Quick Guide: Best Information Security Tips for 2019
More than five million $ looted in almost 20 minutes from one of the reputable Islamic banks in country in a notorious Information security breach in late last year, this and many such information security attacks that occurred in recent past has shocked the information technology and security managers in enterprises of all levels. Information security which had been considered as an expense and over head till lately is considered in 2019 as a necessity of survival and functioning of business.
This quick guide on best Information security in 2019 has been prepared to give readers and IT stakeholders an idea of best practices to inculcate in their routine to prevent the data and their privacy. Let me give you my own example, before starting my own job in IT security distribution, I was naïve of latest information security trends, words like antivirus, firewall, malware, seemed alien to me, however after progressing in my career I came to know how important is information security knowledge for every individual from home users to corporate users. It’s then when I decided to avail paid subscription of a leading industry antivirus which offered protection to 10 devices, ranging from android, IOS, MAC and Windows.
Below is a concise yet comprehensive guide on information security, being presented to valuable users on a good faith.
Prevention is always better than protection
No matter how robust cyber security standards you opt for, there are always chances of hackers penetrating your system, because with advanced information security there comes advanced hacking standards as well. Attacks recently in top enterprises such as SONY, etc reveal the same. It’s always better to keep an updated backup of your data so that you don’t become victim of ransomware. Backup should always be kept at a remote and distant datacentre and stored in cloud, which gives ease of accessing it whenever necessary. For individual users also I would recommend using paid and free cloud backup software like Google Drive, Onedrive, DropBox etc. Its worth mentioning here that backup not only comes handy in case of information security breach, but it gives greater data mobility as well.
Antivirus is saviour
With advancement in artificial intelligence and software technology, an antivirus is not a traditional protection tool which we have been hearing of since early computer days. Modern days antivirus gives information security protection beyond one’s imagination. Advanced antivirus provides real time protection against ransomware, signature less attacks, online privacy as well as child lock protection. Modern antivirus also provides a built-in firewall with extraordinary capabilities and encryption.
VPN Tunnelling
Even though many antivirus software provides VPN functionality, its better to avail paid subscription of VPN, especially if you are frequent traveller and connect your gadgets with open wi-fi networks (public networks). Mind it! before hitting a VPN subscription its advisable to go through local rules and regulation in this trend.
Using a password manager
With increasing number of gadgets and devices, online subscriptions, bank details and so on, passwords management is getting troublesome day by day. A single password which serves purpose is not a very good option after all. As a single password makes you more prone to attacks, because if one password is hacked you might get vulnerable on number of platforms. Secondly if one password is compromised the user has to go through the hassle of changing passwords on all platforms, and finally with different passwords complexities and standards at different platforms, a single password may not be good enough to be placed on all positions.
In situations such as these, a password manager comes handy. It gives protection as well as peace of mind.
IoT Devices are great but take charge
The present times is a spider web of different IT device connected and seemingly interacting with each other, however like all information technology devices it’s also prone to certain complexities. Even though its altogether a different topic, there are few precautions which saves the day:
- Use unique passwords (already discussed above)
- Use only features that are relevant and important, not all features there are worth exploring, and bear in mind that additional features come with additional threats
- Operating systems should be kept updated with security features to help protection and security related to threats
Encryption
This is one technique which is worth exploring, yet brutally ignored. Many encryption products being offered by top notch companies are underrated and undersold. Encryption comes handy when there’s a breach in information security or even in physical security. Encryption is available in both disk level and drive level. Since encryption is still in its growing phase, its better to give it some research before embarking on check put phase.
Maximize internet security
This goes without saying but almost all attacks are activated when we join the world web. Internet security is so relevant that many top antivirus companies give dedicated internet security products which are customized (a concise version of total security) Before selecting on internet security product, one should be vigilant about the offering and their suitability in the environment.
Phish threat and Email Security
More than 70% of the attacks are borne at email levels. It’s a mode of communication which costs less than any other medium, but attacks generated due to these can result in significant financial damage. Many top of the line information security companies give dedicated email protection, available in device, virtual (SaaS) form. An investment in email security should never go without PHIST ATTAKS. Phish Attacks prevent attacks due to social engineering which is a social form of attacks not preventable through traditional forms.
With this we have come to conclusion of our first article in the series of information security latest trends in 2019. In this article an honest attempt has been made to give users an overview of information security breaches and tips on circumventing them. Very soon we will be coming forward with another article on any single hot information security topic of 2019. Stay Tuned!
About Author:
Haris Khan a digital marketer by profession and writer by passion. A technology enthusiast and mankind lover. You can meet him at Facebook.
