How to be safe from cyber attacks in 2011?

BANGALORE, INDIA: Year 2010 has been witness to upscale number of attacks. The year is considered to be a turning point in terms of security by experts as the attacks witnessed were matured and their targets were not only the traditional computers but also mobile devices and critical infrastructure.

Hence, the security environment is expected to be complex in 2011 also. Here are a few security tips that can help you avoid cyber attacks during 2011:

Also read: Are you ready for new security challenges?

Tips to protect computers

McAfee advises Internet users to follow these five tips to protect their computers and personal information:

1. Stick to well-established and trusted sites that include trust marks (icons or seals from third parties verifying that the site is safe), user reviews and customer support. A reputable trust mark provider will have a live link attached to its trust mark icon, which will take visitors to a verification Web site of the trust mark provider.

Also read: Worms and Trojans that mattered in 2010

2. Do not respond to offers that arrive in a spam email, text or instant message.

3. Preview a link’s web address before you click on it to make sure it is going to an established site. Never download or click anything from an unknown source.

4. Stay away from vendors that offer prices well below the norm. Don’t believe anything that’s too good to be true.

5. Make sure to use trusted Wi-Fi networks. Don’t check bank accounts or shop online if you’re not sure the network is safe.

Tips for mobile device security

According to Rescue.com mobile device security is as important as the PC security. Here are 5 security tips offered by the company.

1.) Internet Security is a Mobile Issue - Most of us have Internet security measures in place on our home computers, but what about on our mobile devices? Most mobile devices have fewer Internet security defenses by default, making them a popular target for hackers. Take full advantage of all Internet security options available to you, and treat your mobile device as what it is - another computer.

2.)Phone Data Recovery is More Than a Solution - To most of us, phone data recovery is something to seek out in the event of lost or corrupted data. However, phone data recovery has become much more than that. The results of phone data recovery efforts often feature prominently in civil and criminal trials. GPS location data, browser history, emails and text messages, and photos saved to mobile devices can all be used as evidence.

{#PageBreak#}

3.) Criminals Take Advantage - If law enforcement and lawyers can access your information through phone data recovery, hackers can as well. With fewer Internet security measures between them and your data, criminals often engage in some phone data recovery of their own. They take advantage of your lack of Internet security to access virtually anything stored on your mobile device. This sort of illegal phone data recovery can easily lead to identity theft.

4.)Be Selective - The very things that make mobile devices so attractive - mobile Internet, email, social networking, games, and apps - are the same things criminals can use to compromise your Internet security. Many popular apps contain code allowing them to access user location data or other information. Without proper Internet security, criminals can easily compromise your phone and gain access to stored passwords, contacts lists, and more. Being selective about what you install and store on your device offers you the best level of protection.

5.)Guard Your Device - For all the high tech Internet security and phone data recovery threats to your mobile device, there remains one serious old fashioned threat: theft. Mobile devices are small and easy to snatch. Always keep your device with you and protect yourself by utilizing a password and data encryption to keep your data safe even if your device is lost or stolen.

Security tips for business:

Symantec recommends the following safe practices for businesses for 2011:

1. Develop and enforce IT policies in order to identify threats and re-mediate incidents as they occur or anticipate them before they happen.

2. Protect information pro-actively by taking an information-centric approach. Utilize encryption to secure sensitive information and prohibit access by unauthorized individuals.

3. Authenticate identities by leveraging solutions that allow businesses to ensure only authorized personnel have access to systems.

4. Manage systems by implementing secure operating environments, distributing and enforcing patch levels, automating processes to streamline efficiency, and monitoring and reporting on-system status.

5. Protect the infrastructure by securing endpoints, messaging and Web environments. In addition, defending critical internal servers and implementing the ability to back up and recover data should be priorities. Organizations also need the visibility and security intelligence to respond to threats rapidly.

6. Ensure 24x7 availability. Organizations should implement testing methods that are non-disruptive and they can reduce complexity by automating fail over.

7. Develop an information management strategy that includes an information retention plan and policies.o