Confronting digital security exposure

The term “security,” especially digital security, has taken on a new meaning in recent years.

Today I will offer three examples of digital security exposures that may not have come across your radar as potential risks exposures.

The first is the router. In the not too distant past, routers were reserved for those companies with a significant number of terminals connected to a data network. Today, some homes have multiple routers to enable the connection of myriad devices in our homes. I have a friend who on a regular basis is using his smartphone, has his tablet at the ready and is watching some programming on a television that might be streaming live. You can multiply that data usage by every member in some households. Appliances and other “smart” household devices add to the routers’ usage.

So now your home may have more data and data communications usage than a small office of a few years ago. A friend told me of a situation in which his router had one channel that was open for some reason. He was in his home office and noticed that another computer terminal was turned on and the cursor was moving across the screen. He disconnected the computer quickly and prevented any damage from the intrusion. Moral of the story: Check your routers to ensure that all channels are secured.

Passwords are a continuing challenge. The subject has been written about extensively and most of us have a fool-proof method of maintaining our personal and professional passwords. Yeah, right. Whatever your technique, I trust you do have a password process that includes changing those on a regular basis to renew the security of your passwords.

Another friend pointed out that when you enter a sign-on password or enter any secure websites where you have to enter a password, you may get a friendly reminder that Google will save your password for you. If you select yes, a file of your passwords is created and maintained on your computer and perhaps somewhere in the cloud. If someone physically or remotely gains access to your computer, that person can also gain access to your password file. You can go to Google settings and delete the file.

The third exposure was reported last week. The fax machine, the former champion of technological communications, might be a digital exposure. If you have an older fax machine and the machine is connected on the same network as your other systems, it is a weak link. Fax machines were available before the current tide of digital security concerns and therefore do not have the digital security firewalls installed in more recent devices. According to the report, a quick fix is to have the fax machine communicate on a separate network.

The above examples are small and simple, but may prevent an unwanted digital intrusion. As with most things, you should develop a plan based upon your needs and resources and implement a process to minimize your exposure.

Cornell Wright is an author and the lead trainer, consultant and an Executive Coach at The Parker Wright Group Inc. in Stratford. The firm assists clients to increase their market share by improved customer service. He can be reached at 203-377-4226 or cornell@ parkerwrightgroup.com.