Blue Star Security llc

Tag: security tips

  • Top 10 Mobile Security Tips

    Top 10 Mobile Security Tips

    With summer and festival season getting into full swing soon, you’ll want to stay connected to travel and social media apps more than ever. But it’s important to be hyper-aware that cyber thieves are on the prowl for your personal, financial and location information.

    When traveling, like many of us will be doing this Memorial Day, your digital security risks can increase. But just a few thoughtful steps can reduce your digital security risks while traveling this holiday season.

     

    TOP 10 MOBILE SECURITY TIPS

    1. Before you leave, make sure that your device’s software is up-to-date. Consider removing older applications that you no longer use.
    2. Keep your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth interfaces off when they are not in use.
    3. Avoid using PUBLIC WI-FI HOTSPOTS. Public Wi-Fi hotspots usually have no encryption. Such as, malicious actors within a certain physical distance from you can eavesdrop on your communications. If you do use public Wi-Fi, try to use it only for basic browsing and applications that do not involve personal data. Try to avoid logging into sites or accounts that contain sensitive data, such as your bank. If you find yourself needing to use public Wi-Fi often, you should consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). The other concern with using public hotspots is that it is dangerous to have a saved Wi-Fi profile where the connection has no password or a well-known password. In this situation, it is trivial for an attacker to deploy a fake access point and trick your device into unexpectedly connecting to a hostile network.
    4. Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network). In the previous tip, it was suggested that you shouldn’t use public Wi-Fi due to unencrypted wireless communication unless you use a VPN. However, a VPN can be useful even if you don’t use Wi-Fi. A VPN will create an encrypted connection for you so that your data is protected before it enters the network. The VPN serves as a secure tunnel between your device and the Internet. This feature provides extra assurances that no sensitive data will be exposed to a malicious wireless operator.
    5. Password protect your phone with a PIN, or better yet a passphrase. Devices can be easily lost or stolen. This is never a fun event. In the unfortunate event that your device goes missing, keeping it secure with a PIN or passphrase will prevent malicious actors from accessing the physical device and then stealing your personal information.
    6. Encrypt your device. Similar to having the device PIN protected, encrypting the device adds a layer of protection to your data in the event that a malicious actor gets access to the physical device.
    7. Consider using the vendor provided GPS-based device location service. In the event that you lose your device, you can find the device or even remotely wipe it if you are worried about data loss. For those with Android devices, ‘Android Device Manager’ or the recently released ‘Find Device’ apps are both tied to your Google Account, while Apple users can use ‘Find My iPhone’, tied to their Apple ID.
    8. Prior to leaving your home network, you should configure any applications that you think you will require while you are out and about. For example, if you plan on using Uber, make sure that your Uber account is setup and that your payment information is configured. Not only do you avoid transmitting that payment information while you’re out; you avoid anyone reading off your credit card number as you enter it.
    9. Enable 2FA (two-factor authentication) for applications that support it.
    10. If you need to use your mobile device as a personal hotspot, ensure that the hotspot name reveals no personal details, use a strong password, and monitor the number of connected devices to ensure that no one else is accessing your connection.
  • Email Security Tips

    Email Security Tips

    Internet security is a topic that we all know to be important, but it often sits way back in the recesses of our minds, fooling ourselves into believing that “it won’t happen to me”. Whether it’s the destructive force of the newest virus, we’re always only one click away from dealing with a security mess that we’d rather not confront. Nowhere is this truer than in our emails.

    Safe online practices are important to keeping your online identity unadulterated and free from viruses, hackers, and all sorts of Internet-based shenanigans. And the best place to start? Your inbox.

    Here are some simple yet important security tips you should know in order to keep your email account as secure as possible.

     

    1. Use Separate Email Accounts
    If you’re like most people, your email account is probably the centralized hub of your personal activity. All of your Facebook notifications, website registrations, newsletters, messages, etc. get sent to your email box, right? That means you’re putting all of your eggs in one basket – if that basket happens to fall, you’ll lose all your eggs with it.

    Having separate email accounts will not only help boost your security, but also your productivity. Imagine if you could consolidate all of your work emails into a single work account; all of your friends and family communicate with your personal account; you have a recreational account for various websites; and a throwaway account for potential spam links. This way, if someone hacks your work account, all of your personal emails are still safe.

     

    2. Create A Unique Password – Not the same as your other accounts!!!
    Going along with the multiple account idea, you should also have an entirely unique password for each of your email accounts. Even if you decide to keep one “master” email account, make sure that its password is 100% unique.

    This is common advice, I know, but so many people still neglect it. Admittedly, for the longest time, I too used the same password for literally every account that I had. When one of my friends figured out my password (without messing with anything, thankfully), I knew it was time to wise up.

     

    3. Beware Of Phishing Scams
    When dealing with a particular company or product that requires account information, have you ever seen the following message: “Never give away your personal information. We will never ask you for your password.” When someone sends you an email asking you for your personal information, you know right away that it’s a trick.

     

    4. Don’t Always Click Link In Emails
    Phishing brings me to my next point. Whenever you see a link in an email, 99% of the time you should not click on it. The only exceptions are when you’re expecting a particular email, such as a forum registration link or game account activation email. Things like that.

    If you receive a spam email that tries to sell you a particular service or product, never click on any of the links inside. You never know where they’ll lead you. Sometimes they might be safe; other times they’ll bring you straight to the doors of hell and swarm you with malware and viruses.

    If you get an email from your bank or any other service (e.g., bill payments), always visit the website manually. No copy and paste. No direct clicking. You’ll thank yourself later.

     

    5. Do Not Open Unsolicited Attachments
    Attachments are a tricky thing when it comes to email. If you’re expecting something from a buddy or an uncle, then sure, go ahead and open the attachment. Have a laugh at the funny photo they sent you. It’s all good when you know the person sending the attachment.

    But if the email is unsolicited, never open any attachments. Even if the file looks innocent, you could be in for a world of hurt. Filenames can be spoofed. JPEGs could be EXEs in disguise and those EXEs will run as soon as they’re downloaded. And then you’ll have a virus on your hands.

     

    6. Scan For Viruses & Malware
    If you open an email and it seems suspicious in any way, go ahead and run a malware and virus scanner. Not every spam email will infect you with a virus and it may seem like overkill to run a malware scanner every time you open a fishy email, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. The one time that you decide to let it go could be the time your computer loads a key-logger.

     

    7. Avoid Public Wi-Fi
    And lastly, avoid checking your email when you’re on public Internet. Yes, I know that when you’re waiting for an airplane to reach your gate, it can be tempting to whip out your smartphone or laptop and check for new messages. Unfortunately, public Wi-Fi can be extremely insecure.

    There are programs out there called “network sniffers” that run passively in the background of some hacker’s device. The sniffer monitors all of the wireless data flowing through a particular network – and that data can be analyzed for important information. Like your username and password.

  • Safety Tips For This Summer’s Events

    Safety Tips For This Summer’s Events

    Summer is approaching fast!!! You know what that means, time for summer activities, concerts, and other events. We want to ensure that you and your family members can feel safe and be able to enjoy and participate in these summer festivities.

     

    Here are six event security tips from security professionals that will help ensure that your events and staff are prepared.

    1. Assess your event’s security risk upfront
    Not all events carry the same security risk, and so you should first assess if your event is a high, medium or low risk. The things to consider when assessing event security risk include the organization that is hosting or promoting the event; the content or context of the event; the key individuals speaking at or attending the event; and the exhibitors or sponsors related to the event.

    You should also take into account potential vulnerabilities of the venue you choose. For example, outdoor venues are often harder to secure than indoor spaces, but indoor spaces may also have fewer escape routes. And then there are always the force majeure “Acts of God” like tornadoes, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes that must be accounted for.

    2. Create an emergency response plan
    Planning for a disaster can mitigate risk, and so it’s important to sit down and create an event emergency response plan ahead of time. And, if your event is large enough, you can hire an event security service to help you draw one up.

    Building out such a plan requires close work with your venue and speaking with them about their procedures for mass evacuations, active shooter situations and moving people into safe areas or rooms. You should also work closely with your venue to map out evacuation routes and ensure that all routes are marked clearly on event day.

    The event security plan should also include a crisis communication plan that outlines how you will communicate with attendees and the general public if disaster does strike. This would include creating a list of potential crises, naming your crisis communications team/point people and identifying your communication channels in advance.

     

    3. Focus first on people and context, then on technology and tools
    Getting the right people on the ground with the right training and experience is your first step, and this can include not only hiring the right event security firm but also supplementing event security guards with off-duty policemen, who are licensed to carry a firearm at events.

    4. Create a visible security presence
    According to event security experts, hiding your security force or putting them undercover may do more harm than good, mainly because attendees now rely more than ever on event security staff to direct them in time of emergency and distress.

    The reason for this is that attendees simply don’t pay as much attention to their environment as they used to. As such, they are not prepared mentally when someone instantly poses a threat to them.

     

    5. Lock down the event Wi-Fi
    Not all event security threats pose a physical threat, with cyber-attacks and data theft being two emerging threats that event planners need to address now and in the coming years. One way to minimize these threats is to take some basic steps with regard to the event Wi-Fi.

    First of all, your event Wi-Fi should ALWAYS be password protected, and you should share this password discretely. This means you really should not announce the password from the stage or post it throughout the venue. Instead, share it through the registration materials and the event app if you offer one.

     

    6. Screen all staff, including venue staff
    Security threats can come from places where you least expect them, including from event and venue staff. In fact, this may happen much more often than you think.

     

    Now maybe you’re the event attendee, and that’s when your personal safety starts with common sense and being alert.

    These tips below are often said, but forgotten. Keep these in mind to ensure you will be prepared if anything happens at an event you are at.

    1. Familiarize yourself with the surroundings

    2. If you are with a group have a plan should you get separated from your group.  Plan a check in time and place.

    3. Take care of your valuables, wallets, credit cards, purses, cell phones.  You don’t want to make yourself a target for a pick pocket.

    4. Stay hydrated and watch for sunburn.

    5. If you find yourself in a threatening situation, walk away.  Let the authorities handle the situation.  Don’t be afraid to speak up to them.  “If you see something, say something.”

     

    Blue Star Security has an experienced team of professionals to provide everyone involved with a safe and relaxed environment. We do this with expert planning and organization right down to the most minute detail. To find out more information on how to hire our event security team for your events, contact us today!