In Case You Missed Us: Personal Data Security on Tech Talk on KTRS

The SumnerOne Solutions Team has been on top of their game, as always, but especially this month for National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Our IT expert, Chadd Haselhorst joined the Guy Phillips Show for Tech Talk to share some important information about how end users can protect their data. From protecting your data at home or work, Chadd had great information to share about a topic that affects everyone with a connected device.

How to Protect Your Data

Guy Phillips is always wondering how our IT experts stay up-to-date about everything that's always changing in technology. Chadd said he particularly likes to read and learn more about the different updates and changes that affect the technology that he uses in his life. Keeping up with updates to software and other enhancements on the technology you're interested in is the best way to stay ahead of the game.

According to Chadd, there are two different kinds of data breaches that can affect your personal information.

1.) A malicious cyber criminal breaks in and steals your data. These kinds of data breaches are done by phishing attacks or by a cyber criminal targeting a larger group of people or business to collect the data. This would be like the types of data breaches that you hear about in the news with identity theft, banking information, or other details being compromised. Similar to what happened with the Equifax data breach back in 2017.

2.) End users aren't cautious about where their data is going. When Chadd explained this, he didn't sugar coat how this happens, sometimes end users are careless online and give the information away. This can happen by having too much information about yourself out on social media or by not locking down your accounts with strong security. An example of this would be the Cambridge Analytica Facebook scandal from the 2016 elections in which private information was collected from more than 50 million users. Additionally, Chadd mentioned that if you have any old social media accounts that you've abandoned, like MySpace, go ahead and deactivate the account or remove all your personal information. The information on those old accounts, even though it is dated, can still be used nefariously. It's best to lock down your accounts with things like strong security settings and two-factor authentication rather than just abandoning them.

Doing your part in educating yourself, friends, and family about security awareness is what National Cyber Security Awareness Month is all about. Treating our online data with the same level of importance as physical documents like your Social Security Card or passport is what we have to do to protect our personal information. There are a lot of terrible cyber criminals out there in the world, but there are just as many IT professionals fighting the good fight to educate others on what they can do to protect themselves.

Tech Talk Presented by SumnerOne

As always, you can catch us on The Big 550 KTRS on Friday afternoons at 4:20. Each week we join the Guy Phillips Show to talk about different things going on with technology. Be sure to tune in or listen to us online. If you have any questions about cyber security or technology, our IT experts are here to help well beyond the scope of our Tech Talk segment. Contact SumnerOne to learn more about how our Solutions Team can help your business with Managed IT Services and more.

 Originally published November 1, 2018, updated February 12, 2019