Cyber Security Self-Help

While it is pretty easy to rely on your technical support team whenever you suspect an issue with your computer system, there are times when their support may not be available.  At home, you’ll often have multiple users  using a single computer who may not always consider the importance of cyber security.  It is important that you do so, especially since most of our mobile phones, tablets, and personal computers are used to transmit sensitive personal information such as credit card numbers and address information.

With those caveats in mind, we have some resources for you that will let you test your knowledge of cyber security and offer assistance when you find yourself faced with that unwelcome malware, virus, trojan, or other computer invader:

OnGuardOnline.gov – A government web site that provides us with consumer level information on how to avoid online scams, secure your computer, and protect your identity.  This site dispenses with an abundance of technical jargon and presents information that is easily digestible no matter your technical skill level.

US Cert Incident Reporting System -This government web site  provides a secure web-enabled means of reporting computer security incidents to US-CERT.  What exactly is an “incident”?  Go to their site, and they’ll tell you!

Lookout.com – Want FREE mobile phone security?  With all the ways your credit card information can be transmitted (and unfortunately stolen) today, it makes sense to make your mobile device as secure as possible without compromising its’ functionality.  How do you do that? With Lookout.com’s free cell phone security features.  If you own an Android-based phone, iPhone, or Amazon Kindle device, you can install their software to provide anti-virus protection, backup your phone’s data, and locate your phone if it is ever missing or stolen.  We encourage you to read more at their site and decide for yourself!