Best Practices: Securing computer systems

Twitter:

Mike Atkinson
@coffeemikeatkin

Good morning Twitter fans! Yesterday was a weird day…
Two men broke into one of our retail locations. Why? To cut a hole in our bathroom wall to access the Apple Store next door and steal $500k worth of iPhones 🙄

Although this was a physical break-in I think it’s worth noting the idea of getting to something valuable by going through something less valuable (and therefore easy to get into).  Sherlock Holmes fans may recognize a similarity to the case of “The Red-Headed League” where criminal were tunneling into a bank vault.  Anyway the point is to stay on top of who has access to your systems and how stringent their security practices are.  Many may recall the Target security break-in which was done using credentials stolen from the company Target used for HVAC services.

Securing computer systems involves a number of best practices to protect against various threats.  These include malware, unauthorized access, and data breaches, to name a few. Here are the top things you can do to secure a computer system:

1. Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication: Use strong passwords that are difficult to guess and include a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Even better are pass phrases which are easy to remember but very hard to crack. Also an essential element for safety is to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible, which adds an additional and important layer of security to the login process.
2. Keep your operating system and software up to date: Regularly update the operating system and software with the latest security patches and updates. This helps protect against vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers and malware.
3. Use a firewall: A firewall helps prevent unauthorized access to your computer system by blocking incoming traffic that is not authorized. Use a firewall to protect your computer system from external threats.
4. Backup your data regularly: Regularly backup your important data and store it in a safe place. In the event of a data breach or ransomware attack, having a backup of your data can help you recover your data without having to pay a ransom.

These are some of the key things that you can do to secure any computer system. However, it is important to keep in mind that security is an ongoing process and requires regular monitoring and updates to stay protected against emerging threats.

As we know, HPE NonStop is a highly secure operating system designed for mission-critical environments that require high availability, scalability, and security. HPE NonStop OS and partner products provides many security features that help protect the system and its data from unauthorized access, malicious attacks, and other security threats.

Some of the security features of HPE NonStop include:

1. Access control: HPE NonStop provides fine-grained access control mechanisms that allow system administrators to define and enforce access policies based on users, groups, roles, and permissions. This helps ensure that only authorized users can access the system and its resources.
2. Authentication and authorization: HPE NonStop supports various authentication and authorization mechanisms. These mechanisms help verify the identity of users and grant access to authorized resources based on their roles and permissions.
3. Encryption: HPE NonStop provides robust encryption capabilities that help protect data at rest and in transit. The system supports various encryption algorithms, such as AES, RSA, and SHA, and uses industry-standard protocols, such as SSL and TLS, to ensure secure communication over networks.
4. Audit logging and monitoring: HPE NonStop provides comprehensive audit logging and monitoring capabilities that help detect and respond to security incidents in real-time. The system logs all system events, including user logins, resource accesses, and configuration changes, and allows system administrators to monitor and analyze these events for security purposes.
5. Compliance and certification: HPE NonStop is designed to comply with various industry standards and regulations, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR.

Overall, HPE NonStop provides a highly secure environment for mission-critical applications, and its security features and partner products are continuously updated and improved to address new security threats and challenges.

There has never been a successful attack against a HPE NonStop system.  Let’s keep it that way.