At PCTech we want all of our small business clients to be prepared for and protected from the security threats that loom in 2013. Below you will see some of the predictions of threats for this year and some suggestions on how you can protect yourself. For additional assistance, E-mail or call us at 636-464-2400 and we can help you determine if you have the best security measures in place for your company
2013 Security Threat Predictions
The volume of malicious and high-risk Android apps will hit 1 million in 2013.
Windows 8 offers improved security—but only to consumers.
Cybercriminals will heavily abuse legitimate cloud services.
As digital technology plays a larger role in our lives, security threats will appear in unexpected places.
Consumers will use multiple computing platforms and devices. Securing these will be complex and difficult.
Cloud storage or not, data breaches will remain a threat in 2013.
Efforts to address global cybercrime will take two or more years to reach full implementation.
Conventional malware threats will only gradually evolve, with few, if any, new threats. Attacks will become more sophisticated in terms of deployment.
Africa will become a new safe harbor for cybercriminals.
What this means for You! – Apply the latest security updates and patches to your software programs and OSs and enable automatic updates where possible to minimize exposure to vulnerabilities.
If you receive an email requesting personal or confidential information, do not respond or provide the information by clicking links or calling phone numbers specified in the message. Legitimate organizations like credit card companies and banks will never request this information via email.
Beware of unexpected or strange-looking emails and instant messages (IMs) regardless of sender. Never open attachments or click links in emails and IMs. If you trust the sender, scan the attachments before opening. Never provide personally identifiable information in your email or IM responses.
Regularly check your bank, credit, and debit card statements to ensure that all transactions are legitimate.
Beware of web pages requiring software installation. Scan downloaded programs before executing them.
Do not provide personal information to unsolicited requests for information over the Web.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If you suspect an email is spam, delete it immediately. Reject all IMs from people you do not know.
When shopping, banking, or conducting other transactions online, make sure the website address contains an s as in https:// www. bank. com.
Protect your mobile device – Use your smartphone’s built-in security features.
Avoid using free but unsecured Wi-Fi access.
Scrutinize every app you download, including other users’ reviews and the reputation of the developer, regardless of source.
Understand the permissions or capabilities you are allowing an app to have on your smartphone before accepting them.
Consider investing in a mobile security app.
Manage your passwords in a secure manner – Use completely random but memorable phrases as passwords instead of short, simple, and easy-to-guess ones.
Avoid using the same password for all your login needs. For instance, do not use the same password for your bank and social network accounts.
Change your password every few months.
IN THIS ISSUE
- 2013 Security Threat Predictions
- What this means for You!
- Protect your mobile device
- Manage your passwords in a secure manner.