Hackers pose significant threat | SeacoastOnline.com

Local experts offer tips to protect your valuable information

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David Hodgdon, president and CEO of PCG, Portsmouth Computer Group.Michael McCord photo

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Most people are willing to invest time and money creating a secure environment for themselves and their family. We choose cars that offer greater protection and keep up with the maintenance. We lock our doors and windows when we're not at home and keep an eye out for our neighbors. Our children learn about Internet safety and strangers at school and home. We wash our fruit and keep hand sanitizers at our fingertips to protect our health. Risks, both large and small, surround us, so we take the time to protect ourselves the best we can.

But are we making the same consistent efforts to protect our businesses?

Computer systems require consistent and diligent monitoring to avoid security breaches.

As larger corporations tighten up security, hackers may see smaller businesses as an easier target. A company doesn't have to maintain industry secrets to be targeted by hackers ? it just needs to be vulnerable.

How do you avoid vulnerability?

Dave Hodgdon of the Portsmouth Computer Group works with companies to instill and manage best practices that mitigate risk. "Companies are dealing with the Wild Wild West of the Internet and need to insure and protect their data," Hodgdon said. "Safeguarding your computer system requires layers of protection covering not just the data, but also the users and where they are going on the Internet."

Some recommended best practices include:

• Buy an insurance policy for your data. A significant data loss can cripple or even shut down a business.
• Update your software. As software providers find loopholes and weaknesses in their programs, they announce updates that a company should apply as soon as possible.
• Install anti-virus software and keep it up to date. Anti-virus software will scan incoming e-mails and files already located on your computer. There are plenty of good programs available at a reasonable cost.
• Set up firewalls. Perimeter firewalls block traffic between the Internet and the company's network that isn't explicitly allowed. Firewalls block intruders from accessing your network and also control what your employees can access inside your network.
• Laptops can be another source of security risk and should always be backed up before traveling. Encrypting sensitive files adds an additional layer of protection along with a strong password system.

"The average person now has four computer devices and they should all be password-protected with password updates taking place regularly," Hodgdon added. "Any company that allows remote access should have a secure VPN connection and know who has access. Often, a breach happens when a user unknowingly allows an intruder access. Protecting your business comes at a cost, but if it isn't done eventually, a breach will happen and the cost of fixing that breach will be a whole lot more than the preventative measures would have cost you." Banks invest heavily in securing their systems and offer several layers of protection for their business accounts. However, banks are not necessarily liable for a breach that occurred on the business' end, leaving the business with losses they can't recover from.

Matt Halfmann of the Provident bank in Exeter recommends businesses keep close tabs on employee access to online banking. Each user should have a unique username and password and be diligent about protecting that information, including changing passwords regularly. "Businesses customers should also be aware that they are not protected from unauthorized electronic use of their debit cards under Regulation E. Banks will accept dispute claims and try to recover unauthorized transaction funds for the business, but if a bank cannot recover the loss, the business will bear the entire amount of the loss," Halfmann said. According to Halfmann, most fraud issues are happening at the consumer level and are less about hacking and more about Internet scams and carelessness. "People forget that e-mail is not secure and they need to remember that convenience comes at a cost," Halfmann said. As an added protection, Provident Bank requires business Internet banking users to use security tokens for transactions that bear a higher level of risk, such as ACH transactions and wire transfers. "The security token helps us better protect our business customers in the battle against fraud. Convenience comes at a cost, but I believe our online banking option is still the safest way to go."

Preventative medicine is a lot more than good nutrition, air bags and locked doors. It encompasses all that we do and doesn't end with just a drawer full of hand sanitizers.

Christine J. Davis is a business resource specialist with the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development. She lives in Exeter with her two daughters and in her spare time volunteers for the Chamber Children's Fund, works in her garden and plays in the sand at Hampton Beach with her girls. She can be reached at Christine.Davis@dred.state.nh.us.

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Source: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20120806-BIZ-208060336

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