Security Matters

Security Matters for Computers: How to Make Your Panel PC More Secure

CKS Global Solutions LTDPanel PC

Panel PCs (PPCs) are impressive devices, but they face many of the same security issues that a desktop at home might. This article will explain why your PPC faces specific issues, and how to tackle them.

Beefing up your firewall and antivirus for better Internet access

Many panel PCs will never need to connect to the Internet. Those that do absolutely need a strong, modern firewall to prevent the loss of data. Additionally, any PPC that handles external data from a server, like downloading organizational PDFs from the company’s website, or even data from an external hard drive, will need a modern antivirus. If using an external hard drive with your PPC, it can help to run a heavy-duty scan of it on a desktop first, to ensure cleanliness.

Keeping your OS up to date

Windows 10 automatically updates, and Windows 7 and 8 are still supported by Microsoft. This makes keeping your OS up to date easy, for those systems. Windows XP Embedded is no longer officially supported as of January 2016, meaning an XP Embedded PPC user should double down on other security measures, avoid the Internet, or update the OS itself.

Selecting a secure password

Biometric systems help prevent the unauthorised use of a PPC entirely, but not every device will include them. Lengthy passwords or “passphrases” with spaces, such as “my horse can run for 3 years and jump 4 cities,” tend to provide the best password-level security without compromising your ability to remember them, and these sorts of passwords are supported by all versions of Windows, 2000/XP and later.

Sources:

Ten windows password myths, Symantec.com
What does the end of support of windows XP mean for Windows embedded, blogs.MSDN.com