Cybersecurity Awareness

As our reliance on technology increases, cybersecurity is a concern that affects every individual and is all of our responsibility and not exclusively those in the IT field. As a comparison, think about being a driver on the public transportation network. Just as locking your car doors does not prevent its theft, no one technology can protect you from cybercrime. Fundamentally, we are each responsible for the proper, safe, and legal use of our vehicles (both work and personal) to prevent incidents. If everybody obeyed the rules, the transportation and computer networks would both be safer for all. However, both networks have users who are careless in the operation and maintenance of their equipment causing potential issues for the rest of us. Consequently, we have to deal with aggressive and selfish drivers on the roadways and hackers on the computers. Whether we want to or not, we must therefore always be alert and take precautions when we are driving as well as when using technology. This is the only way to prevent the bad actors from causing an incident. For if we don’t, their actions will at least make us late – whether it be to our destination on the road or City services because we have no access to our computer systems and data (it takes at least 1 day to restore a single server and we have dozens of servers). As a worst case, it could lead to a fatality in life, privacy, data, or your job.

As our reliance on technology increases, cybersecurity is a concern that affects every individual and is all of our responsibility and not exclusively those in the IT field. As a comparison, think about being a driver on the public transportation network. Just as locking your car doors does not prevent its theft, no one technology can protect you from cybercrime. Fundamentally, we are each responsible for the proper, safe, and legal use of our vehicles (both work and personal) to prevent incidents. If everybody obeyed the rules, the transportation and computer networks would both be safer for all. However, both networks have users who are careless in the operation and maintenance of their equipment causing potential issues for the rest of us. Consequently, we have to deal with aggressive and selfish drivers on the roadways and hackers on the computers. Whether we want to or not, we must therefore always be alert and take precautions when we are driving as well as when using technology. This is the only way to prevent the bad actors from causing an incident. For if we don’t, their actions will at least make us late – whether it be to our destination on the road or City services because we have no access to our computer systems and data (it takes at least 1 day to restore a single server and we have dozens of servers). As a worst case, it could lead to a fatality in life, privacy, data, or your job. As cyber threats continue to evolve, it's vital for everyone to take proactive steps in safeguarding their personal information and digital assets. To assist you in staying secure online, we have compiled a list of cybersecurity tips covering various best practices. Cyber Security Resources Stay Safe Online: Tips from the National Cybersecurity Alliance CISA (cisa.gov) Cybersecurity Awareness Program The Smart Talk: A free tool that helps families set digital safety ground rules together. Send for your Free credit report:Equifax Experian TransUnion Florida Department of Law EnforcementSecure Florida Federal Bureau of Investigation