Network Security 101

If you read Wednesday evening's post regarding wardriving and wireless security, i hope you took my suggestions to heart and now have a secure wireless network. But even a secure wireless network doesn't guarantee data security. Even the best passwords can be cracked and wireless networks can be compromised. You need to implement good security on your home and/or office computers as well.

The place to start is with your computers's users. Every computer with any sensitive information should require a user name and password before allowing anyone to access the desktop. True, it doesn't take a lot to get around this first level of security. But it's like locking your front door - a determined crook can kick your door in, but a locked door keeps the casual crook out.

Next, don't keep an unencrypted list of your important passwords on your computer. It's amazing how many times I find clients with a spreadsheet called "passwords" on their desktop of Documents folder. There are plenty of programs like RoboForm and SplashID that allow you to securely keep track of the many passwords we need every day.

Speaking of passwords, another way I see clients jeopardizing their sensitive data is by allowing their browser to remember user names and passwords for banking, credit card and other Web sites that could allow bad guys to steal money, employee or client information and more. Yes, it can be a hassle to remember these logins and to enter them every time you need to access the site. But programs like RoboForm will enter this information for you - and you only need to remember a single password.

The same holds true for accounting programs like QuickBooks. These programs contain detailed information about bank accounts, credit cards and payroll. If these programs are accessed by bad guys they can drain accounts before you know you've been compromised.

The bottom line is to use strong passwords on all programs containing sensitive information. Don't store these passwords where it's easy to find them, and change them from time to time.

Please feel free to call me to discuss successful password strategies. Mention this blog post (or Facebook post) and I'll give you up to a half hour of my time at NO COST.