Julia K Cole

Did you know that October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month? Okay, maybe you knew about this, but I didn't.  Then again, October seems to be a busy month for Awareness campaigns.   At any rate... Seeing how   National Cyber Security Awareness Month is now drawing to an end, just keep in mind that it  does not mean the dangers are going away until next year.  The dangers are out there every day people!  So what can you do about it?  Take a little time to learn about the issues. You don’t have to be a “techie” to learn about current scams, dangers to your children, securing your computer, etc.  Here is a good, easy to follow website that will help you learn about all of these risks AND what to do  about them: http://www.onguardonline.gov It helps you find the answers for questions like:  How do I know if I have been hacked?  Why shouldn’t I use the coffee shop Wi-Fi to access my bank or pay my bills?  How can ...

In this digital age, we rely on our computers and devices for so many aspects of our lives that the need to be  proactive and vigilant to protect against cyber threats has never been greater. However, in order to be as secure as  possible, we need to use good cyber hygiene – that is, making sure we are protecting and maintaining systems  and devices appropriately and using cyber security best practices. Many key best practices are outlined in the Top 20 Critical Security Controls, managed by the Council on  CyberSecurity. These Controls assist in mitigating the most prevalent vulnerabilities that often result in many of  today's cyber security intrusions and incidents. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) provides free, PDF-formatted  configuration guides (Benchmarks) that can be used to implement the Controls and improve cyber security. Secure Your Wireless Network  Before the days of wireless (Wi-Fi) home networks, it was rather easy to see wh...