How safe is your computer?

How safe is your computer?

You don’t have to look hard to find news about some sort of online virus or threat to your personal information. Internet threats have been around for a long time. Fortunately, there are measures you can take to protect yourself.

But first, let’s take a look at what you’re up against:

• malicious threats (viruses and malware)
• fraud threats such as phishing emails, spyware and troll fraud(the fraudulent use of a company’s telecommunications system by a third party)
• unauthorized access from hacking, data leakage, botnets, unsecured wireless, and user name/password insecurity
• operational threats, such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, attacks on VoIP, the failure of cloud computing suppliers to secure your network, or security risks from remote workers
• newer threats such as social networking insecurity, web application threats, smartphone insecurity and poor security for converged voice/data applications on the network 

Before you unplug your computer and give up on modern technology, consider these options:

Staying up to date

A basic and key way of staying secure is to make sure you quickly take advantage of operation, browser and software updates. Make sure that patches, particularly security patches, are tested and installed as soon as possible.

Don’t open your door to strangers

As a first line of defence, never open unknown attachments. These are a common source of viruses and spyware, and be cautious about clicking on any links. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software.

Tending to your firewall

Firewalls are now almost universally deployed. All messages entering or leaving the network pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. It’s important to regularly review the performance of your firewall.

Protecting your data

Backup your precious data (software data, photos, etc.) on an external source, like an external hard drive, memory stick or even on the cloud. This ensures that if your computer goes down, you won’t lose your photos and all that important information. It’s up to you to protect your data, but as long as you have it stored somewhere else, you should be able to retrieve that information.

Authenticate the source

If you receive a random call from someone saying they are calling to service your computer or software – that’s a pretty big red light that’s something off. Always ask to call them back at the company’s phone number, especially if they’re asking you to grant access to your computer. Remote assistance is a growing trend and can be used for malicious reasons.

Remote assistance with FCC Management Software Customer Care – it’s totally legit.

Currently, we’re using a secure, remote assistance tool to provide support, allowing analysts to connect with you online. Also, we offer Click-to-chat services through our Online Community. Only our customer care employees have access to this tool. This session would only be started if the need has been identified over the phone or through Click-to-chat.

Keeping your data and information safe isn’t hard to do. It just requires a little knowledge and some good habits. And if you have any concerns about your internet security, talk with your computer tech and make sure all your bases are covered.

Questions? Get answers and share your comments with other software users on our Discussion Boards or search the Knowledge Base. Plus you can always contact our FCC Management Software support staff.