1. Leah Giarritano
March 20, 2012
LIS451LE
Concept Paper #4: Security
It’s easy to be lulled into a false sense of security when using your
computer. However, potential dangers lurk just around the corner and
you must be prepared. There are hardware, software and user security
issues to be aware of when using your computer. The following are my
top ten suggestions to follow in order to keep your computer and
network safe and have some peace of mind.
1. Protect your home network from “crackers” by using firewalls
(hardware and software options exist and you can use both
forms) to monitor data traffic. Select the desired level of security
for your firewall.Anytime an application without an established
firewall rule attempts to access the Internet, the firewall will
allow the user to allow or deny Internet access. Most commonly,
you want to be sure that access to the Internet be allowed for
email, web surfing, and chatting. (Hardware/Software Issue)
2. If you use a wireless router, set a password and enable
encryption. Most routers have either Wireless Encryption (WEP)
or Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). Selecting the encryption option
and a secure router administrator password are two very
important steps to keep your network secure.A broadband router
with a built in firewall provides the first line of defense at the
perimeter of the LAN (where the LAN meets the Internet).
(Hardware Issue)
3. Installing anti-virus software (to protect against worms, viruses
and Trojans) is a critical step in protecting your system. It has the
ability to prevent malware from infecting your computer. Be sure
to keep your anti-virus software up-to-date by using the auto-
update feature on a weekly basis. You may also need to regularly
check for patches and updates for the operating system and other
important software packages. (Software Issue)
4. Additional applications to investigate are anti-spyware and anti-
adware programs. Like anti-virus software, these programs
monitor your online activities and send information to another

2. computer. Many of these programs have an option to monitor
your computer in real time. In others cases, you may have to set
up a regular, manual monitoring schedule.(Software Issue)
5. Be cautious about email that you receive from unknown senders.
To be safe, avoid clicking on hyperlinks in email that can
potentially lead you to a site hosting malware or initiate a
malware download. To be extra cautious, don’t click on
hyperlinks at all, type the URL into your browser’s address bar
yourself.(User Issue)
6. Be very protective of your passwords. Select passwords that
include a string of letters, numbers and other characters. Don’t
use the same password for all of your accounts. Change your
passwords every 30-60 days. Create an encrypted list of
passwords for yourself so you can keep track of them.(User
Issue)
7. As an Internet user, recognize the threat that exists to your
personal identity and the information housed on your computer.
Change your Internet behavior by first understanding the
personal consequences of getting hacked or getting a virus. This
realization should alter your behavior and make you think twice
before engaging is unsafe Internet practices like downloading
unknown documents, following links from unknown senders and
generally putting blind trust in the things that are sent to
you.(User Issue)
8. Be wary of social engineering schemes in which a hacker makes a
call to you, pretending to be an ISP professional. They will ask you
for your password to do a systems check. However, a real support
person would never ask for your password. Do not give
identification information out over the phone.(User Issue)
9. Data protection is critical and therefore, you should back up your
regularly to protect it from hackers, viruses, natural disasters and
user error. The frequency of backups should be determined by
your own personal use, daily, weekly and monthly options are all
viable depending on your usage patterns. Consider storing your
backup data in a water and fireproof location.(User Issue)
10. For added security, disconnect your computer from its Ethernet
interface when not in use. A hacker cannot attack your computer
system if it is powered off and disconnected from the
network.(Hardware Issue)

3. Narrative/Insights
I would recommend the following top three security tips for this
audience of typical users in a shared computer lab environment. These
are user security issues that would be relevant to computer users in a
shared space. The hardware and software issues in this circumstance
would be left up to the IT people in charge of the computer lab and not
appropriate for use during the users’ time in the lab.
1. Be cautious about email that you receive from unknown senders.
To be safe, avoid clicking on hyperlinks in email that can
potentially lead you to a site hosting malware or initiate a
malware download. To be extra cautious, don’t click on
hyperlinks at all, type the URL into your browser’s address bar
yourself. (User Issue)
2. Be very protective of your passwords. Select passwords that
include a string of letters, numbers and other characters. Don’t
use the same password for all of your accounts. Change your
passwords every 30-60 days. Create an encrypted list of
passwords for yourself so you can keep track of them. (User
Issue)
3. As an Internet user, recognize the threat that exists to your
personal identity and the information housed on your computer.
Change your Internet behavior by first understanding the
personal consequences of getting hacked or getting a virus. This
realization should alter your behavior and make you think twice
before engaging is unsafe Internet practices like downloading
unknown documents, visiting and inputting private information
on unknown websites,following links from unknown senders and
generally putting blind trust in the things that are sent to you.
(User Issue)
Regarding the first suggestion, I feel this is important because these
users will likely be checking their email while at the computer lab. The
flier with this suggestion will remind them about the potential danger in
emails that contain links. With so many users in and out of the lab, the
personnel will want to be sure that the users have some basic security
knowledge so that the computers in the lab are safe from malware

4. issues. While doing research for this paper, I found this tip to be an
important reminder of the potential danger found when following links.
It isn’t always a given that links sent in emails from friends are safe, they
could have been corrupted as well and sent out without your friend’s
knowledge (like in the case of our Bill Gates example during on-
campus). Typing the URL into the browser’s address bar is a practice I
will personally adopt in the future.
The issue of passwords is critical because so many people conduct
business online, including banking and shopping. If passwords are
reused from account to account or not updated regularly, users run a
huge risk of being exploited, having their identity stolen, and running up
huge credit card debt. This is an issue that can be easily controlled by
the user and a flier to remind them while they are using the computer
lab to login to one of many sites is very timely and pertinent. I
personally feel overwhelmed trying to keep track of all of my own
unique passwords so I can image that this is an issue for most people. As
a suggestion, there are tools available to help you create strong and
secure passwords and then to manage and house them securely
(http://www.iobit.com/passwordgenerator.html).
General awareness about the dangers of getting too comfortable while
using the Internet is an important security message for all users. It is so
easy to feel safe and secure. A reminder that there are serious personal
and hardware implications when you carelessly provide secure
information on unknown websites, download documents that may be
dangerous or link to a website that contains malware will go a long way
in protecting computer users. I personally have become less
discriminatory when shopping online now that it is such a common
practice. This serves as an important reminder to me that I should
investigate a little more before blinding shopping on any old website.

5. Be Smart. Be Safe. Don’t Click.
Avoid clicking on hyperlinks in emails,
they may be infected!!
Type the URL into your browser’s
address bar!

6. zoeD9o=$!l
Phonetic Pronunciation
(zulu - oscar - echo - DELTA - Nine - oscar -
Equals - Dollar - Exclamation - lima)
Secure your passwords
Include a string of upper and lower case letters,
numbers and characters
Make them 10-12 characters in length
Use phonetics to help you remember your password
Don’t use the same password for all of your accounts
Change your passwords every 30-60 days

7. Prevent your computer and personal
information from getting infected!
Engage in smart Internet behaviors…
Do not download unknown documents
Be cautious about entering private information on
unknown websites
Don’t blindly trust emails and links that are sent to you