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    Protect Your Business From Web-Based Threats: An Introduction To Internet Security

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    abhijitch
    Internet security aims to protect individuals and businesses from web-based threats like hackers and malware. Common threats include malware, phishing scams, and new vulnerabilities on social media and mobile devices. While some myths exist, like small businesses being less vulnerable, research shows over 60% of data breaches occur at small companies. Employees also often fall for phishing scams. To protect themselves, businesses should use tools like anti-malware software and firewalls, keep systems updated, and educate employees on security best practices. Improving security helps businesses create a safer environment and reduce legal and productivity risks.

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    Protect Your Business From Web-Based Threats: An Introduction To Internet Security

    Uploaded by

    abhijitch
    26 views4 pages
    Internet security aims to protect individuals and businesses from web-based threats like hackers and malware. Common threats include malware, phishing scams, and new vulnerabilities on social media and mobile devices. While some myths exist, like small businesses being less vulnerable, research shows over 60% of data breaches occur at small companies. Employees also often fall for phishing scams. To protect themselves, businesses should use tools like anti-malware software and firewalls, keep systems updated, and educate employees on security best practices. Improving security helps businesses create a safer environment and reduce legal and productivity risks.

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    A Primer on Internet Security

    Original Title

    Internet Security

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    Internet security aims to protect individuals and businesses from web-based threats like hackers and malware. Common threats include malware, phishing scams, and new vulnerabilities on social media and mobile devices. While some myths exist, like small businesses being less vulnerable, research shows over 60% of data breaches occur at small companies. Employees also often fall for phishing scams. To protect themselves, businesses should use tools like anti-malware software and firewalls, keep systems updated, and educate employees on security best practices. Improving security helps businesses create a safer environment and reduce legal and productivity risks.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    26 views4 pages

    Protect Your Business From Web-Based Threats: An Introduction To Internet Security

    Uploaded by

    abhijitch
    Internet security aims to protect individuals and businesses from web-based threats like hackers and malware. Common threats include malware, phishing scams, and new vulnerabilities on social media and mobile devices. While some myths exist, like small businesses being less vulnerable, research shows over 60% of data breaches occur at small companies. Employees also often fall for phishing scams. To protect themselves, businesses should use tools like anti-malware software and firewalls, keep systems updated, and educate employees on security best practices. Improving security helps businesses create a safer environment and reduce legal and productivity risks.

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    AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET SECURITY

    PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS FROM WEB-BASED


    THREATS
    Definition
    internet security /intr net si y

    rit /

    un

    Internet security is a branch of computer security whose objective is


    to establish rules and measures to protect individuals and businesses
    (their data and other assets) from web-based threats, such as
    hackers, scams and malicious code.
    Threats
    Malware: a catch-all term used to refer to various types of malicious
    software.
    Phishing/spoofing: a type of scam aimed at obtaining a users
    personal or confidential information. Phishing scams typically involve
    some sort of spam email or social media message designed to lure a
    user to a spoofed or fraudulent website.
    Trends
    For the first quarter of 2011, McAfee Labs recorded an average of
    8,600 new bad sites per day. (McAfee Labs, McAfee Threats Report:
    First Quarter 2011)
    Whats a bad site? Domains, IP addresses, and URLs that host
    malware, potentially unwanted programs, and phishing scams.
    New vulnerabilities
    Social media sites
    Mobile devices/apps

    AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET SECURITY

    Microsofts 2011 Security Intelligence Report found that from the


    beginning of 2010 to the end of the year, phishing attacks based on
    social networks increased by 1200 percent.
    Misconceptions
    MYTH: Small businesses are less vulnerable to web-based attacks
    REALITY: Of the data breaches investigated by the U.S. Secret
    Service and Verizon Communications forensic analysis unit, 63
    percent were at companies with 100 employees or fewer. Whats
    more, because security is becoming tighter than ever at larger firms,
    small business look increasingly tempting to hackers.
    MYTH: I/my employees would never fall for an phishing scam
    REALITY: Employees are a company's greatest security risk. The
    results of phishing experiment conducted by the firm KnowBe4, which
    provides web-based Internet security training to businesses, found
    that employees at 43 percent of companies clicked the link in a
    simulated phishing email sent from a reputable and trusted server.
    Even when the email was sent from an unknown and untrusted
    server, 15 percent of organizations still had one or more employees
    who clicked.

    The longer term concern is that while many of


    us think that we are too savvy for online scams,
    the research demonstrates otherwise.
    Richard Clooke, online security expert at PC Tools

    Challenges facing SMBs

    Issue complexity
    Lack of time
    Cost constraints
    Lack of expertise
    Opportunity cost

    AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET SECURITY

    Many organizations dont have the tools and inhouse expertise to detect these threats, so
    attacks and security breaches go unnoticed.
    Gartner, Inc., Network Security Monitoring Tools for Lean Forward Security
    Programs. February 2011

    Safeguards
    Tools
    Anti-malware software (updated regularly)
    Firewalls (firewalls create checkpoints between an internal private
    network and the public Internet)
    Network encryption: protocols include SSL and TLS for web traffic,
    PGP for email, and IPsec for the network layer security
    Actions/policies

    Keep your operating system and applications current and patched


    Limit access to your network
    Establish rules/safeguards for remote workers
    Promote awareness of common phishing threats
    Work-from-home scams
    Weight-loss claims
    Lotteries and sweepstakes scams
    Fake check scams
    Imposter scams
    Mystery shopper scams
    Bogus apartment rentals
    Miracle cures
    Debt relief scams
    Pay-in-advance credit offers
    Investment schemes
    The "Nigerian" email scam
    Back up your data regularly
    Back up your data regularly
    Back up your data regularly
    AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET SECURITY

    Don't open any attachments in emails unless you know who sent it
    and what it is
    Download and install software only from websites you know and
    trust.
    Make sure your browser security setting is high enough to detect
    unauthorized downloads
    Use a pop-up blocker and don't click on any links within pop-ups
    Wi-Fi security: Change the name and password of your router from
    the default settings
    Use WPA2 encryption whenever possible
    Worth the trouble?
    Yes! Improving your security posture will help your business:
    Create a safe working environment for your team
    Prevent pornographic, offensive, hostile materials from being
    inadvertently distributed through your network
    Reduce risk of costly network infrastructure damage
    Promote workplace productivity (ensure your network is used for
    business productivity, not as a recreational diversion)
    Reduce liability (prevent employees from using your network to
    conduct illegal activity)
    Protect employee and business privacy

    Interested in learning more about Internet security? Dont hesitate to


    contact us!

    AN INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET SECURITY

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