a) pick a burning issue each month 

b) explain it in layman's terms and then 

c) give suggestions as to how to properly protect yourselves and, short of that, ways to help minimize your exposure to the fallout caused by that particular issue.   

Sort of like a "before" and "after" HOW-TO manual! 

The answer is, of course, "it depends!"  If it's an online program, we'd be foolish to believe that open, accessible data of any kind is unable to be compromised.  Just go to www.privacyrights.org and click on "breaches", on the right column, and scroll down to see the latest security breaches of well known companies - including ones like Apple and JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America.  Closed data files, the result of the programs, that are password protected and encrypted with at least 256bit encryption and a three part identification system are significantly less likely to be compromised but...

Impossible?  No.  Less probable?  Yes.

Unfortunately, with the direction the world is currently going, Cybercrime is becoming more commonplace and incidents are expected to continue to escalate for the foreseeable future.  Last week, Apple's response to their latest issue of iCloud being hacked to get nude celebrity photos demonstrates the complexity of the issue.  Apple's response:  "The celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that is all too common on the Internet."  A non-committal response, trying to redefine "hacking", so they could sidestep the question:  Were they hacked or not?  Hmmm.

So what can we do to protect our important, confidential data?  Below are a few tips and suggestions regarding programs, passwords and other online tools to help guide you (and your clients) through the maze of choices and decisions you have to make on a daily basis, about what to put online and what to keep on your computer or on a local backup drive.

Online Program Tips

• Don't use online programs unless you understand the potential security risks and are prepared to deal with them.
• If you use online programs, only use programs that do not contain or minimally contain confidential or sensitive information.
• If you use online programs, only use programs that are at least 256bit encrypted, have multiple authentication levels and have been rigorously tested, remembering that this is still no guarantee that they won't be hacked.

• Be sure the program is not inadvertently on the Internet. (no unintended Apps).
• Be sure you can export the data and passwords you create, if you decide to switch programs (As we often do!)
• Be sure the program allows you to get a printed report of all of your data, including passwords. 
• Be aware that many programs, like Excel and Word are not 256bit encrypted, so if you want to put the resulting data files on the Internet, you should have an Encryption program that you can use and a very strong password.

• Choose firms carefully; vet vendors.  
• Check to be sure they have at least 256bit encryption, full time security programmers, their programs have multiple authentication levels, have been rigorously tested and you've visited www.privacyrights.org to ensure there've been no breaches reported, remembering that this is still no guarantee that they won't be hacked.
• After four years of reviewing online digital vaults, the ONLY one we recommend is Summitas™.  Be sure to check them out! www.Summitas.com

Password Specific Tips

• Use a different password for each of your online accounts. 
• Make your passwords nonsensical - see the article in our "Resources" section about Creating a Strong Password.
• Make your passwords at least 8 characters long, including capitalized and lower case letters, numbers and symbols.
• Keep a master list of your passwords OFFLINE (somewhere not on the Internet!)

Be sure to read the article in our "Resources" section, "How To Create a Strong Password".