See the AFP article here: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jRMjda7dUrbt8_XlVUWSB4Dmr01w

The bill increases funding for cybersecurity research and a public awareness campaign.  The bill allocates 400 million dollars for security related grants through the National Science Foundation and seeks to increase cooperation between research universities and government agencies charged with protecting networks that are critical to the nation.

As businesses and government agencies become more dependent on the internet to conduct business, the risks of hacking, data theft and network disruptions are growing.

Following passage of the bill, Oregon Democratic Representative, David Wu, said that, "Securing cyberspace is vitally important to both our safety and our national economy.  We cannot stand by and let the most powerful tool for connecting Americans with each other and the world remain the Wild West of technology."

Reliant Security provides the latest security solutions for clients throughout the western United States.

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Due to the proliferation of banking Trojans on the internet, experts recommend that small businesses dedicate a pc exclusively for Internet banking which does not otherwise access the internet or email.

The risks for business are particularly acute as they do not enjoy the same banking protections as consumers.  Depending on how a fradulent transfer was initiated and when it was detected, businesses may not be able to recover all of their losses and banks may not be obligated to make them whole.

Security managers must constantly update their electronic defenses and continually educate their users to stay one step ahead of the thieves and avoid becoming the next corporate victim of online bank fraud.

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Some of the most common passwords found were, "12345, 123456, iloveyou, and the word "password."  In the age of automated hacking tools that can "guess" thousands of passwords per minute, these common simple passwords leave you accounts at risk.  Once your account has been compromised not only can hackers access your private data but they can use your ID for phishing campaigns against everyone in your contact list which can be very embarrassing and damaging to your reputation and that of your company.

Some best practices for passwords are:

1) Use multiple passwords

2) Don't use common identifiers like your initials and date of birth

3) Make your passwords longer

4) Use a mix of letters and numbers upper and lowercase

It is a hassle to remember multiple passwords but it is an even bigger hassle to explain to all your contacts that your email was hacked and that you didn't really intent to send them that email about how much money they can make from Google by posting links from home and taking online surveys.

www.reliantsecurity.net

www.reliantsecurity.net

Companies are particularly vulnerable to cyber fraud because their commercial banking accounts typically "enjoy few of the protections afforded to consumers."  While consumers can  recover money stolen from fraudulent withdrawals, businesses often can not.

The FBI points out that these attacks are carried out by software that steals user names and passwords when an unsuspecting user opens a spam email or clicks on a link the leads them to a "booby-trapped" website.  They recommend "locking-down" computers that are used for online banking and making sure these computers are not used for everyday email and web surfing.

The takeaway for me in this article is that the most sophisticated firewalls and cyber security can be compromised without the proper security policies and procedures and physical safeguards around end users' computer workstations.

Reliant Security can work with your business to implement the right security policies and procedures to protect your assets and your company from embarrassment and financial loss.

www.reliantsecurity.net