In April, Jeffrey Weeks, senior vice president and chief information security officer, First National of Nebraska (FNN), Omaha, Nebraska, spent time with the chapter discussing the intricacies of cyber threats and how best to thwart them.
Weeks began by pointing out that FNN is the fourth largest credit card processor in the United States. He commented that he has a workforce of 50 dedicated security professionals, of which five are "ethical hackers." He places their abilities on par with an artificial intelligence detection system used for uncovering nation-state-type attacks. Regarding phishing attacks, Weeks commented that this is one of the primary methods hackers use to gain entry. He clarified upfront that whenever in doubt, delete the email. Once executed, a ransomware email locks the user's system and encrypts their data. The perpetrator will offer a key to break the encryption for a price. The question is, what guarantee do you have that they will follow through?
Weeks displayed an email and gave pointers on what folks should look for when an email appears suspicious or arrives from someone you don't know. With respect to the Internet of Things (IoT), there are over 30 billion IoT devices in use as of 2022. These are devices with sensors that have some processing ability, typically connected wirelessly. The example used was a smart refrigerator. When successfully hacked, these devices are a gateway into broader networks, both for home and business. Weeks talked about how to combat the cyber threat. Regarding the public/private sector, collaboration is the key. Work with Homeland Security, FBI or National Security Agency to stay networked in current threats. Weeks talked about general cybersecurity practices of which everyone should be cognizant, such as: enabling multifactor authentication; installing/updating antivirus software; being wise about WiFi (look for the lock symbol); turning down the automatic login option; deploying end-point protection to ensure visibility and blocking; not answering out-of-wallet challenge questions with the correct answer (the color of your first car, use "Omaha3"). Weeks concluded by saying that he hoped he hadn't scared anyone, but there is a right way to stay on the Internet and a wrong way.
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