At the organizational level, we have set up very good security practices to help insure that your data is safe. As an individual, how are you taking safety precautions on your computer? Here are a few ideas.
Let’s look at three items: web browsers, passwords, and discipline.
- Do we update our web browsers regularly? While it may seem annoying, it is crucial that you keep them updated. Besides new features, an update can and often does include security updates. Many of the viruses that can infect your computer enter through your web browser. Keeping your browser up-to-date is crucial to protect your data in your computer.
Lesson: Update your web browser whenever there are updates. Actually, if you use more than one web browser like many of us do, you need to keep all of them updated. - Many of use save our passwords in our browsers. It’s convenient not to have to keep re-entering your password. But what if your computer gets stolen? Any of your accounts that you access through your web browser are vulnerable. Do you require a password to log into your computer? When you are inactive on your computer, does your computer automatically use a screen saver that you can only get rid of by entering your password? I hope the answer is yes to both questions. If leave my computer for 60 seconds it requires me to enter my password to continue working. For me this works. It also keeps any data that I am working on safer. If I boot up my computer, I have to sign in with a password.
Lesson: Use strong passwords to log in and to wake your computer from inactivity. It may take time to enter your password but it’s worth it. Have both of these passwords in place can help keep your data safer. A third layer of protection is to add a master password to your browser itself. By doing this you would need to enter a master password whenever you wanted to access your saved passwords. - Discipline is key. My colleague Mark stresses that knowing what to do to protect your data is only part of it. It’s also about having the discipline to implement this knowledge. It’s about having consistent practices on a daily basis.
Lesson: Have the discipline to implement what you learn about web security. Every day.
There is so much we can do to keep our data safe. You’ll be safer online by keeping your web browser up-to-date, using passwords effectively, and having the discipline to always implement safer security practices on the web.