Not everyone will be looking for sweaters and smartphones thisholiday season. In fact, once the tinsel gets tossed and thedecorations are packed away, data security will resume its titlerole, center stage.

The following is a list of gifts that keep on giving and costlittle or nothing.

Happy holidays!

Mobile Protection

Everybody loves smartphones – even criminals. So as we transactmore business via Androids, Blackberries and iPhones, our securityneeds will grow.

Credit unions certainly want and need to monitor employees whouse their personal smartphones for work. Fortunately, MobileIronhas developed a combination of app and server software to do justthat.

MobileIron's MyPhone@Work enables a credit union to enforce itspolicies, such as password strength and updating, plus restrictionson app installations. Should a smartphone be misplaced or stolen,the credit union can wipe out confidential programs and informationremotely.

The MyPhone@Work app is free, but the credit union will pay amonthly fee for each device managed by the credit union's servers.MyPhone@Work communicates with all the leading mobile OS platformsincluding Android, BlackBerry, iOS (Apple), Symbian, webOS andWindows Phone.

Back to the Internet

Have you ever noticed when you are shopping online thatadvertisements seem to focus on just the items you want? That's thelatest technique for tying your online behavior to onlineadvertising – it allows advertisers to place their messages onpages you view just when you're about to buy a rival's product.

The latest version of the Firefox browser enables users to stopthe madness by opting out of online behavior tracking. OtherFirefox features include the ability to protect your browsinghistory, remove any trace of visiting a particular web site, and toknow if content on any given page is legitimate.

Hackers often inject evil scripts onto innocent-looking webpages – a technique known as cross-site scripting attacks. Thisfeature gives you a chance to walk away.

Blocking Traffic

Last year, we recommended Comodo, a free firewall to protectmembers from malware at home. Let me repeat to anyone who doubtswhether they need a firewall in their house – you do. The averagetime to infect an unprotected computer on the Internet remainsunder five minutes.

This year, we are recommending another free tool to protectyourself and your family from malware and adult content (gambling,pornography, etc.), on the Internet. K9 by Blue Coat uses the sameadvanced Web filtering technology deployed by companies andgovernments worldwide — all with a user-friendly interface thatallows you to control Internet use in your home.

New Windows

In the past, security literature cited a common culprit –Microsoft – for security weaknesses. Not anymore. The new Windows 7operating system is fast, easy to use, and has some excellentfeatures that help consumers stay safe.

Windows 7 is the product of Microsoft's Security DevelopmentLifecycle, which has contributed in developing higher qualitycode. In addition, it ships with better protection via UserAccount Control (UAC), which was first introduced in WindowsVista.

Any time a program wants to make a major change to yourcomputer, the UAC alerts you and asks for permission. This is asignificant defense against hackers and malicious software, sincethey often change settings and install software to do their dirtywork.

For those who prefer a different experience with their PC, thereis Ubuntu, a very common user-friendly Linux operating system. Theprice is right – free – and it provides exceptional device support,an intuitive interface, and strong security. Since most virusestarget Windows-based systems at this point in time, using Ubuntucan reduce the likelihood of successful malware infections. If you have family or friends who are prone to tripping acrossmalware, I'd highly recommend giving Ubuntu a closer look.

The New You

Even if you install tons of security solutions, you will stillneed a sure-fire method for reducing your risk of hacker attacks.Here it is: create at least one “regular” user account on yourcomputer, and use that account exclusively for day-to-day use.

Why is a “regular” user account so effective? Malware oftenneeds to make changes to the system in order to be effective – fromhooking into the OS (operating system) to enable keylogging toinstalling services for persistence between reboots. If you sign inas a regular user with no administrative rights, malware cannot beinstalled automatically or by simply clicking an “OK” button.That's good news for the good guys.

Reduce the Junk

Finally, I leave you with a highly effective strategy to stemthe tide of junk email: Create a separate junk email account anduse it to sign up for promotions, Groupons and charities.

Review this account just once a week, and delete most everythingin it, confident that real email from friends, family, andcompanies that you actually do business with won't be clouded byspam.

Or, forward email from your “junk account” to your real webmailaccount and create rules to direct these messages to a differentfolder. This provides easy access to these messages withoutcluttering your inbox.

MattLidestri manages security and Internet services forCOCC in Avon, Conn.