Aegis Capital Corp (Bob Eide): Practical Security

Aegis Capital Corp is a financial firm with branches located across the United States. As in any modern industry, the security and protection of our partners and clients is of the utmost importance. We at Aegis serve as financial consultants for both individual and institutional clients across the world. In today's day and age, the protection of one's assets often comes in the form of effective security of their data. Whether you work in the financial, medical, legal, technological, or any other industry for that matter, the following tips can be utilized by anyone to better secure themselves.

The first thing we'd like to share with you is not as much of a tip as it is a fact. Security begins with people. Many larger corporations employ security teams to protect their assets. However, the security teams employed by these organizations are rarely enough to protect against a malicious actor. Instead, it is wisest to understand that security begins with everyone, from the bottom all the way to the top. A security team should merely be seen as an enforcement team dedicated to the policies instated by the organization. For the organizations that cannot afford dedicated security teams, creating teachable moments, and generating awareness of security threats amongst personnel is the best course of action. It is truly up to everyone though, to make sure that best practices are followed. From the custodian who fails to lock the main entrance as their night shift ends, to the data security expert that fails to load a timely network patch, it is often the mistake of a single individual that leaves an opening for malicious actors to sneak their way through and begin compromising the organization from within. An understanding of this fact gives you a great advantage in securing your organization.

Nearly everyone involved in today's organizations has access to a computer, whether that computer comes in the form of a network server, a work station, or a company issued mobile device. Taking care to enact some of the following practices can drastically help in securing against unauthorized access to a organization's devices.

• If you get up from your workstation, whether to hit the water cooler, use the restroom, or you’re heading out to lunch, ALWAYS lock your work station. Many people do not realize that the average attack time it takes for a malicious actor to compromise your computer is merely 7 seconds with the right equipment. Here is how to lock to your work station whether working on a Windows or Mac system:
• Windows: Press the Windows key and the L key together at the same time
• Newer Mac stations (without an optical drive): Press Control, Shift, and Power buttons at the same time
• Older Mac stations (with optical drive): Press Control, Shift, and Eject buttons at the same time.
• If you work at a work station computer to do your job, never store your passwords in your desk drawer or under your keyboard.
• When creating passwords, never use personal information to generate that password. Many people do not realize that company employee lists can readily be found, and even worse, public information about those employees is lying out there on the net just waiting to be found. An attacker may use this information to generate a list of passwords that they can use to attempt a breach of your systems.
• Always create passwords that follow a minimum of the following characteristics: Capital letters, Lower case letters, Numbers, Special characters when allowed, a minimum of 8-12 characters in total. (The more characters, the better).
• If you have been issued a mobile device by your company, always ensure that the mobile device is password protected.
• 2 Factor Authentication methods are far stronger than single factor methods.
• If you telecommute, it is wise to ensure that you are establishing your connection through an encrypted tunnel known as a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
• ALWAYS create regular backups of important corporate data. It is best to store this data on disconnected, offline servers. If your company cannot afford an offline server, it is best to store the data on disconnected solid-state drives. Never store long term data on a CD or DVD. Although we won't go into specifics here, CDs and DVDs degrade over time, and if permanently damaged, recovery of the data stored on those mediums may be impossible.
• ALWAYS make backups of your backups.
• Contingency Plans that are easily understood and actionable should be put in place, in case of a system breach.
• If a security update for your operating system or network is available, run the updates immediately.
• Ensure that workers are never using operating systems no longer supported by the manufacturers. In these instances, no updates/security patches are released, and systems are left wildly vulnerable. An example of this would be a work station still utilizing Windows XP, which has not had support from Microsoft for years.
• If you are storing important documents in a safe, it is best to use a safe that is mechanical, rather than electronically based. Although we will not say how, electronically controlled safes have the possibility of being breached in a far easier manner.

In conclusion, by following these steps and becoming conscious of every employee's role in the security of an organization, no matter how small, achieving better security is an attainable proposition.

This blog was contributed by LamSec, a division of Lambda Technology Inc.

Mr. Robert (Bob) J. Eide is a successful businessman and experienced leader based out of New York City. Bob is the President and Ceo of Aegis Capital Corp.