This is important reading for everyone that owns a computer: The Ten Immutable Laws Of Security. The article has a short, non-technical discussion of each one. Highly recommended!

Law #1: If a bad guy can persuade you to run his program on your computer, it’s not your computer anymore.

Law #2: If a bad guy can alter the operating system on your computer, it’s not your computer anymore.

Law #3: If a bad guy has unrestricted physical access to your computer, it’s not your computer anymore.

Law #4: If you allow a bad guy to upload programs to your web site, it’s not your web site any more.

Law #5: Weak passwords trump strong security.

Law #6: A machine is only as secure as the administrator is trustworthy.

Law #7: Encrypted data is only as secure as the decryption key.

Law #8: An out of date virus scanner is only marginally better than no virus scanner at all.

Law #9: Absolute anonymity isn’t practical, in real life or on the web.

Law #10: Technology is not a panacea.

Share This