I heard it again today, “I don’t have anything they would want, why would hackers attack me?” This is one of dozens of excuse people and businesses give me for not wanting professional IT services and or security.
Our cars have anti-lock brakes, air bags as well as seat belts. Some models come with rear cameras and auto braking features, all in the name of safety.In Europe kingdoms had castles and castles had layers of security, commonly called rings of security. While the king was home, the layers were good. Besides Mother Nature there were low walls, high walls, guards, spies, natural and manmade barriers.
Your computer, laptop, tablet and phone are, like a king of old, vulnerable. There are dozens of articles on how much a hacked email account is worth, a hacked computer that can be used as a bot is worth more, and then if you bank online with that computer, it is worth even more.
Yes, your MAC is vulnerable.
The best use for a Mac
I would dare say more vulnerable than a Windows PC because so many people take no security precautions on their Apple products.
Even the geek’s dream OS, Linux is able to be infected, hacked and controlled without the users knowledge.
Traditionally you secure your data and hardware (phone, tablet, laptop et al) with fixed layers or rings of security. At the outside you have a modem which is totally vulnerable, so next is a router. This allows your internal technology to communicate with the internet. A quality router will cost a minimum of $500 for a home and $1,100 for a small business, prices go up based on number of users, how fast you want to connect to the internet et al. Also, a quality router will have a subscription service that continually updates your router with preventive measures from outside attacks.
That “free” or $10 a month Modem/router from AT&T or Suddenlink is NOT a security device and only fools insist on using them. Out of the many brands of quality routers out there.
I have chosen SonicWall because they are the least pain in the assets.
I am not calling them great, or even good, just the least pain to deal with. They have broken away from Dell, and may improve their support and service, time will tell. http://www.eweek.com/security/sonicwall-now-a-new-company-independent-from-dell.html
A quality router such a SonicWall will have numerous internal settings for your Local Network (items in your facility) and your access to the internet. This allows you to setup what you need for your business or home by allowing or blocking content, specific web sites and of course various types of malware, worms, Trojans, ransomware and viruses from getting in.
A router alone is not enough, however it is the starting point. This link takes you to many of the articles I have written on next steps you should take. http://theweeklygeek.com/category/security/
If you would like more wisdom or knowledge on what is best for you and your situation, comment below or contact us at Ward Computers many social media sites.
Until we meet again, have a virus free week.