Privacy & Data Protection
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With the current scrutinizing legislation and the fact that cybercriminals are launching more and more targeted attacks to gather personal information from businesses it is important for us as private investigators and business owners to set a high standard for respecting customer privacy and be vigilante in privacy issues and data protection.
The 2007 eCrime Watch Survey reported that social engineering schemes such as “phishing” have become the biggest threats to data protection. Therefore, data protection should be a major priority and concern for business owners. Data breaches are the new “currency” of crime in our information driven world.
Strong organizational policies and the implementation of privacy practices will assist in decreasing the threat of security and data breaches. Your clients should feel confident about the safety of their data; we have to show legislatures that we are going to use this data appropriately. If we want to continue to use personal data and identifiers as investigative tools, we are going to have to learn to protect such data more by improving our data protection policies.
As private investigators, attorneys, process servers, bail enforcement agents, security professionals, etc. we store very personal information on our computers. Here are some very basic techniques of protecting that data on your computer:
1. Always establish excellent passwords on your computers and any online accounts or merchants that you use on a regular basis. Computers and online accounts can be very quickly breached by cybercriminals and hackers if you have set no passwords or weak passwords.
2. Software and all operating systems should be update regularly. Your computer can be configured to automatically check for and install updates on a daily or weekly basis. This should include running and updating your virus protection software to prevent the vulnerability of data on you computer and identify and quarantine viruses.
3. You have heard it before, open e-mail with caution. In fact, it is recommended that before opening any attachments, you should evaluate the email, make sure you know the sender of the email or attachment. Stay clear of “phishing” attempts.
4. Backup your computer on a regular basis. I perform a weekly backup on my computer.
5. Install and run a personal firewall at all times. You will find most computers have built-in firewalls, but make sure the settings are on at all times. A firewall simply provides defense from others who may be scanning the computer, looking for vulnerabilities in your computer. You can buy firewall protection at any office retailer.
6. Turn off the computer or put it to “sleep” when you are not using it. If it is not on, than it can’t ne compromised or infected.
7. Install and run spyware programs regularly. Spyware applications are currently free on the Internet and are easy to use. Try AVG.
8. Install a “cleaner” to delete “cookies” and “temporary internet files”. Cleaner applications are currently free on the Internet and are easy to use. Try CCleaner.
9. When wireless devices are used, encrypt files, set up a private network with a password and definitely keep track of wireless connectivity to prevent accidental file sharing.
10. If no longer needed, remove files, such as spreadsheets and documents, that contain Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, or other such information; and or save this information in password protected folders on your computer.
Links of Interest:
http://www.smellsphishytome.com/
http://www.privacy.gov.au/business/small/checklist.html
REFERENCES:
University of Washington. “Is Your Computer Safe?” Computing & Communications Windows on Technology, No. 27, June 2002. 18 Nov. 2003. http://www.washington.edu/computing/windows/issue27/safe.html
Greiner, Lynn. “Preventing data theft” Computer Dealer News, February 22, 2002, Vol. 18 No. 3. 21 Nov. 2003. http://www.itbusiness.ca/index.asp?theaction=61&sid=47850
Office of Research Integrity. “Data Management Guidelines Issued by British Medical Research Council” September 2001, Vol. 9, No. 4. 20 Nov. 2003. http://ori.dhhs.gov/html/resources/britishmed.asp
