Security Concerns Less Considered

Concern about security threats and such as malware and data loss is common and certainly warranted. But understanding of where threats come from varies. Most know Phishing, Spam, Adware, and PUPs are likely culprits and understand that any given site may become infected. But many don’t realize that some content types, even those welcomed into and used within business networks present specific risks.
Many of the risks I’m referring to are understood, but do we consider the scope of risk over a long period of time? One example is toolbars. It seems everyone has a toolbar and we have to choose which are most relevant to our needs or we’d have a hundred installed and compromise overall speed and performance. We know many toolbars really cross the line into Spyware or function as Adware, or come bundled with PUPs (Potentially Unwanted Programs). This should be a prime consideration in our toolbar selection process. Many toolbars from legitimate companies are certainly helpful, but also consider the primary use within a network. What will your use or overall employee usage of a toolbar reveal about your network; reveal about your habits or intellectual property?
Online translators should be another consideration. There are those that translate websites which usually embed the destination URL, which can circumvent filtering. This can expose a user or a company to any type of risk, (continue reading...)