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November

Last Updated on: Aug 06, 2010 12:32 PM

November 30th

Prevent illegal duplication of proprietary software
  • Observe the license terms of proprietary software.
  • Never make or use illegal duplicates of software or documentation.
  • Don’t have illegal software in your possession.
  • The following are the penalties for breaking the law are steep.
  • Compensatory damages levied against NOVA can be up to $100,000 per unauthorized copy.
  • Under certain circumstances, individuals can be sentenced to up to five years in prison and fined $250,000.( Reference: www.nvcc.edu)

November 29th

Never keep sensitive documents on your table top

  • Protect your company. If your company documents are on the table top you may be intentionally placing the sensitive documents on the public tables or hotels etc.
  • A lack of training and awareness about sensitive and confidential information puts the organization at risk.
  • In general, organizations are better able to govern the use, protection and disposal of electronic documents than paper documents.
  • Strict enforcement of non-compliance with document handling and disposal procedures.
  • Rigorous compliance of procedures for monitoring document protection and safe disposal.
  • Establish accountability to business unit leaders to secure paper documents and files.

November 28th

Use password to protect data on USB flash drive

  • USB flash drives make it easy to carry your data with you and to use it on any computer. However, carrying private data on your USB flash drive is also risky, because tiny flash drives are easily mislaid, lost, or even stolen.
  • Taking proactive steps to protect your data can save you grief later. Require a password to access the drive. Some USB flash drives come with a program that lets you set up a password the first time you use your flash drive.
  • Encrypt all the data on your USB flash drive. Encrypted data can only be accessed by users who have the right information to unlock it.

November 27th

Secure laptop / mobile Computer with a lockdown cable

  • Locking slot (or K-slot) found on 95 percent of today’s laptops, making the company one of the biggest in the laptop security field.
  • The cable slips clips into the Kensington lock slot found on all laptops and then wraps around the leg of a table or other immoveable object.
  • Never, ever leave a laptop in the car, particularly if the data it contains is worth more than the laptop and car combined.
  • Employ some encryption software for securing your valuable data along with firewall enabled whether it is home or office.
  • Asset tags and other unique laptop identification systems serve two purposes. First, a highly visible tag is a great deterrent against professional thieves.
  • So it is recomended to secure laptop / mobile computer with a lockdown cable.

November 26th

Accessing sites with questionable content often results in spam or release of viruses

  • Today viruses spread rapidly over the Internet causing widespread damage to computer users and networks.
  • Most of sites provides the questionable content in some forms which asks for the personal information in the form of Name, E-mail Address and phone number.
  • If you are connected to the Internet, it is essential to protect your network against computer viruses and hackers trying to find "open doors" in your system.
  • So it is better to scan when you download some content from the suspicious or unknown site.


November 25th

Never install unknown or unsolicited software on your computer

  • Do not install or download unknown or unsolicited programs to your computer.These can place computer viruses or even open a "back door" giving others access to your computer without your knowledge.
  • If you want to install any software in your system get licensed version and install it in your computer.
  • Use trusted websites for downloading the Software’s.
  • Always keep anti-virus software running on your system during the installation of software in your system to find any malicious codes or viruses present in the software.
  • If there is any problem in the installation try to contact particular vendors

November 24th

Never keep restricted/sensitive data on portable devices

  • The sensitive data should not be kept on the portable devices like CD's, floppy disks and mobile storage devices.
  • It is better to save the sensitive data in database servers. Once the data are located, they should be classified as restricted, confidential, and public.
  • Data classification helps direct security control efforts to the most sensitive and critical information first.
  • If you store your restricted data in some portable devices it may easily carried by any attackers.
  • Thus release of restricted information could cause substantial harm to the company, its employees, its customers, or its investors.

November 23rd

Always use updated spam blocking software
  • It’s extremely difficult to eliminate spam entirely, but to get rid of spam is always a noble goal. Following a few spam prevention tips, you can get spam down to a minimum level.
  • By using the spam software we can block the spam messages coming to our e-mails address.
  • You can follow some of the preventive tips for avoiding the spam messages into your e-mails as follows:
  • Never put an e-mail address on your website.
  • Always check for the reciepents e-mail address
November 22nd

Disable auto download and auto open features in PC, Mobile devices
  • If you have unchecked the check box of “Always ask before opening this type of file” for a particular file type on the File Download dialog box when you download the file with Internet Explorer, you will no longer see the File Download confirmation dialog again
  • The files will be automatically downloaded once you click on the link, and then open for you as your chosen preferred action.
  • And thus you cant unable to make a pick of whether to save or open the particular file type in future. ( Reference: http://www.mydigitallife.info)
  • For disabling the auto open features in PC Open Windows Explorer.
    •  Right-click the desired CD-ROM and select Properties from the menu.
    •  Select the AutoPlay tab.
    •  Select each item from the pulldown list and for the Action to perform, select "Take no action" to disable autorun.
    •  Select OK.  (Reference: http://autorun.moonvalley.com/enable.htm)
November 21st

Your password and Pins are only valuable if you are able to remember them
  • Password and pins should not be stored anywhere .
  • It’s like telling someone about the spare key hidden under the welcome mat.
  • Passwords should at least have 8 characters and should be changed twicw in a week.
  • Strong passwords include two upper case, two lower case, two numbers and two special characters (symbols).
  • Your passwords and pins should'nt be shared by others and it should kept secret.
  • It should not be saved on the computer desktop or any notebook as they may create serious havoc on the financial transactions.
  • So it is always recomended to remember your password and pin number.
November 20th

Never share your mobile devices with strangers
  • People who are not trusted friends or family, don’t give out mobile as they could use to find your physical location, ur phone number or they can steal or personal text messages.
  • After knowing your mobile number the strangers start to send some text messages which contains soem malicious things in that messages.
  • Most of peoples will have the habit of saving internet banking user id and password, bank account number etc so these leads to the attack on financial transactions.
  • They send or post text or images intended to hurt or embarrass another person which is known as cyber bullying.
  • So it is recomended not to never share your mobile devices with strangers.
November 19th

Make sure your family members know what to do when your computer is infected
  • Make sure your family members know what to do if your computer becomes infected.
  • It is very important that everyone who uses a computer be aware of proper security practices.
  • Explain them how to update virus protection software, how to download security patches from software vendors and how to create a proper password.
November 18th

Make sure that the data backup is taken before doing any hardware troubleshooting
  • Always take backups of your important data or information and store it in a separate location in order to avoid losing all of the information before doing any hardware troubleshooting
  • The backup which you have taken will help you in recovering the files if there is any problem during troubleshooting.

November 17th

Always use Pop-Up, Ad blocking tools
  • Never enter, confirm or update your account-related details on a pop-up window.
  • Easy way to block ads is to disabling the IFrames & JavaScript globally and enabling them for required sites in site preferences.
  • The Google pop up blocker also records how many pop ups it has blocked, so you can see if you are on a site that is trying to steal your bandwidth.
  • Lot of tools are their in the market which blocks the pop ups.
November 16th

Never open email attachments in mobile devices from unknown persons
  • Never open e-mail attachments in mobile devices from unknown persons, and never follow any links from any message you receive. Instead, visit the site manually. This is a good practice
  • Also never open any attachment that looks suspicious as they might contain virus and malicious codes
  • Some worms or viruses disguise itself as screensavers / celebration greetings. Do not open such email attachments from unexpected sources and do not execute any attachments unless you are sure what it does.
  • For protection, use MS Office Viewer (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) to read office documents attached to emails. These viewers do not run the macro scripts embedded in the documents and can therefore avoid macro viruses. They are available for download at the Microsoft web site
  • Do not open a link in an email that  asks  for updating account/personal information
November 15th

Use free cleansing tools which are available in the Internet to make your mobile work normally, whenever it is affected by malicious software
  • Use the free cleansing tools with legitimate source code from the internet for mobile security.
  • If the mobile is affected with some virus, it is better to scan your mobile with the proper downloaded software.
  • Some mobile services provides with the ability of phone firmware to increase the efficiency of the mobile software.
November 14th

Define your own trusted devices that can be connected to mobile phone or Laptop through Bluetooth
  • So the Bluetooth standard should recommend that bluetooth devices have a physical connection to one another before they can pair with each other.
  • Pairing with a device would prefer a wired connection to initialize, however it wouldn’t be required.
  • You could still pair with devices as you do now, however the quick and easy way would be with a mini USB cable.
November 13th

Note the IMEI code of your cell phone and keep it in a safe place. This helps the owner to prevent access to the stolen mobile
  • Always keep a note of your mobile phone unique 15-digit IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number in a safe place to prevent access from unauthorized users.
  • This number is useful when you loose your mobile phone it helps in tracing your mobile service provider. By using that information you can block your mobile phone so that the person who has stolen your mobile phone cannot access to your phone book to get your contact numbers or he cannot use your phone for making any calls
  • If you want to check your mobile IMEI number, just type *#06# in your mobile or you can find it by looking beneath the battery
  • By using IMEI code of a mobile phone, you can check information regarding manufacturer, model type, date and country of approval
  • Mobile phones are valuable to you as well as to thieves, so take care when using it in public places. Do not take them to busy areas where they can be easily snatched
November 12th

Don’t make your phone as a source for your personal data, which is dangerous if it falls in to the hands of strangers
  • Do not store any personal information like your name, your office address or home address, your children names, spouse names, credit card numbers, e-mail ID’s in Remainders or templates of your mobile phone because it is very dangerous if your mobile phone falls in to the hands of strangers.
  • They can get access to your personal information and use that information for illegal purposes
  • They can use your credit card information for shopping purpose and the bill will come to your account and they can use other personal information like phone numbers for blackmailing you
  • They can use your home address for attacking your home
November 11th

Use the call barring and restriction services provided by mobile operators, to prevent the applications that are not used by you or by your family members
  • Call barring is the facility which prevents from unauthorized access to telephone services, such as premium rate services…etc
  • You can use the call barring to manage the use of your mobile phone. If you live in shared accommodation, have regular visitors passing
  • You can prevent the use of such services, which you or your family does not need. Credit limits and non-access to adult entertainment services are the most common prevention services used.
November 10th

Activate the pin code request for mobile phone access. Choose a pin which is unpredictable and which is easy to remember for you
  • Set a Pin code in your mobile phone and then lock it, so that no one can access your phone without the code except you.
  • Choose the Pin code in such a way that no one can trace it and easy memorize it.
  • If you have locked your phone with the Pin code and you forgot the Pin at that situation try with different combinations if you are unsuccessful then call to customer care for suggestions or take your mobile to service centre to reset the Pin code.
  • Do not share your pin code with your friends or with anyone whom you don’t know. Because the persons who know you’re your pin code can access your mobile phone and can get all the contact numbers, messages and any other personal information and use that information for illegal purposes like blackmailing…etc
November 09th

Read the mobile phone’s operating instructions carefully mainly regarding the security settings, pin code settings, Bluetooth settings, infrared settings
  • Read the mobile phone's operating instructions carefully mainly regarding the security settings, pin code settings, Bluetooth settings, infrared settings and procedure to download an application.
  • By reading the information the configurations and the security settings can be understood better and it can be used for improving the mobile security.
  • This will help in making your mobile phone secure from malicious programs.
November 08th

While you’re browsing, you should not leave the computer unattended for any period of time
  • While you’re browsing, you should not leave the computer unattended for any period of time.
  • It will leave the computer in a state that any one can access your sensitive information like e-mail addresses, address book, passwords, etc,.
  • If you have to go out, log out and close all browser windows. You can start afresh when you return. Anytime you leave your computer unattended is a security risk.
November 07th

Never walk away when system is logged in
  • Never leave your computer logged in when you walk away, not even for a minute. Make it a habit to log off your workstation whenever you get up.
  • Others may approach your computer and gain access to your account information if you walk away.
  • There may be a chance that some one can steal your data.
November 06th

Do lock or logout while leaving the computer
  • One option is for attackers to use your USB drive to infect other computers. An attacker might infect a computer with malicious code, or malware that can detect when a USB drive is plugged into a computer.
  • The malware then downloads malicious code onto the drive. When the USB drive is plugged into another computer, the malware infects that computer. So do not plug it into your computer to view the contents or to try to identify the owner.
November 05th

Do not plug-in unknown USB drives into your computer
  • When you leave the computer, remember to always logout or lock the computer.
  • This prevents others from possibly looking up sensitive information and people from destroying or changing data with malicious purposes and installing Trojans or viruses on your system.
  • Use system’s screen locking functionality to protect against physical access, such as a screen saver that won’t deactivate without a password, or just log out of everything so anyone that wants access has to log in again.
November 04th

Maintain a separate pen drive for office use and personal use
  • Do not use personal USB drives on computers owned by your organization, and do not plug USB drives containing corporate information into your personal computer.
  • As pen drives are easy targets for virus and are at risk of theft, it is recommended to maintain separate pen drives for office use and personal use.
  • Because pen drive used for office use may contain confidential information and should be maintained carefully. Moreover office pen drives are not allowed outside as they contain confidential information.
  • The pen drive used for personal use may contain personal information like passwords, credit card numbers, etc (not recommended to store for security reasons).
November 03rd

Always take the advantage of security features available along with the pen drive
  • Some pen drives are available with encryption algorithm which encrypts the data stored on it, thus eliminating the risk of theft from unauthorised access.
  • There are some pen drives which come with locking software which gives the user to lock the pen drive with passwords. A pen drive with a strong authentication process is the first line of defence against unauthorized users.
  • Using an 8 character password configuration reduces the chances a thief would break the password. Use passwords and encryption on your USB drive to protect your data, and make sure that you have the information backed up in case your drive is lost.
November 02nd

Delete the MMS message received from an unknown user without opening it
  • Be careful while downloading applications through MMS, SMS, and Bluetooth as they may contain some harmful software which will affect the mobile PC/ Mobile.
  • Avoid downloading the content in to mobile phone or laptop from an unknown source. If you are not sure of the source of the MMS you received, never open it as opening them may harm your mobile PC/mobiles.
  • Delete the MMS message received from an unknown user without opening it.
November 01st

Keep the Bluetooth connection in invisible mode unless you need some user to access your mobile phone or laptop
  • It is recommended to keep the Bluetooth connection of your mobile phone or laptop in invisible mode or hidden mode, making them invisible to others, or turn off the Bluetooth functionality completely when not in use.
  • This is to hide the devices so that the malicious attackers will not be able to scan them or search for them.
  • The users should also check that their Bluetooth pairings, or approved connections with trusted partners are correct.

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