Tips For Securing Your Data From Outside Network Surveillance

By Frank Evans


In this day and age, information security is very important. There are many hackers looking to break into networks for malicious purposes. Recently, there have been numerous reports of unauthorized network surveillance by state sponsored hackers against many institutions in the United States. Once data is stolen, the ramifications on a corporate entity can undoubtedly be disastrous. You might want to effect the following changes to your security policy to stay safe.

The first point of security when it comes to preventing unauthorized access is the use of passwords. However, what many people fail to realize is that not all passwords are tamper proof. With a weak password, it will only take a determined hacker working using a powerful computer a few seconds to crack your encryption.

As such, it is very important to ensure users in your organization set their passwords using combinations of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers. Making use of passphrases is also encouraged. They are incredibly difficult to guess or crack.

Networks that connect to the internet usually have entry points that are known as default gateways. The purpose of a default gateway is to form a buffer zone for the filtering of incoming and outgoing traffic. If configured in the wrong way, people with the most basic hacking skills can gain entry to your network and start monitoring the systems in use. To be on the safe side, make sure you only hire IT personnel who are competent.

In this field, it is always better to emphasize on skill over academic papers. A highly skilled technician will know the right protocols to use to ensure traffic into and outside the network is filtered appropriately. Some technicians like adding an additional security layer known as a DMZ, the digital version of a demilitarized zone. This layer provides enough security to ensure the only connections that come into your company are those that are known and authorized.

Investing in new equipment as they come is also advisable. Technology always changes as time progresses. With time, a system is likely to be mastered by hackers and its underlying vulnerabilities exposed. For safety, get into the habit of investing in brand new devices when they get released. You should also check your software packages regularly for updates. Some packages come with monthly patches, which needless to say help keep hackers off balance. If your IT personnel know what they are supposed to do, they should patch systems regularly.

Routine scanning for viruses should be done on a daily basis as well. Some viruses are known to embed with normal programs to hide their presence. With the correct enterprise antivirus software, your team should be able to detect them easily. These days, many companies have embraced the importance of doing preventative maintenance regularly. This involves scanning machines for viruses and removing junk files.

Also try to invest in camera covers. In case your network gets compromised, hackers can monitor your actions through your webcam. As an extra precaution, you should always make sure all webcams are covered when not in use. Safeguarding your data is not that difficult. All it takes are a few changes to the way you do things.




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