Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Privacy”

A “Mishandled” Email is No Laughing Matter

Published February 8, 2023 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
A “Mishandled” Email is No Laughing MatterThe basic concept of information security the CIA triangle illustrated by an IT expert on blue. A white person in a navy suit is in front of a blue stylized background with an overlay that the person is pointing to of a white glowing triangle with the text "security" inside the triangle and the words "confidentiality", "integrity", and "availability" on the points.

I wasn't planning to write a blog post this week, but sometimes something happens, and the creative juices start flowing. Or an opportunity is presented, and you just can't help yourself.  

Yesterday I received an email from a vendor trying to sell me cybersecurity services, or rather to get me to become a partner and resell the vendor's services. The subject line of the email was meant to be an attention grabber. It read: 

Customer Cybersecurity and Application Performance Issues? You want to read this email! 

Hand holding magnifier glass showing a red danger sign in front of a pale blue background. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.
Something that might seem like a silly inconvenience, like a misdirected email, can reveal serious risks in your cybersecurity practices. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

Okay, I thought, I'll bite. One mouse click and the email was open.  

Wait...whaaat? Is this a joke?  

Cybersecurity Awareness Month…I’m Concerned

Published September 30, 2022 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Cybersecurity Awareness Month…I’m ConcernedA blackboard with the words "Call to action" written on it in chalk, with the "o" replaced by a stopwatch. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.
  [caption id="attachment_1871" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Ain image withpale green lines like a circuit board over a dark blue-violet background and the words National Cyber Security Month in pale green on the center left. Image licensed through Adobe Stock. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.[/caption] By this time in September, my inbox is typically overflowing with invitations to webinars and other events celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, which begins tomorrow. This year I've received exactly one email - and the mention was part of sponsor content in a newsletter - that mentioned programming aimed at securing our digital lives.  What? Wait a minute! Only one?  Yes, only one and I had to do a search on my inbox to locate it.   I'm not sure if I should be elated because it means I won't have to buy new batteries for my mouse so it can work overtime or if I should be extremely concerned. Is this situation because our security is in a place where we don't need to be worried anymore? Are most organizations waiting until October arrives to begin sharing their knowledge or using the event to market their security and privacy products and services? Or has cybersecurity awareness become background noise?  I'm hoping it's not the latter. We are not at the point yet where we can take our foot off the gas pedal much less hit the brakes. But it does seem like a plausible explanation. 

Social Media and Very Real Consequences

Published April 8, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Social Media and Very Real ConsequencesWorried student checking bad news on mobile phone sitting in a campus. Image licensed from Adobe Stock.

Content Warning: online harassment, blackmail, suicide I’m always saddened when I learn that someone has experienced the death of a child because I’ve been there. I know what that gut-wrenching, heart-stopping pain feels like and how, in an instant, everything in your life changes. I know what it feels like…

Let’s Talk About Sex

Published February 17, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Let’s Talk About SexA person in a suit with their hand behind their back and their fingers crossed. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

For those who thought this blog post would be about sex, I’ll let you in on a little secret so you don’t feel like you’ve wasted your time reading something you wouldn’t otherwise. It’s not.   Instead, it’s about the email messages that, from time to time, make the rounds and…

Time For Romance, Love, and Due Diligence

Published February 10, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0

February is the month when many look for love, celebrate love, or decide to spend their lives with the ones they love because of one day, the 14th. We can usually count on, in the days and weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, ads enticing us to buy flowers and jewelry, or…

Take Part in Data Privacy Day 2021

Published January 27, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Take Part in Data Privacy Day 2021A blue image with an illustration of small people walking around over a computer with a lock on it promoting Data Privacy Day. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

Do you know what tomorrow is? It’s January 28th, otherwise known as Global Community Engagement Day, International Lego Day, and National Blueberry Pancake Day. It’s also National Kazoo Day, Rubber Ducky Day, and Thank a Plugin Developer Day for those of you who love WordPress.  Oh, it’s also Data Privacy Day,…

Year in Review 2020

Published December 29, 2020 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Year in Review 2020Lane blacktop in the colorful city with beautiful skyscrapers background. The years in large numbers proceed before the viewer, highlighting 2020. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

I thought I’d do an A to Z look at 2020, but honestly, like most of you, I’m tired and just want 2021 to get here. I don’t need fanfare. No glass of wine. No cocktail franks or cheesecake. No countdown to the ball dropping because, after all, what fun is…

Webcams: Pros and Cons

Published December 2, 2020 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Webcams: Pros and ConsYoung business woman in formal dress using headset to have teleconference with her colleagues during quarantine. Image licensed from Adobe Stock.
Earlier this year, when many of us began working remotely 100 percent of the time and Zoom became a household word that could be used as a noun and a verb, I found out the hard way just how much some people don't like the fact I don't - as a rule - use a webcam when I attend virtual meetings. It's not that I don't have access to one or more webcams, I do. I just don't have them on certain devices that I use daily. That's by design, just like how I have webcam covers on the integrated cameras on my laptops, and how my preference is to opt out of apps that want access to the cameras on my smartphones even when it's unnecessary, meaning that access isn't tied to app functionality. In short, I use webcams when I must but I'm not a big fan. [caption id="attachment_960" align="aligncenter" width="300"]Turn on video and turn off video flat vector icons for apps and websites. Image licensed through Adobe Stock. On or off? Read on to find out pros and cons of both. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.[/caption]