On February 27, 2013, California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris released “Cybersecurity in the Golden State” (“Guide”), providing recommendations for California businesses on how to guard against and deal with the threat of malware, data breaches and other cyber-risks.

The Guide provides the following tips:

▪assume your business is a target and ensure you have a plan for responding to a cyber-incident;

▪spend the time and resources needed to ensure your information is safe and secure;

▪use a secure browser connection when banking online and erase the Web browser’s cache, temporary Internet files, cookies and history when you are done;

▪regularly update firewalls, antivirus and Web security programs on your network;

▪teach employees how to avoid, detect and report cyber-incidents;

▪review everything stored on your systems and with third parties, remove and securely dispose of unnecessary data, and encrypt, limit access to and backup your data;

▪avoid using default usernames and passwords, choose strong passwords and prevent your Web browser from remembering passwords; and

▪keep operating systems and software updated, avoid installing unnecessary software and uninstall software you no longer use.

The Guide also provides tips on responding to cyber-incidents, including forming an incident response team and planning the response.