Beyond Viruses and Bots: Real Risks You Might Be Missing

We are all aware of the slew of network security issues facing organizations today. It seems like every other day there’s a new security breach in the news – take the recent hackers breaking into Sony’s PlayStation site and the Epsilon phishing campaign.

But while things like bots, viruses and hackers are well-known, we are starting to see less obvious risks come up that have a significant impact on an enterprise’s or a school’s information systems.

For example, take Cyber bullying – which is bullying through online and communication technology mediums like social media sites and texting. We don’t need to spell out the rise and catastrophic effects of cyber bullying in our country, but what does this have to do with IT infrastructure?

Well, everything – if that cyber bullying was done from a school computer. Think about that. Could a school help reduce cyber bullying by preventing students from accessing sites where it could take place? And if they didn’t, could they be held liable if cyber bullying did take place on school computers?

To address these and other out-of-the-box risks, organization of all sizes – schools or otherwise – should consider:

1. Online Security Policy – help mitigate legal issues around things like cyber bullying on school equipment or prohibited online activity on corporate computers by developing an online security policy and updating it regularly. As part of that policy, train employees, parents and children on how to identify and report behaviors of concern.
2. Firewall Management – prevent unwanted traffic from entering or leaving your network and get detailed activity logs.
3. Content Filtering – restrict the access to obscene or illegal information (required by law for public schools and libraries in many states).
4. Outsourcing – shift the responsibility of security to a 3rd party so resource-strapped businesses and schools can focus on other priorities without having to worry about keeping up with the latest threats.

The key is to think about all risks to your organization or school – even if they aren’t immediately related to your infrastructure – and come up with a proactive plan to protect your assets. With a little investment in technology and a comprehensive security plan, you’ll save time, money and headaches.

What are the “out-of the-box” security risks you’ve encountered?

Tags: best practices, managed security, security