A Password Is Like Underwear
Really, a password is just like underwear. You should always wear it and change it frequently. You can be unconventional if you like but at some point you will be embarrassed or worse.
Forget about antivirus software, DMZs, firewalls and VPNs. The one item that provides more protection for your PC, your applications and your data than anything else is a password.
If you have a PC at home or at your office that doesn't require a username and password to get to the desktop, you are leaving the gate open and the light on. Anyone from the janitor to your seven-year-old son has access to your checkbook, your business plan and all those cached web pages from your most recent cruise around the Internet.
Even if they dont care what's on your PC there is the possibility an unauthorized user can delete or corrupt a file or even an application.
Basic security for any PC should be as follows.
1. Disable the "Guest" account.
2. Every user on your PC should have their own login account and password.
3. Every login account should be configured to go to a password-protected screen saver after fifteen minutes or so.
4. If this is an office PC, the interval should be set even shorter to 5 or 10 minutes.
5. Financial applications (Quicken, Peachtree, etc.) should always be password protected in addition to the access passwords noted above.
6. Every password should be at least six characters long. It is even better to use a combination of characters and numbers.
7. Don't use your name, your phone number or anything else too obvious.
When you cruise the Internet and log into your bank account or other financial sites, remember the same principle. All of these websites have a little box on the login screen that says, "remember my password" or "remember me." Make sure that little box is unchecked.
Otherwise . . . anyone who managed to get into your PC will be automatically logged in to those sites - sorta like writing your PIN on your debit card.
Yes, passwords are a hassle to use and a pain if you forget but if you don't password protect your PC and data, you are just asking for trouble.
The same advice applies to your router, your wireless access point or any other hardware on your network. All of these come with "default" passwords that are not only noted in the user manual but are available on the web.
Whenever you install such a device, you should change the password from the default.
If you install a wireless network you should also change the SSID from the default as well.
If an employee or partner leaves the organization, change all the passwords better safe than sorry.
Sure you need antivirus and spyware software. Of course you should use a firewall (preferably hardware, not software). But if you fail to password protect your systems, you are asking for the most common kind of computer damage, theft or corruption of your data.
Forget about antivirus software, DMZs, firewalls and VPNs. The one item that provides more protection for your PC, your applications and your data than anything else is a password.
If you have a PC at home or at your office that doesn't require a username and password to get to the desktop, you are leaving the gate open and the light on. Anyone from the janitor to your seven-year-old son has access to your checkbook, your business plan and all those cached web pages from your most recent cruise around the Internet.
Even if they dont care what's on your PC there is the possibility an unauthorized user can delete or corrupt a file or even an application.
Basic security for any PC should be as follows.
1. Disable the "Guest" account.
2. Every user on your PC should have their own login account and password.
3. Every login account should be configured to go to a password-protected screen saver after fifteen minutes or so.
4. If this is an office PC, the interval should be set even shorter to 5 or 10 minutes.
5. Financial applications (Quicken, Peachtree, etc.) should always be password protected in addition to the access passwords noted above.
6. Every password should be at least six characters long. It is even better to use a combination of characters and numbers.
7. Don't use your name, your phone number or anything else too obvious.
When you cruise the Internet and log into your bank account or other financial sites, remember the same principle. All of these websites have a little box on the login screen that says, "remember my password" or "remember me." Make sure that little box is unchecked.
Otherwise . . . anyone who managed to get into your PC will be automatically logged in to those sites - sorta like writing your PIN on your debit card.
Yes, passwords are a hassle to use and a pain if you forget but if you don't password protect your PC and data, you are just asking for trouble.
The same advice applies to your router, your wireless access point or any other hardware on your network. All of these come with "default" passwords that are not only noted in the user manual but are available on the web.
Whenever you install such a device, you should change the password from the default.
If you install a wireless network you should also change the SSID from the default as well.
If an employee or partner leaves the organization, change all the passwords better safe than sorry.
Sure you need antivirus and spyware software. Of course you should use a firewall (preferably hardware, not software). But if you fail to password protect your systems, you are asking for the most common kind of computer damage, theft or corruption of your data.
posted by NoClausewitzHere at 8:00 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home