Transcript:
[00:00:00] Claire McKenna: Hello everyone and welcome to today’s special episode of cyBARR Chats. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and in honor of the occasion we’ll be discussing this year’s pillar topics with associate consultant Devin Olson. The National Cybersecurity Alliance has listed the importance of multifactor authentication mfa, the importance of using trusted password management software and strong passwords, how to recognize and report phishing and the importance of software updates as this ears topics.
So, Devin, let’s get started. Um, welcome. The first main topic of the month is the importance of mfa. Can you tell me a little bit about how MFA works and why it’s so important to implement?
[00:00:50] Devin Olsen: Sure. MFA is a security measure that prevents hackers from breaching your accounts by adding an additional step when logging into your account.
The second step is an extra way to prove that it’s actually you accessing your account. For example, if you have MFA set up in your Gmail account, you can expect to log in with your username and password and then also enter a code sent to your phone. Other examples of MFA include when you swipe your debit card and have to enter a pin or when you log into an account but have to answer a security question.
Codes are sent immediately, so there is almost no downtime and it gives you additional peace of mind that you and you are accessing that account.
[00:01:30] Claire McKenna: Got it. Thank you for that explanation. So we’re bouncing a little bit all over the place today, but the next topic of the month is the importance of using strong passwords and a trusted password management software.
So why is it important to use unique passwords and password managers?
[00:01:50] Devin Olsen: Since we all have so many online accounts these days, it can be tempting to use the same password for most of your accounts. That’s not a safe practice. However, because if your password gets stolen, once a hacker can use that password to gain access to all of your accounts.
That’s why it’s important to use unique passwords for every account. That’s where password managers come in. A password manager is software used to manage and store your online credentials in an encrypted database. When you use a password manager, you don’t have to memorize unique passwords for every single online account that you have.
Instead, you just remember one password for your password manager. Right.
[00:02:28] Claire McKenna: Got it. Very helpful. Would you mind giving me some examples of the best password management softwares to use, or maybe, which one do you use personally?
[00:02:37] Devin Olsen: Sure. Dashlane and Last Pass are two of the most popular password managers to use.
There are plenty of different password managers out there, depending on what features you’re looking for. I personally use Last Pass myself. Got it.
[00:02:50] Claire McKenna: I also use Last Pass. Um, so another topic that’s a core part of this month is how to recognize and report fishing. What tips do you have for people to avoid fishing scam?
[00:03:04] Devin Olsen: There are a few ways to recognize phishing emails. Look for signs like typos, and the spellings and grammatical errors. Generic or ambiguous. Greetings. Requests to send personal information, urgency to click on a link or attachment, an email address that doesn’t match the company it’s claiming to be from.
And stranger abrupt business requests. If you do see a phishing email while at work, report it to your id depart. Or security office right away. If you get a phishing email to your personal email, best practice is to not click on any links and delete it.
[00:03:37] Claire McKenna: Awesome. Thank you for those tips. So lastly, let’s discuss the importance of software updates.
Why is it so important to keep software
[00:03:48] Devin Olsen: up to date? Simply put, software updates happen for a reason. They not only fix general issues, but also provide security patches for any vulnerabilities within the software. A good practice is to set your software updates to happen automatically. That way you don’t have to regularly remind yourself to update.
[00:04:06] Claire McKenna: Awesome. Good to know. Well, my last question for you, Devin, is just do you have any other advice for individuals or organizations during national cybersecurity awareness?
[00:04:18] Devin Olsen: I do. There are a ton of free resources out there to keep yourself informed about common cyber threats, Information and awareness are the most important factors in keeping you and your data safe.
[00:04:31] Claire McKenna: Well, that was my last question for you. Great point. There are so many great resources out there. So Devin, I just wanna thank you so much for joining this episode of C Bar Chats and providing your expertise on such a wide variety of topics. Thank you
[00:04:44] Devin Olsen: very much for having me. Of
[00:04:46] Claire McKenna: course. And to our audience, be sure to check out bars, blog, and social media for more content this month on how to keep yourself and your organization safe.
Happy National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and we look forward to seeing you next time on cyBARR Chats.