do improve security. For credit cards, be sure to change the default PIN. Most people use four-digit PIN numbers, but many retail security experts say people should use six-digit PINs. Also, if a POS terminal looks marked up or scratched, point it out to the clerks or the store manager, there could be skimming going on.
It’s getting a little bit more than scary for the average computer user. Companies and federal agencies are regularly hacked. Ransomware stories abound. And now, the CIA, FBI and NSA point to Russian hacking of our recent Presidential election. The plot thickens on alleged Russian transgressions with each passing day.
How can average users protect themselves when corporate giants, large federal agencies and our major political parties can’t?
We spoke to Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance and Frank Dickson, a research director at IDC, for advice. The idea was to develop a list of 10 simple security tips that could be easily explained at a cocktail party.
While our readers are some of the industry’s foremost experts, many are more used to explaining how to segment VLANs for security than explaining simple steps average users can take.
IDC’s Dickson says people should take care of the basics, such as resetting default passwords on connected devices or limiting the personal information they put on online accounts or social media sites.
“The reality is that hackers tend to go for big targets and people who keep a couple of thousand dollars in their bank accounts to pay their monthly bills are not likely the focus of individually targeted attacks for hackers,” Dickson says.
NCSA’s Kaiser adds that all this information should not overwhelm readers.
“It’s not possible to take care of all the tips at once,” Kaiser says. “People should carve out 15 to 20 minutes in their week and slowly work on them throughout the month.”
Here's a list of 10. We invite readers to chime in and add their own ideas.
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