Educated Employees are the First Line of Defense in the Fight Against Data Hacking

by Barbara Parrott McGinity, LMSW
BBB Education Foundation

Data Breach! System has been hacked! Personal information stolen! From the IRS to Chase Bank to Blue Cross Blue Shield, we are reading about security systems being infiltrated by criminal hackers every day. How can this happen? Hackers seek out weaknesses in your computer system and one of those weaknesses can be untrained personnel who mistakenly click on the wrong email.

Here is one recent email from my inbox:
Today, 3rd June, 2015. We are upgrading our email system in order for our email server to be compatible with the newer versions of software 2015 spam filter. This service creates more space and easy access to email. Please update your account by clicking on the link below. Click for Activation
CLICK HERE<http://owaadminportal.jimdo.com/&gt; And follow the instructions on the pop-up page for upgrade
Failure for any user to do this will render his/her account inactive.
Thank you,
IT Support Desk

Another example:
Hi my name is Annabella
my resume is pdf file
I am looking forward to hearing from you
Yours faithfully
Annabella

Both of these emails demonstrate how systems are breached, they require the recipient to get more information through the click of their mouse, one has a link and the other has an attachment.

Every day, we receive numerous unsolicited emails at both work and home. Some of it from sources you have done business with or ordered products from, while others come from unknown sources. Often you give that information away by putting information into pop-up windows, handing out business cards, or responding to unsolicited emails.

A couple of weeks ago I received a very simple, seemingly innocent email:
Hi Barbara:
For us newbees can you give me the crossroads for the location of the garden sale.
Thanks.
Jan LeCates
Your first instinct might be to reply, “What garden sale?” And that is what the sender was hoping for, because this type of email is looking to confirm good email addresses which then get sold to people sending the spam. For me it was easy to hit the delete button because I knew I was not going to a garden sale and I do not know Jan LeCrates. But what would your employee do?

The National Cyber Security Alliance has a website, http://www.staysafeonline.org, that provides information for businesses on cyber security. This includes accessing your risks, protecting customers, and education tips for employees. Here is what you need to pass onto your employees:

• Keep a clean machine: Your company should have clear rules for what employees can install and keep on their work computers. Make sure they understand and abide by these rules. Unknown outside programs can open security vulnerabilities in your network.
• Follow good password practices: Making passwords long and strong, with a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, along with changing them routinely and keeping them private are the easiest and most effective steps your employees can take to protect your data.
• When in doubt, throw it out: Employees should know not to open suspicious links in email, tweets, posts, online ads, messages or attachments – even if they know the source. Employees should also be instructed about your company’s spam filters and how to use them to prevent unwanted, harmful email.
• Back up their work: Whether you set your employees’ computers to backup automatically or ask that they do it themselves, employees should be instructed on their role in protecting their work.
• Stay watchful and speak up: Your employees should be encouraged to keep an eye out and say something if they notice strange happenings on their computer.

The hackers are getting better, more sophisticated, and more difficult to catch. Everyone needs to be vigilant, stay alert to cyber threats, and never assume things are as they appear. Protecting your business by taking the time to educate your employees is the best way to defeat these criminals.

Internships: How to find them & why it’s worth the effort

Many college students and recent graduates work as interns. That means they take a temporary job to get hands-on experience, usually in a field they’re interested in. College graduates sometimes use internships to start a career. But did you know that you can get a summer or after-school internship while you’re still in high school?

Why Intern?
Some internships involve pay, and others are unpaid. But internships offer many benefits besides money. For example, taking an internship can:
• Show you what the working world is like
• Teach you important skills, such as time management and computer skills
• Help you choose a major
• Inspire a career choice
• Connect you with experienced people who can mentor you

How to Get Started
By putting some thought into your search and using the resources that are available to you, you can find an internship that will offer you great opportunities.

Think About Your Goals
To begin the process of finding the right internship for you, think about fields you want to explore or skills you want to learn. Do you love photography? Do you want to know what scientific research is like or what a lawyer does all day? Do you want to learn how to build a website?

Having clear goals in mind makes it more likely that you’ll find an internship you can get excited about.

Use the Internet
Once you have goals in mind, you can begin looking for an internship online. Start by searching for local businesses and organizations in your areas of interest and see if they offer internship programs. You can also check out these resources:
• Internshipprograms.com lets you search by employer, field, date and location.
• GoAbroad.com shows opportunities in different countries.
• Idealist allows you to search for internships at nonprofits.

Take Advantage of Other Resources
Using personal contacts and local resources are also great ways to find an internship. Try these methods for finding opportunities:
• Ask your high school counselor and teachers for help.
• Check with your coaches and club advisers.
• Find out if family and friends know someone in a field that interests you.
• If there’s a specific company or organization you’d like to work for, don’t be afraid to contact someone there.
• Look for recent internship guidebooks at the library.

Real Student Stories
Sufiyan wanted to earn a little money during the summer after his sophomore year. His school counselor suggested trying out a paid internship doing office work at a local environmental organization.

What Sufiyan valued most about the experience was learning new skills that he feels will help in college classes and job interviews. He says, “My supervisors taught me how to behave in an office, how to be organized and how to speak in a professional manner.”

Kristen liked writing for the school newspaper when she was a high school student, so she took an internship at the local newspaper to learn more about journalism.

Her job was to help out in the office, but she also convinced the editor to let her do some reporting. Kristen ended up covering everything from rodeos to a local burglary, and the experience helped her decide to major in journalism in college.

SOURCE: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/outside-the-classroom/how-to-find-an-internship-youll-value

To land a job, take these 6 college courses

Competition is hot these days so if you want to stand out from the rest of the pack, it’s vital to have key skills that will make you a valuable asset to any business.

“…The ability to speak in public, to write a succinct, grammatical business email, to do certain math operations beyond addition and subtraction could mean the difference between being one of the growing number of unemployed grads or one setting off on a long and fulfilling career.”

Read full article here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/land-job-six-college-courses-110000634.html