How To: Secure Your Operating System

An operating system (OS) is an integral part of every computer at your small business. Since operating systems are vulnerable to a variety of security threats, it is important to protect your OS by employing a combination of these security solutions and procedures:

Apply patches, monitor updates, and make necessary upgrades:
Manufacturers of operating systems often release security patches as they find and fix problems. You may be able to purchase a service contract from your OS vendor to provide you with patches, upgrades, and other customer assistance. You can also go to the website of your OS manufacturer for patches and upgrades. Windows offers an Automatic Updates feature with its OS. It's free and will activate any time a new Windows patch is released.

Harden Your Operating Systems: Since most “out of the box” OSs are designed for ease of installation and use, they are not usually at the highest security. However, you can enable security measures by following the process above for OS hardening to make your systems more secure. One of the first steps to ensuring a safe OS is to remove all non-essential tools, utilities, and system administration options. Then, you can activate and configure all appropriate security features. If this process seems daunting, there are now pre-hardened systems available on the market.

Upgrade to new security software: Periodically upgrade to more recent versions of your current security software to take advantage of the advances that have been made in antivirus and security threat protection.

Install trusted operating systems where necessary: Vendors have developed trusted operating systems, which are variations on mainstream versions of UNIX and Windows and are specifically designed to offer maximum security.

Install a third-party firewall: If your operating system does not have a built-in firewall, you can install a third-party firewall to block incoming connections from other computers on the Internet.

Monitor logs: Access the security log and monitor events including invalid logon attempts as well as the status of files including when files are created, opened, and deleted. Look for unusual and suspicious activity so you can take immediate action to prevent further damage.

Following these practices and upgrading to the latest security software available for your operating systems will help create a secure computing environment for your small business.

from Symantec