Ok, folks, holidays are over! Was implementing the proper network and computer security measures on your New Year’s resolution list? First, if they were: Well done! Second, if you haven’t done anything to get started, there is still time to make 2018 a safe year!
We are going to repeat ourselves when we offer one of the simplest reminders we have:
Change your passwords once per quarter. Easy-peasy.
Some other tips that can help you be safe include:
-If you own a business that offers WiFi to guests, clients, or employees, make sure that it is separated from your business's network and/or WiFi. This is not really a matter of trust, as the person you're granting access to is most likely not malicious or nefarious. However, a compromised device on your network (such as an employee's phone or laptop that was infected at home) can compromise the network.
But what if someone wishing to get on the network does have bad intentions? If this is the case, using the same network with the same passwords as employees can open the door to a whole host of bad things
-stealing credit card data of customers if you process them over the same connection
-virus infection of private computers
-stealing private employee information
To combat these potential problems, we recommend that guests be provided with a completely separate WiFi that is not connected to your private network. This will help protect your network and any devices that are connected to it. We can help you set up a segregated WiFi network.
-Be sure that your Windows updates are running and installed. Recently, new vulnerabilities to security were announced that are called “Meltdown” and “Spectre”. Sensitive data, passwords, crypto-keys can all be stolen from machine memory.
Windows has released updates and patches that will address these issues.
Also, we are going to give some no-brainer advice when it comes to the Windows updates. Don’t disable them. There is a way to do so (we aren’t going to share how!) but it is better to let the new updates and security plugins download, install, and protect your computer.
Contact us (401) 787-5297 with your own security questions and to find out more about our contract services. We provide 24/7 service to our customers, but our regular hours as of January 2 are now Monday through Friday 9AM to 6PM.
We are going to repeat ourselves when we offer one of the simplest reminders we have:
Change your passwords once per quarter. Easy-peasy.
Some other tips that can help you be safe include:
-If you own a business that offers WiFi to guests, clients, or employees, make sure that it is separated from your business's network and/or WiFi. This is not really a matter of trust, as the person you're granting access to is most likely not malicious or nefarious. However, a compromised device on your network (such as an employee's phone or laptop that was infected at home) can compromise the network.
But what if someone wishing to get on the network does have bad intentions? If this is the case, using the same network with the same passwords as employees can open the door to a whole host of bad things
-stealing credit card data of customers if you process them over the same connection
-virus infection of private computers
-stealing private employee information
To combat these potential problems, we recommend that guests be provided with a completely separate WiFi that is not connected to your private network. This will help protect your network and any devices that are connected to it. We can help you set up a segregated WiFi network.
-Be sure that your Windows updates are running and installed. Recently, new vulnerabilities to security were announced that are called “Meltdown” and “Spectre”. Sensitive data, passwords, crypto-keys can all be stolen from machine memory.
Windows has released updates and patches that will address these issues.
Also, we are going to give some no-brainer advice when it comes to the Windows updates. Don’t disable them. There is a way to do so (we aren’t going to share how!) but it is better to let the new updates and security plugins download, install, and protect your computer.
Contact us (401) 787-5297 with your own security questions and to find out more about our contract services. We provide 24/7 service to our customers, but our regular hours as of January 2 are now Monday through Friday 9AM to 6PM.