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How secure are you?
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by K.E.Lubrecht
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Only as secure as the least secure element! We've all heard that for years, but what does that really mean? Where are those open doors?
Security is not only a matter of our computer connections, but also the other techniques for communication. People who come in contact or have access to information are a point of security. Phone and fax lines carry information. Companies with whom you deal add another set of potential leaks. The pattern can look like a fractal.
We are aware of the necessity for a firewall to help keep information in and viruses, worms and nosey viewers out, but beware of backdoors left in to allow for access to the system or a program. They can allow unauthorized individuals to gain access to secure areas.
Mobility provided by wireless technology is wonderful, but the potential for the signal to be intercepted is something to be considered. Be sure to consider encryption, or at least watch what information is shared over those systems. Think about your phone system. The wireless handsets allow movement around an office without the tether clearing surfaces or entangling the individual. They can permit movement to another office while still staying in touch with the land line. Cellular connections broaden our offices, and permit business to be done while we are traveling. With all of the wonderful advantages, we must remember that those signals can be intercepted, even if we are in our offices! Discussing private or critical information on a wireless phone line creates a security breach that we may never even think about!
While offices have started to shred old paperwork, have you considered what happens to old storage media? What happens to floppies, CD-R or CD-RW? What about old drives? Do you have a plan in place? Before you throw out or give away the old computers, be sure that information is not stored on the machines. Just because files have been deleted, does not mean that the information can't be retrieved!
What about email? It is usually not encrypted, yet many people seem to forget this. Files sent in this manner may be intercepted by outside parties. Disgruntled employees may send critical information to their home addresses or those of a competitor.
Does information sit out where people who are not authorized to view the information will see it? Do fax messages arrive at an open mailroom? Are temporary workers able to access databases for which they have no need? What happens to access for an employee who leaves or changes positions within the company? What does an employee who leaves the company take with them mentally?
Financially, retaining employees and keeping them happy is beneficial. Retraining is expensive and connection to unwritten experience saves time. Losing an employee also means that company information and practices moves on to another company even when the employee honors privacy requirements.
Take a look at where your information passes from one individual or company to another. If you sit in one cubical, do you hear information from another? Who else can hear what is going on?
While the process of shoring up cracks in our security can make us paranoid, it is work a walk through your physical space and practices? How secure are you?
If you think of other ways in which companies overlook security leaks, contact me here for possible posting. In order to verify ownership of the comment, please be sure to include your email address.
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