Millions of new computers have been given as gifts for the Holidays this year. While some were sold with anti-spyware and anti-malware software pre-installed, most were not. Whether you gave or received a new computer as a gift, the first thing to consider is adding comprehensive anti-malware software. Unprotected computers are susceptible to attack by malware and hackers attempting to harm the computer and steal personal information.

There is no reason to feel insecure about online shopping this Holiday season. With a little research and by following these tips, you can be comfortable that your finances will be secure and your personal information will not be compromised. Here are six simple tips to help keep safe while shopping online:

This Holiday season, more than 200 million Americans will shop for deals online. At the same time, cybercriminals will be actively trying to cheat, scam and steal from unaware shoppers. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself from cybercrime and still benefit from online deals this Holiday season and all year round.

Many parents with children have now ushered them back to high school or college with new books, pencils, backpacks, and computers. Like other tools students use to grow their academic and social lives, computers are critical to success. However, unlike other tools, if a computer's security is compromised the results can be disastrous to students and parents alike.

Students are often targeted by identity thieves, and hackers because of the low security threshold most schools maintain. Because the priority is maintaining an open environment to give Internet users as much freedom of access as possible, public institutions inadvertently provide opportunity for threats to develop into malicious attacks.

SMART Communications Inc. (Philippines largest telecom company) needs to be certain that its more than 6 million Smart Money card users can execute safe and sure online purchases via their cellular phones by presenting a mobile-based Internet security-lock feature.

This new security characteristic requires the cardholder to input a personal identification number via the subscribers’ mobile telephone to signify that an online-purchase transaction has been approved. Officials claim this online-security solution will help ease subscribers’ misgivings about Internet buys.

Cyber criminals are considering new strategies for lining their pockets by selling your personal informaion.

A paper from IBM Corp. shows a big drop in the volume of "phishing" e-mails, in which sham artists send what looks like a legitimate message from a banking concern or some other company. If the recipients click on a link in a phishing e-mail, they land on a rogue Web site that captures their passwords, account numbers or any other information they might enter.

Small Business owners should know that crooks are changing the types of businesses they attack with phishing. Sixty-six percent of phishing marks were banks, down from 90 percent last year. Meanwhile, companies that manage online payments, like PayPal, are being mimicked in phishing messages more frequently.

Last week Frost & Sullivan issued a new report on the growing market for Managed Security Services. Following is a brief summary and how we interpret the report for Small Business owners.

Compliance is Leading Factor
Frost & Sullivan believes compliance with regulations such as Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) will drive growth of security services, particularly in emerging vertical markets such as manufacturing, energy, retail and utilities. Businesses will continue their struggle to keep up with data security concerns and compliance mandates.

A new research study from Ounce Labs indicates some interesting facts about CEOs and other top management at large organizations. The study indicates there is a perception gap between security expectations of CEOs versus other C-level executives, including CIOs. Here's an overview of the facts:

CEOs don't know how often they are attacked:

• 82% of all C-level execs reported their organization had suffered a breach
• 50% of all C-level execs reported attacks occur on a daily or hourly basis
• 48% of CEOs believe their organizations are rarely attacked

New PCI Standards for Wireless Networks

Small Business owners need to read and understand new PCI Security Standards Council recommendations for businesses operating wireless networks. The new recommendations include a step-by-process to ensure a business' WLAN meets PCI requirements.

Recommendations included in the PCI Security Standards Council Wireless Guidelines provide measures for wireless deployments that were not adequately covered in the PCI Data Security Standard (DSS).

Hopes are the new guidelines will help merchants understand the impact of wireless networks on their PCI compliance efforts. Merchants who believe their WiFi network is exempt from PCI rules because no cardholder data is carried through the wireless network are wrong. "Wireless is always in the scope of the PCI assessment," says Troy Leach, technical director of the PCI Council.

Recent reports on data loss have revealed that 2008 had at least 90 confirmed data breaches with over 285 million compromised records. In fact, there were more compromised records in 2008 than in the four previous years combined.

Of the businesses hit by data breaches, two-thirds were retail and financial firms. Eighty percent of the businesses that reported data breaches were not compliant with the Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard (PCI - DSS). Many of those organizations could have prevented the security breach and subsequent loss of revenue, credibility and cash flows with marginal improvements to their security systems.

At the Visa Security Summit 2009 in Washington DC earlier this month, a panel discussion revealed that cybercriminals have moved away from large organizations and are focusing on Small Midsize Business (SMB's). Reasons cited for the change include improved security at large organizations, and a lack of preparedness at SMB's.

Some interesting data from the discussion:

• 20% of Small Businesses don't use antivirus software
• 60% don't have encryption enabled on their WIFI network
• 66% don't have a security plan in place

Symantec has released a report that shows threats from malware and cyber attacks continue to grow and are unlikely to slow over the next two years. The report shows that IT managers at large organizations, like Small to Midsize Business managers are experiencing tightening budgets, increased regulations and challenges in providing adequate staffing to secure their corporate data.