The Nashville Tech Story (9/14/2009)
With the advancements that are taking place online and the constant growth of social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, it is becoming more and more difficult to keep personal information secure. Even if you do not own a Twitter or Facebook account, or if you have never used the Internet, your classified information is still at risk.
Ever wonder how much your sensitive personal information costs?
Symantec is planning to launch an Online Risk Calculator to help users determine how much their online information is worth on the black market. A risk rating scale is included, which calculates the value based on demographics, online activity, and estimated value of online information.
The program begins by surveying the user about his/her gender, age and online assets and then asks for an estimated value of that information. It will then question whether security software is used and how cautious you are when you work online. This program is about gaining awareness to help users stop the loss of data before it takes place.
On the black market today, a criminal could gain access to your sensitive data for as little as $11. Once the data has been compromised, it can cost large amounts of money and time to not only report the crime, but to fix your credit rating.
Helpful hint:
Use a security program with antivirus, firewall, and intrusion detection/prevention software and make sure to keep your OS and browsers up-to-date.
Want to learn more about Symantec and Data Loss Prevention practices? Be sure to visit our InfoSec Conference on September 17th to hear Jennifer Ellard, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Symantec’s DLP Division speak. More information can be found on the conference by clicking here.
