How secure are your online activities? June 5-12 is National E-security Awareness Week, run by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.
We’re super-security-paranoid at SNOBS so, in celebration of the ingenious idea that is E-security Awareness Week, we’ve compiled a list of ten security measures you might like to take note of.
SAFETY RISKS with ONLINE SOCIALISING
Social interaction websites can create security risks – think photo sharing, bookmarking and social networking sites. Have you ever been prompted to do an address book import to “find your friends” who might already be using the same site/service? Convenient as it may be, if this involves entering your username and password think twice.
You should also consider the personal information you’re required to share, to make use of third party applications like Facebook’s MyCalendar or We’re Related. In return for using them, you give permission to whoever developed the application to access your profile information, photos and more. Get the full scoop on that here.
DISCONNECT FROM THE INTERNET
What?! Obviously ‘cutting the umbilical cord’ is not an appropriate hourly measure for safety. What we mean is, if you’re not using your computer for an extended period – this might be over a week or overnight depending on how security paranoid you are – disconnect it from the Internet. When you unplug your computer from the World Wide Web it can’t send or receive information and, therefore, isn’t vulnerable to hackers.
KEEP YOUR COMPUTER UP-TO-DATE
Now and again security weaknesses or bugs are found in Web browsers (eg. Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox), operating systems (eg. Windows, Mac OS X) and security software (eg. McAfee, AVG, Norton). This means you need the latest, safest versions running on your computer. The companies who develop these systems usually have ‘automatic update’ built-in, and will issue security patches for any other flaws found. But you can do a quick check yourself to ensure everything is the latest and greatest.
Web Browser - To check what version you currently have on your computer, open the browser program, go to the toolbar up top, click on HELP and then click on ABOUT. If there’s a new version available, it’s usually well advertised with a “Download Now” option, otherwise click here for Firefox and here for Internet Explorer and here for Safari. Google Chrome automatically updates to a new version when one is released.
Operating System - FOR WINDOWS: Click on the Start Menu > All Programs > Windows Update. FOR MAC: Get the latest news on your Apple security updates here.
Security Software - Just do a search for the name of your security software and “updates”. For example, Google: AVG software updates.
DON’T OPEN ANY OLD ATTACHMENT
No one wants to be known as the type who would ‘attend the opening of an envelope’… and you should be similarly discerning in regard to email attachments. A virus can hide in an attachment and opening it will unleash it! This can include links or image attachments, too.
So, never click to open anything unless you can verify the source. You should even avoid clicking on attachments from people you know – unless it’s something you were expecting to receive, or came with a personalised explanation (because spammers can surreptitiously send dodgy emails from an infected machine).
It’s true, these safety precautions can waste a lot of time so get in the habit of typing a quick explanation message with anything you send to others.
WHAT TO DO IN AN E-MERGENCY
If you find your computer is unable to do things it has before, or it’s running unusually slow it could be a sign of virus infection. More obvious signs include:
- being directed to websites you didn’t intend to visit
- extra toolbars appear
- programmes freeze
- pop-up ads keep er, popping up
- unusual icons appear on your start menu or desktop
Of course, if the computer hackers are any good at hacking it’s more likely your computer will work just fine, so you don’t cotton on. If you have suspicions, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Back up all your files and cease any online activity that involves entering usernames or passwords. Don’t do any banking or shopping either (in case criminals are logging your keystrokes).
Check your security software is up-to-date and run a scan of your computer. Then delete any suspicious finds and re-start the computer. If you find operation is still a bit sluggish, it’s not a bad idea to reinstall your operating system to be sure of eliminating any hidden malware.
IF YOU MISSED OUR FIRST 5 COMPUTER SECURITY TIPS, READ THEM HERE
Got any questions or concerns about computer security? Leave your comments below and we’ll get SNOBS’ own IT guy, Daniel Pinter, to see if he can help.
