UCloud Asia Company Presentation - How to prevent Ransomware and Phishing attack for SME
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SME faced massive attack from hacker and phishing attack in the year 2007, many well-known establishments was attacked and paid a high price to recover both monetary and reputation. Do not be the next target, armed yourself with the knowledge to prevent.
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UCloud Asia Company Presentation - How to prevent Ransomware and Phishing attack for SME
- 1. UCLOUD ASIA W E L C O M E T O PTE LTD
- 2. COMPANY UCloud Asia Pte Ltd provides consulting, management, advisory and professional managed services to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) around the region that are looking for cloud-based solutions to their various IT and applications needs, We focus to provide enterprise grade email system to enable customer has worry free service.
- 3. Steven Chin Director Experienced Director with multiple skill sets supporting SME in Digital Transformation. Combined 18 years of experiences in startups, sales, business development, strategic marketing, Cloud services, IT managed service, IT strategy, IT Service Management, Web Hosting management and digital media. Email: steven.chin@ucloud.sg
- 4. My Journey Run my own site since 1997 At first using free hosting service such as Geocities which is popular in 90s Register my first domain name Register .freehtml.com in year 1997 Want to bring quality hosting to Singapore At that time there are few Singapore web hosting company.
- 5. Our Journey 2002 Started Venture Domain Hosting 2003 Launch web hosting services and domain name registration services 2005 Launch Enterprise Exchange Hosting 2006 Launch Enterprise File Sync
- 6. Our Journey 2006 Launch Multi-Structure Hybrid DNS 2010 Launched VPS services 2016 Started Ucloud Asia to bring along IT Managed Services. PRESENT Focus helping customer make use of cloud services.
- 7. Reduction or more in IT expenditures with managed services. Business Agreed Managed IT Service make improvement to business process. SME Actively seeking to employ technology to solve business problem.. 50% 70% 80% Did you know that
- 8. We can help
- 9. Our Services Cloud Solutions Help company move to the cloud. Do more anytime anywhere with Cloud services. Business Security Enhance your company security. Protect critical business data from hackers and ransomware. Data Center and Hosting Data Centre services. VPS Hosting. Co-location Networking Internet Fiber broadband and networking services. Help your business connect with the world. IT Managed Services IT as a Service – Let you focus on your business. We will take care IT for you. Data Recovery and Backup Data recovery and backup solutions to ensure no data loss.
- 10. Cloud Solutions Cloud computing can be a great proposition for SMEs, as it has the ability to reduce complexity, cost and IT resource that often comes with on-premise solutions.
- 11. Amazon Web Services Secure cloud services platform, offering compute power, database storage, content delivery and other functionality to help businesses grow. Microsoft Azure Turn your ideas into solutions faster using a trusted cloud that is designed for you. Google Cloud Platform Google Cloud Platform lets you build and host applications and websites, store data, and analyze data on Google's scalable infrastructure. Aliyun provides a suite of cloud computing services that covers elastic computing, object storage, relational database, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence
- 12. Internet Broadband and Networking Internet Fiber broadband and networking services. Help your business connect with the world. Let UCloud Asia help you get connected to bring your business to the next level. We worked with the major ISP locally and internationally to bring you the best internet connection.
- 13. Singtel Singtel Fibre Broadband services and co-location Starhub Starhub Fibre Broadband service and co-location. M1 M1 Mobile and Colocation service ViewQwest Business and residential Fibre broadband service My Republic Business and residential Fibre broadband service
- 14. Data Centre and Hosting We provide datacenter services ranging from business web hosting, email hosting, VPS hosting, co-location and domain name registration services since the year 2002.
- 15. Data Centre and Hosting Managed data centre and web hosting services Co-location 24/7 secured rack with surveillance and access control ensures your servers and appliances are protected Virtual Private Server (VPS) With VPS hosting, you are allocated guaranteed server resources, and have full control of your operating system to install software that you need. Dedicated Server Managed dedicated servers for maximum performance, customizability and satisfaction. Business Hosting Enterprise-level web hosting with premium features.
- 16. Business Security Enhance your company security. Protect critical business data from hackers and ransomware.
- 17. Business Security Enhance your company security. Protect critical business data from hackers and ransomware. Total Data Protection Safeguard businesses from IT disasters, human error, and malicious activity Ransomware Protection Cybercriminals want your money. Stop them before they attack you. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Protect your business against unknown risks with frequent backup of your entire business infrastructure. Disaster Recovery as a Service If disaster strike, recover your data, servers, desktop and the entire infrastructure to a virtual environment in seconds.
- 18. You could be the next target A third of Singapore SMEs hit by ransomware last year (2017): study 33% refused to pay lost access to files More than 61 per cent of companies in Singapore hit by ransomware experienced downtime of more than nine hours from a single incident of ransomware; the equivalent of a full working day. 21% has to cease all operation immediately while 11 per cent lost revenue as a direct result of the attack, according to Malwarebytes' Second Annual State of Ransomware Report released on Tuesday.
- 19. Identify your most valuable digital assets How damaging would the loss of the data be to the company. Computer Security for SME Some best practices to follow Encrypt company data Password protect and encrypt your data and store them in offsite locations Implement Firewall and Antivirus Firewall and Antivirus act as 1st level defense Set up an access control list Determine which employees have control to which assets and set up levels of security clearance (open or restricted access). Practice secure business outsourcing Develop a security check list for your vendor. End User Training People is the weakest link in your security solution
- 20. Case Study Trading Company A • Accounts department receive email from ‘supplier’ to bank transfer $40,000 to another bank account (not the regular account). • Await CEO approval • CEO approve transfer without double confirming Engineering Company B • Staff like to backup files to PC and desktop, My document folders • Company Outlook download all emails to PC and leave no copy in server (fear will eat up space) • Company did not implement any secured file backup system • One day attack by ransomware, important files and email data locked. • All email and important file hijacked • Have to pay ransom to restore data
- 21. Case Study (What could have prevented hackers) Trading Company A • Accounts department should alert Manager or Management • Call supplier to verify • Check their PC to scan for any virus • Do not click on suspicious links. • Has a robust email system that has built-in anti- phishing protection Engineering Company B • Educate user to always backup data • Implement a secured file storage system that can automate backup data • File storage needs to able to roll-back to working condition
- 22. AVG Give you all the top-rated antivirus protection. From instant email alerts about threats and to remote admin tools that help you manage online security on the move. Avast Stay focused on your endgame and leave your endpoint security to us. On-premise or cloud-based, we scale to your business — whatever its size, network, or devices. Sophos Next-gen security with real-time intelligence sharing between your endpoints and firewall. Unified protection against ransomware attack. Bitdefender Delivers the best security, unparalleled performance and incredible ease of use for your home PC, business, hybrid infrastructure or datacentre
- 23. Disaster Recovery and Backup Backup your data before disaster strike! Total Data Protection Safeguard businesses from IT disasters, human error, and malicious activity Ransomware Protection Cybercriminals want your money. Stop them before they attack you. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Protect your business against unknown risks with frequent backup of your entire business infrastructure. Disaster Recovery as a Service If disaster strike, recover your data, servers, desktop and the entire infrastructure to a virtual environment in seconds.
- 24. Questions to ask Start by asking the following questions How many physical servers and virtual machines do you have? What type of OS and versions are running on the servers / VMs What is the network speed on the LAN? What is the outbound uplink connection speed available via the internet? What are the applications/databases that are to be backed up? What is the total utilised data size that needs to be backed up?
- 25. RTO: Recovery Time Objective The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the duration of time and a service level within which a business process must be restored after a disaster in order to avoid unacceptable consequences associated with a break in continuity. In other words, the RTO is the answer to the question: “How much time did it take to recover after notification of business process disruption?“ RPO designates the variable amount of data that will be lost or will have to be re-entered during network downtime. RTO designates the amount of “real time” that can pass before the disruption begins to seriously and unacceptably impede the flow of normal business operations. RPO: Recovery Point Objective Recovery Point Objective (RPO) describes the interval of time that might pass during a disruption before the quantity of data lost during that period exceeds the Business Continuity Plan’s maximum allowable threshold or “tolerance.” Example: If the last available good copy of data upon an outage is from 18 hours ago, and the RPO for this business is 20 hours then we are still within the parameters of the Business Continuity Plan’s RPO. In other words it the answers the question – “Up to what point in time could the Business Process’s recovery proceed tolerably given the volume of data lost during that interval?”.
- 26. IT Manage Service Focus on your business and leave your IT support to us. Our affordable and professional IT support maintenance package covers all your office computing equipment such as desktop, laptops, tablets, networking equipment and printers. Our team of qualified IT will keep your office computing environment running optimally. Fixed Monthly Price Our package prices comes in a fixed monthly price so that you will not have any bill shock. Control Your IT Cost Ensuring you buy only what you need, at a cost effective price. Increase Productivity Reduce the impact to your business operation by reducing IT system failure. Ensure shortening time to resolve issues. Protected Business Information Data backup service ensure you have peace of mind knowing all critical business and customer data can be quickly recovered.
- 27. Enterprise Exchange Hosting This Fortune 50 infrastructure is finally available to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Always Up 99.999% SLA ensure you will always has access to your company email. Anytime, anywhere. 01 Large Mailbox Store all your company email from Day One. Never run out of email quota. 02 Synced Mail Data All emails, folders, contacts and calendar are synced. Ensure you have access. 03 Enterprise Grade Enterprise graded email that surpass your competitor with enhanced security and anti- spam, anti-phishing technology built-in. 04
- 28. How we can help your company? What is Enterprise Email Hosting? Compliance and High Availability Backup and file sharing capabilities that reduce downtime from ransomware Unlocks the power of Microsoft Outlook. Opens up many features that are otherwise inaccessible in Microsoft’s latest Outlook client and Outlook Web Access (OWA) interface. Cloud Based Email Sync your email to the secured cloud. No more worry of PC crash. Makes mobility and collaboration easy Stay connected and coordinated with full access to your email, calendar and shared contacts on any device. . Always Up Email 99.999% Service Level Agreement ensure you have access to email when you need it. No more lost customer email!. Reduce risk of ransomware attack Reduce the risk of losing data due to employees clicking on links that install ransomware
- 29. Enterprise File Sync This Fortune 50 infrastructure is finally available to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Complete Management complete file management solution for storing, backing up, sharing and collaborating on files 01 Easy for Employees Works on Mac, PC, iOS, Android and the web . 02 Full Administrative control Full administrative control over users, files, devices, and sharing 03 Reduce downtime Help reduce downtime from lost devices, hardware failure, ransomware attacks and other types of data loss events 04
- 30. How we can help your company? What is Enterprise File Sync? Admin control Control users, files, sharing and devices. Allow remote wipe. Real Time Backup and In-point restore. Real time back up allow you to restore to most recent workable files. Cloud Based Backup Sync your files and data to the secured cloud. No more worry of PC crash. Makes mobility and collaboration easy Collaboration and online co-editing Secured share files Securely share files and folders inside and outside the company. Syn and Access files Sync and access files from desktop, mobile, web
- 31. Secure Your Devices and Network Protect Your Identity Protect Your Mobile Device Protect Data Online Personal Data Protection Tips Keeping your passwords, financial, and other personal information safe and protected from outside intruders has long been a priority of businesses, but it's increasingly critical for consumers and individuals to heed data protection advice and use sound practices to keep your sensitive personal information safe and secure 4 Areas to take note
- 32. Secure your devices and network Encrypt your data Encrypt your data Backup data Backup to the cloud or other offsite location Antivirus / anti-malware is a must The best way to avoid getting infected is to run a good anti-virus protection program, do periodic scans for spyware, avoid clicking on suspicious email links or websites. Always run software updates it’s important that you update it regularly. Windows operating systems are typically updated at least monthly.
- 33. Protect Your Identity Use secure password Use password phrase to create stronger password Don’t use phone numbers etc Don’t use phone numbers, birthday, name as password Don’t use same password for more than one account or service A password manager can help you do the job Don’t write your password down Keep them out of sight
- 34. Protect Your Mobile Device Consciously check and configure app privacy settings. Adjust accordingly Enable remote location and device-wiping. Allow you to wipe off your mobile device data Lock your smartphone and tablet devices. Always lock your phone, even for a while.. Don't forget to backup your mobile device data Automatic cloud back up solution can help backup Get anti-virus or anti-malware protection for your mobile devices. Use antivirus to protect your phone
- 35. Protect Data Online Avoid sensitive transactions on public Wi- Fi Working at hotspot and coffeshop has its danger Don't forget to sign out Always log off after use Use two-factor authentication. Always use 2FA. Avoid clicking on links in emails. Hackers like to trick you to click. Don't believe everything you read. If it seems to real, most likely it’s a trick Don't send passwords or account login credentials over public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks Your data can be stolen
- 36. We are dealing with many international customer and supplier and your Enterprise Exchange Hosting ensure I have peace of mind that my business email data are well secured! (Customer since year 2012) Mehul We switched to Enterprise Exchange Hosting after we are hit by lots of email issue such as low email quota, unable to sync my emails. (Customer since year 2013) Ben Soh Testimonial Company name and title omitted to keep customer data confidential
- 37. We are looking for 1. Company or individual that want to help us resell our Enterprise Exchange Hosting, Enterprise File Sync. 2. Industry: Accounting Firm, Web Design Firm, SEO/Internet Marketing Firm Industry we like to help 1. F & B 2. Financial Services 3. Property Services 4. Recruitment Services 5. Law Services 6. Medical Services 7. Retail Services 8. Engineering Services
- 38. Contact Us to find out more Ucloud Asia Pte Ltd 60 Paya Lebar Road #09-38 Singapore 409051 steven.chin@ucloud.sg www.ucloud.sg +65 6100 8223
- 39. Q&A
Editor's Notes
- Include company story Mission / Vision / Why Us/ why we start Testimonial from customer / most not wishing to reveal name as from industry that require compliance such as financial services
- Questions to ask: How many physical servers and virtual machines do you have? 2) What type of OS and versions are running on the servers / VMs 3) What is the network speed on the LAN? 4) What is the outbound uplink connection speed available via the internet? 5) what are the applications/databases that are to be backed up? 6) what is the total utilised data size that needs to be backed up? 7) what are the RPO/RTO requirements?
- Source: www.businesstimes.com.sg/technology/a-third-of-singapore-smes-hit-by-ransomware-last-year-study (dated 01 Aug 2017) A STUDY has found that one in three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore have experienced a ransomware attack in the last year. About 21 per cent of those who had been hit by ransomware had to cease all business operations immediately, while 11 per cent lost revenue as a direct result of the attack, according to Malwarebytes' Second Annual State of Ransomware Report released on Tuesday. The report revealed that more than half of cybercriminals (53 per cent) who strike SMEs in Singapore with ransomware ask for payments of less than US$1,000, with only 7 per cent asking for sums more than US$10,000. A third of SMEs (33 per cent) who refused to pay the ransom lost access to files as a result. More than 61 per cent of companies in Singapore hit by ransomware experienced downtime of more than nine hours from a single incident of ransomware; the equivalent of a full working day.
- Source: http://sbr.com.sg/information-technology/commentary/five-important-cyber-security-measures-singapore-smes-0 1. Identify your most valuable digital assets By adopting a risk-based approach to protecting your most valuable assets, you can maximise security while minimising costs. This entails identifying and categorising your company's digital assets according to the level of sensitivity/importance. In other words, how damaging would the loss of the data be to the company? Assign “low,” “moderate,” and “high” ratings according to the level of sensitivity of the company data. Secure your highest rated assets first. 2. Set up an access control list Determine which employees have control to which assets and set up levels of security clearance (open or restricted access). Review and update the list regularly to reflect staff movement. Remove anyone that does not require high-level access anymore. The most senior person need not have the highest-level access; on the contrary, he/she may have the least access, for example, to the company's databases if management reports are prepared for him/her by other staff. 4. Encrypt sensitive company data Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies may offer flexibility to staff, but this also opens up a security loophole when staff lose their laptops or smartphones containing precious company data. The data should be encrypted to ensure that only staff with the necessary security clearance can access them. Budget conscious SMEs can use free encryption software such as Microsoft BitLocker. SMEs who wish to go a step further can deploy Full Disk Encryption (FDE) with 2FA. FDE refers to encrypting all the data on the hard drive used to boot a computer. Access to the data is granted only after the employee has been authenticated with a password and a second factor such as a smart card. 5. Practice secure business outsourcing As more budget-conscious SMEs in Singapore take advantage of recently announced government subsidies on high-speed Internet access and outsource their data centres to cloud providers, the security risks of doing so have become apparent. Develop a security checklist (physical and virtual) for your vendor. Onsite security, malware protection, data encryption, and security measures to counter colocation risks are some of the items that should be on the list. Choose cloud providers who offer 2FA on top of the basic security measures. You can outsource your data storage, but not the responsibility for ensuring the security of the outsourced data. Data breaches can cost your company not only financial damage, but also reputational embarrassment. By adopting the above five cyber security measures, you can strengthen your defence against identity theft while staying on budget. 5. Implement Firewall and Antivirus Solutions You will be surprised that a lot of SME use out-dated or ‘free’ home security antivirus to protect their most impoprtant business data. Firewall act as 1st level of defence as a wall to prevent outside intrusion. Technology has also advance to protect Zero-Day attack, whereby the hacker penetrate into your company system but does not active until trigger. A.I and Machine Learning can analysis various file and user behavior to determine if this is a abnormal action and stop before the trojan or ransomware activated to cause harm. 6. End-user training Your staff and end users need to be trained not to click on suspecting links and also report to the IT manager or management. When in doubt always ask 3. Implement 2FA for remote VPN access Passwords alone are not secure enough to prevent unlawful access to your company data. Implement two-factor authentication (2FA) for remote virtual private network (VPN) access. This means that employees have to key in a One-Time Password (OTP) on top of their username and password in order to access company data remotely. Depending on your budget, hardware token-based 2FA should be adopted to secure access to more sensitive data. Tokenless SMS OTP or soft tokens such as Google Authenticator can be considered for access to less sensitive company data. Sensitive company emails and attachments should also be password-and 2FA-protected. For example, authorised recipients can key in a OTP to read the emails and download the attachments.
- Company A Accounts department receive email from ‘supplier’ to bank transfer $40,000 to another bank account (not the regular account). Await CEO approval CEO approve transfer without double confirming Engineering Company B Staff like to backup files to PC and desktop, My document folders Company Outlook download all emails to PC and leave no copy in server (fear will eat up space) Company did not implement any secured file backup system One day attack by ransomware, important files and email data locked. All email and important file hijacked Have to pay ransom to restore data
- Questions to ask: How many physical servers and virtual machines do you have? 2) What type of OS and versions are running on the servers / VMs 3) What is the network speed on the LAN? 4) What is the outbound uplink connection speed available via the internet? 5) what are the applications/databases that are to be backed up? 6) what is the total utilised data size that needs to be backed up? 7) what are the RPO/RTO requirements?
- Questions to ask: How many physical servers and virtual machines do you have? 2) What type of OS and versions are running on the servers / VMs 3) What is the network speed on the LAN? 4) What is the outbound uplink connection speed available via the internet? 5) what are the applications/databases that are to be backed up? 6) what is the total utilised data size that needs to be backed up? 7) what are the RPO/RTO requirements?
- Recovery Point Objective (RPO) describes the interval of time that might pass during a disruption before the quantity of data lost during that period exceeds the Business Continuity Plan’s maximum allowable threshold or “tolerance.” Example: If the last available good copy of data upon an outage is from 18 hours ago, and the RPO for this business is 20 hours then we are still within the parameters of the Business Continuity Plan’s RPO. In other words it the answers the question – “Up to what point in time could the Business Process’s recovery proceed tolerably given the volume of data lost during that interval?” RTO: Recovery Time Objective The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the duration of time and a service level within which a business process must be restored after a disaster in order to avoid unacceptable consequences associated with a break in continuity. In other words, the RTO is the answer to the question: “How much time did it take to recover after notification of business process disruption?“ RPO designates the variable amount of data that will be lost or will have to be re-entered during network downtime. RTO designates the amount of “real time” that can pass before the disruption begins to seriously and unacceptably impede the flow of normal business operations. There is always a gap between the actuals (RTA/RPA) and objectives introduced by various manual and automated steps to bring the business application up. These actuals can only be exposed by disaster and business disruption rehearsals. Some Examples Traditional Backups: In traditional tape backups, if your backup plan takes 2 hours for a scheduled backup at 0600 hours and 1800 hours, then a primary site failure at 1400 hours would leave you with an option to restore from 0600 hours backup, which means RPA of 8 hours and 2 hours RTA. Continuous Replication: Replication provides higher RPO guarantees as the target system contains the mirrored image of the source. The RPA values depend upon how fast the changes are applied and if the replication is synchronous or asynchronous. RPO is dependent on how soon can the data on target/replicated site be made available to the application.
- Target customer profile: Offices in multiple locations Mobile, traveling or remote employees Currently use file servers, PC backup, file sync and share services or a combination Share very large files: Design and Creative, Architecture/Engineering Comply with industry regulations: Health Care, Finance, Legal Share files between departments, within the company, or with external business partners, vendors, or customers
- https://digitalguardian.com/blog/101-data-protection-tips-how-keep-your-passwords-financial-personal-information-safe Securing Your Devices and Networks A) Secure Your devices and network Encrypt your data. Use software to help you encrypt 2. backup data (to cloud) 3. Use antivirus 4. Always run OS and software updates 12. Use "passphrases" rather than "passwords." What's the difference? "A passphrase is simply a different way of thinking about a much longer password. Dictionary words and names are no longer restricted. In fact, one of the very few restrictions is the length - 15 characters. Your passphrase can be a favorite song lyric, quote from a book, magazine, or movie, or something your kids said last week. It's really that easy," explains Indiana University's Protect IU. Think of a saying or series of words that is easy for you to remember, and use the first letter of each word in the phrase, along with a combination of numbers and special characters, as your passphrase. C) PROTECTING YOUR CREDIT 52. Sign up for email alerts for transactions. 53. Review your statements regularly. 57. Shop on familiar websites. 59. Maintain a low-balance credit card for online purchases. How to do this easily Use VPN Use Passwordf Manager (instead of write on paper) Data Protection Tips for Mobile Devices Protecting Your Identity Protecting Your Credit Protecting Your Data on Social Networking Protecting Your Data Online Data Protection Following a Data Breach
- A) Secure Your devices and network Encrypt your data. Use software to help you encrypt 2. backup data (to cloud) 3. Use antivirus 4. Always run OS and software updates 12. Use "passphrases" rather than "passwords." What's the difference? "A passphrase is simply a different way of thinking about a much longer password. Dictionary words and names are no longer restricted. In fact, one of the very few restrictions is the length - 15 characters. Your passphrase can be a favorite song lyric, quote from a book, magazine, or movie, or something your kids said last week. It's really that easy," explains Indiana University's Protect IU. Think of a saying or series of words that is easy for you to remember, and use the first letter of each word in the phrase, along with a combination of numbers and special characters, as your passphrase.
- B) Protect your identity 1. Use secure password Passwords are easily cracked by hackers, particularly if you don't use sound password-creation practices. The best passwords contain uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. You should also avoid using easily guessed words or alphanumeric combinations, such as the names of children or pets, birth dates, addresses, and similar information that can be easily guessed by someone looking at your Facebook profile or through a Google search. "A strong password should be more than eight characters in length, and contain both capital letters and at least one numeric or other non alphabetical character. Use of non-dictionary words is also recommended,“ 2. Don’t use phone numbers, birthday, name as password Don't use numbers or combinations associated with other personally identifiable information as all or even part of your passwords. "Don't use any part of your social security number (or any other sensitive info, like a credit card number) as a password, user ID or personal identification number (PIN). If someone gains access to this information, it will be among the first things they use to try to get into your account," Bank of America advises. Twitter: @BofA_News 4. Don’t use same password for more than one account or service A password manager seems like an even better idea when you consider the fact that you should never use the same password for more than one account or service. Think about it: If a hacker cracks your password on one website, they suddenly have cracked your password for a dozen more. But remembering the slew of passwords the average person would need to recall to access the many accounts and services most people have these days is no simple feat, unless you have a photographic memory. In lieu of a password manager, you could follow Danny Heisner's advice at Cranking the Ranking and create your own password algorithm that makes it simple to remember all your passwords without ever using the same one twice. Don't write your passwords down. It's tempting to keep a written list of passwords, or even a single password written down in a notebook or, worse yet, a sticky note. But this is a bad idea, as it makes it extraordinarily easy for someone else to steal your login information and access your accounts without your permission. "Writing your password on a 'sticky-note' and sticking it on your monitor makes it very easy for people who regularly steal passwords to obtain yours. Hiding it under your keyboard or mouse pad is not much better, as these are common hiding places for passwords. However if you must write something down, jot down a hint or clue that will help jog your memory or store the written password in a secure, locked place," says SANS.org. Twitter: @SANSInstitute
- Consciously check and configure app privacy settings. Most apps offer privacy settings for users, enabling you to determine how much and what types of information are shared or stored. Always choose the least amount of data-sharing possible. Google, for instance, offers individual permission levels and privacy settings for the mobile apps it provides: "Google offers a variety of mobile applications that you can download onto your smart phone and some of these apps, such as Search, Maps and Latitude incorporate geolocation features. Some parents may be concerned about their teen sharing their location with others. Each app allows you to adjust the privacy setting so you can share as much or little as you want." Twitter: @goinsidegoogle Enable remote location and device-wiping. "If your gadget is lost or stolen, tracking apps can tell you exactly where your phone is. These apps also let you wipe sensitive information remotely. If your phone does end up landing in the wrong hands, you can at least make sure they don't get your information," says Kim Komando. Twitter: @kimkomando Take care of privacy settings immediately upon setup.\ Lock your smartphone and tablet devices. Practically everyone has a smartphone, tablet, or both these days. All it takes is a single mishap where your device slips out of your pocket or briefcase at a restaurant or on public transportation, and your data could wind up in the hands of someone who will use it maliciously. You can take steps to protect your data in the event of a lost or stolen device, however, beginning with locking your device. When your device is locked, a thief must crack your password before gaining access to your apps or personal information, adding a layer of protection. "As soon as you get a new smartphone, set a hard to guess password to protect your device and change it on a regular basis." say Don't forget to backup your mobile device data. Another data protection strategy that's often overlooked for mobile devices is the need to backup your data from your mobile device in addition to your desktop computer's or laptop's data. There are some automatic cloud-backup options, but this article on Yahoo Small Business Advisor suggests an interesting strategy: using IFTTT (If This Then That) to facilitate automatic backups of important files, such as photos or work documents. Twitter: @Yahoo Get anti-virus or anti-malware protection for your mobile devices. Anti-malware protection software is a given for most computer users, but many consumers still overlook the importance of protecting mobile devices from the growing number of malware programs impacting all types of mobile devices. Just a few years ago, however, security options for mobile devices offered mediocre protection against threats, at best. "Besides antivirus and malware scanning, security apps for Android also offer a full McAfee LiveSafe 2014 Android screenshot McAfee for Android security suite with features such as device location, remote wipe, backup, and suspicious-URL blocking. These extra features usually require a premium subscription, but most apps offer a minimal, basic level of protection for free, including malware scanning," according to an article on PCWorld. Twitter: @pcworld Use an on-device, personal firewall.
- D) PROTECTING YOUR DATA ONLINE Avoid sensitive transactions on public Wi-Fi. Working at the local coffee shop may have some appeal, but relying on a public Wi-Fi connection means your data is interceptible by outsiders. Avoid conducting banking transactions and sending other sensitive information over a public Wi-Fi network. "Public wi-fi 'hotspots' in public places like cafés, airports, hotels and libraries are convenient but unlike your home computer, use of public hotspots involves security compromises. It is easy for other users to intercept your data, so be careful about what information you send or receive while connected. Try and limit activity when connected to a public wi-fi network to web browsing and avoid banking or any other activities that involve user password access. Avoid using hotspots that are run by people you do not know or trust. Criminals can set up hotspots known as 'evil twins' and 'rogue hotspots' to steal users' information. Always try and use encrypted (password protected) networks," advises Don't forget to sign out. Signing in to online services is necessary when you need to access your personal accounts, but many users forget to sign out when they're finished using a service. "But when using public computers like in a cybercafe or library, remember that you may still be signed into any services you’ve been using even after you close the browser. So when using a public computer, be sure to sign out by clicking on your account photo or email address in the top right corner and selecting Sign out. If you use public computers often, use 2-step verification to help keep your account safe, and be extra careful to sign out of your accounts and shut down your browser when you have finished using the web," according to the Google Safety Center. Don't open emails from people you don't know. Use two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication is an additional layer of security that provides protection in the event that a hacker guesses or cracks your password. Two-factor authentication requires a second verification step, such as the answer to a secret question or a personal identification number (PIN). You should opt for two-factor authentication when given an option. "Some websites, such as Google, will text you a code when you login to verify your identity, while others have small devices that you can carry around to generate the code. Authenticator apps are also available on all major smartphone platforms. Other types of two-factor authentication do exist as well, so look in the settings of your banking, shopping, and e-mail hosts for the option," explains the Webroot Threat Blog. Twitter: @Webroot Don't believe everything you read. This tip is important for much beyond data protection, such as protecting your financial assets, your reputation, and perhaps most importantly, your personal confidence or self-worth. Too many people have fallen victim to scams online, by buying into false claims and promises of vast accumulation of wealth. Michael Daniel, on The White House Blog, advises, "Be cautious about what you receive or read online – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." Best-case scenario is you lose a few bucks buying into a pyramid scheme that will never net you any profits; worst-case, your personal information is sold and your identity stolen. Use secure websites, especially for sensitive transactions. Avoid clicking on links in emails. Most everyone gets the occasional email from their bank, financial institution, or similar accounts and services. But to be safe, you should always open a browser window and type the URL in the address bar, rather than click on links in emails. Why? Phishing emails are one of the most common ways hackers obtain personal information, tricking users into inadvertently handing over their login credentials to bank accounts, credit cards, and other accounts where they can glean further information, make unauthorized purchases, or even steal your identity. "Don’t get caught by phishers. Phishing is when you get an email or a social media message that looks like it’s coming from a legitimate place such as a bank or social networking site. If you click on a link in the message, you're taken to a website that looks legitimate but could be run by criminals trying to trick you to sign in with your username and password so they can capture that information. Your best bet is not to click on the link but rather type the web address (such as mybank.com) into your browser window and go to the site that way," the Google Safety Center recommends. Don't send passwords or account login credentials over public or unsecured Wi-Fi networks. "Never, ever send account and password information over an open (unsecure) wireless connection.You are broadcasting to everyone within the radius of your wireless signal, which can be several hundred feet, all of your personal information and account information. They can use this to compromise your accounts (e.g. email, financial, system/application access), steal your identity, or commit fraud in your name Don't save passwords in your browser. Regular password changes might not actually be necessary.
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