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Identity Theft at Work
Actions to Prevent Identity Theft at Work
Here are the actions we are taking at work to prevent identity theft and the actions everyone should take to protect their identity.
- Remove personal data - there is no reason for personal data to be on a computer at work. Removing it removes the risk of it being stolen. On home computers burn the data to CD or DVD and store those in a safe. If worried about the media going bad make two copies and review each copy every so often.
- Encrypt - the data on the media or computer using some form of encryption.
- Password protect documents - while a Word document can be broken into in a matter of seconds with the right software, adding a password helps add one more thing a thief will have to break. The thief may or may not know how to do this.
- Lock the computer - lock the computer when leaving the desk. This will require an administrator or you to unlock it later. Hit Ctrl - Alt - Del then click lock computer. Sorry Mac users, Mac does not offer a lock computer feature, guess you will have to set a screen saver with a password.
- Don't save passwords - don't put passwords on your desk and don't save them in a web browser.
- Educate others - the more people know and understand, the safer the work environment will be.
- User accounts - user accounts don't allow software to be installed. They will cut down on Spyware installing itself because of permissions. For those IT people, users cannot install destructive software.
- E-mail filter - using an E-mail filter service cuts down on SPAM. They will also cut down on viruses and spoofing E-mails. Spoofing is when someone pretending to be a bank, E-mails a user and tries to get them to log into a bogus site. This site records the login.
- Password change - don't use the same password for every site. Use strong passwords that are impossible to guess by anyone who knows you. Strong passwords use letters, capitals, numbers and even special characters like the & sign. Change passwords after a certain amount of time.
- Draw attention to the threat - my shocker of how easy it was to steal a person's identity opened some eyes. Do this to a higher up that you know and likes you and see how quick a policy is drafted. Make sure you don't get fired though.
- Enforce the policy - if you can at work, discipline employees for not following the policy. Brute force is sometimes the only way.
- Check rights - IT people make sure everyone has only the access they need. Employees should alert management when there is too much access. Better too little and ask for more, than too much and the company is out of business. Don't allow every piece of information to walk out on mobile devices.
- Mobile devices - don't leave lying around.
- De story documents - on the computer make sure sensitive documents that are not needed anymore are deleted. For paper, shred the documents with a crisscross shredder. Shred CDs and DVDs that contain sensitive data.
- Anti-virus - get an anti-virus program, ensure it is updated constantly, make sure it is running. Run spyware checks consistently. Trend Micro's web site has a good tool to run occasionally in addition to the current anti-virus. Having multiple programs scan, makes it more certain that one virus does not slip through.
- Filter web access - if in IT, limit the sites users can access. This will not only increase productivity but cut down on spyware and spoofing sites. Not to mention, if a user can't get to a shopping store, the user can't save their password.
- Firewall - implement a hardware firewall. Password this firewall, I have seen many places use the default password on fire walls. Hackers know these and when looking for an easy score, that makes it way too easy.
Conclusion
Changing policies and habits is never easy, but identity theft at work is a major concern. Identity theft can bring down a company in one swift lawsuit, if not cause a person to spend countless hours getting their life back together. We have acted on it and noticed a decrease in security risks and as an added bonus, support calls. The biggest part is still education and why I wrote this article. Applying these policies to home life will protect the user as well. It is very easy to get information in an open company, don't let yours stolen.
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