Today, consumers can enjoy the convenience of electronic banking, e-commerce and ATMs, but as the volume of financial transactions on computer networks increases, so does the risk… In 2014 alone, a total of 431 breaches occured so far and it represents a 20.1 percent increase over the same time period in 2013. (358 breaches). In this article, we have compiled best practices for consumers to prevent data breaches.
1. Protect yourself
Use a modern Internet security solution that includes the following capabilities for maximum protection against malicious code and other threats
a. Antivirus (file- and heuristic-based) and behavioral malware prevention can prevent unknown malicious threats from executing;
b. Bi-directional firewalls will block malware from exploiting potentially vulnerable applications and services running on your computer;
c. Browser protection to protect against obfuscated web-based attacks;
d. Use reputation-based tools that check the reputation and trust of a file and website before downloading, and that check URL reputations and provide safety ratings for websites found through search engines;
e. Consider options for implementing cross-platform parental controls, such as Norton Online Family.
