These products are usually known as anti-virus, but they seek out a wide range of malicious code forms including worms, Trojan horses, logic bombs, botnets, backdoors, etc. You need a scanner that will watch live events as well as be able to do a system wide scan on a scheduled basis. In addition to an anti-malware scanner, you should also use an anti-spyware product. This form of scanner seeks out other forms of software which are not necessarily directly malicious, but which are still generally unwanted (and often uninvited) parasites on your system.

There are many other forms of security technology that you might consider, including intrusion detection system (IDS), intrusion prevention system (IPS), whitelisting, multi-factor authentication, detailed logging, and more. But I want to make that point that implementing some security is better than not having any.

Taking reasonable steps away from insecurity towards security is always a good choice.

Keep in mind that technology can only solve part of the problem. It is important to combine technology with user behavior modifications.

Our goal here is to avoid risky behaviors. It is those behaviors which expose us to new compromises and new attacks which our technology is unable to provide us protection against. Technology is generally most effective against known attacks and exploits. New attacks and exploits, known as zero-day attacks, are difficult if not impossible to predict and therefore very difficult to protect against. Instead, we must simply avoid performing those tasks that expose us to new threats.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of this series that will address other behaviors you can change to improve security.

It just doesn’t work. It had some beneficial effects years ago when the number of malware mechanisms were few, but it just is no longer an effective tool. It is time to switch to whitelisting.

Whitelisting is the crafting of a list of allows. But whitelisting is not just having a list of allowed events, it is also essential to have a foundation of default deny. By not allowing anything — no event, no action, no execution, no activity — by default, then every malicious event both known and unknown is prevented. Then, with the limited number of specific allows on the whitelist, we can allow the execution, processing, and action of the limited number of known trustable events to occur.

Whitelisting has been growing in use for well over a decade. It is now an essential principle of firewalls and other forms of security sentry devices, both logical and physical.

However, we need to revise all of our security mechanisms to focus on whitelisting rather than blacklisting.

Whitelisting is not necessarily easy or simple. It will initially interfere with tasks and desired operations. We will need to adjust business tasks and processes, re-train users on proper secure procedures, and we will need to adopt a new concept of computer/Internet use and privilege.

We have been lucky so far that as a collective the Internet and individual organizations have survived and recovered from compromises and attacks. If we fail to make this step in security improvement, our luck may run out…soon.

The two tools I want to highlight are Secunia’s PSI and Soluto.

Secunia’s PSI (Personal Software Inspector) will keep track of all of your installed applications and inform you when a new update is made available by the vendor. It seems to support just about everything I’ve ever installed on a Windows platform, with the only exception being freeware/shareware tools.

Any software vendor that has some form of standardized (at least for the vendor) form of update release and notification, Secunia seems to be able to incorporate it into its monitoring. PSI can be configured to auto-download updates or just inform you when an update is available. Through the PSI interface you can initiate update downloads so you can quickly install new updates as soon as they are available. A small notification tray icon keeps you informed of your systems overall patch compliance level.

Soluto is a bit of a different tool, it monitors the activities that are performed by your Windows system as it boots. The tool can be used to optimize startup/bootup times, delay unnecessary programs/services from loading until after the main boot process is complete, monitor CPU hogging applications, take note of needed hardware repairs/updates, and more.

I regularly use Soluto to adjust to boot processes in order to reduce the waiting before the desktop is available while still loading everything I will ultimately want running. The tool has lots of built-in intelligence and makes great recommendations on adjustments and alterations. I highly recommend you take a look at this tool for yourself.

I’m sure these are tools that individuals as well as small networks can take advantage of. If you have other tools of this nature that you think are superior or supplemental to these, please let us know.

These are just a few important tips to improve your security as you return to school. It is important to remember that security is not just an Internet or computer concern, it is something that should affect every aspect of your life – personal and professional. Take your life and your responsibilities seriously, pay attention, and make good decisions. Avoid obvious pitfalls and unwarranted risk.

The start of a new school year is always a great time to take stock of yourself and make improvements to more than just your career, lesson plans, or knowledge base. It is also a time to fine tune your security. While these tips focus on items that could be relevant to back-to-school season, they actually are true and applicable to everyone at all times. In fact, I highly recommend that you review all of the blog postings here for other security tips. Almost every security recommendation made through this blog will apply to student and instructors alike.

Have a great new school year!

Be extra cautious about what you share online via social networking or communication services. Keep your profile to a minimum. Avoid sharing your full name, address, phone, and social security number. Be aware that your smart phone is likely tracking your location and every image or message you post is tagged with your GPS coordinates in real time.

Don’t follow the crowd and violate the law. Specifically, respect copyright of written materials, audio, video, and software. Don’t pirate. Don’t disrespect creators by stealing their works. Seek out free or open source versions, use trial versions, or temporarily borrow from a friend/family member (within reason). But keep yourself on the legal and ethical side of this issue. You don’t want a felony on your record and or be assigned astronomical fines that will take you a lifetime to repay.

Keep current on software updates. Keep your operating system, software, and device firmware updated. This will reduce the risk that bad programming practices placed on your systems. This includes computers, tables, and phones.

Check back tomorrow for the conclusion of my series on back to school security.

Don’t flaunt your new equipment. Don’t walk around with your computer, tablet, or phone exposed. Keep them in a backpack, purse, briefcase, messenger bag, etc. A casual or opportunistic thief will not pick you out as a target if they are not sure you have something worth the risk. If you must use your devices in open public places, take a moment to look around, get a feel for the place, pick a spot that might prevent someone from sneaking up on you from behind or running by and snatching your device. Don’t leave your devices sitting out on a bench or table when you are distracted by something else.

Be cautious about opening up new lines of credit. Whether obtaining a new credit card or obtaining something from a rent-to-own location or buying on a 0-0-0 deal (zero down, zero payments, zero interest for some number of months). If you don’t treat credit with respect and have solid plans and means to repay all you borrow in a prompt and timely fashion, you can dig yourself a debt hole that is very difficult to get out of. As a student, you don’t want to start of a career in debt. As a teacher, you don’t want to limit your current and future financial flexibility by having to repay too much, especially when paying too much interest and very little against principle. Financial security is about making good fiscal choices and not overspending your current and future income.

When walking around campus, keep aware of your surroundings. Know where you are at, know how to get where you are going, and take notice of the people around you. Don’t block yourself off by wearing outside sound blocking earphones/headsets. Don’t over focus on texting while walking. Even walking and reading can be a problem. We all want to take full advantage of “commuting” time, but don’t do so to your potential detriment and harm. If you are distracted, you might not notice an attacker or pick-pocket, you might not see a traffic signal, you might not notice a bike or vehicle, you might get lost, or worse. This is even more important at night. Don’t walk down unlit pathways, especially when alone. Take responsibility for yourself. You already know the warnings and advice you would give your friends and family about walking around alone, so take your own advice. Be safe rather than sorry.

Tomorrow I will lay out additional precautions students can take when heading back to school.