IT Security Tips: Physical and Software-Based IT Security

IT Security Tips: Physical and Software-Based IT Security
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
myabt

Physical security of computers involves the protection of hardware, personnel, software, networks, and data against any physical actions or events which may cause damage or loss to an institution, enterprise, or agency. The protection should be set up against fire, natural disasters, burglary, vandalism, theft or even terrorism. Physical security of computers is usually not taken seriously by most organizations because there is a perception out there that it is not all that important.

You will find that most organizations are usually just more concerned with protecting their computers from technical threats such as hacking, cyber espionage, and malware. While protecting your computer or any other computerized device from technical threats is a noble action to take physical protection of computers is also as important too.

Physical protection of your IT devices

Ensuring that your computers are safe and well protected from physical threats indeed is very important. Leaving your devices easily accessed by attackers can cost you more than you can imagine. If a thief for instance gets access to where you keep your laptop and steals it you lose the laptop and not just that. Note that if the laptop had important files and information the thief will now be able to access then putting such information at risk too.

The potential blowback increases even more when the data stored on the laptop could help the thief to access additional information which may be sensitive. If the stolen computer belongs to a company or any other organization for that matter, then sensitive corporate information may be accessed by people who are not authorized to access it.

If the stolen computer belongs to an individual, then some important information such as email passwords, appointment information, email addresses, and other online account information stored on the device may be compromised. It is for these reasons that proper security measures needs to be put in place to try and prevent any possibility of computers getting stolen in first place.

You could increase the safety of your computers by ensuring that barriers are installed against potential attackers. In addition to bad actors, you should also protect against accidents such as fires or environmental disasters. You could protect your computers by putting up fences on compounds where the devices are located, adding locks to your computer labs, installing access control cards and even fire suppression systems. Creating multiple physical layers of security is key when securing mission critical data.

Software-based IT Security

This is the other aspect of IT security that must also be taken seriously at all times by organizations. Companies that understand about the implications of not taking adequate security measures concerning software-based IT security usually don’t take chances with it.

That said, all computers belonging to organizations or even individuals need to be protected from software imperfections and any kind of vulnerability. The risk of software attacks on computers usually increases when they are connected to the internet or a network which attackers usually use to access them.

Below are some tips that can be followed to help protect computers from software attacks:

Physical security must be taken seriously – If the attacker has physical access to the device then it is so easy for him to get information which he will use for the attack. Never leave your computer in public places or areas that can be accessed by potential attackers easily. If you are an organization, ensure that all the doors where your computers are located are well locked.

Keep your software up to date – Always remember to update software and applications you have installed and running on your computer as soon as the vendor has released their update. Letting your computers run outdated software makes them highly vulnerable to attacks instituted by attackers.

Use strong passwords – It is advisable to use computers that make it easy for you to protect your information by way of passwords. As you select your passwords, choose those which will not be easy for potential attackers to guess. Using different passwords on different devices and programs is even better. Don’t choose options available on the computer that ask you to save your passwords on them (password managers like LastPass or Dashlane).

Encrypt your files – If you are going to keep your sensitive files or corporate files on a computer, use encryption settings on the computer so if anyone gets access to your device, they won’t have access to your information.

Be careful of public Wi-Fi networks – When you connect to the internet by way of a public Wi-Fi network, avoid making online purchases where you will have to enter passwords of your online accounts which may be easy targets of attackers.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot