Beware of Online ‘Tricks’ This Halloween

By Chris McGovern, Manager, Research Development, Connected Nation

Are you afraid of hackers this Halloween?

This Halloween, many businesses are scared of more than ghosts and goblins – they’re looking out for malicious “tricks” played by computer hackers. Today marks the end of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and according to Connected Nation’s 2010 Business Technology Assessment, about one in twelve businesses said they do not subscribe to broadband service due to concerns about fraud or identity theft. If this figure is extrapolated across the country, it represents nearly 600,000 business establishments that say that these concerns are preventing them from going online.

This has important economic repercussions. In a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce last week, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski pointed out that, on average, each cyberattack against a small-or-medium-sized business costs the business about $200,000. 

To help businesses feel more secure online, the FCC (along with partners from both the public and private sectors) plans to release a new Small Biz Cyber Planner in November. This tool will help businesses assess their online security needs and create a customized plan to ensure that their networks remain safe from hackers.

Have you (or your business) been the victim of a cyberattack? Tell us your scary story of the efforts you had to go through in order to make things right at our website, or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.

5 Tips for Protecting Your Identity Online

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month.

Below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. Look at a Website’s privacy policy - Before submitting your name, e-mail address, or other personal information on a website, look for the site's privacy policy.

2. Look for evidence that your information is being encrypted - To protect attackers from hijacking your information, any personal information submitted online should be encrypted so that it can only be read by the appropriate recipient.

3. Do business with credible companies – Work with websites certified by an Internet trust organization such as BBBonline, TRUSTe, or WebTrust? Sites that display these logos have agreed to follow certain practices like providing a comprehensive privacy statement

4. Do not use your primary e-mail address in online submissions - Submitting your e-mail address could result in spam. If you do not want your primary e-mail account flooded with unwanted messages, consider opening an additional e-mail account for use online

5. Take advantage of options to limit exposure of private information - Default options on certain websites may be chosen for convenience, not for security. For example, avoid allowing a website to remember your password. If your password is stored, your profile and any account information you have provided on that site are readily available if an attacker gains access to your computer. Also, evaluate your settings on websites used for social networking.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• Ncmec.org

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org

5 Tips for Securing Your Personal Computer

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness month.

Below are tips to help you stay safe online:

1. Keep your firewall turned on: Firewalls provide protection against outside attackers by shielding your computer or network from malicious or unnecessary Internet traffic.

2. Always use good passwords for your PC:

• Don't use passwords that are based on personal information that can be easily accessed or guessed

• Don't use words that can be found in any dictionary of any language

• Develop a mnemonic for remembering complex passwords

• Use a combination of lowercase and capital letters, numbers, and special characters

• Use passphrases when you can

• Use different passwords on different systems

• Use at least 8 characters

• Change your password periodically

3. Keep all your software and your operating system up-to-date: Many vulnerabilities on a computer can be avoided with a few simple updates. Updating your software also helps with bug fixes in the software and addition of new features from the software developer.

4. Install Anti-Virus Software: Anti-virus software can identify and block many viruses before they can infect your computer. Once you install anti-virus software, it is important to keep it updated. While antivirus software, regardless of which package you choose, increases your level of protection, nothing can guarantee the security of your computer. Antivirus software is limited in its ability to protect your computer because it can only detect viruses that have signatures installed on your computer

5. Secure your wireless network at home: Wireless networks have gotten easy enough to set up that many users simply plug them in and start using the network without giving much thought to security. Nevertheless, taking a few extra minutes to configure the security features of your wireless router or access point is time well spent.

Other Useful Sites and Information Sources

• OnguardOnline.gov

• United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT)

• WiredSafety.org

• Commonsense.com

• TRUSTe.org

• ConnectSafely.org

• NetSmartz.org

• WebWiseKids.org

• Makeadifferenceforkids.org