By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
As life continues moving online, the ongoing threat from bad actors continues to grow in frequency and insidiousness.
While technology becomes more ubiquitous, remaining safe often comes down to understanding how scammers operate and how they collect information that will ultimately be used to damage or steal from the owner.
Local cybersecurity expert and owner of TreeTop Security Dallas Haselhorst is set to offer three free training sessions in Hays in October, which is Cybersecurity Awareness month.
The events are open to the public and benefits home and business users.
The first hour-long event is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main. Two other events are scheduled for noon Oct. 12 and 5:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at BriefSpace, 219 W. 10th.
Hays Public Library Communications Coordinator Callie Kolacny said events like this one are important for the community.
"There are so many scams out there that we thought partnering with TreeTop Security to bring this program to the library was a great idea,” Kolacny said. “We have patrons who come here to use the wifi and public computers, so to give them an opportunity to learn more about how to stay safe online seems like a good fit."
Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams also said cybersecurity is an important topic for many.
“Information systems have become the lifeblood of many businesses, and protecting those systems is essential to the survival of those businesses,” Williams said. “Grow Hays is committed to ensuring that local businesses understand the importance of cybersecurity and the role it plays in protecting their critical business information.”
The month was designated as Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004 and has grown in importance since.
“The Department of Homeland Security is initially who started it,” Haselhorst said. “It started off as just kind of a U.S.-based thing, and they quickly determined that this isn't just us, this is the world.”
Back then, he said, the importance of having a dedicated month to raise cybersecurity awareness seemed of little significance — now, it cannot be overstated.
“At the time, it didn't seem like that big of a deal,” Haselhorst said. “And now, obviously, it's something that affects every business, every individual, and if it's not part of your day-to-day, brace yourself, because it may be coming.”
Key to keeping people safe from online threats is prevention, and a primary mission in October is to share information about online dangers and how to avoid them.
“It's a whole month dedicated to the media and lots of folks like myself, professionals in the industry, getting together and making sure that everybody is aware of different topics that could affect them,” Haselhorst said. “From a cybersecurity standpoint, whether that's ransomware, phishing emails, you name it, it kind of goes over the full gamut of cybersecurity and making sure that everybody's aware that it can happen to them.”
Each year a theme is selected for the month. This year’s theme is See Yourself in Cyber.
“While cybersecurity may seem like a complex subject, ultimately, it’s really all about people,” according to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency website. “This October will focus on the “people” part of cybersecurity, providing information and resources to help educate CISA partners and the public and ensure all individuals and organizations make smart decisions whether on the job, at home or at school – now and in the future.”
During the month, the CISA will promote four key actions that can keep people safer online:
- Enable Multi-Factor Authentication
- Use Strong Passwords
- Recognize and Report Phishing
- Update Your Software
Making people aware of the threat and how to protect themselves is a vital part of stopping threats before they happen, Haselhorst said and can especially be impactful to small businesses.
“Education and free education on top of that is really your best resource,” he said. “I can't tell you the number of businesses that we work with where somebody says, ‘Hey, this looks odd.’ And the reason why they say that that looks really odd is because they've had training that helps them indicate that there's just something really off about this email.”
For those that cannot make the scheduled events, Haselhorst said TreeTop Security works to bring the presentation to any organization that is interested in protecting their digital assets.
“Back in 2019, we had put together some cybersecurity awareness training … and some associated materials and kind of gave that away for anyone in the world to really take and take back to their community and their businesses.”
That information has since been used to protect people and businesses across the world, he said.
“We continue to update it, every six months, sometimes every year, and release that, in accordance with Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” Haselhorst said.
Whether attending a session or learning about cybersecurity through independent research, he said understanding online threats should be a priority for everyone.
“It is one of the best things that you can do,” Haselhorst said. “If you say, ‘Well, I don't have $1,000s to spend on security right now.’ You will after something happens, unfortunately. But the biggest thing is just get in there, get some education. It's not gimmicky. We're not pitching anything. It is things that every home user, every business user, can use in their day-to-day.”