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Keeping your personal data safe

Posted: Fri 28 Jul 2017, 2:41pm.

Many of us use our computers and phones to store personal photos, contacts and emails, to access our bank accounts and to shop online. We store and transmit sensitive, personal data every day. But are you taking steps to make sure your data is secure and your devices are safe?

Several high-profile examples have hit the news recently, showing that even the most prestigious people and organisations can be caught out if their security measures aren’t up-to-date. At Sussex, IT Services regularly monitor the security of the University’s network, servers and computers to ensure your data is as safe as possible.

However, your own computer and your mobile phone can easily become vulnerable to malicious attacks. An article in today’s Guardian shows the kind of threat that can target your mobile phone – it doesn’t even need you to click on anything or open any files or links.

The key to ensure your online security is to run updates and patches to give you the latest, most secure software on your desktop, laptop and mobile phone.

YOUR MOBILE PHONE OR TABLET

1. Ensure that you check for updates regularly. iPhone users should follow this process, while Android users will need to take these steps.
2. Replace your device when it is no longer able to run updates. Unfortunately, all devices have a finite lifespan and eventually the software will cease to be supported. At this point, you will need to recycle your device, or otherwise dispose of it in a responsible way, and move a more recent version.
   You can find a complete list of expired Apple devices on this page. More specifically, there is a list of iPhones and iPads which are still supported on this page. However, iPhone 5 and 5c, and iPad 4 will soon join the list of unsupported devices, so you should be prepared to replace them in the near future.
   Windows phone users should see this list of devices that are no longer supported.
3. Take care with your sources for apps. As this article explains, not all apps are secure. You should take care that you don’t open security vulnerabilities in your device by downloading insecure software.
   Incidentally, the source of the above article, https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/, is a useful site providing up-to-date IT security news.

YOUR PERSONAL LAPTOP OR DESKTOP

1. Ensure you allow security updates to run on Windows and Mac computers.
2. Ensure your computer is running an anti-virus program and allow it to run regular updates and security scans.
3. Replace out-of-date or obsolete software and hardware. Operating systems like Windows XP and Vista and older versions of Mac OS (ie, 10.9, 10.10 or older) should be replaced, and if your computer isn’t capable of running the latest versions then you should also replace it as soon as possible. For those running Linux or another unix based operating system, you should check that the version is supported and able to receive security updates.
4. Pay particular attention to keeping Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat and Java up to date as they are repeatedly exploited. Also, ensure you run these updates from the genuine providers’ websites, and not from other links claiming to offer updates these programs.