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How to arm yourself against cyber attacks

Geopolitical strife creates makes cybersecurity even more important. Here’s how to protect yourself and Asante.

Published on March 7, 2022

Asante chief information security officer

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Many of us are following the events as they unfold in Ukraine. From a cybersecurity perspective, I want to assure everyone that Information Security is continuing to monitor cybersecurity risks related to the conflict. Many precautions have been put in place and are continuing to be refined to improve readiness to withstand a cybersecurity event.

There are a number of things each of us can do to help protect Asante and prepare against these cybersecurity threats.

Phishing awareness. Phishing is the No. 1 attack vector used by bad actors. Russian state-sponsored cyber criminals use sophisticated phishing campaigns to compromise valid user accounts.

Being able to spot indicators of a phishing email are critical to not falling victim to a phishing email. There are some online phishing awareness trainings available in ALEC that go through these indicators. Avoid clicking on links in unsolicited emails and be extra cautious with email attachments. If you suspect a phishing email, please use the Report Phish button in the Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Web Access applications.

Multifactor authentication. Whenever possible, use multifactor authentication for log-on accounts. At Asante, we require Duo authentication for many log-on portals. It is important to use multifactor authentication for your personal log-on accounts outside of Asante.

Strong passwords. Set a strong password for both your Asante account and personal accounts. Password strength is improved greatly by increasing the length of the password. Use password phrases if the system allows it. The use of a password manager will help managing your passwords. A password manager has the ability to generate and store random secure passwords for use across log-on accounts.

Website awareness. Propaganda is usually rampant with impactful global events, so be mindful when accessing websites for related news.

As always, your attention to cybersecurity and protecting Asante is very much appreciated. Thank you for all you do in helping keep Asante safe.