InfoWorld Security Boot Camp: Day 20: Upgrade the security advice you give to users
  
 
October 16, 2009
  
 
YOUR ASSIGNMENT TODAY: Upgrade the security advice you give to users.
WHY DO IT: Cliches about safe computing behavior aren't enough, because e-mail, surfing, and patching vulnerabilities change all the time. Teach your users to be skeptics.
HOW TO DO IT: Educate your end-users about the risk of attacks from Web sites they know and love. Users should be encouraged to be skeptical about all downloads, whether or not they come from a "trusted" site. Tell your users to never install video codecs, even if they promise to let them see the latest cool video. Explain to them that free software is rarely ever free. Teach them how to recognize malware warnings from their legitimate anti-malware software and, conversely, how to spot fake advertisements telling them that they're infected. Tell them not to download and run anti-malware programs that appear to detect the threat first and then require the download.
RECOMMENDED READING: "Keep your security advice current," Infoworld.com