As the Internet continues to evolve, the laws that govern it must change constantly in order to keep up. However, the standards and legislation that aim to protect us cannot always keep pace with the Web’s rapid development. In the meantime, we must be pro-active in defending against cyber intruders, and reduce our chances of becoming victims.
Now that our phones, MP3 players, and even our TV’s and stereos are in communication with our computers, we have to be more aware of maintaining our cyber security. While this interconnectivity has allowed for more freedom and sharing it also puts our systems at greater risk. The more items we connect the more chances that someone might exploit a vulnerability that exists between our interconnected devices.
Online crime complaints have increased dramatically, according to a 2009 report on fraudulent Internet activity from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)—a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.
The IC3 received a total of 336,655 complaints—a 22.3 percent increase over 2008. They reported a total loss of $559.7 million due to online fraud.
Many Internet users have become victims of phishing—the use of a manipulative e-mail that pretends to be from a company with which you already do business for the purpose of stealing personal information.
In the last quarter of 2009 alone, the Anti Phishing Working Group (APWG)—an industry association focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that results from phishing, crimeware, and e-mail spoofing—received almost 100,000 unique e-mail phishing reports.
But don’t despair. There are some simple things you can do to increase the security of your home network.
First of all, make sure you have antivirus software and keep it up to date. Many of the antivirus software vendors today include several extras that can check for malware and other malicious software that can come through the Internet connection.
E-mail security is next. Oftentimes, the same antivirus software can extend its protection to your e-mail inbox. Such systems check all incoming messages for possible threats and can either quarantine or delete suspicious e-mails. The spam folder is a very useful tool for keeping unwanted e-mail from ever reaching your inbox. Spending the time to set up the options and rules of your spam folders can increase your protection.
While security software offers important tools, we still have to exercise some personal responsibility in order to secure our information, identity, and even our computers from threats and thieves.
If you use a wireless network, make sure it’s secure. This is actually easier than it might sound: configure your router to use “WPA2” or “WPA” security, using a strong password. This encrypts the network traffic that’s broadcast through the air, and also helps prevent would-be intruders from joining your network.
Avoid “WEP” security, since it is very weak and easily defeated. Other popular but ineffective precautions include enabling “MAC address filtering” and disabling the “SSID broadcast”, which pose no significant obstacle to intruders and are not worth the trouble.
Make sure to change the default administrative password. This is not just for the wireless router, but good general advice in maintaining a secure online environment. You should change your passwords to your devices, e-mail accounts, and any other sensitive passwords on a regular basis. Usually a good length of time is every 3 months to 6 months. While it may seem like a hassle, those who regularly change their passwords are less likely to become victims because they are taking an active role in protecting their online identity.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure your computer is up-to-date with the latest security patches. As soon as an issue is identified companies will create a patch or some other kind of solution to combat and eliminate the vulnerability. However, it is up to you to check for and install the latest patches to keep your system safe.
Now that our phones, MP3 players, and even our TV’s and stereos are in communication with our computers, we have to be more aware of maintaining our cyber security. While this interconnectivity has allowed for more freedom and sharing it also puts our systems at greater risk. The more items we connect the more chances that someone might exploit a vulnerability that exists between our interconnected devices.
Online crime complaints have increased dramatically, according to a 2009 report on fraudulent Internet activity from the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)—a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.
The IC3 received a total of 336,655 complaints—a 22.3 percent increase over 2008. They reported a total loss of $559.7 million due to online fraud.
Many Internet users have become victims of phishing—the use of a manipulative e-mail that pretends to be from a company with which you already do business for the purpose of stealing personal information.
In the last quarter of 2009 alone, the Anti Phishing Working Group (APWG)—an industry association focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that results from phishing, crimeware, and e-mail spoofing—received almost 100,000 unique e-mail phishing reports.
But don’t despair. There are some simple things you can do to increase the security of your home network.
First of all, make sure you have antivirus software and keep it up to date. Many of the antivirus software vendors today include several extras that can check for malware and other malicious software that can come through the Internet connection.
E-mail security is next. Oftentimes, the same antivirus software can extend its protection to your e-mail inbox. Such systems check all incoming messages for possible threats and can either quarantine or delete suspicious e-mails. The spam folder is a very useful tool for keeping unwanted e-mail from ever reaching your inbox. Spending the time to set up the options and rules of your spam folders can increase your protection.
While security software offers important tools, we still have to exercise some personal responsibility in order to secure our information, identity, and even our computers from threats and thieves.
If you use a wireless network, make sure it’s secure. This is actually easier than it might sound: configure your router to use “WPA2” or “WPA” security, using a strong password. This encrypts the network traffic that’s broadcast through the air, and also helps prevent would-be intruders from joining your network.
Avoid “WEP” security, since it is very weak and easily defeated. Other popular but ineffective precautions include enabling “MAC address filtering” and disabling the “SSID broadcast”, which pose no significant obstacle to intruders and are not worth the trouble.
Make sure to change the default administrative password. This is not just for the wireless router, but good general advice in maintaining a secure online environment. You should change your passwords to your devices, e-mail accounts, and any other sensitive passwords on a regular basis. Usually a good length of time is every 3 months to 6 months. While it may seem like a hassle, those who regularly change their passwords are less likely to become victims because they are taking an active role in protecting their online identity.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure your computer is up-to-date with the latest security patches. As soon as an issue is identified companies will create a patch or some other kind of solution to combat and eliminate the vulnerability. However, it is up to you to check for and install the latest patches to keep your system safe.
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