Kickoff to Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Ivy Tech Talks Cyber!

On October 1, 2020, Ivy Tech faculty, staff, students, advisory board members, small businesses and cybersecurity and IT professionals kicked off Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a panel of Indiana Cybersecurity titans! For 17 years, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) has raised awareness about the importance of Cybersecurity across our Nation, ensuring that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. Our panelists, Todd Grotenhuis with Cox Automotive, Meredith Harper, VP & CISO at Lilly, Chetrice Mosely-Romero, Cybersecurity Program Director at Indiana Office of Technology & Indiana Department of Homeland Security, Bill Russell, CISO at Cummins, and Thomas Riebe, CTO at Ivy Tech Community College, spoke with attendees on how to be better cyber citizens and practice good cyber hygiene.

Here are just a few tips they shared that we can all practice today and every day.

1. Change your passwords regularly. Set a schedule, create a reminder and change your passwords. Use strong passwords. Do not use the same password for every account and device. And don't use kiddo names, password123, and birthdates.

2. Don’t use USB chargers in rental cars, malls or airports unless you have a USB adapter. You have bad actors who are waiting for you to plug your phone into USB port and so they can send you all manner of nasty malware and download data from your phone. Bank numbers, the whole nine. If you don't have a charger you can plug into the wall or portable power supply, then pick up a Juice Jack Defender or similar product on amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Juice-Jack-Defender-Security-purchased-employees/dp/B00XYTI5BA.

3. Who Is This? If you don’t recognize the sender of an email, don’t click any links in the body of the message. It's Pavlovian for us to click on links. We see the blue and we mouse over to click. However, resist the click! If you are truly curious about the content, google the company or search for that person.

4. Misinformation. You may not consider misinformation as a cybersecurity threat, but in the days of COVID and social media, the spread of misinformation is a threat to the integrity to our election systems, our health organizations and to the security of our persons. There are several websites where you can fact-check news and information. Take care before the share. You can visit www.snopes.com, www.politifact.com, or in Indiana, https://www.in.gov/cyber.

5. Be careful who you invite in when you're Zooming or Teaming. In these days in COVID, more people are working from home and inviting all of us into your homes. We see your art, family photos, home decor style. When you are Zooming or Teaming, consider removing pictures of family in your backgrounds. Bad actors are looking at those photos, for opportunities to connect on social media and take advantage of the naivete of children. Take care not to sit where people can see your children and as much as possible, minimize cameos from the kids. Additionally, consider sitting where you are not exposing virtual guests to your TVs, stereos, computers or other expensive items.

6. Set up a guest network for your IoT devices. Is it really necessary for your dryer and frig to be on the same network as those devices that capture more personal data? Probably not. They are easy to hack. Considering putting your frig or dryer or other devices on a guest network, separate from your devices which contain more private data or personally identifiable information (PII).

8. Living out Loud. At some point, many of us have been guilty of an overshare on Facebook. Perhaps updates about how you are on vacay and leaving your home alone. Musing that you hope your teenagers aren't partying like it's 1999. Or the photo of you rolling your eyes at a Zoom screen with your checkbook and receipts on your desk. Bad actors are gathering info from your social properties to assume your identity, hack you or your friends accounts or something more sinister. Before you post, take a moment and look around.

9. Phishing. In the first few weeks of COVID, many of you have received a plethora of email about your Netflix account or how there was a challenge with Paypal. Take care not to click on links in these email. If you’re not sure if the email is from Apple or Netflix, go to the website and log into your account. Don’t click on those links! If the email is a phishing attempting, go to the provider website and report it. Paypal, Apple, Yahoo, and a host of other companies have special email addresses you can forward the phishing attempt to. It takes a minute, but forward that message. You are saving someone else from being hacked - maybe even your elderly next door neighbor or your tech unsavvy sister in Schenectady.

10. Take care giving your kiddoes phone and devices with internet access. Kids are targets for bad actors. Take care and place parental controls on the phone. Monitor usage. Set times for play. Manage online gaming accounts and make sure your kids are not texting personal information to strangers on gaming platforms.

Now more than ever it's critical to develop your cyber hygiene routine! Be safe. Do your part #BeCyberSmart

For more info on cyber awareness, visit www.cisa.gov or www.dhs.gov or in.gov/cyber