3 simple tips to keep your network secure.

As the power of the internet continues to grow and the amount the internet is used in our lives increases, the threat of malicious software and virus increases. Unfortunately having a secure network isn't as easy as installing an antivirus and forgetting about the risks. Here are 3 simple tips that you can use to keep your businesses or personal network secure.

1. Keep everything up to date

 

One way to keep protected from malicious software is to keep everything up to date. This includes OS updates and 3rd party updates. Depending on whether you use PC or Mac this can be a simple task or a mammoth one. On Mac you can update most apps from the Mac App store. However some applications will be downloaded straight from the internet or you may be using a PC so this isn't necessarily perfect. Secunia’s Personal Software Inspector checks all third party software for updates and lets you know how to update them.

2. Monitor your network’s traffic

 

Once everything is up to date and working well, its time to measure what is actually making its way into your network. In order for someone to access your network, they will have to communicate with your network and that leaves a trace. You can look at the logs captured by your router or you can use software that can do all this on the cloud. Software like OpenDNS can be used by your network administrator to see where the weak points or your network are.

3. Check whats heading outbound

 

Having a firewall and making sure everything is up to date can help but if there is malicious software on the inside you need to be able to pinpoint that and put it to a halt. Little snitch on Mac and GlassWire on Windows can alert you of malicious applications that are heading out to the internet. This can be a pain as users will be notified each time anything tries to head out to the internet and it will take time for your machine to learn what to notify you about and what to ignore. If your willing to go through this grace period we would definitely say it is worth it.