by Dave Moore, CISSP
06/12/2022
How many people have the door key to your house? You, your spouse, your kids? Maybe a friend, or relative?
Knowing who has the key to your house can go a long way in nabbing the culprit when something goes missing, or other strange things start happening, but what if the problem is you? What if, unknown to you, you are sleepwalking and unlocking the doors, behind your own back?
Sounds pretty unlikely, right? What if the scenario changes, though, from the security of your home to the safety and security of your email, or online banking, or your healthcare portal? We’ve all heard of something being “an inside job,” or being “your own worst enemy;” what if your own worst online enemy is not the Russians, or weirdo hackers, but is actually you?
“We have met the enemy, and he is us,” lamented Pogo, in Walt Kelly’s timeless comic strip. How does one keep from becoming one’s own enemy?
When it comes to Internet safety and security, paying attention to the simple basics will cover the majority of potential problems, but the catch is, you have to do them; after-the-fact is too late. Folks tell me all the time, “I was going to install antivirus,” or, “I was going to change my passwords, I just never got around to it.” After you notice strange charges on your credit card is not the time to decide you’re going to become a security nut. At that point, you have no choice; implementing things that should have happened years ago is still a concern, but you have moved from simple safety measures to damage control.
Over the next few columns, we will look at twelve Internet safety basics that, if followed, will help keep you, your family and your business safe on the Internet. These items are not difficult to understand or follow; you don’t need a computer science degree to stay safe. You simply need to learn, practice and pay attention.
We will cover: (1) Updates; why do we need them? How are they done? (2) Antivirus and antimalware programs. What is a virus, anyway? What are the best programs to use? (3) Passwords and passcodes: why you need to start using multi-factor authentication to protect them. (4) How to answer “security” questions. (5) How to password protect your computers and phones. (6) Browsers: what are they? Which one should I use? (7) How do I protect my browsing sessions? (8) How do I keep email and texting secure? (9) How can I identify fake messages and fake websites? (10) How do I safely delete things and “clean up” my computer? (11) Is my Wifi network safe? How can I know? (12) Careful where you click; think about what you are seeing before clicking.
When you learn the easy steps to follow in these twelve safety areas, you will no longer be your own “insider threat.”
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd, he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or internetsafetygroup.org