PROTECTING YOUR RESIDENT ELECTRONIC INFORMATION

You’re very careful about your resident paper files. They are kept secure under lock and key with very limited access. You have a paper shredder and use it faithfully for any disposed documents with resident personal information. Your mail and drop box are secure. You’ve done your part to protect your residents’ information. Maybe not. What about the electronic files?

Password Protection.

Your security is only as good as your password protection. The craftiest password is worthless when it is stored on slip of paper inside your desk drawer. Worse is the practice of keeping all your passwords on a list in your desk. We are required to have a password in so many programs and websites that keeping them all straight almost requires a list. Many software experts suggest only two or three passwords, one each for minimum and maximum security to be used according to your assessment of the site or program. One separate password should be used for your banking.

Update Your Computer Software.

Most software vendors are constantly updating their software to counter the developing threats against it. In this day and age of unwanted extra programs in the automatic update, you don’t have to necessarily automatically update. You can set you computer to notify you of the update for your review before downloading. Use antivirus software, and it should update automatically. Use a firewall as a guard to monitor outside attempts to access your system.

Spyware Infection.

Know the warning signs of spyware infection. Emails are sent that you didn’t originate. Check your sent emails regularly. Your computer inexplicably slows down. It doesn’t function properly and reports unexplained error messages. It serves pop ups repeatedly, especially if you aren’t on the web. You find web pages that you aren’t visiting opening; they seem to self-generate. It fails to shut down or it won’t restart.

Attachments, Downloads, Websites

Exercise judgment in opening file attachments. Free software may be tempting but costly in the long run when unwanted programs, spyware or viruses come as hidden extras. Bad software (malware) can be found in many free games, file sharing programs and customized toolbars. If you send an attachment, include a text message in the email to explain the attachment or, at least, to notify the recipient that you generated the email. The immense popularity of social networking sites is irresistible to those who would harm your computer programs or files for fun or profit. An internet usage policy is a must, and to be effective it must be enforced. One staff member in the wrong place can compromise the computer files of everyone on a poorly protected network.

Report violators.

Report suspected hacking or viruses to you internet service provider (ISP) and to the hacker’s ISP. Reputable internet service providers will use your report to prevent further abuse. You can contact the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The IC3 website has comprehensive information on internet threats and the methods to protect you files