- Apr 25, 2013
- 5,355
Kevin Mitnick came over his security proficiency by hand. In the 1990s, his digital seepage of some of the largest companies around the world made him a well-known technology boogieman, and inevitably landed him 5 years behind bars. Now free and clear, Mitnick has transformed himself as a computer system security expert and writer. He takes a trip around the world teaching organizations the best ways to safeguard their information in a world of business spies and more youthful versions of himself. He took a break from his jet-setting to discuss some functional security tips.
- Back up everything! You are not invulnerable. Catastrophic data loss can happen to you, one worm or Trojan is all it takes.
- Choose passwords that are reasonably hard to guess -- don't just append a few numbers to a no-brainer. Always change default passwords.
- Use an antivirus product like AVG or Norton, and set it to update daily.
- Update your OS religiously and be vigilant in applying all security patches released by the software manufacturer.
- Avoid hacker-bait apps like Internet Explorer and disable automatic scripting on your e-mail client.
- Use encryption software like PGP (pretty good privacy) when sending sensitive e-mail. You can also use it to protect your entire hard drive.
- Install a spyware detection app or even several. Programs that can be set to run frequently, like SpyCop, are ideal.
- Use a personal firewall. Configure it to prevent other computers, networks and sites from connecting to you, and specify which programs are allowed to connect to the net automatically.
- Disable any system services you're not using, especially apps that could give others remote access to your computer (like Remote Desktop, RealVNC and NetBIOS).
- Secure your wireless networks. At home, enable WPA (Wi-Fi protected access) with a password of at least 20 characters. Configure your laptop to connect in Infrastructure mode only, and don't add networks unless they use WPA.
