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This is a follow-up article to a previous article, Building Security Consciousness. There, I mentioned that security is a way of life, or at least should be. That still hasn’t changed. I believe that a person should not have to give up too much comfort or freedom for security – I wouldn’t.
Security is neither a myth nor is it a guarantee. Even if a person did absolutely nothing, or did everything possible, it cannot be guaranteed. However, one thing can be counted on, when these steps towards security are practiced over time, they eventually become subconscious actions that are better for all-round awareness and personal safety.
Below is a high level list of more ways to build security consciousness. More details can be read below for each of the points summarily listed. These are not hard and fast rules, but merely guidelines.
- Carry less
- Inform someone of your whereabouts
- Practice courtesy with caution
- Never go swimming alone
- Be aware of sensitive information as pertaining to work
- Develop or heighten your sixth sense
- Learn exit points
- Protect your computer
“We must plan for freedom, and not only for security, if for no other reason than that only freedom can make security secure” - Karl Popper
Carry less
Carry less simply means, travel with just what you need – no more, no less. Depending on where you are going and what you will be doing, there is a big chance that you may lose your items, or it may be stolen from you.
When in a really crowded place, I typically move my wallet to my front pockets, as that makes it harder for possible pickpockets to get to it without my knowledge. I also do frequent personal item checks – more so in busy areas. This accomplishes two things: time and distance will not elapse much if I lose my items, it makes your vigilance obvious to those might be observing for illicit purposes.
Whereabouts
I think it is very important to always let someone know of your whereabouts even if you are going on a hush-hush trip. One trusted confidant is usually enough. This is because anything can happen, and there may be a need for your steps to be traced. Also it makes you feel better that someone in the world has a clue where you are other than those that you are going with or are going to meet.
Courtesy/Caution
When interacting with people, courtesy is usually good practice – even with those you don’t know too well. But we should all learn to practice courtesy with caution. It is possible to courteous but not let down your guard, especially in situations that you should be. If for whatever reason you have to choose between both, err on the side of caution.
Swimming
A personal rule I have is that I never go swimming alone. That’s pretty easy as there’s usually a trained lifeguard where I swim at. However in the absence of one, I would at least go with anyone that has decision-making intellect, or preferably, another knowledgeable swimmer. For pretty good swimmers, this could be a really trivial thing, but I’ve learned from experience that anything can happen in the water even to a pretty good swimmer.
When Stepping out of the Office
It is good practice to lock your workstation, if stepping away briefly. If working in an environment with sensitive information, it is all the more important. When leaving for the day, shut down your computer. Whenever you leave the building, remove your identification badge and stow it away. If you ride public transportation, you probably don’t want to publicize that you work for your employer – it is needless for so many reasons.
Heighten Your Sixth Sense
This is not some cosmic, science fiction recommendation. It simply means that you should make it a habit to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Could even be a fun personal game! A lot of times what warns us about impending danger is not the acute calculation of occurring facts and risks factors, but the good old weird feeling we suddenly get about a situation.
The Getaway
As you enter a building for the first time, always note where the exits are. It is good practice to learn where the exits are in all the buildings you frequent. This prepares you to make your quick getaway when you need to. Once again, I can think of many reasons why I would want to leave a building quick. Hopefully you can too.
Simple Computer Protection
Due to viruses and worms and spyware and malware and spam and … (the list continues), we all should have a desire to protect personal computers especially if we have important data stored in them. Having an anti-virus system and a firewall is great, but when not on the internet, it is better to kill/disable the internet connection. At least for now, no person, system, or program can compromise a computer that is not on some sort of network, unless they go to where it is physically located. Shutting down is even better.
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