Problog to a Series of Postings on Hackers

Problog (Prologue) to the Hacker Series


In future blogs I will discuss the ongoing challenges that a vigilant IT manager must face to keep a company system safe and one blog will be on the psychoological profle of hackers. The five pillars of security are: authentication, identification, privacy, integrity and non-repudiation. The IT manager must educate the users as to their important role in keeping a system safe. While an IT manager should implement a two-factor authentication process, users must choose strong passwords, avoid social networking sites, exercise special care with email, never forwarding spam or opening messages from unknown senders and regularly update their anti-virus software. These policies must be clear and reiterated often by IT staff. IT managers must also ensure that databases are kept secure through prompt patching, The blog will also mention government regulations that have sought to keep Internet data safe yet have added stress to the IT role. It also mentioned the surprising security that a flash drive can offer and the surprising threat of a humble laser. Finally, it is recommended that IT managers be allowed time to keep up to date by education, reading, seminars, and conferences such as the Black Hat events. Overall, the job of security is a never ending battle of wits in which vigilance and persistence must be practiced.