Oct. 23, 2018

This paid piece is sponsored by SDN Communications.

Unfortunately, scams have become so common that a new rule of thumb has emerged for anyone solicited through electronic communication:

Unless you initiated the contact or know and have complete faith in a soliciting party, don’t give out sensitive information or money. Hang up or ignore the link and move on.

If people want to follow up on a solicitation, whether for work or on their own, they should independently verify the electronic address or phone number of the solicitor and initiate communication themselves.

That’s among the points that Chris Aeilts, a sales engineer with SDN Communications, is expected to touch on during a presentation at a free cybersecurity program designed for local businesses. The Insecurity in a Digital World event begins at 8 a.m. Thursday at the Avera Prairie Center.

While the seminar is free, seating is limited — use the button above or click here to RSVP. A continental breakfast will be available at 7:30 a.m. Presentations will begin at 8 a.m. and wrap up by 10 a.m.

The Better Business Bureau Foundation is sponsoring the program in partnership with SDN Communications, Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center and the KELOLAND Media Group.

Anticipate attacks

Aeilts is one of three cybersecurity experts scheduled to speak. One of his main suggestions is less intuitive than cutting communications with possible scammers. Cybercriminals constantly change their strategies. So Aeilts suggests businesses watch for possible malicious intent rather than try to figure out the how they might carry it out.

“Training for today’s tactics or even surmising what tomorrow’s tactics may be will fall short the day after tomorrow,” Aeilts said. “The skill for the individual that is going to be most useful is the ability to realize the potential for malicious activity.”

If businesses focus on recognizing areas that could be abused and maintain some agility, they can prepare to address issues regardless of the tactics.

Other speakers will include Jared Ducommun, a risk management consultant with Howalt+McDowell Insurance, a Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC company. Ducommun plans to share survey data that highlights the gap between businesses’ perception and understanding of cyber risks.

He said it will help businesspeople understand how their peers see the cyber world. It also can help them decide what they should or should not be doing.

Event organizers recently announced the third speaker is Trevor Jones. The former secretary of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety joined Dakota State University as part of the Madison Cyber Labs digital forensics, or DigForCE, lab Oct. 10. He brings 20 years of experience in law enforcement to DSU and will talk about fighting cybercrime in South Dakota.

This is the BBB’s sixth annual cybersecurity event. The program is designed for businesses, which have an increasing need for information, said Jessie Schmidt, BBB state director for South Dakota.

“Business vulnerabilities continue to expand. The way the cybercriminals can infiltrate your business continues to change,” Schmidt said. “What are things you can do to protect yourself? Taking two hours for an event like this is a valuable use of your time.”

Collectively, the speakers at the BBB event will help businesspeople identify possible vulnerabilities and devise training for employees to help stop hackers before they infiltrate company resources. That is useful information, especially for small and midsize businesses.