Online Security

I read an article on CSO Online called "Researchers Advise Cyber Self Defense in the Cloud " http://www.csoonline.com/article/504770/Researchers_Advise_Cyber_Self_Defense_in_the_Cloud

The article points out that through social media a criminal could pieces together your birth date, personal photos, family members, and other pieces of personal information. This makes it much easier for identity theft. Between these different social media like a Blog it becomes easy for someone to gather information on someone and therefore does justify some concern.

Using social media it is easier to access personal information needed for identity theft. A stolen identity will allow a criminal access to credit. Banks and anyone providing credit will need to get more sophisticated about how they identify someone. Individuals will need to continue to be vigilant about what information they do give out to social media sites.

Companies that in all regard are good corporate citizens need only one bad apple to compromise their data. This does not even have to be over the internet. I have received letters from banking institutions stating their information was compromised internally and they are sending me a new credit card.

Clearly we are living in a time when it is easier to access information. The battle will be ongoing and will ensure a good living for those focused on information security. We will continue to transact business and share information over the internet. It is extremely effective and efficient. The main thing that an individual can do is be cautious about who they share information with online. Two questions to ask yourself before sharing sensitive information online:

1. How did you ended up at this particular site? Did you seek out this site or did the site find you through an email?

2. Does it make sense to give out the information you are giving out? Is it necessary?

The key is being careful about what information you share and who you are sharing it with.

Cloud computing is a growing trend and I don't think the fear of identity theft will stop the trend. Individuals will continue to use protective software like antivirus, antimalware, and firewalls and probably more important, just think about what information they are sharing online.