up vote 3 down vote favorite
1
share [g+] share [fb]

If people could be fooled in life so easily ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/realhustle/ ) then in computing....

So what are the best tips, to persuade a regular user to pay a little more attention to security: e.g.: use HTTPS where available, up-to-date softwares, don't log in@a netcafe, don't click on links that he doesn't trust, use WOT/NoScript plugin, etc.

security: even for creating backups regurarly

link|improve this question
62% accept rate
1  
I think you meant "matters". – Keith May 6 '11 at 9:14
Might get better answers at security.SE – user67194 May 6 '11 at 9:15
feedback

closed as not constructive by AndrejaKo, Majenko, Journeyman Geek, BloodPhilia, Linker3000 May 6 '11 at 11:52

This question is not a good fit to our Q&A format. We expect answers to generally involve facts, references, or specific expertise; this question will likely solicit opinion, debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

This is more of a social issue than a computer issue.

For starters there's something to be said from learning from experience - invariably the best way to get someone to take security seriously is for them to get burnt from it.

The best security is passive - you need to have security in place rather than thinking aout it

For personal systems httpseverywhere is a nice little firefox extention that ensures that https is used where possible.

Patches can be a pain when you need to keep an eye on a half dozen apps running secunia PSI to make sure that security related apps are kept up to date is a good idea. In any case, updates should be automatic where possible.

Finally, have a standing rule to report anything out of the ordinary - in my dad's SOHO environment that tends to be the biggest difference between a quick fix, and hours of hunting down issues.

link|improve this answer
1  
I agree with the learning by experience mantra. Once someone realizes they got burnt one of two things will happen: a) they'll change their security practices, or b) they'll continue on as before and likely be burnt again. Unfortunately there are many ways that a computer user can be burned and not realize it. Basically it's hard to convince someone to practice safe computing because the threats are difficult to understand due to their technical nature or a 'it won't happen to me' attitude prevails. There's also a general lack of interest in security (witness IE6's worldwide prevalence). – boehj May 6 '11 at 9:41
feedback
up vote 2 down vote

Have them go to the 20 things I learned website and read the "book". That would be a great start.

link|improve this answer
feedback

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.