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Posts tagged as “Safety”

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. 

A New Normal Spells O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y

Published May 26, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
A New Normal Spells O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-YA man drinking coffee at his desk in an office when a warning pop up comes up on his computer screen. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

For those who shifted to working remotely in 2020, a new normal may mean a return to the office. Already, many organizations have started requiring staff to return to their cubicles and conference rooms. Unfortunately, these changes spell O-P-P-O-R-T-U-N-I-T-Y for those who exploit vulnerabilities for fun, financial gain, or other, more nefarious, purposes.

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…

Influences of Words and Actions on History

Published March 4, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Influences of Words and Actions on HistoryYoung engineer businesswoman with tablet in network server room. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.
This week Monday wasn't just the first day of the work week or the first day of March. It was also the first day of Women's History Month. Though this year's theme is not related to cybersecurity, I want to draw attention to this month-long event that honors women's contributions in American history because our words and actions today have the power to influence history.  Think of where we might be without the contributions of women, in light of this year's theme "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced", but also with respect to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). What would the world be like without the contributions of Edith Clarke, Grace Hopper, or Sally Ride?  

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,…

Streaming Services & Security

Published January 20, 2021 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0
Streaming Services & SecurityPerson looking at sports streaming on a tablet. Image licensed through Adobe Stock.

We love streaming services because they are convenient and relatively inexpensive, at least individually. They provide us the ability to view what we want, when we want, but also some top-notch programming. I’ll probably date myself using these examples, but where would many of us be without Downton Abbey or Game of…

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…

Happy Holidays—Secure Your New Devices!

Published December 24, 2020 by Kathleen Hyde
Kathleen Hyde 0

Have you already shredded the paper and ripped off the plastic? Or are you beyond doing that…even if you are overjoyed whenever you get a new electronic tool from someone or somewhere?   Tool does sound so much better than gadget, doesn’t it? And yes, “somewhere” was intentional. I know many of us buy…