With the non-stop stream of zero-day exploits, website breaches, and criminal hacking enterprises, it's not always easy to know how best to stay safe online. New research from Google highlights three of the most overlooked security practices among security amateurs—installing security updates promptly, using a password manager, and employing two-factor authentication.
The practices are distilled from a comparison of security practices followed by expert and non-expert computer users. A survey found stark discrepancies in the ways the two groups reported keeping themselves secure. Non security experts listed the top security practice as using anti-virus software, followed by using strong passwords, changing passwords frequently, visiting only known websites, and not sharing personal information. Security experts, by contrast, listed the top practice as installing software updates, followed by using unique passwords, using two-factor authentication, choosing strong passwords, and using a password manager.
"Our results show that experts and non-experts follow different practices to protect their security online," the researchers wrote in a research paper [PDF] being presented at this week's Symposium On Usable Privacy and Security. "The experts' practices are rated as good advice by experts, while those employed by non-experts received mix[ed] ratings from experts. Some non-expert practices were considered 'good' by experts (e.g., install anti-virus software, use strong passwords); others were not (e.g. delete cookies, visit only known websites.)"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @12:13AM
"Amateur" vs. "Security Pros"?
Keep going that way and this site will die away in no time.
(Score: 1) by linkdude64 on Wednesday July 29 2015, @08:33AM
I hate to sound like I'm strawmanning you here, but are you trying to imply that there is no such thing as differing levels of experience in a given specialist field? If you come at me with a clear and reasonable explanation, why would you not have posted that in the first place?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 29 2015, @12:29PM
The difference between an amateur and a pro is not how much they know about the subject (people without much knowledge about a subject are called laymen). The difference is whether they get paid for it.