Human Firewall

Each week we hear of unauthorized breaches and other security issues in the news. Sometimes it’s an inside job and most of the time it was caused by someone that got phished and gave just enough information for the bad guys to gain access to a workstation or email account and then on to the network.

If you work for a large company, you expect your IT department to secure the business network from outside intrusion. Most do a good job of protecting the business assets, but they must stay one step ahead if they want to stay secure. But what about each individual user and their responsibility to be secure and use best efforts? What if you work for a small business and don’t have the resources that a large enterprise will have? Whether you’re a large business enterprise or a small business it’s all the same. Get the best tools and expertise you can and follow the direction of your trusted advisor to secure your business network and train your employees and reinforce those efforts.

Now the weak link here are the people that are employed by businesses big and small. Each one of these users has a responsibility not give away the keys to the castle and to keep the data secure. Sometimes it’s not that easy and the crooks will use all types of methods from phone calls, email phishing, exploits and open ports, drop a malicious USB thumb drive in a parking lot, you name it and it’s been done successfully.

You ask how a user can help secure a business network? By doing the right things and remembering the don’ts!

Be aware and take responsibility, follow security policies, use long passwords that can easily be remembered, use secured forms of email when sending sensitive information, dispose of sensitive information properly. Report suspected security issues, inform your IT department or person if your computer is lacking security software such as anti-virus and anti-spyware. Use an approved password manager that is encrypted and backed up, so all your passwords are not written down on a sheet of paper that can be lost or stolen. These are a few of the do’s but the list goes on.

The “don’t” is just as important so know the human firewall is real. Don’t share your passwords with anyone, don’t download unapproved software to your computer, don’t place sensitive information on an unsecured mobile device. Don’t use your workplace to do personal web browsing that could be considered unacceptable. Don’t click on unsolicited emails. These are just a few of the items you should be aware of to help you be more secure in the office and at home.

If this practice is new to you, consider a cyber security training class. This is a recommended method to reinforce the best practice methods of being secure and the human firewall can do a lot to help make your world more secure.