Connected

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result
of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself, but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer defeat.”
~ Sun Tsu ~
The Art of War

Cybersecurity: Where do we start?

In the right hands a computer is a tool which enables you to do everything from paying your bills to ordering a pizza; in the wrong hands, a computer is a weapon which can do everything from bringing down the electrical grid to wiping out a bank account. As a home user, the last thing you want is to be cyberjacked! Cybersecurity is how we protect our digital world from being attacked. You may wonder who we need to be protected from, the list is long. Computer enthusiasts who are trying to impress their friends, also known as script kiddies, are no longer are our primary menace. Today we are threatened by everyone from criminal elements, whose principal goal is to gain access, to our systems, for monetary benefits, to nation’s who view cyber attacks as an invaluable tool in their war arsenal. Below you will find the AlertCon chart, used to determine current cyber threats.

AlertCon � Level 1: AlertCon 1 reflects the malicious, determined, global, 24 x 7 attacks experienced by all networks
AlertCon � Level 2: AlertCon 2 means increased vigilance/action required due to focused, patterned attacks.
AlertCon � Level 3: AlertCon 3 means increased attacks against specific targets or vulnerabilities on a scale that is unusually high, immediate action required.
AlertCon � Level 4: AlertCon 4 reflects a catastrophic problem for a network or group of networks whose survival depends on immediate, decisive action.

https://www.it-isac.org/alertcondescriptions.php

At the moment, we are at AlertCon 1, I shall make it a point to keep you informed of where we stand, especially if that changes. One of the questions I am most asked is how does the home user protect themselves from malicious attacks? There are several simple and steadfast rules to remember: First, change your passwords! I cannot say this often enough, you must regularly change your password; and by regularly I mean at the very least every three months. When changing your passwords remember to make them complex. Do you not use your birthday or anniversary, your pet’s name, or any commonly known facts about you or your life, such as your address or license plate number. You may also want to consider protecting specific files with a unique password. For example, if you keep sensitive financial information, on your computer, and are using Microsoft, you may follow these simple instructions to further protect you. In Word or Excel, open the document. Click the Microsoft Office button and click Save As > Tools > General Options; type your password in the Password to open box, confirm the password, and then hit OK. When you click OK, you will be prompted to re-enter your password. Save your file. When you close and reopen it, you will be prompted to enter the password you chose. Make sure to use a combination of numbers and letters, and do not attach your passwords to your computer or leave them nearby. Secondly, you must install updates. I recommend you allow automatic updates from Microsoft, as well as from your virus definition. I believe in empowerment. Your computer is a tool and weapon, and with the right information, you can use it to your advantage. In future articles we shall continue explore cybersecurity and how you too can be happily connected.

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