Security, your responsibility

Do you care about security? Sure you do. You want the police to be there when you need them, you want the mall or a store to have security to protect you, you want your bank to implement security measures so no-one else can steal your money, you want your employer to have policies to ensure no-one gets their hands on your paycheck etc etc. You wánt security and you know you need it. You do what you think is enough to ensure you are protected. How about the people that rely on yóu to keep théir information safe though?

Example..

This blog. I may have a few people that have created an account so they can leave comments and what not. As soon as they created an account this blog saved their registration details in a database, this database will be used to verify their identity whenever they sign in. So what? So, i have their names, e- mail addresses, IP address and more. Harmless information that almost every website saves, logs or tracks. But it is still someone else’s information, on MY server. If this website is compromised, their information will potentially fall into the wrong hands and can be used for spam, phishing or social engineering attacks. It is my job to do what i can to secure this website and the server it’s on as best i can to keep their information safe, amongst other things, it is my responsibility.

Think for a minute, what information do you have on someone else that could potentially be used for something bad. Your addressbook is full of data on other people, are you doing what you can to secure that information and preventing it from falling into the wrong hands? Strong passwords, Antivirus, Firewall? Wether you are an employer in an office or just someone sitting at home behind your iMac, chances are you have someone else’s information in your possession. As soon as you have someone else’s information in your possession it is your responsibility to protect it. If you don’t feel like protecting it or could care less, at least let everyone in your address book know and ask them if they would like to be deleted from your address book. Give them a choice. Sure at some point they gave you their information but when you hand out your phone number and address to a friend, do you expect them to give that information to whomever wants it or do you expect them to respect your privacy and protect that information?

Security is not taboo. Feel free to ask someone, wether it’s a friend or your employer, “you have my personal information in your posession, what are you doing to ensure it is secured?” You have a right to know. If you are not satisfied by their answer, request they delete your information. Next time their system is compromised at least your information will not be amongst the spoils. You are responsible for your personal information. Don’t rely on others and if you must rely on others, question them about it.