IT Security and Virus Protection

More people are now aware of issues around IT security and virus protection – to a greater or lesser extent. If you’re in the ‘lesser’ camp then it’s time to grasp that nettle…

by Alex Marsh

15 December 2011 (updated 22 May 2012)

Millions of consumers send credit card and personal information over the internet, comfortable with the security of their favourite sites. Justifiably so? After all, there is no ‘season of goodwill’ in some corners of the IT world…

Virus protection… IT security… already some will be finding these brief notes intimidating. But many small charities don’t have an IT specialist to do the worrying for them. And security is as much a cultural as a technical matter… perhaps even more so.

Even a tiny charity has much to lose from an attack on its IT systems or website:

• Data on supporters and staff: identity theft is big business, and the security of information you hold is your legal responsibility
• Time and money: from the impact of slow-running or non-functional PCs to the direct costs of repairing damage
• Credibility – the perception of you as a trusted home for supporters’ credit card information, or merely as a charity that is efficient with its administration.

So why ‘a cultural matter’? Because this is what a technical solution - security software - can generally do:

• Flag up/block suspicious files from email/websites/flash drives etc.
• Monitor network activity for unusual incoming or outgoing activity
• Prevent or alert you to questionable changes to key system files
• Refer to vast subscription databases of known threats

And this is what it can’t:

• Prevent you from overriding alerts/downgrading its settings for a quicker/easier life
• Compel people to choose strong, individual passwords and to keep them safe
• Keep your login details secret when you work from the café down the road
• Force you to keep that subscription up-to-date

So ‘IT Security’ equals ‘good software’ plus ‘organisation-wide policies and awareness.’ Or, if you like, ‘a burglar alarm’ plus ‘remembering to close the window’.

Once synonymous with petty vandalism, ‘hacking’ is now a tool for organised criminals. It’s often automated and nothing personal, so don’t think ‘why should they target us?’ The tiniest charity has something of value: from personal information to illicit use of processing power, email servers or webspace.

So a New Year’s resolution: review your security software, revisit your policies, train as appropriate and raise awareness. If at all possible, consider a security audit by an experienced professional. But you and your colleagues still need to know and care!