Tip #7 Watch Your Perimeter
One of the simplest and low-tech methods for breaking into a computer system is to gain physical access to the computer. This could be a visitor to your home or business sneaking away from authorized areas and into your computer room, or an actual thief breaking into your building and accessing your computer console while you’re on vacation. With access to your computer, somebody could do something like installing a key logger to record your passwords, obtain a password document that you keep, or browse your Internet account sites that you may be logged into.
Protecting your computer desktop, or even the room in which your computer is kept, is an extremely important part of keeping safe on the Internet. Locking your room or putting a password on your computer is a great start. These preventive steps can further be automated by configuring a short activation period for your screensaver (with password prompt), in case you forget to lock your computer while heading out for the night.
Keep in mind, to the experienced thief these safe-guards can be negotiated with relative ease, which is why it’s a good idea to create multiple road-blocks into accessing your computer. Putting a BIOS password on your computer and ensuring you shut your computer down at the end of the day can be helpful. This also guarantees that you close out any Internet account sites your logged into, and any password documents you have open. Just be sure you don’t forget your password! You’ll also want to save any sensitive documents, such as a password document, into a non-traditional location so that it’s more difficult to find for a stranger.
Negotiating your computer security can be a daunting task, even for a seasoned computer guru, so don’t hesitate to contact Level Seven Computers for advice or help!
Stay tuned next week for tip #8!
