Week #4 Protecting Home Networks

Most households now run wireless networks with various devices needing a constant connection to the Internet. These devices  includes: 

• Computers,
• Gaming devices,
• Smart TVs and;
• Smartphones 

To protect your wireless home network you need to have the right tools in place along with educating family members on how to use the Internet safely and securely.

The first step is to Keep a Clean Machine to achieve this an  antivirus software is needed to eliminate all threats/ malicious software within the devices. Also, all Internet-enabled devices should have the latest operating system, web browsers, and security software.

Tip for securing Wireless router:

• Change the name of your router
• Change the default password
• Enable router's Firewall
• Limit access to the network by MAC addresses 

References 

The iGuardian: A Smart Way to Protect Your Home Network.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/iguardian-smart-way-protect-home-network/

Week #3 IT Security Planning & Tips for Network Security Planning

The most important part of deployment any type of IT system is planning. Although It is not possible to plan for security with regards to IT, however, a full risk assessment of all system can be performed. Security planning involves developing security policies and implementing controls to prevent computer risks.

Network Security Planning Tips

1. Educate Employees (VERY IMPORTANT)
The biggest threat to a  IT security is the people right in that building! Mandatory company training can go a long way towards informing employees of their responsibilities while teaching them best practices for managing IT devices and information.

2.  Eliminate the  BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Plan
Don’t allow your employees to deal with company data on personal devices.

3. Restrict Information
Private information should only be available on a need-to-know basis.

4. Maintaining Your Systems
Failing to update computer programs or using outdated computer equipment can create a lot of room for hackers to infiltrate your systems.

5. Have a Disaster Plan

Week #2 What is application security?

Application security is the use of software, hardware, and procedural methods to protect applications from external threats. 

There are many risks associated with developing applications especially if the program will store sensitive data.  Below are common Application Security Issues which must be addressed during the development phases of an Application:

Input  Validation Tampering	A input validation is  the outer defensive perimeter for a application. This perimeter protects the  logic, processing and output generation. Examples of input validation tampering are cross-site scripting; SQL injection; canonicalization
Software Tampering	This is when someone modifies the runtime behavior to perform unauthorized actions.

How to Keep Your Mobile Devices Secure While Traveling

Because today's smart devices are so much more powerful and can hold so much more information than ever before, the risks of being exploited are increasing.  Not to mention that we also have a tendency to carry both personal & business data around with us on the same device, hence making our mobile devices looked so appealing to hackers. 

Tips for Keeping Your Mobile Devices Secure

1. Make sure your  Mobile Operating software is up-to-date.

2. Use Strong Passwords

3. Avoid unencrypted public Wifi Networks

4. Use VPNs

5. Disable Cookies and autofill

6. Play close attention to 3rd Party Applications security permission changes