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Tech intrusions leading to criminal activity

Just like how you are supposed to lock your doors and secure your valuables in the real world, Kewaunee County Sheriff Matt Joski is asking residents to do the same in cyberspace. The coronavirus has transitioned many people to do many of their daily tasks from the comfort of their homes. However, ZDNet.com reports people are also now three times more likely to click on pandemic-related phishing scams and more than 40 percent of remote desktops are unsecured. The Kewaunee County Sheriff’s Department has seen its fair share technology-based scams occur in 2020, a number that has continued to grow over the years. Joski says technology users cannot be lured into a false sense of security.

Joski suggests people connect with care, protect your passwords, and always back up your files. Infosecurity Magazine suggests that cyber-criminals cost the global economy $2.9 million every second in 2018.

 

FROM SHERIFF JOSKI

As an eternal optimist, I try to look for the good in every situation. Having been in law enforcement for over two decades, this trait has been tested over and over again, but I remain optimistic. Such is the case with this current virus, where there is in fact many things to be grateful for and remain optimistic about. Any of us who have had to continue marching forward so that our work is able to be conducted have become very familiar with virtual meetings, virtual discussions, and for our children virtual classes. It leads me to wonder what we would have done just a few years ago if this same virus had come about, we would be frozen in our tracks. So as I have repeated over and over again to my youngest son transitioning to virtual classes; It Could Be Worse!

 

      Now I am not saying that all of these virtual options are perfect nor do I think they are even healthy in regards to what should be interpersonal contacts, but we work with what we are given and we march on. There is a lesson in resiliency to all of this, but that is a topic for another article. This week I just want to focus on our use of technology in this environment and some basic rules that we should be mindful of as we rely more and more on our technology.

 

     We have seen our lives transformed for better or worse by the saturation of electronic devices in our work places, homes, cars, and in many cases on our persons every waking moment. When used for good the advantages are endless, however when implemented as tools of criminal activity, the damage can be devastating.

 

     Just as we guard ourselves against physical intrusion into our homes, we must also guard against technological intrusions into our lives. We have been taught to lock our doors, secure our valuables, and otherwise take measures which put a barrier between us and the criminal element, but do we carry this same sense of awareness into our “Cyber Environment”

 

    The first step is to keep security software current. This protects us against viruses, malware, and other online threats. Similar to this, also keep up with software updates as many of these updates automatically update and defend against known risks. This isn’t just for the standard home computer, but also for all other electronic devices which can be susceptible to these threats.

 

Protect your personal information. Make sure you secure your accounts with strong passwords which do lend themselves to possible compromise. Use both upper case and lower case, along with various numbers and characters. (Just make sure you write down the password and put it somewhere safe)

 

Connect with care. When in doubt, throw it out. This includes links, tweets, posts, and other online advertising that you do not recognize. These are often used as tools to compromise your computer. Understand your own WI-FI (Wireless Server), and who or what may be able to access it from the outside.

 

Be Web Wise. Keep pace with new ways to stay safe online. Check trusted websites for the latest information and share with friends, family, and co-workers so that they too stay web wise. Think before you act. Be wary of communications that demands quick response, immediate action or personal information. Always back up files of photos, documents, or music.

 

Be a good online citizen. By keeping yourself safe you are keeping those you are connected with safe.

 

Help authorities fight cyber crime. Report stolen finances or identities to the internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov) as well as contacting your local law enforcement agency.

 

 

 

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