Identity Protection and Security

21.10.2019

While most of us will have heard of identity theft, that never seems like something that would happen to us. It’s one of those things that happen on the telly but not to one personally. However, identity theft is far more common than anyone would think. And it’s not all large credit card theft operations and manufacturing fake passports.
No, identity theft can be as simple as forging a signature and, unless the perp is caught, it will almost always cause rather big problems for the victim. For the seemingly small benefit of a pizza ordered on someone else’s credit card, that person’s credit rating can take damage, they may even have their credit cards cancelled.

Identity Protection is key to avoid being in a situation like that. Now, taking care of personal documents is one of the easier steps to avoid being targeted for identity theft. The same thing goes for signatures and online payments. Taking extra care before signing anything and double-checking the validity of websites before making a payment can make all the difference for a potential scammer.

There’s less obvious protections as well, and they can be just as important. Keeping a secure pin on a phone (meaning not a birthday or ‘1234’) and not writing down the pin-codes for debit and credit-cards makes it much harder for thieves to use cards even if they are able to lift them or find the details. Sometimes card details are stored online during a purchase and there is ample proof that they aren’t always kept secure enough. It’s always safer to choose to not store card details for future payments.

Another often neglected thing to do is to regularly check all bank statements and credit card statements. That way, if there are any odd or unexplained charges, the bank can take care of them immediately and refund the money, possibly even find the culprit. If the fraud is never reported, it’s much more difficult to prove it happened at all, much less to stop the negative consequences that can happen.

Depending on the specific country, it can also be very important to keep one’s national insurance number private, as that alone can often be enough to do things like take out a new credit card, or even enter an employment contract. That can have rather awful consequences, just as credit card theft can.

Identity Security is as vital to personal protection as locking the door when you leave-forgetting it even once carries significant risk of falling victim to a scammer.

Security Advisors & Experts

18.10.2019

Security Advisor, Security Expert, Security Consultant, Security Manager, Security Firm

No matter how big or small your company is, it is inevitable that you will eventually need to worry about security. Website Security, Physical Security, Email Security, Network security are just some of the items in the typical business that are insecure in the modern world. While you might think it is easy to be secure be it online or offline security consultants will provide an impartial second viewpoint on your businesses security, often providing recommendations and details of what needs to be changed.

Security firms will often do “free” audits to help identify issues on the surface in order just to show that no matter how secure you think you are, there are still ways you can and most importantly should improve on. For example, does your building use the latest door control system? Is your computer software up-to date? Do you rotate your passwords? Is your anti-virus suite up-to date? If you answered “no” to any of those four simple questions, a security expert could easily identify holes and most likely gather data that you would have thought was behind closed doors.

If you’re a business that stores client data on any level, addresses, emails, banking details or anything similar you are liable if those details are lost in your possession and for whatever reason your client loses money for your security flaws. Most companies prefer not to take the risk and rather hire security managers to protect both their physical and virtual property in order to protect themselves from security breaches.

Outsources security advisors are the best bet for small businesses, often cheaper than the competition and still making up for it with a vast range of certification’s and ISO’s they can provide you with ad-hoc security advice when your business needs it. They can advise on best-practices, secure data storage & deletion, preventive methods, anti-virus recommendations and much more. They provide a great impartial view for a very affordable price.

In a world in which malicious people can enter your network from thousands of miles away it is crucial that you minimize your risk to fraud, data loss, stolen data and in rare cases corporate espionage. Businesses spend more money on security than ever before. With viruses such as cryptolocker taking businesses offline if they don’t have proper protection or backups.

The world is changing to be a much more dangerous place for businesses, are your security methods and policies changing also?

U/HNWI Social Media Awareness

07.10.2019

Secure use of social media for U/HNWI´s.

For almost all teenagers, and, let’s be honest, most adults too, social media has become as essential a part of our day as taking breakfast. In fact, many of us check Facebook before we even roll out of bed. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, social networks and media are popular-and they’re here to stay. We use them to stay in touch with old friends, to share photos, to make new friends, or to discover new things.

As soon as social media gained traction, of course, crime came with it. Once it was possible to pay for things like Facebook games with credit cards, people began scamming others for their passwords and accounts. When this became a serious enough threat, the networks themselves tried to educate people on the secure use of social media. Guides and rules were created to more or less enforce security measures beneficial-if not always appreciated-to the users.

The providers of social networks force their users to use longer, more complicated and more elaborate passwords, add phone numbers to secure their accounts (albeit there are other reasons for that too) and they allow to connect accounts with each other to make them more easily retrievable. On one hand this raises social media awareness, on the other hand it also increases the risk as people tend to use the same password for multiple things-therefore if someone finds out one password, they know them all.
Naturally, websites will warn users against choosing the same password in multiple places, however few people truly listen. Coincidentally, this is one of the first steps that should be taken to make social media more secure. And, despite it relating entirely to virtual things, social media awareness is incredibly important.

We post information about ourselves, our family, and our work, much of it publically. That is another thing that can increase the secure use of social media and that is reducing the amount of personal information that we spread around on the internet. Something as innocent as family pictures or a complaint about a supervisor has caused irreparable damage to people’s lives.

Without the existence of social media this likely wouldn’t have happened-not to say that they are a bad thing. A lot more people find employment through social networks than lose them, as there are entire networks dedicated to just that. And they are perfectly safe and beneficial to use-as long as it’s done responsibly.

Security Awareness for Rich Families, Celebrities and VIPs

07.10.2019

Now, being aware of one’s security and safety is always a very good thing. There are many things that need protection, and, personal safety aside, most of those are either at work or at home. Almost all of us will keep valuables they have in a safe place, and, normally, the safest place we can think of, is home.

Naturally, that makes the homes of rich Families, Celebrities or VIPs prime targets for robbers. That isn’t to say that keeping things at home or feeling safe in one’s own home is a bad thing, however, it does mean that special security awareness is necessary. This can mean a variety of things, and people deal with it very differently.

Some people choose to not do anything besides possibly lock their front doors, but those aren’t the ones that we should use as an example. As far as VIPs and rich families go, there are certain ‘standards’ that are pretty much expected when it comes to security-cameras, a burglar alarm, locks on windows, doors and gates and alarmed dog doors.

Locked safes and secured display cases and paintings are the next step-they are relatively common too. For some though, their preferred solution for security is to hire human security. This has its upsides and downsides as well of course. As far as security awareness for rich families goes, hiring human security guards makes the protection flexible-a camera can do nothing but record and a lock holds a door closed-a human can react to situations, set priorities and move around freely.

There is, however, also the risk of deceit. A camera will hardly accept a bribe to let in robbers, however a human could, potentially, be paid off and end up helping to disable the standard security measures in place, thereby exposing the home entirely. Of course, while this risk can be minimized by hiring well-accredit and vouched for personnel, it’s not something that’s an issue at all within automated systems, which are, in general, entirely tamper proof.

They are kept this way in the same way CCTV is-the system is on it’s own, isolated, at most updated to be aware of new threats or security protocols. That makes a system far less vulnerable to outside threats like hacking or outside access.

Celebrities and VIPs are therefore generally best off using both human and machine security-ideally separate from each other. Hiring guards for personal security is well and good, not giving them the master code to disable the security system or safe combinations is better.

Family Security, Kid Protection, Children Security

10.09.2019

Few things are as important to protect as our children. To exhaust an old metaphor-they are our future. Especially the parents of younger children or those who have several children will attest that keeping them safe is a nearly impossible task.

Kid protection is a task made difficult by several aspects-firstly the fact that a world built for adults isn’t ideal for children to be in, as things aren’t built with the intention to be safe for kids. Secondly, children themselves have little self-preservation instinct and their curiosity gets them into unsafe situations. Thirdly, children security is a full time job that requires a fair bit of money.

Child proofing every possible environment a child, while at the same time not neglecting family security, can be difficult. Hiding away dangerous materials and chemicals is fairly easy, however spotting more difficult threats, such as the edges of drawers or perhaps a dropped nail on the carpet can be a lot more difficult.

Ensuring a child’s safety is no small task, and most young parents will learn as they go. There is no user manual or guide around, and each situation, each home, each child is different and unique. In very much the same fashion, the risks differ greatly.

There are, however, some universal child protection measures that are always of use. Putting a child door at the top and bottom of stairs in the house is an essential-as is getting a high chair since small kids shouldn’t be trusted to sit on their own. The same goes for a set of childproof cutlery once they are old enough to use it. Safe toys are a given as are safe beds.

Many children seem to have a somewhat worrisome like for heights that puts them into dangerous situations. As a rule for young parents ‘constant vigilance’ is a must. The joy of having children should not be overshadowed by fear and constant thoughts about kid protection though. Any parent will worry about their child, however this should not escalate into actual fear. And besides, child security doesn’t have to be difficult!

To make it easier on the parents, there are now even companies that offer ‘safe spaces’ that can be erected and are as risk-free as is at all possible. Other security companies offer services such as checking a house for threats and removing them. Usually such services are costly, however they can be very much worth it for inexperienced people.