Georgia County Government - October 2008 - (Page 56) CYBER SECURITY continued from page 55 R If you use a laptop, remember the following: 1. Secure it with a cable lock or store it in a locked area or locked drawer. 2. Backup your data. 3. Encrypt confidential information stored on it. 4. Keep it with you during air and vehicle travel until it can be locked up safely. Do not forget to retrieve it after passing through airport security. Treat all your portable devices in the same careful manner you use with your laptop and keep an eye on them. steps to secure any wireless equipment. Consult your equipment’s manual for specific details. 1. Change the default passwords and default SSID, which is an identifier that is sometimes referred to as the “network name”. Each wireless device comes with its own default settings, some of which inherently contain security vulnerabilities. Most default passwords are known to hackers. 2. SSIDs should not contain the organization’s name or any other identifying information about the organization, the department in which it is located, or its function. 3. Turn off broadcasting the SSID if possible; this will make it more difficult for a hacker to gather your SSID information. 4. Turn on encryption. Encryption settings should be set for the strongest encryption available in the product. 5. Change the default cryptographic key. Many vendors use identical shared keys in their factory settings. 6. Use MAC ACL fi ltering. Networks use a unique hardware address identifier called a MAC, to help regulate communications between machines on the same network. The MAC Access Control List (ACL) can permit certain MAC addresses access to the network while denying access to other MAC addresses, limiting access to only authorized computers. 7. Organizations should have a policy regarding use of wireless devices. Remote Access allows users to access data from outside locations using dial-up equipment and public telephone lines or cellular/wireless phones on the Internet. Because this form of access is designed for off-site use that may extend after normal business hours, extra measures are required to prevent unauthorized access. 1. Keep dial-up numbers confidential. 2. Remote access to the office via the Internet should use encryption such as Secure Socket Layer (SSL) or Virtual Private Network (VPN). Wireless Security Wireless networks and laptops are very popular for their ease of use and portability. The Internet can be reached via radio waves without having to plug your machine into a network. It is with the same ease of connecting that malicious individuals connect to unprotected networks. Attackers conduct drive-by eavesdropping, called “war driving” to listen in on unsecured devices in homes and businesses. Take the following Social Engineering Social Engineering is an approach to gain access to information through 56 325531_Tyler.indd 1 GOVERNMENT GEORGIA COUNTY 3/30/07 11:54:00 AM http://www.tylertech.com
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