E-Mail Security - Getting the Basics Right

Most of us consider email an essential part of life these days. Unfortunately this popularity has led to an increase in viruses and fraud and it's important that you learn to protect yourself from these kinds of threats before it's too late.

Viruses

You should always be careful when opening an attachment from anyone, even someone you know well. Email viruses often arrive as part of an email attachment; they infiltrate address books and send infected e-mail to everyone in your address book so it's possible for you to receive a virus from a colleague or friend and it's possible for them to receive a virus from you.

Ideally, if you know you'll be sending attachments you should let the person know that you're sending an attachment so they know that it is safe to open as well. It's ideal if your contacts can return this favor too so everyone knows what's going on.

If you're concerned about email viruses the best thing you can do is to add anti-virus software to your computer (you should have this already in reality). The software scans every e-mail that you receive. This is especially relevant if you work in an environment where the computers are networked because of the viruses downloaded onto one computer it can infect the entire network and cause a massive amount of damage.

Phishing

Another popular security risk also arrives via email. This one is called 'phishing' and tricks the recipient into disclosing personal information and passwords. These e-mails often use the logos of a financial institution, online retailers and others to trick you into believing that the e-mail is real.

When you receive one of these phishing e-mails you will usually be told that the financial institution or other company needs a password or financial information from you. You'll be asked to click on a link in the e-mail which will send you to a third-party site and you will be asked to input your credit card information, PIN or your password information.

To determine if an e-mail is a phishing e-mail you can look at the text that comes along with the e-mail you receive. You will not be addressed by name but rather as a 'valued customer' or 'friend' - this should set off alarms straight away.

Another tipoff is you'll find a link that doesn't correspond to the text describing it. For example, if you check the status bar when you highlight the link the text might say something like Microsoft but the URL will be something completely different such as .don't go here.com.

There are specialized software programs that can detect phishing but they're not always as accurate as you would like them to be. The best solution for this is to simply be on your guard, not click on any links that look suspicious and certainly not give any personal information such as passwords or credit card information. If you really believe that the e-mail is on the up and up you can call the company and provide information that way.

Back up your email

Just like any other data, email should be backed up, on a regular basis. It can be easily done by exporting messages to a folder and backing up the folder with a backup program. The data will be backed up onto a removable disk, a writable DVD or CD or other kind of backup media.

If you want more assurance, you can purchase a backup e-mail program that will eliminate you having to do all the backing up yourself.

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The Basics of Network Security

Is technology and computer networks grow sophisticated over time, so do the intrusion techniques that scammers try to use in order to infiltrate them. It's because of this that companies are forced to pay more attention to their methods of network security in order to protect their company's resources than ever before.

Small companies are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to protecting their computer networks from outsiders simply because they may not have the resources and personnel that larger companies do in order to combat outside threats.

It used to be that the combination of a router attached to your computer and a firewall program running on the machine were enough to protect a network from intrusion but the reality quickly became that these were simply the first steps in protecting a computer network as attacks increased and became more sophisticated.

If you're serious about protecting your company's private information from people who have no business viewing it, then you need to do a lot more in the name of network security besides having a router and firewall in place.

Network Access Control (NAC), the method by which access to a network is determined, is what protects computer networks from unauthorized access and is broken up into four core components: Authentication, enforcement, endpoint security, and management.

The individual strength of each of these components does a lot to make sure that important files and other pieces of information on your company's network are safe from unauthorized access.

To gain a better understanding of how NAC works, let's take a look at what each of its core aspects do:

Authentication - This method of control is the first in a series of network security methods. It is most often handled by firewalls and verifies what should and should not have access to the network. This method often works well in indentifying and blocking external threats, but its shortcoming is that it assumes all threats come from the outside.
Enforcement - This tier of defense sees to that authenticated clients never become a threat to the network once access is allowed.
Endpoint Security - This component is described as being both individually and centrally managed. Examples of these include personal firewalls and anti-virus programs at the networks individual work stations.
Network Management - This is the last and most important layer of network security. It ties together all other components, changes to meet client needs and involves constant monitoring of the network.

Each of these different aspects wages a constant battle against people trying to gain access to secure networks. The different methods that they employ in trying to gain access are just as varied as the security measures that stop them.

Let's take a look at what many scammers and hackers try to do to get into a secure network so that you have a better understanding of just what it is that your network security protects you against.

Some of the biggest threats to computer networks are:

Viruses - These rogue programs infiltrate a network and spread until they render it useless
Trojan Horses - These often appear as friendly and welcome downloads, but hide a virus or other type of malware once they are opened.
Spam - These unsolicited messages are sent and received in bulk and are often associated with fraud.
Phishing - This method comes in the guise of an official email from a trusted organization. It attempts to get you to reveal passwords and other personal information that can then be used to malicious purposes.
Packet Sniffers - These programs intercept and decode sensitive data sent over networks in an attempt to recover and use the information that is carried.

In an increasingly connected world, businesses are more vulnerable to virtual attacks than ever before and having the proper network security has become more crucial than ever.

It doesn't matter if the company you own is large or small, the chance that vulnerability in your computer network will be exploited for malicious purposes is always there, so you want to do everything that you can to protect your company, employees and assets.

Are you interested in computer repair or learning more about network security in general? DSR-INC has been helping businesses with computer support for over 15 years. Contact them today and get expert help with, computer maintenance, network security, or network maintenance.