Basic Steps to Prevent Your Data From Being Stolen

One has to cringe when they read this headline: "Millions of Medical Records Stolen from Unlocked Van".

In December of 2010 1.7 million records of patients, staff, contractors, vendors, and other personal records from several hospitals in the Bronx were stolen. Now, records are stolen every day. The point here is that the culprit was not some talented black-hat hacker or shadowy criminal organization from Russia or the Middle East. They didn't use sophisticated techniques or hacker tools, bounced off of multiple proxy servers, and controlled by a hidden botnet. These records were contained in data backup tapes that were being taken offsite by a third-party data storage vendor. The driver of the vehicle that picked them up left them in an UNLOCKED van that he/she left parked in Manhattan.

It has been said that the first step to electronic data security is physical security. The theft referenced above proves the point. It doesn't matter how secure your electronic points of entry are, if someone can get their hands on your physical media, you could have a problem.

This story brings up a good point: You should be using encryption on your backup tapes so that if they fall into the wrong hands the data cannot be easily recovered.

Basic security steps you should take today:

1. Make sure your backup software allows you to encrypt backup tapes and require a password to access the data on them. If your software doesn't do this then you need to upgrade your software!

2. Make sure all of your systems are protected by strong passwords. This includes even "non-critical" systems. The bad guys often use lesser systems as staging points to attack more critical systems.

3. Change your passwords often, and store them in a safe, preferably locked, location. Passwords written on sticky notes and stuck to your monitor, placed under your keyboard, in your desk drawer, or in a Rolodex under "P" for password is the same as having no password at all!

4. Don't assume that any system is not important enough to password protect. See number two above!

5. Make sure your physical entry points are secure. Data storage devices such as hard drives can and often are stolen, taken to the criminal's shop, and compromised at will.

6. When you return a copier or printer at the end of its lease, don't forget to destroy the data saved on its hard drive. This is often forgotten.

7. Make sure you are protected with business class firewalls, and software to protect against spam, viruses, and other malware, and keep your protection up to date.

8. If you don't feel comfortable doing all this yourself, hire a professional IT solutions provider. It is an investment that is well worth what you spend!

Every business needs to protect its systems and data. There are three questions you must ask yourself: 

1. How sure are you that yours are protected?
2. What are you going to do about it?
3. When are you going to start?

The short list of precautions above is certainly not all-inclusive, but it is a good place to start. Don't be caught with your proverbial pants down!

Ted Miller, President AVIK Technologies, Inc. We manage technology, so you can manage your business! Ted believes that most organizations, regardless of size, have the same basic information technology requirements. Regardless of whether an organization has five employees or five thousand, they have the critical needs of security, Internet connectivity, file (data) storage and protection, printing, email, backup, system reliability, etc. The difference in IT needs between small and large organizations is primarily one of scale. The need is the same, the size and cost of the solution may not be. Ted leverages his experience on behalf of his clients by reviewing how large organizations tackle specific technical and business problems, then scales solutions in such a way as to meet the need of his smaller clients while keeping costs under control and aligned with the client's business objectives. Visit http://www.aviktech.com today to learn more about the services provided by AVIK Technologies, Inc. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Miller

Norton 360 for Windows 7

It is now harder than ever to maintain a virus-free computer. With the advancements of technology, there are a lot of new online threats. These threats consist of credit card theft, password theft and even identity theft.

One way to keep safe is with Norton 360 for Windows 7; an amazing software that will protect and prevent online theft. It will also prevent viruses, malware, spyware, root kits, Trojans and many other threats.

With the release of Windows 7, PC internet security has never been easier and more reliable. Programs like Norton 360 and Norton Security for Windows 7 have been developed into amazing tools. These tools are a necessity if you wish to keep your information safe; away from online thieves.

Having a smooth-running PC is a hard to attain. The internet is full of bad people who are doing harmful stuff to innocent internet surfers. These bad people are no different than criminals. They won't physically steal your credit card but they will steal your credit card number. Theft is theft.

With the release of Windows 7, PC internet security has never been easier and more reliable. Norton 360 and Norton Security have evolved into brilliant programs. The Windows 7 integration, installation of these programs has never been easier.

Will Norton 360 and Norton Security for Windows 7 get rid of internet threats? Yes, in fact, these programs will boost your overall PC internet security.

Because the programs are always running in the background, your computer will have full protection at all times. The software is always monitoring external threats. You will be protected from the following: viruses, malware, spyware, root kits, Trojans and overall PC access from bad people.

We strongly recommend you get these programs if you wish to prevent and remove viruses and credit card theft.

Kevin Daniel Kilbane is administrator of site NortonSecuirtyBase.com ( main topic these days is: Norton 360 for Windows 7 ) and expert in IT. He currently live in Huddersfield with gorgeous wife and two children. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Kilbane

Google Redirect Virus: What You Must Know About It

To people who use their computer everyday for work, encountering problems like the Google Redirect Virus can be an annoying issue. This is because this virus is capable of causing huge problems for computer users. While it is easy to assume that this problem can easily removed, the virus can actually be difficult even with the help of tools. However, you can still get rid of the virus through a combination of procedures.

What is the Google Redirect Virus?

If you have been experiencing the annoying virus, it is actually a piece of malware which is really hard to remove successfully. Although there are several websites that provide a walk through or a diagnosis on the virus, they are not the best ways to get rid of the problem. But if you are able to find a good step by step guide on how to get it done, you will be able to get your computer back to its original state: clean and fully operational.

How to Know You Have the Virus

It is very easy to determine if your computer has been affected by the Google Redirect Virus. The simplest way to identify this is when you are getting dummy results pages every time you conduct a web search in Google. This is because the virus comes up with a dummy page which is full of bogus websites. The moment you visit these websites, your computer will be further infected with the malware and spyware these websites are made up of.

The Result

If your computer has been affected by the virus, you will have a computer which cannot be used well. Aside from this, your data is available to unscrupulous web users who can scam you.

For more information on how you can get rid of the Google Redirect Virus, just visit our website and we'll help you out! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hank_T_Marvin

How to Remove XP AntiSpyware 2011 - Get Rid of XP AntiSpyware 2011 Easily

Do you have a strange new program running on your PC called XP AntiSpyware 2011? Guess what, it is spyware itself. You see, what hackers are doing these days are creating programs like this one that appear to scan your PC, but in reality, the software is harvesting itself deep in your computer, leaving behind corrupt system files, assaulting you with pop-ups, and making your PC nearly unusable. Why? Because these hackers hope you will purchase a 'full version' of their fake antivirus tool, giving them access to your bank account. We won't let that happen. We have to remove XP AntiSpyware before anything awful happens, such as identity theft or bank theft.

If you're wondering how you became infected with this malware, the most usual methods of infection are from a flash video codec, a social network malware link, browsing questionable warez or adult websites, and download files from P2P file sharing networks. Your PC then becomes slow, loaded with warning messages, your normal applications don't work correctly, and you have this strange program starting up every time you turn your PC on. The entire situation is dangerous, and we must delete XP AntiSpyware 2011 before anything serious happens.

The next step is to figure out if you will get rid of this virus manually or automatically. The manual way involves editing your system's registry. Your registry is the core of your PC, it holds all of the saved information that your applications create for you, all of your settings, and is normally a hidden folder, for your protection. Since manual removal involves making edits to your registry, it is only recommended for experienced, advanced PC users. You will have to remove registry values in your HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder, seek out the corrupt values, block the related malware processes, delete the folders and files associated with the virus, and block related websites. The entire process will take some time, and is dangerous, due to the fact that a single error can turn your PC into an unusable paperweight. Beginners should not attempt manual removal.

This is why I suggest automatic removal. I use it myself, and I am fixing computers every day. Automatic removal is simple. It takes a few clicks and your PC is running cleanly again. If you are in need ot an XP AntiSpyware 2011 removal, this is the way to go.

If you're tired of malware threatening your safety, then consider taking a look at the automatic tools that I recommend, which will remove XP AntiSpyware 2011 for you in a few clicks.

Bob Walker is a veteran IT consultant with over twenty years of experience in the industry. He's helped clean up the computers of everyone from fortune 500 organizations to individual users and families. His website is dedicated to anti-spyware and virus removal research, where he ranks the most efficient anti-spyware and anti-virus programs currently available. http://www.spyware-review.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_L_Walker