Thank you to everyone who took part in our recent survey and competition – What are your top 3 pieces of advice for securing your network during the holidays?  We're pleased to say that we received a huge amount of interesting tips from you.

The majority of advice focused on the need for:

• Software inspection/scanning
• Patching
• Restricting user/system access (i.e. making sure that users are authenticated, have relevant privileges, never work using administrator accounts, turn off services/servers/workstations)
• Testing (in relation to testing changes/patches before implementing them) 

Other examples of advice included:

• Install and update Anti-virus and Anti-spyware software
• Educate everyone about how phishing, malware, and social engineering, etc. works and how to avoid the traps they set

Congratulations to our winner, Mr. J. Ellis - USA who is now the owner of a new Samsung Galaxy mobile phone. His advice was:

• If it isn't being used, turn it off! You can't hack what's not available
• Patch often; once a year is not enough
• Actively manage and control server access rights and privileges

Mr. Ellis' advice was selected due to his highly relevant answers which describe in-depth measures such as restricting privileges and limiting the attack surface by disabling unnecessary services, and stressing the importance of regular patching and scanning.

At Secunia, we always appreciate feedback and helpful hints from you. The advice submitted reflects the day-to-day struggles that many of you face when trying to keep your PCs or networks secure against vulnerabilities. Regular scanning and patching of vulnerabilities are fundamental cornerstones of PC security that should always be implemented as a starting point, otherwise everything else that you do to protect your PC will be a wasted effort.

Stay Secure

Maria Eriksen Jensen
Business Development Manager