Technology Challenges: Living in an Insecure World

A day does not pass without hearing about some issue of someone's identity being stolen, a database being hacked, or someone being scammed of their hard earned money or their life's savings. In this digital age, what are the answers? How do we protect ourselves, our families, and our businesses?

The concept of CYBER SECURITY is the ability to protect ourselves and the impacts of computers from unauthorized use. Great website by the University of Maryland/UMUC.

Research provides some answers for how to safeguard important data on our computers.  NICCS [National Intiative For CyberSecurity Careers and Studies] suggests the following tips to help protect us and our businesses that include:  (a) Set up proper controls to ensure that you connect securely only over password protected networks, (b) Think before you click--be sure to not clik on links or popups or open attachments or emails from those you don't know, (c) Respond only to trusted messages, (d) Use passwords properly (and change them frequently, and (e) Stay aware (NICSS.com, 2016).

These suggestions seem to be a resurgence of the stranger danger philosophy we all learned as children. In the vastness of CYBERSPACE, how can you protect yourself from those you don't know? How do we trust what we read and from whom we receive messages--particularly from those with whom we do business?  For example, I do not accept business calls from those who don't even know the name of my company or me as its owner. I do not open emails from those who do not know me either. Take the time to do your homework.  Choose to do business only with those whom you know. The goal is to create a safe zone around our travels on the Internet as our personal community and to protect those within to attempt to thwart these digital hackers whose mission is to steal private information about us, our identity, our family, and our business.

The more we maintain our vigilance---stranger danger---the more we may protect ourselves from the unthinkable. The advances in technology ideally may help us increase the productivity and efficiency of the day-to-day of our lives. Let's just make sure we work smarter not harder.

My best to your success!
Dr. Cheryl Lentz
The Refractive Thinker: Vol XII: CYBERSECURITY in an Increasingly Insecure World

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