Here is “Hawaii Public Radio’s” show Bytemarks Cafe with Burt Lum & Ryan Ozawa featuring Altres & the FBI.
http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/audio/BMC_052610.mp3
for more podcasts from Hawaii Public Radio please visit http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org
Maintec offers a variety of service and support plans to fit your needs, from computer and printer repair to network consulting.
Here is “Hawaii Public Radio’s” show Bytemarks Cafe with Burt Lum & Ryan Ozawa featuring Altres & the FBI.
http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/audio/BMC_052610.mp3
for more podcasts from Hawaii Public Radio please visit http://www.hawaiipublicradio.org
Maintec Inc.
Monthly Security Tips
NEWSLETTER
Volume 5, Issue 6
Home Personal Computer (PC) Maintenance for Windows Operating Systems
From the Desk of Jason Fujihara
Why do I need to maintain my home PC?
As with most types of equipment, you must perform periodic maintenance on your home PC to keep it in good operating condition. Performing maintenance will help your PC run faster, use resources more efficiently, and could save you from headaches caused by system failures and degradation. Most importantly, proper PC maintenance is crucial in order to protect your machine from security threats such as worms, viruses and other malicious activity.
How do I keep my home PC maintained?
Note: The following steps are provided to help ensure that your home PC operates effectively and securely. Most of the tips can be performed with moderate knowledge of PCs and can generally be completed in a short time. More detailed, in-depth assistance may be required in some instances, in which case you may wish to consult a qualified computer repair professional.
Establish and maintain a plan. Make a plan to perform periodic maintenance and put it on your calendar as a reminder. Back up critical files system files and programs before beginning.
Set a System Restore Point. Before you begin your periodic maintenance or make any significant changes, set up a system restore point, which will enable recovery from any error that may occur during maintenance. To set a System Restore Point, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, Create a Restore Point. (For “Classic” Start Menu: click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, Create a Restore Point.)
Remove unnecessary files or programs. Empty your Recycle Bin and delete Windows temporary files. Remove installed programs that you no longer use. The Disk Cleanup program does all of these tasks including the deletion of unneeded Windows components. To access the Windows Disk Cleanup program, click: Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. (For “Classic” Start Menu, click: Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup.)
In Internet Explorer, clear your history, temporary Internet files, and cookies by clicking on Tools, Internet Options and select the tab labeled “General.” Click on the Delete button under the section labeled “Browsing history.”
Finally, archive or delete old files such as documents, images and graphics that are no longer needed.
Optimize system performance. Configuring your PC software to operate as efficiently as possible will help your PC run faster and smoother. Organize your data files in a central folder with appropriate subfolders (do not save files in the root directory or on the desktop). This makes backup easier and can reduce fragmentation on your hard drive.
Run a defragment tool on your disk drive. To do so, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. (For “Classic” Start Menu, click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter.)
Apply updates and patches. Make sure your operating system and software applications have the latest updates installed—and that the auto-update feature is enabled. Ensure that your anti-virus/anti-spyware/anti-adware software are running and receiving automatic updates. Check vendor and manufacturer websites for device drivers updates, and apply patches as needed. Renew all maintenance contracts/subscriptions.
Perform regular backups. All critical files, as well as any information not easily replaced should be backed up. Check backup functions to ensure they are operating properly. Back up your files to a remote location (external hard drive or PC).
Check your firewall. Review firewall settings for product configurations. Confirm that settings are appropriate for the current level of security needed.
Routinely change your passwords. Routinely change all of your passwords for local applications, as well as those used for websites. Use strong passwords with at least eight characters and incorporate a mix of numbers, special characters, and upper and lower case letters.
Perform hardware inspections. Perform a visual check of your PC hardware to prevent potential problems before they occur. This includes examining your surge suppressor, UPS, power strip, and cables for any damage. Replace batteries as needed.
Additional Information:
• Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center Cyber Security Tips Newsletter – http://www.msisac.org/awareness/news/2008-03.cfm
• Small Business Computing – http://www.smallbusinesscomputing.com/testdrive/article.php/3864116/7-Basic-Windows-PC-Maintenance-Tips.htm
• Tips4PC – http://www.tips4pc.com/articles/computer%20maintenance/computer_maintenance_checklis_tips.htm
• Sensible-Computer-Help – http://www.sensible-computer-help.com/computer-maintenance-tips.html
• Microsoft – http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/maintenance.aspx
For more monthly cyber security newsletter tips visit: www.msisac.org/awareness/news/
Brought to you by:
www.msisac.org
Maintec Inc.
Monthly Security Tips
NEWSLETTER
Volume 5, Issue 5
Identity Theft
From the Desk of Jason Fujihara
What is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is a crime in which your personal information such as your name, social security number, date of birth, and address is stolen and may be used by someone to assume your identity, often for the purpose of financial gain. It is also referred to as “identity fraud” when the stolen identity is used to impersonate the victim. Methods a criminal may use to steal your data over the Internet include hacking or using spam and phishing. Social media sites and file sharing can be prime targets for identity thieves, since users often make the assumption of a trusted environment, sharing personal information without understanding the consequences.
Identity theft is not just a risk for those who use the Internet. Criminals can obtain information by sorting through garbage, eavesdropping, stealing wallets, picking up receipts at restaurants, and other means.
Once enough information is gathered, criminals may open new credit card accounts, apply for loans, empty your bank accounts, make charges on your credit card, or develop fake forms of identification.
Identity thieves will not always use the information themselves. They may sell it to underground markets for financial gain.
What can I do to protect my identity?
• Ensure that any computer used to connect to the Internet has proper security measures in place. Use and maintain anti-virus software and keep your application and operating system patches up-to-date.
• Do not follow links provided by unknown or un-trusted sources.
• Do not open e-mail attachments from unknown users or suspicious e-mails from trusted sources.
• If you employ file sharing programs, check the configuration settings to ensure you are not inadvertently sharing your personal information.
• Be careful what personal information you distribute, particularly on social networking sites, and continuously check to see what information others may be posting about you. Also verify your privacy settings to ensure you are not inadvertently sharing your personal information.
• Check your credit reports from all three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at least once a year. You are entitled to one free credit report
from each bureau every year. You may wish to stagger your requests to check a different credit bureau every four months.
• Guard your personal information, including your social security number. Don’t carry your social security card with you, and don’t provide your social security number to anyone unless they have a legitimate need for it.
• Don’t put your social security number or driver’s license number on your checks.
• Be aware of your surroundings when providing personal information orally. Watch for eavesdroppers.
• Properly discard hard copy documents containing personal information. A crosscut paper shredder works best.
What do I do if my identity has been stolen?
The first step is to notify your bank, and any other entities with which you have accounts, to inform them that someone may be using your account fraudulently. File a report with your local police and report the event to the Federal Trade Commision. It is helpful to have your financial statements available to better explain your situation.
Contact all three major credit bureaus to request a credit report, and have a fraud alert or a credit freeze placed on your credit reports to prevent accounts from being opened without your permission.
Continue to monitor all of your accounts for any suspicious activity.
Additional Information:
• Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center – www.msisac.org/webcast/02_06/info/resourses.cfm || www.msisac.org/webcast/02_06/
• Federal Trade Commission
www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
• Identity Theft Resource Center
www.idtheftcenter.org/
• Test your Identity Theft Knowledge
www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_theft_test/index.shtml
• National Cyber Security Alliance
www.staysafeonline.org/content/protect-yourself
Brought to you by:
www.msisac.org
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Volume 5, Issue 3 |
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| Security and Privacy on Social Networking Sites | ||
| What are the security and privacy issues associated with social networking sites?
Social networking sites have become very popular avenues for people to communicate with family, friends and colleagues from around the corner or across the globe. While there can be benefits from the collaborative, distributed approaches promoted by responsible use of social networking sites, there are information security and privacy concerns. The volume and accessibility of personal information available on social networking sites have attracted malicious people who seek to exploit this information. The same technologies that invite user participation also make the sites easier to infect with malware that can shut down an organization’s networks, or keystroke loggers that can steal credentials. Common social networking risks such as spear phishing, social engineering, spoofing, and web application attacks attempt to steal a person’s identity. Such attacks are often successful due to the assumption of being in a trusting environment social networks create. Security and privacy related to social networking sites are fundamentally behavioral issues, not technology issues. The more information a person posts, the more information becomes available for a potential compromise by those with malicious intentions. People who provide private, sensitive or confidential information about themselves or other people, whether wittingly or unwittingly, pose a higher risk to themselves and others. Information such as a person’s social security number, street address, phone number, financial information, or confidential business information should not be published online. Similarly, posting photos, videos or audio files could lead to an organization’s breach of confidentiality or an individual’s breach of privacy. What are the precautions I should take? Below are some helpful tips regarding security and privacy while using social networking sites:
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Additional Information:
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Maintec Inc.
Monthly Security Tips |
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Volume 5, Issue 1 |
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| Cyber Security Trends for 2010 | ||
From the Desk of Jason Fujihara |
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| As we begin the new year, it’s an opportune time to assess the cyber security landscape and prepare for what new challenges may lie ahead, as well as what current threats may continue.
What Are the Cyber Trends for 2010?
What Can I Do? The following are helpful tips to assist in minimizing risk:
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The information provided in the Monthly Security Tips Newsletters is intended to increase the security awareness of an organization’s end users and to help them behave in a more secure manner within their work environment. While some of the tips may relate to maintaining a home computer, the increased awareness is intended to help improve the organization’s overall cyber security posture. Organizations have permission–and in fact are encouraged–to brand and redistribute this newsletter in whole for educational, non-commercial purposes. |
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Maintec Inc.
Monthly Cyber Security Tips |
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Volume 3, Issue 9 |
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| Personal Privacy – How to Protect Your Information | ||||
| From the Desk of Jason Fujihara | ||||
| As we continue to conduct more business online, such as banking, shopping and other activities, our personal information (such as name, credit card account, address, etc) is increasingly utilized. Personal information has become a frequent target for data thieves and the volume of breaches involving personal information continues to grow. According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, there have been more than 240 million records containing sensitive personal information involved in security breaches to-date nationally.
What Personal Information is Collected? Many types of organizations are interested in obtaining and using your personal information, and it’s important to know what information is being collected, by whom and how it will be used. Websites track web users as they navigate cyberspace. Data may be collected about you as a result of many of your routine activities including:
Protecting Your Personal Information The following tips should be used to help you manage your personal information wisely, to help minimize its misuse, and to lessen the risk of your personal information being compromised:
References To learn more about protecting your privacy, you may wish to visit the following sites:
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The information provided in the Monthly Security Tips Newsletters is intended to increase the security awareness of an organization’s end users and to help them behave in a more secure manner within their work environment. While some of the tips may relate to maintaining a home computer, the increased awareness is intended to help improve the organization’s overall cyber security posture.
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Monthly Security Tips |
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Volume 4, Issue 12 |
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| Automatic Software Updates and Patching | |||
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From the Desk of Jason Fujihara |
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| Security vulnerabilities are flaws in the software that could allow someone to potentially compromise your system. Each year, the volume of software security vulnerabilities discovered increases, and the hacking tools available to exploit these vulnerabilities become more readily available and easier to use. Vulnerabilities in commonly used programs such as Adobe PDF Reader, QuickTime, Adobe Flash and Microsoft Office are prime targets of attacks on computers connected to the Internet. Recent statistics reported show that 48% of the cyber attacks identified in the second quarter of 2009 were targeted against vulnerabilities in Adobe Acrobat/Adobe Reader1 and in October 2009 Microsoft released patches for a record number of security holes. No entity is immune to vulnerabilities, so we must ensure we understand the risks and take appropriate mitigation steps.
Why do I need to update my software? One of the basic tenets of computer security is to update your operating system and other software installed on your computer. Software updates fix problems in the software, add functionality, and most importantly, fix vulnerabilities that impact the security of the software and subsequently your computer. These vulnerabilities can lead to your computer—and information that resides on it—being compromised. Exploitation of vulnerabilities may occur by opening documents, viewing an email which contains malicious code or visiting a web site hosting malicious content. Seventy percent of the top 100 web sites hosted malicious content or contained a link designed to redirect users to malicious sites.2 What is a software patch (fix) and when should I install software patches? Patches are often called “fixes.” A patch is software that is used to correct a problem to an application (software program) or an operating system. Computer companies are continuously addressing security holes (i.e. vulnerabilities) in computer software which could be used to infect your computer with a virus, spyware or worse. When vulnerabilities are discovered, the software vendor typically issues a fix (i.e. patch) to correct the problem. This fix should be applied as soon as possible since the average time for someone to try to exploit this security hole can be as little as a few minutes. Most major software companies will periodically release patches, usually downloadable from the Internet, that correct very specific problems in their software programs. Please check with your software vendor that the update will not interfere with the operation of your programs.
My computer includes hundreds of software programs– which ones do I need to update and how often? One of the challenges facing the average computer user is to know which software needs to be updated and how often. Software programs that communicate or interact with the Internet are especially susceptible to attacks and should be kept at a vendor-supported version and current on all patches. Many software programs include a feature called “auto update.” This feature allows the computer to check for updates at periodic intervals. The software will automatically check for updates and save them to your computer. Some updates will instruct you to “reboot” your computer before the software update can be applied. At a minimum, you should enable the auto update feature on the following products:
It is very important to promptly download and patch your operating system and programs whenever security updates or “service packs” become available. These patches are created to protect systems against potential attacks. Be aware that attacks sometimes occur before updates are released. How do I update my Microsoft Windows programs? Windows Update is a Microsoft service that provides updates for the Windows operating system and other Microsoft software. Installing Windows updates, such as “service packs” and other patches, is necessary to keep your Windows system secure. To activate Windows Update, go to Settings/Control Panel/Automatic Updates. When you turn on Automatic Updates, Windows routinely checks the Windows Update web site for high-priority updates that can help protect your computer from the latest viruses and other security threats. These updates can include security updates, critical updates, and “service packs.” Depending on the setting you choose, Windows automatically downloads and installs any high-priority updates that your computer needs, or notifies you as these updates become available. Be sure to set the auto updates to daily, as patches can be released at any time. Note: Many organizations have formal processes to patch systems that will automatically update all appropriate software. In these situations, no end user action is required. ****************************** Source: 1. F-Secure For more information, please visit the monthly cyber security newsletter tips at: |
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Online Holiday Shopping Tips
The holiday season is approaching quickly and many of us will be shopping online. comScore estimates that in one day alone last year –Cyber Monday on December 1–$846 million was spent in online shopping, marking a 15% jump from 2007. With the increased volume of online shopping, it’s important that consumers understand the potential security risks and know how to protect themselves and their information.
The following tips are provided to help promote a safe, secure online shopping experience:
Secure your computer. Make sure your computer has the latest security updates installed. Check that your anti-virus/anti-spyware software is running and receiving automatic updates. If you haven’t already done so, install a firewall before you begin your online shopping.
Upgrade your browser. Upgrade your Internet browser to the most recent version available. Review the browser’s security settings. Apply the highest level of security available that still gives you the functionality you need.
Ignore pop-up messages. Set your browser to block pop-up messages. If you do receive one, click on the “X” at the top right corner of the title bar to close the pop-up message.
Secure your transactions. Look for the “lock” icon on the browser’s status bar and be sure “https” appears in the website’s address bar before making an online purchase. The “s” stands for “secure” and indicates that the webpage is encrypted. Some browsers can be set to warn the user if they are submitting information that is not encrypted.
Use strong passwords. Create strong passwords for online accounts. Use at least eight characters, with numbers, special characters, and upper and lower case letters. Don’t use the same passwords for online shopping websites that you use for logging onto your home or work computer. Never share your login and/or password.
Do not e-mail sensitive data. Never e-mail credit card or other financial/sensitive information. E-mail is like sending a postcard and other people have the potential to read it.
Do not use public computers or public wireless to conduct transactions. Don’t use public computers or public wireless for your online shopping. Public computers may contain malicious software that steals your credit card information when you place your order. Criminals may be monitoring public wireless for credit card numbers and other confidential information.
Review privacy policies. Review the privacy policy for the website/merchant you are visiting. Know what information the merchant is collecting about you, how it will be used, and if it will be shared or sold to others.
Make payments securely. Pay by credit card rather than debit card. Credit/charge card transactions are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. Cardholders are typically only liable for the first $50 in unauthorized charges. If online criminals obtain your debit card information they have the potential to empty your bank account.
Use temporary account authorizations. Some credit card companies offer virtual or temporary credit card numbers. This service gives you a temporary account number for online transactions. These numbers are issued for a short period of time and cannot be used after that period.
Select merchants carefully. Limit your online shopping to merchants you know and trust. Confirm the online seller’s physical address and phone number in case you have questions or problems. If you have questions about a merchant check with the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.
Keep a record. Keep a record of your online transactions, including the product description and price, the online receipt, and copies of every e-mail you send or receive from the seller. Review your credit card and bank statements for unauthorized charges.
What to do if you encounter problems with an online shopping site:
If you have problems shopping online contact the seller or site operator directly. If those attempts are not successful, you may wish to contact the following entities:
State Attorney General’s office
Consumer protection agency
Better Business Bureau at: www.bbb.org
Federal Trade Commission at: www.ftc.gov/
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