1. TECHNOLOGY GUIDE 5: Protecting Your Information Assets

2. PROTECTING YOUR INFORMATION ASSETS
TG 5.1 Introduction TG 5.2 Behavioural Actions to Protect Your Information Assets TG 5.3 Computer-Based Actions to Protect Your Information Assets
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Explain why it is critical that you protect your information assets.
Identify the various behavioural actions you can take to protect your information assets.
Identify the various computer-based actions you can take to protect your information assets.
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TG 5.1 INTRODUCTION
There are a number of behavioural actions that you should take to protect your information assets:
General behavioural actions
Computer-based actions
Behavioural actions are those that do not specifically involve a computer.
Computer-based actions relate to safe computing.
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5. TG 5.2 BEHAVIOURAL ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION ASSETS
Take action to protect information assets such as:
Personal Information
Social Insurance Number
Credit Cards
Debit Cards
Financial Accounts
Personal Mailbox
Dealing with old records
Click on the link in this slide to review a website that offers protection of your personal assets.
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6. WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF IDENTITY THEFT
If your social insurance number has been compromised, contact Service Canada; in the event of passport theft, you would contact your local passport office.
If you believe your mail is being diverted, contact your local Canada Post office.
Cancel all affected credit cards and obtain new credit card numbers.
Consult a lawyer for the type of paperwork that may be required to deal with disputes with financial institutions or credit-granting organizations.
In 2012, there were more than 12.6 million victims of identity theft reported in the United States, and over 22,000 in Canada.
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7. WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF IDENTITY THEFT (CONTINUED)
Organize your paperwork, including the names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone you contact about this crime.
File a detailed police report. Send copies of the report to creditors and other agencies or organizations that may require proof of the crime.
Get the name and phone number of your police investigator, and give it to your creditors.
In all communications about the crime, use certified, return-receipt mail.
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8. WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF IDENTITY THEFT (CONTINUED)
Get your unique case number from each credit agency, and ask each agency to send your credit report.
Tell each agency to issue a fraud alert.
Get the document that you need to file a long-term fraud alert, which lasts for seven years and can be cancelled at any time.
Ask the credit agencies for the names and phone numbers of lenders with whom recent accounts have been opened in the affected time frame, so you can identify fraudulent accounts that have been opened.
The fraud alert requires mortgage brokers, car dealers, credit companies, and other lenders to scrutinize anyone who opens an account in your name for 90 days.
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9. WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF IDENTITY THEFT (CONTINUED)
Point out all entries generated due to fraud to each agency. Ask each agency to remove the specified fraudulent entries.
Tell each agency to notify anyone who received your report in the last six months (or the affected time frame) that you are disputing the information.
You may be able to order a “credit freeze” with the two major credit agencies.
Be alert for change-of-address forms in your mail.
If debt collectors demand payment of fraudulent accounts, write down the name of the company as well as the collector’s name, address, and phone number.
Tell the collector that you are the victim of identity theft. Send the collection agency a registered letter with a completed police report. If this does not work, refer the agency to your lawyer.
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10. TG 5.3 COMPUTER-BASED ACTIONS TO PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION ASSETS
Determine what sites users of your computer have visited on the Internet
Access social networking sites safely
Detect malicious software
Protect your system when computing wirelessly.
Recover from a disaster
Protect your privacy when using the Internet and
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DETERMINING WHERE PEOPLE HAVE VISITED ON THE INTERNET USING YOUR COMPUTER
Identify the Internet sites that anyone who uses your computer has visited. To do this, check the browser history.
You will not be able to check the browser history of someone who uses private browsing on your computer.
All modern browsers have a “private browsing” mode in which the viewing history is not recorded
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12. THE DANGERS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
Well-known social networking sites include Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, MySpace, and Flickr.
Never post personal information about yourself or your family in chat rooms or on social networking sites. In fact, you should
Potential employers are now searching social networking websites for information about you.
Social networking websites have privacy features that give users more control over their information.
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13. DETERMINING WHETHER YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED
There are several signs to look for if you think your computer system is infected with malicious software or malware:
Shuts down unexpectedly
refuses to start normally
exhibits erratic behaviour
system unexpectedly runs out of memory
system continually runs out of main memory (RAM)
system displays an unusually high number of error messages
programs take longer to load than normal, or run very slowly
programs act erratically
monitor displays strange graphics or messages
program sends messages to all your contacts
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14. COMPUTER ACTIONS TO PREVENT MALWARE INFECTIONS
Never open unrequested attachments, even if the message is from someone you know and trust.
Never open attachments or web links in s from people you do not know.
Never accept files transferred to you during Internet chat or instant messaging sessions.
Never download any files or software from websites that you do not know or files or software that you have not requested.
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TEST YOUR SYSTEM
It is a good idea to test your system. Several websites provide security tests:
ShieldsUP!
Norton Security Scan
McAfee My SecurityStatus
AuditMyPC
Click on the links above to read about the variety of services available to test your computer system.
Security tests send different types of messages to your computer to evaluate how well it is protected from a variety of attacks.
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16. TEST YOUR SYSTEM (CONTINUED)
Install the following to protect your computer:
security suite
anti-malware product
firewall
antispyware product
monitoring software
content-filtering software
anti-spam software
proactive intrusion detection and prevention software
Click on the links above to read about the variety of products available to test your computer system.
Security suites are software packages that contain various security products, such as anti-malware software, spam protection, fraud protection, spyware detection, intrusion detection, monitoring software, and others.
A personal firewall is software installed on your home computer that permits or denies communications to and from your computer based on your security settings.
Monitoring software logs keystrokes, s, applications, windows, websites, Internet connections, passwords, chat conversations, webcams, and even screenshots.
Content filtering software can block access to undesirable websites, and it can record and view all of the websites that you or other users have visited. It also can record both sides of chat conversations.
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17. TEST YOUR SYSTEM (CONTINUED)
To protect your computer:
manage patches
use a browser other than Internet Explorer
use an Operating System other than Windows
You should download and install all software patches (for example, patches for Windows) immediately.
You might consider using a browser other than Internet Explorer, such as Firefox ( Opera ( Safari from Apple ( or Google Chrome (
The two main alternatives to Windows 8 and Vista are Apple’s Mac OS X and Linux. These two operating systems are not invulnerable, but both are based on UNIX, which makes them inherently more secure than any version of Windows.
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18. PROTECTING YOUR PORTABLE DEVICES AND INFORMATION
There are two common-sense precautions that many people forget:
Keep your laptop in an inconspicuous container. Laptop cases with your company logo simply draw the attention of thieves.
Do not leave your laptop unattended in plain view; for example, in the back seat of your car where it can be seen. Instead, lock it in the trunk.
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19. STRATEGIES TO PREVENT THEFT OF PORTABLE DEVICES
Use alarms
Two-factor authentication
Data encryption
Encrypt your entire hard drive, including your applications
Use laptop-tracing tools or device reset/remote kill tools
Click on the links above to read about the variety of products available to help prevent theft of portable devices.
Alarms are battery powered, they are independent of the computer operating system, and they operate whether the laptop is on or off.
Two-factor authentication means that you must have two forms of identification to access your laptop or notebook. The first authentication factor is a token or a biometric. The second factor is your personal password.
Data encryption provides additional protection by turning data into symbols that can be deciphered only by an authorized person.
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20. Protect your Computer and Wireless Area Network
Prepare for personal disasters
Secure a home based wireless area network
Hide your service set identifier (SSID)
Use encryption
Filter out media access control (MAC) addresses
Limit Internet Protocol (IP) addresses
Sniff out intruders
Take precautions when using a public hotspot
Test your wireless network
Use wireless security software
Prepare for personal disasters such as fires and floods: safety deposit box, fireproof safe, make regular backups of your key files and keep these backups off site and encrypt your backup files if they contain sensitive information.
For SSID security: (1) change your default SSID to a unique SSID, and (2) configure your wireless home network to stop broadcasting the SSID.
To avoid broadcasting in the clear, you must use encryption with your wireless home network.
Every piece of networking hardware has a unique identification number called a media access control (MAC) address. You can compile the MAC addresses of all computers on your home wireless network, then instruct your router to connect only with these computers and deny access to all other computers attempting to connect with your network.
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USING A PUBLIC HOTSPOT
Precautions to take when using a public hotspot:
Use virtual private networking (VPN) technology to connect to your organization’s network.
Use Remote Desktop to connect to a computer that is running at your home.
Configure your firewall to be “on with no exceptions.”
Visit only websites that use secure sockets layer (SSL) to conduct any financial or personal transactions.
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CHAPTER CLOSING
It is critical that you protect your information assets
There are several behavioural actions you can take to protect your information assets such using credit cards with your picture on them, paying close attention to your credit card billing cycles, limiting your use of debit cards, etc.
There are many computer-based actions you can take to protect your information assets such as testing your system, running free malware scans on your computer, having an anti-malware product on your computer and have it set for automatic updates, etc.
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