Brian Krebs, a highly respected journalist, cybersecurity expert, and author of the KrebsOnSecurity blog, has distilled his views on best practices into three cardinal rules:
Hackers are very adept at enticing users
to open emails that contain a damaging
“payload,” using a tactic called “social
engineering.”
Rule #1 underscores the importance
of carefully scrutinizing email with a
cautious eye, and never downloading
an attachment that you aren’t expecting.
Email attachments are automatically
hosted in the ManyMe cloud, so that
attachments never reach your local
device without your consent.
Vulnerabilities in commercial software are discovered daily, even in the software published by
the leading vendors. Once a flaw is discovered, vendors publish “bug fixes” or “patches” to
close the security gap.
It is essential to deploy these updates promptly to protect yourself. Unfortunately, studies
show that many breaches occur months after a fix was published because user devices weren't
updated.
Even if you no longer use a specific software product, security holes in that software can be used to attack your computer devices and home network. If you no longer need a specific application, get rid of it! Think of it as a matter of good cyber housekeeping.
For more valuable advice on Cyber Best Practices, please check out the following blog posts:
Tips
for Detecting Risky Emails |
Security
Awareness Begins AT HOME