One of the main concerns with regard tosecurity in the modern age does not necessarily deal with protection ofphysical goods but rather information and data. There are many ways in whichpersonal data can be breached; the on-going phone hacking scandal which hasengulfed the world of British tabloids is just one of them. However, perhapsthe most pressing concern for an average citizen trying to protect anysensitive information of their own is IT security.  Data and cyber theft can result in identityfraud, theft and many other crimes leveed upon individuals who do not takesufficient preventative measures; as such it is important to make sure allcomputers are secured and correct safety measures are put in place.

How security breaches occur

Perhaps the most common way of having a security breach is through the lossof electrical equipment with personal information on them such as computers,laptops, IT equipment and storage devices either through misplacing them orhaving them stolen.  This, however, doesnot mean there are no other ways in which personal information can go missing;thieves are becoming more intelligent and savvy to technology and, as such, canfind more inventive ways to access data they would like. IT equipment usersmake this easier for them by not utilising any IT security or encryptionsoftware.

   As well as thieves, it is also notunquestionable that close relations, such as friends or disgruntledex-employees in the case of businesses, may target personal and sensitiveinformation for their own gains. Hacking and external piracy are two such waysindividuals can get access to the data they want – oftentimes pirates operateby setting up unauthorized websites or sending infected emails which both havethe aim of stealing important information.

How to prevent breaches

To prevent any such breaches there are a number of different tactics thatcan be implemented. The first is perhaps the easiest – password selection. Itis important for individuals to make sure that they have different passwordsprotecting each individual piece of information they want to protect; astandardised password makes it easier for hackers to get into the informationthey want. Similarly make sure the passwords are not easy to guess – such as aforename or date of birth –and think of ways to make them harder to figure out.A good idea is to include numbers and a mixture of capital and lower caseletters.  Also, under no circumstances,share passwords with people who are not trustworthy.

   Another way to protect IT equipment is to consider whatsoftware and services are available which will make discourage or haltbreaches. Try to keep up to date with the installation of the latest Anti Virusprotection software; often times this will be enough to stop alien viruses frominfiltrating data.

Encryption

Encrypting data is perhaps the most resolute way of ensuring protection.This process involves taking data and scrambling it up into a mess that isunreadable to those without encryption keys and access to the correctpassword.  Most recent encryptiontechnology has evolved these days to side step the negative issues formerlyassociated with it, such as it slowing down operations, and now represents oneof the most effective ways of securing information. Although encryption, eithersoftware or hardware, represents quite a large expenditure it should be notedthat this cost is much less than the cost associated with personal informationstolen.

author

About the Guest Author

This guest article was contributed by Kieron Casey is a BA (Hons) Journalism graduate who blogs regular on a number of technology topics including hardware, software and IT solutions.”

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