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3.25.22 – KAIT

Connors helps secure personal and company computers and other devices. He said email is the way most people fall victim to cyber-attacks.

Securing your data.

The Arkansas Cybersecurity Defense Center announced a cyber security advisory for the state as concerns rise about possible cyberattacks threatening critical infrastructure.

President Joe Biden recently warned business owners to build up their cyber defense.

Grammar mistakes, asking for money, and weird links are all red flags that technology managers always take seriously, but especially now that threats for cyber-attacks are heightening.

How often do you get a notification of a new email or a message on social media? A few times a day, right?

Sometimes, a simple click can give criminals all your personal information.

“People are just clicking on attachments and their curiosity gets to them and they are like, hey, what is this and next thing you know, it is encrypted,” said Gerard Connors, owner of Ally IT.

Connors helps secure personal and company computers and other devices. He said email is the way most people fall victim to cyber-attacks.

“Requesting money from them. Hey, I’m the CFO, I need you to wire this amount of money to this. I mean that is your red flag right there,” he said.

Connors said there are a couple of ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim, like not clicking or opening websites you don’t know.

Also, backing up your information is helpful.

“So, you need to have a backup. You need to have a backup daily, you need to have a backup offsite,” he said.

Connors said having your information stored outside of your computer helps to keep it safe.

Connors also added keeping your security up to date and changing your passwords might also save you from being a victim of cyberattacks.

Major infrastructure like health care systems are also targets for cyber-attacks.

At St. Bernards Healthcare, the IT department deals with potential threats all the time.

The hospital has even had some breaches. Those incidents remind them of something very important.

“Reminds us that we need to be very careful and responsible about who we do business with because we are all connected via the internet,” said Martha Stoneman, IT manager at St. Bernards Healthcare.

Stoneman said her department goes down a checklist of items like making sure passwords are up-to-date, monitoring hacking alerts, and improving the security systems.

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