Importance of IT Security Solutions

This is information age comprising of all sorts of financial and corporate information, research and analysis reports, trends etc., and categorized as confidential, sensitive and critical. There are automation tools for extracting and gleaning information. There are management solution products such as content management, knowledge management and document management for managing the collected information. 

All of these have made IT security an indispensable tool that is essential in securing information from hackers. As soon as a computer system is hooked into the Internet, it is exposed to risks of various kinds. Email and web security has also become a mainstream component of modern business IT infrastructure, much like firewalls and anti-virus technology. Thankfully, there are various IT security solutions that have been developed to secure IT infrastructure from risks of all sorts.

 

 Internet Security Solutions

 

Security has also been one of the most critical design considerations of any Internet application since hackers increasingly probe connected computers for weaknesses in their security and can gain access to them easily. This could result in the stealing of confidential information without the user even realizing it. Trojan horse programs and Spyware come from seemingly innocent sources, such as email attachments and file downloads. Once the user launches them they can secretly send data including any sensitive personal or financial information stored on the PC and back out over the Internet. 

 

Some of the Internet security solutions are as follows:

 

Web-based redirector: Redirectors work only for web browsing wherein the user goes to the redirector web page and enters the website URL anonymously. The redirecting software then requests for the page using its own server IP and redirects the output to the user’s browser window.

Web Proxy: Using web proxy, open proxy IP address is found and set it in the user’s browser settings. All web traffic will be passed through the proxy, hiding the user’s real IP. However, checking the proxy for the anonymity before using it is essential.

SSH tunneling: Used as an additional service for the data security, SSH makes your connection to the proxy encrypted thus making it impossible to intercept.

 

Information Security

 

As technology advances, the importance of information security also grows parallel. However, it has become one of the hottest topics in the recent past owing to the Internet’s open design and its heightened usage along with rapid adoption of internetworking systems. As the number of potential targets grows, the sophistication of security threats is increasing.  Traditional security products such as virus scanners and firewalls may not be able to provide the required protection against unknown threats. The thousands of mutations and variations of Spyware and viruses available to hackers on the Internet make it difficult for such systems to be fully secure.

Threats and risks are constantly evolving and complete security against them can only be achieved by having complete control of the Internet connection including the ability to specify which applications, known and unknown, can be trusted to use the Internet. There are some intelligent defenses available against attacks, such as denial of service (DOS) attacks. Now, routers and other devices can be set to verify source addresses and ignore packets if they are bogus or carry a suspicious pattern. 

It is important to understand that IT Security is a lot more than just a software application that can be deployed. A good secured IT system should always have multiple levels of protection and authentication.

Best Practices for Computer Data Security

This article gives an insight into how you can protect your computer and its data by following some really simple security measures. These are general good computer and data security tips and rules that apply to all who use computer.

• Use a unique password that can't be easily guessed, and protect your passwords

Don’t share your password with anyone or write it anywhere. While creating a password use upper and lower case alphabets, numbers and special characters. Do not keep same passwords for all your accounts.

• Always be careful of email scams

Never respond to unknown or unsolicited emails, SMSs, phone calls, asking for your personal details or passwords. Be extra careful of emails that claim to offer you monetary benefits.

• Always use updated software

Always keep your software updated and patched. This will help you reduce risks of security threats that use unpatched security vulnerabilities. Consider using a trusted software that can notify you when your current software applications are out of date or require a security update. Using updated and patched software also helps speed up PC performance.

• Protect information when using the Internet

While shopping, banking or doing any online transaction on any website, always check for a secure connection. Do not enter your personal details, or any sensitive information unless you are on a trusted website. A secure website’s URL begins with “https://” and is accompanied by a lock symbol.

• Avoid free Wi-Fi, public computers and networks

Avoid free, unsecured Wi-Fi networks for logging into your online accounts, for online shopping or banking. The sensitive information that you pass over these networks can be easily intercepted by a hacker. It is okay to use these networks for casual surfing and research. However, if you have no other option but to use an unsecured Wi-Fi network, considering using a VPN service in your PC or smartphone. Public networks such cyber cafes are equally unsafe for activities that required logging into online accounts.

• Secure your system before leaving it

Application security is also important. Always lock or shut down your system before leaving it unattended. Also remember to lock the external device access to your device. It will secure your data from getting stolen or accessed by any unauthorized user.

• Take data backup regularly

An essential tip for data security is regular backup of your all important data. Data backup is the one thing that can help you put things together if you encounter a system crash, virus attack, data loss/theft, etc. It is equally important to keep your data encrypted wherever you store it. This will prevent any misuse of the data even if it lands into the hands of a hacker.

• Don't install or download unknown programs

Freeware are usually a threat to your computer and data. Since they are easily available and are free, they are usually rigged by hackers with malware codes. So, if you should install free software, ensure that their publisher is a verified.

• Install an Antivirus Software

The most important thing you can do for data security is using a reliable antivirus software like Quick Heal. Quick Heal antivirus is available for desktop and for mobile users as well. It is the best antivirus software that offers features like data security, web security, parental control, safe banking, and browser sandbox. All these features work together to ensure comprehensive computer data security.

10 Best Internet Security Tips you Should Know About

The Internet is a wonder world, and we don’t have to say why. But, while the Internet has its own wonder, it has its own share of dangers. So, to ensure that we are always at the wonderful side of the World Wide Web, let’s get started with the 10 best Internet security tips that everyone must follow when they are online.

1. Begin with having the best antivirus on your computer.

- This is like building a fire around you when you are camping in the wild, so no wild animals harm you.

2. Always remember, what goes on the Internet stays there forever.

- You might thing that posting an embarrassing photo of yours on the Internet may be cool and funny. But this very picture might come back and haunt you in the future.

3. Treat online strangers as you would treat strangers in your neighborhood.

- Strangers are strangers, no matter in what form they meet you.

4. Be stingy about sharing personal information online.

- One of the best Internet security tips that has always worked for me is being careful of what I share online. Sharing too much of personal information increases the risk of identity theft and online frauds.

Read Also: Tips you Must Know about Web Security

5. Strive for stronger passwords

- It does not matter even if you have the best antivirus software in your machine, if you do not use strong passwords. A strong password is one that has a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

6. Avoid using cyber cafes and unsecured Wi-Fi

- Cyber cafes and free Wi-Fi hotspots are the worst places where you can log on to any website or carry out an online transaction. These networks can be easily compromised by an attacker to steal your personal and financial information.

7. Know the online site you buy from

- If you are buying something from an online store for the first time, do go through its privacy and security policy. Check whether the site is verified and has a secure connection (a secure site’s URL begins with https:// and has a green padlock icon). Prefer well-known and popular websites that have been in business for a long time.

8. Never trust unknown emails with links or attachments

- Always treat unknown and unexpected emails with caution, especially those that ask you to click links and download attachments. Even if an email seems to have been sent by a known entity such as a friend, family member, or your bank and asks you to click or download anything, do not proceed. Call up the sender and verify the integrity of the email.
 

9. Maintain regular backups of sensitive and important data

- Regular backups can save you from losing your data forever if ever it gets compromised.

10. Encrypt passwords, personal photos, videos, and other sensitive information on your machine

- Data, even if stolen by an attacker, will be of no use if it’s encrypted. Your encrypted data can only be read by you and none. So, use this Internet security tip to your benefit.

And that would be all for now for the 10 best Internet security tips. Stay safe!

The Importance of IT Security Solutions for Small and Medium Enterprises

Online shopping is growing exponentially, and it is only going to grow with time. According to report published by IAMAI-KPMG report, the worth of India's e-commerce market today stands at a mammoth $13 billion. Investors are eyeing this ecommerce space as a cash cow in the near future.

Although, Indian e-commerce does not equate to those in our western counterparts, it has the potential to gain a sizeable market share. And a giant boost to this is the increasing penetration of Internet which brings forth even bigger avenues for online retailers to grow and expand.

While the combination of e-commerce and increasing Internet user base looks handsome and promising for most businesses, there are quite a few challenges for SMEs when we see it with from the perspective of IT Security.

Read Also: How to Choose Best Antivirus System for Your Android Phone?

The challenges might arise due to the following facts:

1. Large and well-established businesses are more preferred by customers, because they are more prepared and resilient against cyberattacks.
2. Small and medium enterprises score low in IT security and this makes customers skeptical about the safekeeping of their personal and financial information.
3. SMEs generally do not make good candidates for getting into a partnership with big businesses, because of the former’s poor network security infrastructure.

To cut a long story short, customers trust online retailers who have a strong IT security infrastructure in place.

Small and medium enterprises that put the need of computer and network security on a back burner, can be compared to the weak animals in a herd that are constantly eyed by predators (cyber crooks). But this scenario can be changed if these business understand the importance of protecting their digital assets with reliable IT security solutions.

Quick Heal End Point Security Solution is a specially designed IT security solution that helps business owners to protect their sensitive data, reduce business risks, and boost productivity.

Salient features of Quick Heal Endpoint Security

• Web Security - Blocks infected, phishing, and malicious websites.
• Web Filtering - Allows blocking of websites based on categories such as adult, gaming, movies, etc.
• Application Control - Allows only authorized devices to connect to the enterprise network.
• Storage Device Control - Prevents usage of unauthorized devices and media on the network.
• IDS/IPS - Reduces risks of security vulnerabilities being exploited by attackers.
• Email Scan - Scans inbox for spam, phishing, and unsolicited emails.
• Tune-up - Helps improve the performance of the corporate endpoints; boosts productivity.
• Vulnerability Scan - Scans for security vulnerabilities in the system, and helps you fix them.
• Firewall - Blocks malicious or suspicious traffic from accessing the company’s network.

Your business IT security is only complete when your employees are aware of the dangers lurking in the wild. It takes one phishing email to put the entire organization’s data at stake. It is essential to educate your employees about the importance of choosing stronger passwords, keeping login information confidential, logging off from idle computers, and exercising caution against unknown websites and unsolicited email.

About Author:

From exploring the mysteries of life to analyzing the IT security world, Rajib has explored a wide gamut of topics on computer security, through his years of writings.

Things you Must Know About Computer Data Security

Inarguably, the most crucial element on your computer is your data. That might include images, video, songs, personal information and even confidential corporate data. So losing any such information, especially those that can affect your privacy, can be a big threat. Data security does not only encompasses securing the data alone, but also what is holding the data like your desktop or laptop. So, keeping this in mind, here are some safety tips that can help you keep your data safe and secure.

 Data Security Tips - How to Safeguard your Computer Data

1. The basic measure that you should be looking into is to keeping your data safe against unauthorized users. Using devices such as USB, any miscreant can steal your data and use it for unscrupulous purpose. So, start by securing your PC against unknown and unauthorized USB devices. Quick Heal’s Data Protection Feature helps you do this with a few clicks. It prevents unauthorized USB drives from accessing your PC and its contents.
2. Another major threat to data security is a hidden malware on your system that steals information and keeps sending it to an external sever controlled by a hacker. Spyware are malicious programs that record your personal information and send it to external parties. Keyloggers, are again, malicious software that can record what you type on your keyboard. So, having an up-to-date antivirus program on your system can take care of these threats.
3. Data security does not only deal with the data that you have on your machine presently. Consider a scenario where you have erased highly sensitive information from your PC. Now, even if you have used ‘Shift + Delete’ to remove the data, it can be still recovered using a data recovery software. In short, nothing gets permanently deleted from your PC. So, ensuring that your deleted data remains unrecoverable also forms an important part of data security. And for this, Quick Heal’s Privacy Protection feature can be at your disposal. It helps you delete your data securely so that it leaves no trace on your PC.
4. As mentioned before, physical security of your PC or laptop is equally important. If they are lost or stolen, your data can be put to jeopardy. Never leave your laptop unattended in a public place; best is not to use it altogether. Also, consider using security cables to secure small desktops and laptops that can be stolen easily. You can also use desktop computer cases that come with padlock slot. This will prevent anyone from stealing the hard drive or tampering with the internal hardware.
5. No antivirus or precautionary measure for data security can replace the importance of regular backups. If your computer crashes, gets lost, stolen, damaged or taken over by money-demanding ransomware, it will be the backup of the data that will act as your damage-control unit. You need not start everything from scratch, coz you have the most important thing and that is your data. So, backup your data regularly on dedicated external storage devices, which also should be kept somewhere safe.

Read also: Why is Application Security Important?

How Does Multi-Layered Security Help?

In the times when cybercrime is increasing at a fast pace, all organizations need a comprehensive multi-layered security system to secure their data and also to maintain a smooth workflow. In order to trust this endpoint security system, it must check threats with strong technological traits, which can be deployed and managed from a single advanced graphical console.

• A robust IT security management system also helps in stopping phishing attacks and provides browsing protection.
• A good security system usually has easy installation and a user friendly interface.
• It simplifies configurations and maintenance with easy policy management.
• It has automatic updates and keeps a track of new threats such as viruses, worms etc.
• The protection technology includes intrusion prevention in order to stop hacking attacks.
• It provides optimized anti-virus scanning with minimized resource utilization, which means it does not slow down the system or interfere with the user’s operations.
• It does not even increase the process time.
• It also has gateway firewall.
• IT security solutions provide content filtering, bandwidth management as well as defense against spam, malicious software and other threats.
• Effective scanning of suspicious emails. 

It eradicates the environmental complexity by installing required security technologies as unified and comprehensive solutions which have coordinated management. They also adhere to essential IT policies and hence do not require excessive vigilance. Therefore, it makes functioning smoother, effective and efficient. Good brands also provide online assistance or effective customer care with regular updates. They help in optimized utilization of organizational resources and some of these often also have central management and control even for backups as well as routine recovery tasks.

Read also : 6 Essential Features of a Home Server Antivirus

One of the most popular solutions is from Quick Heal, which has simplified implementation of operations and is considered to be most user-friendly. It not only educates users about the usage but also keeps the working environment efficient and flawless.

There is a pool of information available online about different brands providing comprehensive solutions for web security which must be filtered well in order to find reliable information from trusted sources and customer centric companies. 

What Features Make the Best Antivirus Software for your Computer

With the market flooded with innumerable antivirus software, it is not easy to decide on the right one for your computer. And to add to that, malware artists are frantically trying to come up with nastier malware and unleash them as rapidly as possible. When the scenario is such, it becomes imperative to know what makes the best antivirus software for your computer. The below gives a quick roundup of features that a comprehensive antivirus solution should comprise.

Real-time Security against Malicious Websites

If you own a PC or a laptop, odds are, you also use Internet on it. And while the Internet is probably one of the finest inventions of mankind, it is a cauldron of threats. In the present time, even trusted websites cannot be deemed as safe anymore. You never know when your favorite news website drops a malware on your computer. And then there are websites designed for phishing attacks. Sometimes it is practically impossible to tell a fake site from the original one. To counter all such threats, your antivirus software must be armed with real-time web security protection. This feature ensures that you only land on safe, genuine, and clean websites through its real-time monitoring.

Protection from Internet Downloads

When you download a certain file from the Internet, you are permitting the file to access your computer. Most malware infections occur from Internet downloads, especially those that are free and are from unverified publishers. And then there are certain downloads that occur automatically the moment you land on a website. These are known as drive-by-downloads; a common medium of malware attacks. An antivirus solution that offers Sandbox Protection is what you require to mitigate such risks. This feature takes your Internet Browser into a virtual environment that blocks any malicious download from reaching your computer.

Protection from new and unknown threats

Does your antivirus protect you from threats that presently have no solution? If no, then you must switch to one that offers the same. New and unknown malware can prove to be the most lethal to your computer security. Because these threats have no identification, they bypass ordinary security and wreak havoc on infected machines. Advanced DNAScan is a technology that Quick Heal has introduced in its product range. This technology scans programs and analyzes their behavior. And based on their behavior, it can identity whether it as a malicious, suspicious, or clean file.

Email Scan

Email has proven to be the most resourceful carrier of malware for hackers, especially in phishing campaigns. One email with an infected attachment or a link to an infected website is good enough to hack the network of an entire organization. So, another essential feature that the best antivirus software must offer is email security. The software must be able to filter clean emails from malicious ones before they reach your inbox.

Automatic Virus Updates

No antivirus software can do without automatic regular security updates. These updates are like sentries that constantly keep a watch on new threats and block them from entering your computer.

Protection against Data Theft

Your personal, financial and login data are sensitive information that must have the highest level of protection in your computer. Things may turn ugly if they happen to fall into the wrong hands. So, data theft protection is another feature that you should be looking for while getting an antivirus software. This feature can be used to authorize external storage devices that you know, and deny access to unknown ones.

Certification

It goes with saying that the best antivirus software must come with certifications. The following is a list of some reputable organizations who are known for rating antivirus software:

1. Virus Bulletin
2. AV-Test.org
3. West Coast Labs
4. ICSA Labs
5. ESET Awards

By following the above tips and running a thorough research on the antivirus product you intend to buy, your investment can be worthwhile for your computer.

About the Author: With a humble Bachelor degree in Physics, Rajib penned his way into the world of technology and its wonders. In his journey as a techno blogger, he came across the world of computer security. And he has been there since, curating stories and serving them to readers across the world.