Information Protection and Security

 Windows icons, OS X Security Enhancements, patches and updates.
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Each year we issue a reminder regarding the need to protect personal confidential information to which we have been granted access in order to fulfill the requirements of our job functions.  The protection of this information, also known as “Non-Public Personal Information” (NPPI), is mandated by federal and state law, as well as Rutgers policy (e.g., Rutgers Policy 50.3.9,

Dear Colleagues,

Each year we issue a reminder regarding the need to protect personal
confidential information to which we have been granted access in order
to fulfill the requirements of our job functions. The protection of
this information, also known as "Non-Public Personal Information"
(NPPI), is mandated by federal and state law, as well as Rutgers policy
(e.g., Rutgers Policy 50.3.9, http://policies.rutgers.edu).

All units and staff members that create, store, or transmit such
information are required to do so in a manner which protects NPPI.

Scientists from Wake Forest University and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have created an army of digital ants and their superior officers, digital sergeants and sentinels, to search out viruses, worms and other malware.

Yet, the paradox, McAfee argues, is that despite the falling security budgets, a similar fraction of companies -- 71 percent -- believe that a data breach could put them out of business. Nearly two out of ten companies surveyed said they had a security breach in the last year. The average tab to clean up: $41,000.
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Mac is the next mountain to scale and cybercriminals are rapidly scrambling to the top.
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Because they're mobile, they're easy to lose or have stolen.  It may be that your information on the equipment is even more valuable than the equipment itself (not a smart idea on mobile equipment).  Lock mobile equipment with complex passwords and encryption if possible.  Smart phones, and netbooks need maintenance and security, just as your laptop and desktop computers.  Though they have less powerful processors they are still vulnerable to viruses and worms from visiting websites infected with malware, downloading infected applications, and insecure wireless networks.  Thumb drives are a problem because they’re easier to lose, or have stolen. When you copy infected information into the drive it's easily spread to other machines. Protect your mobile information with encryption, and complex passwords, work on a secure network, and beware of  cyber cafes. Stop. Think. Secure IT!
 

When Opera launched the Unite concept and an alpha version of the platform in June some experts voiced concerns about the possibility of cybercriminals using the platform for nefarious purposes. Opera is working on what it calls "a detailed walk-through" of Opera Unite applications, with widget security also in the works, according to its Web site.
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I haven’t found a better way than a password protected screensaver to protect my computer from "unauthorized users" when it’s unattended.