In today’s world, most of us don’t leave the front door unlocked. We protect our homes, loved ones and valuables from intruders with locks, alarms and other security measures. Cybersecurity is no different. It’s the practice of protecting other valuables such as your identity, banking and health records and other sensitive information from digital attacks and theft.
In addition to pumpkin-spice lattes and Halloween, October is when we recognize Cybersecurity Awareness Month. While taking necessary steps to protect our personal information is a year- round practice, at Little River Electric Cooperative we use this time to share helpful cybersecurity reminders with our team. According to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), an agency in the Department of Homeland Security, these are the best ways to keep you and your family safe online.
Implement multi-factor authentication on your accounts. The additional layer of protection makes it much harder for criminals to access your information, even if a hacker obtains your password.
Update your software. This is one of the easiest ways to protect your personal data. When downloading a software update, make sure it’s from the company that created it. Better yet, turn on automatic updates.
Think before you click. Most successful cyber-attacks start with phishing emails. Avoid emails (or texts) that look too good to be true, oddly urgent, poorly crafted or include unusual requests.
Create strong passwords, using long, unique and complex words or phrases. Consider using a password manager to save time, work across all devices, protect your identity and notify you of phishing websites.
Make it a family affair. Discuss ways to stay safe online with your children. Young people need to know early on, that what is shared online stays online and is difficult (if not impossible) to take back. As a parent or guardian, help your children learn about and use the privacy and security settings on social networks and gaming sites.
Your co-op is doing its share on the cyber front, as well. Part of offering excellent service is keeping that service secure and reliable. For Little River Electric, reliability means repairing wear- and-tear, upgrading our equipment to withstand storms and severe weather and using technology and best practices to keep our system secure from cybersecurity issues.
Little River Electric also works together with other co-ops to develop new technologies and infrastructure, learn from each other and keep the grid’s network secure. For example, information technology and system security professionals at co-ops across South Carolina have formed a cyber security task force. This collaboration helps us all to stay abreast of emerging threats and share the best methods of keeping our systems secure.
While we can’t stop a storm or predict every disruption, as a co-op, we do everything we can to keep the lights on and our members protected. Because if we all do our part, our interconnected world will be safer and more secure for everyone.
