Tighten Internal Computer Security

Recently there has been considerable media attention given to threats to computer systems coming from outside the organization. However, it is important to remember that far greater losses are registered every year by companies from internal threats. Proportionally, losses are much higher in small companies than they are in large ones - primarily because of poor (or no) internal policies.

Here are some tips to help secure your system from insider threats:

• Passwords 1 - use them, change them regularly, don't write them down or share them with others
• Passwords 2 - use different passwords for different applications; don't use the same passwords at home
• Monitors - use screen savers with a password to blank out when you're not there
• Printouts - shred all confidential printouts
• Removable storage - reformat old disks and tapes and physically damage them before discarding
• Logout - if you don't turn your computer off at night, log off the network before leaving
• Servers - all network servers should be kept in locked areas

• Displays - don't display confidential information on wall-mounted displays that are visible to those not needing the information

- R. S. Kulzick - 07/03/2001 -

Contact rkulzick@stu.edu with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2001 Raymond S. Kulzick - Last modified: September 13, 2008