October is national Cyber Awareness Month, and the City of Hobbs has launched a month-long campaign to educate the public about the importance of Internet security.

This year marks the 18th year of the “STOP.THINK.CONNECT.” campaign. According to the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency’s website, the purpose of the effort is to increase public “understanding of cyber threats” and empower “the American public to be safer and more secure online.” Further the campaign, “encourages Americans to view Internet safety as a shared responsibility – at home, in the workplace, and in our communities.” 

Focus of Week One – Be Cyber Smart 

The City of Hobbs is in full agreement with the need to increase public awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. On its Facebook page, the city reminds everyone that cybersecurity “starts with YOU and is everyone’s responsibility”.

Area cybersecurity specialist Clayburn Griffin of Clayburn.Digital agrees. Griffin says, “Most businesses and organizations in the area don’t take cybersecurity seriously. They think they’re too small to get the attention of hackers, but today hackers cast a wide net looking for vulnerabilities.” 

The bottom line is that no individual or business is too unimportant or too small to overlook the need to take the necessary steps to be cyber secure.

Focus of Week Two – Phishing and Ransomware Attacks 

Phishing is very common, and the focus of the City of Hobbs during week two of Cyber Awareness Month was “on steps individuals and organizations can take to reduce phishing and ransomware” attacks. 

Hackers use all forms of communication – email, phone calls, social media – to access sensitive information such as passwords, credit cards, medical records, bank account information and the like from individuals and businesses. Called social engineering within the cybersecurity industry, hackers can be very persuasive and effective in obtaining confidential information from the unwary. Phone calls that appear to come from a bank may actually be from out-of-the-country professionals who are trying to steal your confidential information. Beware!!

“These attacks disrupt the way we work, learn, and socialize. With our homes, schools, and business more connected than ever, it’s vital to #BeCyberSmart,” states the City of Hobbs on its Facebook page. 

Being cyber smart, unfortunately, is a challenge for both individuals and businesses. According to Arthur Zilberman, CEO of LaptopMD, all it takes for an attack is a careless, naive click. 

On the DataInsider blog Zilberman cautions folks to be mindful of emails with attachments from unknown people or businesses. Be certain not to open such attachments. “No credible website”, says Zilberman, “would ask for your password via email.” 

Also Zilberman points out that people should be careful of their browser. “Read all URLs from right to left. The last address is the true domain. Secure URLs that don’t employ https are fraudulent, as are sites that begin with IP addresses.”

Focus of Week Three – Cybersecurity Careers

Many career opportunities are out there for those who are knowledgeable about cybersecurity, and during week three of the campaign the City of Hobbs focused on bringing awareness about this growing profession to area residents, especially recent high school graduates.

Right here in Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) offers a degree in Computer Information Systems (CIS). The school’s computer department chair Angila Shook says, “CIS in the hot topic no matter if you go to our community college or you choose a different university to go to. As far as the world today, everything is technology driven.” According to Shook, NMJC’s CIS program is“completely online”, making it available to anyone who has wifi. The program “allows our students to be anywhere in the world and complete our associate’s degree.”

After attaining your CIS degree, you can specialize in cyber security. A great deal of information about free and paid cybersecurity courses and certifications is available online, as information about college and masters degrees.

Focus of Week Four – Cybersecurity, a Year-Round Effort

Cybersecurity, whether you are an individual or a business, is ongoing. Cybersecurity “should be one of individuals and organizations first considerations when they create or buy new devices and connected services,” states the City of Hobbs Facebook page. Cybersecurity best practices like using a fire wall, engaging in safe password implementation, backing up data regularly and educating yourself and/or employees are vital to keeping yourself and your business hacker free.