Kelcey Carlisle, the manager of IT Services and Support at Athabasca University, will be giving an overview of common attacks, why your information is of value to cyber criminals, best practices to stay safe and other valuable tips to stay safe on the information superhighway at the AU Governing Council Chambers on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
“Going to the session is not going to guarantee you will never be the victim of a cyber-attack,” Carlisle said. “But it should significantly reduce your risk profile because you'll know what to look for. You'll know how to do the basic steps to keep your devices secure.”
You don’t have to a computer expect Carlisle said, some basic knowledge plus being diligent can significantly reduce the risk of being a victim of a cyber-attack.
“If you know what the attacks look like by email or phone, you're much more likely to say ‘Whoa, I don't want to do that,’” Carlisle explained. “Keep your devices up to date, again, way less risk and that’s easy, we all know how to do that. We all click ‘update later’ when it prompts us on the computer or the phone; well, let's stop clicking ‘update later.’”
Also questioning what is being sent in an email or text message from an unknown sender will save many headaches. Your bank is not going request you to click on a link to verify your account number, every Nigerian prince must be in a lot of trouble if they keep sending out emails, no one from Canada Revenue is going to arrest you. Ensure the sender’s email also matches the reason you’re getting an email; no bank will be requesting your information from a Gmail or Yahoo account.
“That's why these people are in business. It's not kids sitting at home, it's people making money,” he said. “This is their job.”
Everyone is welcome to attend the free session and there will be snacks and door prizes.
Heather Stocking, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @HLSox
