Silicon Prairie Cyber Services' Blog

Data Privacy week is January 24 – 28, 2022. What are you doing to increase data privacy awareness in your business? What about at home? If privacy isn’t one of the topics you include in your current cybersecurity awareness program, this is a great reminder to get it added. What’s the point? Privacy is more than an abstract idea that businesses need to worry about; it’s something you as an individual need to be concerned with too. As this week approaches, I want you to think about: Trading privacy for convenience. We ALL do this. That free app, you're trading your data and privacy for the convenience of getting to use that app for free. When an app asks for permission to access some additional info on your phone, do you read what it’s asking for? Or do you simply click yes and move on? You could give away too much information. If that app is asking for too much access, it’s probably best to uninstall that app and save yourself some grief later on. Learn how to manage your privacy. M...

Suddenly summer is over and pumpkin spice everything is out in full force, and that can only mean one thing…   Cybersecurity Awareness Month is coming.   That’s right, October 1 marks the start of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2021!! Who else is excited?! This year’s theme is Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.  This year’s theme brings four new weekly themes, and provides you with some great opportunities to build relationships in your business.   As you’re churning out lots of awesome content and tips for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I want to share some tips to keep in mind when your creative juices are flowing.   5 TIPS FOR WRITING CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS INFO Speak the language of business Keep it short and sweet Make your content mobile friendly Avoid technical jargon Don’t get lost in the weeds   Finally, if you need a guest speaker for Cybersecurity Awareness Month or need help planning I still have a few openings availab...

I thought it'd fun (and a little embarrassing) to share a story about the first time I testified in federal court for an FBI case. I had never been a courtroom before, and I really wasn’t into any of the shows that took place in one either. I didn’t really know what to expect. The Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) told me they’d call me into the courtroom, then I would be sworn in, and sit down in the witness stand. Sounds simple enough. Then once in the witness stand the fun would begin… They’d  ask me many questions about my background to get me brought in as an expert witness, I'd have to do a whole song and dance to see my notes when I didn’t recall the answer to something, and I'd have to speak to the jury like they have a 5 th  grade education (from the 1950s and know nothing about computers) with analogies aplenty. In this story, there’s a bad guy who did some nasty stuff to a woman and then tried to blackmail her. This how I remember the day... The ...

LET'S TALK PRIVACY.   Privacy. It’s been on my mind.   Has it been on yours?   Even if it’s not top of mind for you I bet you’ve been hearing about it and thinking about it without even realizing it, and I’ve got TWO words for you.   AMAZON. APPLE.   Why these two words?   Amazon : head over to last week’s blog post and read the Top 3 Things You Need to Know about Amazon Sidewalk.   Apple : People who use Apple Mail are rejoicing in the added privacy coming in the next major operating system releases for all Apple products. Why? No longer can the bad guys discover if you opened their email. On the flip side, businesses with an email list are freaking out as their open rates will become unreliable with this same privacy feature.   How can this new privacy feature be good and bad at the same time? Keep reading for answers.   2020 THE SUMMER OF THE TIKTOK PANIC Do you remember last summer when everyone was freaking out about TikTok? I know it w...

Today was an exciting day for me because I had my first guest spot on a radio show. If you're following me on   Facebook  or you live in the Rochester, NY area you might have caught me on 98.9 The Buzz. I have to tell you it was a lot of fun, and I was honored to be brought in to talk about Amazon's new sidewalk project, ransomware, and what the average Jane can do to stay safe. If you missed it, you can watch it now. TOP 3 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT AMAZON SIDEWALK Your Amazon devices automatically opted in. If you want out, you have to take action. You'll be sending even more data to Amazon if you're part of the Sidewalk. No, your neighbor can't see what’s happening on your network, nor can you see what's on theirs. Do you have any Amazon devices? Are you opting out of the Sidewalk? Drop your comments below. Are you ready to reduce the risk of Ransomware attacks? Let's chat.  Book a complementary discovery session today.

Last week I shared the Top 7 Things you Need to Know aboutFacebook.   One topic that made the list is the push to move people from Messenger to WhatsApp because of the end-to-end encryption issue. I’ve been getting lots of questions asking how safe it is to use Messenger, and I’ve got answers for YOU.   By DEFAULT Facebook can read everything you share in Messenger, just like they can read everything you post in the Facebook platform (remember you’re paying with your data).   AND so can anyone else (in theory with some not so savory techniques).   Casual conversations that you don’t need any privacy for are ok to have via Messenger just like anything else you feel comfortable about posting on Facebook.   Should you have a conversation that’s sensitive in nature in Messenger? NO Don’t discuss confidential or sensitive business info Don’t share your secret sauce Share nothing you wouldn’t want your mother to know.  😬 What can you d...

Facebook hacked. Facebook data is insecure. LinkedIn hacked. TikTok is spying on you. Do you feel like you're seeing headlines like these constantly? Are headlines like these freaking you out? Facebook’s certainly been in the news again, and it seems like it’s never ending. Let me save you time and break down the media hype for you. What you need to know right now about Facebook The Facebook data breach took place in 2019 – and probably included your name, phone number, and email address Fraudsters could use that phone number to steal your identity – monitor your credit Facebook Messenger is NOT encrypted Switching to WhatsApp from Messenger is gaining momentum Whats App IS encrypted. It still collects some info about you but it’s WAY less than Messenger. Facebook Rooms are NOT encrypted There’s no such thing as a free service. You’re paying with your data and information. Visit my website to learn more about  services  to help your business or grab a complementary  ...

January 28 is Data Privacy Day. On this day advocates spread awareness about privacy and work to educate others about securing their personal information to protect their privacy. At the same time, we encourage businesses to increase transparency about how they store and use data they collect from customers. Start OWNING your PRIVACY by: Keep tabs on your apps.  Apps ask for access to a lot of your personal info like your location, contacts, and photos.  Before you grant access, decide if the app really needs that info. Manage your privacy settings.  Check the privacy and security settings for the online accounts and apps you use.   Learn how to manage your privacy settings for most online accounts at staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/managing-your-privacy/manage-privacy-settings/ Businesses can protect their customer's privacy by: Be transparent about how you collect, use, and share your customers' personal information. If you collect it, protect it. Imp...