Endpoint security means you and the systems that you use. You are considered an endpoint of the network that you are on. The six suggestions below are designed to help you adopt best practices to insure the safety and security of your home systems or workstation.
Practice good physical security. What this means is make sure that you are aware of your surroundings and who might be seeing the content on your screen.
Secure backup devices (flash drives, remote hard disks, CDs, etc.) when leaving the work area. Log off when leave your computer unattended or lock your screen and be sure to use very strong screen saver passwords. Configure your screen to lock after a few minutes of inactivity to cover you in case you forget.
Make sure your operating system is kept up to date.
In Windows this is done using Windows Update. On OSX it is done using Software Update or the App Store.
By the same note make sure your utilities are also up to date especially if they access external content; Adobe Flash and Reader, Java, and Silverlight for both Windows and OSX should be updated regularly.
Install anti-virus software and configure it for automatic updates and scheduled scanning. There are a variety of options available for both Windows and OSX to help accommodate this.
Enable your firewall. In Windows the Windows Firewall is already enabled by default.You can check its status in the Control Panel under Windows Firewall.
In OSX it is off by default. You can check its status, and turn it on, by going to System Preferences then Security then Firewall.
Some antivirus program come with a firewall which is designed to replace the one built into the operating system so make sure to check before performing any changes.
Use strong passwords. Make sure you use the strongest passwords you can. Shorter passwords should be completely random strings containing, letters, capital letters, numbers, symbols, and should not contain an words.
If you want to use words that are easier to remember then try your favorite quote or sentence from a book including capitalization and punctuation. That will help insure complexity and make it more difficult for someone to guess your password.
Consider a password management program to help keep track of all your logins and passwords.
Practice good email usage. Never provide your password or other personal information via e-mail; no legitimate organization would ever request your password via e-mail.
Never click on a link within an e-mail or visit a web site unless you know the web site is reputable and virus and malware free. Never open e-mail attachments from unknown senedrs. Never propagate (re-send) “chain mail” that may contain links to sites with viruses or malware.
Lastly before installing anything; thoroughly evaluate shareware or free software as it may contain a virus or malware.
Many free programs pay the authors via manipulative or misleading methods that can cost you much more than a legitimate paid software would cost. Use your best judgement and do a search on it in advance to see if others have said it is poor software or a scam of some kind.
Using these suggestions at home and at work will insure that you are practicing good endpoint security and keeping yourself and your organization safe.
What ways do you practice endpoint security? Share your ideas in the comments below.
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