Securing WAPA information, systems 

This is the time of year to enjoy fall leaves, pumpkin-spiced everything, fall festivals and Halloween. This month also marks the 21st annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an opportune time to brush up on best practices for digital and online safety alike.

The theme of the campaign is “Secure Our World,” which focuses on simple actions you can take to protect information, systems and your identity. You don’t even need to dress up as a Cyber Defender for Halloween – you automatically are one if you have or use anything connected to the internet. No costume needed!

You have likely heard these messages before, but they bear repeating as cybersecurity threats continue and evolve. Fear not though, for these four simple steps can help keep information and systems — both WAPA’s and yours — secure:

• Use strong passwords: Online security starts with passwords. Since they are the key to online life, it is important to ensure you are using strong passwords – ones that are long and random and use upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols. Use different passwords for each of your accounts to reduce the chances of a compromise.
• Set up multifactor authentication: WAPA uses MFA, or multifactor authentication, to protect access to its information and systems. Whenever you need to use your PIV card and a PIN to log in, that’s MFA. You can set up MFA on many of your personal accounts too, such as email accounts and accounts containing financial or personal information.
• Recognize and report phishing: Examine emails with a careful eye. Be on the lookout for misspellings and odd language and refrain from clicking on links or opening any messages or attachments sent from an unknown or unexpected source. If you receive something suspicious via your wapa.gov email, forward it immediately to spam@wapa.gov and then delete the message.
• Update software: WAPA regularly runs and installs updates on its systems. You can do this on your personal devices as well. Consider turning on automatic updates to protect your phone and computer from the latest cyber threats. This is one of the simplest ways to secure your device. 

Here are some additional tips that can help protect WAPA’s and your personal information: 

• Think before you click. Evaluate messages, links, attachments and senders before engaging.
• Refrain from visiting unknow websites or downloading software from untrusted sources.
• Never leave your devices unattended: Lock your screens and shut down your systems.
• Encrypt protected data.
• Lock your mobile devices with a PIN or password.
• Only install applications from trusted sources.
• Avoid transmitting or storing personal information on your devices.
• Install antivirus/antimalware protection and back up your data regularly. (WAPA does this automatically on its devices.) 

Thank you for your efforts to engage in good cybersecurity practices. Your habits and actions make a difference in WAPA’s cybersecurity posture, contribute to WAPA being able to deliver on its mission and ultimately help to secure our world. 

Note: Romeu is an information technology cybersecurity specialist.