Washington
County
Government
Aware Force
Keeping You Safer at Work and at Home
June 15, 2016
Apple vs the FBI: regardless of which side you support,
there's one thing you should do right now.
Chances are pretty good you own a smartphone. And chances are pretty good it’s not password protected. About 7 in 10 smartphones aren't.
That means if you accidentally leave it behind in a restaurant, anyone who finds it can turn it on and access your valuable information.
Regardless of whether you take the FBI’s side or Apple’s in the fight over law enforcement being able to get into locked devices, you should password protect your smartphone. It’s easy and will protect you if your phone is lost or stolen.
Here’s how to do it if you have an iPhone and here’s how to password protect an Android device.
iPhones are the target of the latest phishing attacks. If you get a text instructing you to renew your iCloud account, don't do it.
Why are You So Apt to Fall for the Most Common Security Breach?
An email arrives in an employee's in-box. It's claims to be from their bank (or the IRS, or Netflix, or even you) and it looks real. It urgently instructs them to click on this link immediately. So they often do.
Of course the link is not reputable and will either take them to an official-looking webpage where they're instructed to enter information or will download a malicious program on their computer.
Here's an audio interview with psychologist Sean Kaufman explaining why this tactic is responsible for more than $2 billion dollars in losses.
Why are you so apt to fall victim to
"phishing" on the job? Psychologist Sean Kaufman
says it's because you're so busy.
Aware Force Headlines You Can Use
Google admits: google.com is "partially dangerous." If you don't believe us, google it!
In one recent case, data on a personal computer was worth an average $414 to hackers. One way to reduce your risk is to turn off your computer when you leave work.
Another reason to monitor your credit report and check your credit card bills: Many states don't have to notify you if your credit card information has been stolen...until the total number of cardholders affected reaches 500,000.
If you have a question about online security, if you receive an email that looks suspicious or have a suggestion for a future topic, email the Standard Healthcare IT team at staysafe@washingtonco.gov.
Jenna McDonald, IT Director
Washington County
This is a sample edition of Aware Force, available at a special rate for members of the
Technology Association of Georgia and its new national security organization NTSC.
For information availability and rates, please email richard@awareforce.com.