Last week marked the fourth annual Global Security Week, an event intended to pull together security awareness activities in a co-ordinated initiative.

The events took place between 8 and 11 September an end date with obvious
links to global security that are not lost on those behind the initiative. This date was selected for the initiative to capitalise on widespread media interest in security at that time.

Media stories that appear around that date typically focus on physical security and references to global terrorism ­ by launching the initiative, the organisers hoped to bring personal and information security to the forefront of people’s minds. The theme for this year was cyber crime and how to avoid becoming a victim.

But did it deliver? A variety of resources were available, such as presentations, articles and links to privacy-related sites. But its success will depend on the extent to which security and technology-savvy attendees use this material to deliver
security awareness to their respective audiences.

This year, however, a new web site arising from the initiative was launched that directly targets users without relying on security professionals to deliver the content. The site, www.surfingsafer.com, provides reviews of security tools for home and business users in a manner that does not require specialist knowledge to understand.

By providing information about the suitability of products available, their respective costs, and most importantly the views of other users, it is hoped that people will be empowered to protect their PCs.

Business users can utilise the site to compare the often esoteric security products, from vulnerability assessment products to new forensic tools.

Devoting a week to raising security awareness is important. However, security needs to be applied 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. So delivering a serv ice that can serve both business and home users all year round can only be a good thing.