Stay Safe: Covering Threats to Hardware, Software, and Malware

2. So you think you are safe!

3. Going to Cover

4. Threats

5. Hardware

6. Software

7. Malware

8. Where, When, How will I Know

9. Research by Kaspersky Lab in 2010 suggests that 1 in every how many legitimate websites is infected by malware?

10. I’m Safe I use a Mac

11. SPAM

12. Percentage of emails sent in April 2011 were classified as SPAM?

13. Spam – what you can do!

14. True or false – to stop receiving spam you should always click the ‘unsubscribe’ link in the email?

15. Physical Security

16. According to IDC statistics, what percentage of businesses that suffer a major data loss cease trading within 12 months?

17. Any Questions?

18. Regular Maintenance • These measure can be thought of those similar to the ones we carry out on our cars (checking lights, fluid levels etc.) • Get information about what's new • Sign up to receive notification when patches are available for the software you have installed.  You can usually do this by going to the manufacturer's Web site. • Register new software. Software publishers can keep you informed about patches and updates. You can opt in or opt out of other services they offer. • Subscribe to free Microsoft product security bulletins. Microsoft offers an e-mail alert service for home users, as well as one for IT Professionals and others with a strong understanding of technical issues. (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/notify.mspx) • Install software updates immediately.

19. Regular Maintenance (Weekly) • Back up your files. Backing up files helps you protect your information from accidental erasure or from a hardware failure, as well as from damage by hackers. The more virulent types of attacks damage or infect your hard drive and you can lose valuable personal information. When you back up your files, make sure you: • Have a recent backup before installing new software programs or updates. • Use at least a couple of storage disks, to cut down on the risk of one disk becoming damaged or infected. Write the backup date on the label. • Verify that you can read the backup disk. • Do store your backup disks away from your computer. If content is irreplaceable, consider a fireproof box or a safe deposit box. • Let your antivirus software scan your files. Schedule your antivirus software to conduct weekly scans. It can scan data files, executable files, and system files in any combination. If an infection is found, the antivirus software will repair or quarantine specific files. Contact your antivirus vendor's Web site for further clean-up instructions. • Check for software and antivirus signature updates. Software programs for which you are not receiving automatic updates or notifications, check the software publishers' Web sites. • Defragment your Hard Disk. Use the built in Disk defragmenter or a third party utility to keep your hard drives contents organised, and help improve the drives performance.

20. Regular Maintenance (6 Monthly) • Change your passwords. Keeping the same passwords increases the likelihood that someone else will discover your password. (See http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx) • Verify that your antivirus subscription is current. Treat it like car insurance. Don't let it lapse. • Reassess your situation. Your security and privacy needs might have changed due to who is using your computer, how it's being used, or new threats on the Internet. • Tip: • Use the Windows Task Scheduler to schedule routine file maintenance such as automatic disk cleanup, disk defragmenter, and virus scans. Check the Windows Help files for instructions. • Automate your maintenance tasks • Computers are good at this! For example, if you are using Windows XP, Windows Me, or Windows 2000 SP3, you can receive automatic alerts about updates needed to help maintain security and improve operation. Contact your software vendors to see what automated services they provide