The threat of online security: How safe is our data

Enterprise businesses and government agencies around the world face the certainty of losing sensitive data from a lost laptop, removable media or other plug-and-play storage device. This drives the need for a complete data protection solution that secures data on all common platforms, deploys easily, scales to any size organization and meets strict compliance requirements related to privacy laws and regulations. As Internet users display more of their personal information on social networking Web sites, and office workers upload more sensitive data to online software programs, computer hackers are employing increasingly sophisticated methods to pry that information loose. In many cases, they're devising small attacks that can fly under the radar of traditional security software, while exploiting the trust users place in popular business and consumer Web sites. In the corporate world, criminals are hunting for more of the valuable information stored on companies' servers. A computer breach at T.J. Maxx (TJX) in 2005 and 2006 may have handed hackers access to credit- and debit-card numbers for up to 94 million of the retailer's customers. Cyber thieves are also attacking corporate databases in search of undisclosed financial data or proprietary design and engineering information that can be sold. Hackers are also unleashing viruses that can recruit armies of consumer PCs into larger networks of remote-controlled machines. These "botnets" can distribute spam, attack database software, or keep a record of users' keystrokes. One of the worst, Storm Worm, has infected tens of millions of PCs this year. Even the messages containing virus payloads are getting slicker. In the past, as compared with the sophistication of the viruses, the e-mails carrying them were rather crude. That made users less likely to follow their instructions. Below are few precautions that will help user in preventing online threats.

• Don't give away any valuable or sensitive personal information on your MySpace or Facebook profile, or within messages to other members of the network. And don't click on any links in social network messages from people you don't know.

• No reputable company will ask for your password, account number, or other log-in information via e-mail or instant message.

• Use one of the many antivirus, antispyware, and firewall programs on the market. Often, vendors offer all three functions in a single package. And many Internet service providers offer them free with your monthly subscription.

• Upgrade your browser to the most current version. From Microsoft, that's Internet Explorer 7. Mozilla's Firefox is on version 2, as is Apple's Safari browser.

• Pay attention to the messages from Windows that pop up on your screen, especially in the new Vista operating system. They often contain helpful security information that many users overlook.

• Turn on Windows' automatic-update function to get Microsoft's regular security patches.

• Take regular back ups of the information on your computer system and keep them in a separate place so that if you lose your computers, you don’t lose the information.

• Don’t dispose of old computers until all the personal information on them has been securely removed (by using technology or destroying the hard disk).