Silicon Prairie Cyber Services' Blog

Have you seen the Black Friday and Cyber Monday ads that started Nov 1 st ? The black Friday shopping that started Nov 4 th ? Clearly, businesses want you to spend your money shopping with them. And that means cyber criminals are just a few steps behind, and ready to snag your cash instead. In order to help you keep your money safe and receive the gifts you want this holiday season, I’m sharing… 10 TIPS FOR A SAFE AND SECURE HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON 1.  Turn on MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION Add that extra layer of security to all of your accounts by adding an extra step to your login-procedure. This is a code you enter after you submit your username and password. The code can arrive via an app (such as Google Authenticator), text, or email. It may also called to as dual-factor or two-factor and is abbreviated as MFA or 2FA. Enable it everywhere possible -especially on password keepers, email, and financial accounts. 2.  Avoid FREE WIFI That FREE WiFi you're using might ...

The theme for Week 2 of Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Cybersecurity First. We are more connected than ever. The hybrid workplace is here to stay, and for employees, this means relying on connected devices from their home office. Smart home systems will rise to a market value of $157 billion by 2023, and we expect the number of installed connected devices in the home to rise by a staggering 70% by 2025. TIPS FOR SECURING ALL THOSE DEVICES. Remember smart devices need smart security Make cybersecurity a priority when purchasing a connected device. When setting up a new devices and accounts, be sure to set up the privacy and security settings to limit the sharing of information. Default settings often aren’t secure. Once your device is set up, remember to keep tabs on how secure your information is and actively manage location services so you don’t share your location by mistake. Put cybersecurity first in your job Make cybersecurity a priority in your job. Good cyber hygiene shoul...

Cybersecurity Awareness Month begins tomorrow! Are you ready?  This year’s theme is  “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart.”. Here’s a rundown of this year’s  weekly themes  that will help you learn how to protect yourself and your business from cyberattacks through actionable steps. Review the schedule below. Oct 4 - 10: Be Cyber Smart Oct 11 - 17: Fight the Phish Oct 18 - 24: Explore. Experience. Share. (Cybersecurity Careers) Oct 25 - 31: Cybersecurity First You can also catch me speaking live at the  Nebraska Cybersecurity Conference  on October 19. The conference is virtual, and there’s still time to register. So no matter where you’re sitting, you’ll have a great seat. In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness month, I’m switching up my email and blog schedule. During October, I’m going to kick off your week by sending you an email every Monday morning all about the week’s cybersecurity awareness theme. Not on my email list? Join now . Also, you'll want to follow me...

Let’s talk about phishing emails and the techniques used by cyber criminals to get you to click. Today, I’m going to focus on the subject line.   The subject line is super important, and that’s why the bad guys are using it against you. Why is the subject line so important? The subject line is the first and only hint at what the email is about. If you can’t reel ‘em in with the subject line they might never open your email. In fact, the subject line is so important that marketers test different subject lines against each other to see which one will get the most opens.   Cyber criminals try to invoke a sense of urgency and emotions to get you to click. That’s why words like ‘URGENT’ and ‘IMPORTANT’ have appeared in their subject lines for years. But now, there’s a new word in the subject line, and that new word is ‘NEW.’   THE NEW WORD IS NEW.   WHY IS ‘NEW’ SUCH A POWERFUL WORD IN PHISHING EMAILS? Legit emails and alerts contain the word ‘new’ The...

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...

  Have you ever tried to find any information on ‘how to stop saying no?’ There’s not a lot out there. Most of the information out there is about the exact opposite problem – 'how to stop saying yes to everything.'   Cybersecurity departments often have a ‘No’ problem. Why? In my experience, we’re a suspicious and risk adverse group. Our knee jerk reaction is always to answer ‘No’. Always saying no creates adversity. When faced with constant adversity, people can suffer from tunnel vision, toxic stress, and rash decisions.   HOW DO WE STOP SAYING NO?   LISTEN TWICE AS MUCH AS YOU TALK People want to be heard People want to be understood People need to know that they're heard and understood When it’s time to talk, summarize what you’re hearing Ask open-ended questions to identify their pain Discover their why Why do they need it? What is the impact if approved? What is the impact if denied?   RELATE TO THE STAKEHOLDERS Don’t fake it Feel their pain Empathy is a p...