Sunday, August 4 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Jason Jeffares, BS, ENP
Jason Jeffares of 911 Authority, Inc. presented on the principles of good cyber hygiene. As 9-1-1 technologies rely more on cyber connectivity, it’s imperative that all employees take cybersecurity seriously. Good hygiene consists of education on phishing tactics, knowledge of internal practices, and securing accounts with strong passwords.
Jeffares acknowledged participants’ comments that AI makes it increasingly hard to recognize phishing emails from legitimate ones. If you receive a text or email asking for personal information or money, verify with the sender through another method (not by clicking in the email or text). Knowing who in your agency is authorized to make such requests is also recommended. Be wary of urgency in emails, and of requests from unexpected personnel.
Password managers are highly recommended to help create and store strong passwords. Jeffares shared a graphic that illustrated how a strong password composed of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers takes years to hack, where a password composed of only numbers takes minutes.
Good cyber hygiene is everyone’s responsibility. By following these best practices, employees can protect their agencies from attack.
Submitted by Jennifer Kirkland, ENP, CPE, RPL
