August/September 2023

Stop and Think – It Can Make All the Difference
I came into my office this morning, sat down at my
computer, and began reading emails. There was
an urgent email from the Payroll Department,
telling me to fill out a new document so they
could get my check cut in a timely manner.
Not thinking of anything but getting my
paycheck, I clicked on the document. Nothing
happened. I clicked again, and still nothing
happened. I shrugged and walked over
to accounting where I was told the email did
not come from them. I walked back into my
office and there was an image on my computer
that looked like this:
I panicked. I kept asking myself “what do I do?” Of course! Shut
the computer down! That’s what IT always tells me, “Did you
reboot?” So, I shut down my computer. I can keep going with
this story because I have heard this so many times from so
many different people. Everything that I did this morning had
been planned, and is exactly what the criminals expected and
wanted me to do. It worked mostly because of two words at the
beginning of this story. Can you pick them out? NOT THINKING.
So many times, we get caught up in what we are doing that
we don’t STOP and THINK. Criminals count on this. They purposely
try to take you off guard to trick you into acting without
thinking. They will call and pretend to be someone you love,
like a child or grandchild, and they’ll tell you they have been
placed in prison and please send money. They may say they are
the phone or utility company, and your services are going to be
turned off immediately if you don’t give them your credit card
number right now. They may even pretend to be your bank saying
that your account was compromised and if you could just
tell them your account numbers, they will take care of it. No one
except criminals are going to send you an email asking you to
buy gift cards for any reason. Places like the IRS, Medicare, and
other companies are not going to send you an email asking for
personal information. Criminals have a field day with Facebook,
Instagram, and all social media outlets. Criminals are watching
everything online and even reading obituaries. Leave
maiden names and personal information out of
obituaries. A lot of security questions to sites
can be answered from these venues, like
what’s your mother’s maiden name, your favorite
pet, and in what city were you born.
On a larger scale, cyberattacks have inundated
the state with each year, growing
more and more costly. While the bad actors
are getting better and better, there are some
simple things we can follow to help limit some
attacks.
1 If you think you have a virus, do not shut down
your computer. Always unplug it from the network to prevent
the damage from spreading to other devices.
2 Call for help. If you are a victim of a cyberattack or cybercrime
in Louisiana, contact the Louisiana Fusion Center at
1-800-434-8007 or email lafusion.center@la.gov.
3 STOP and THINK! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably
is. Look for mistakes in the grammar of the email. Look at
the time the email was sent. Make sure the email address
matches the name of the person it’s supposed to be coming
from.
4 VERIFY VERIFY VERIFY! Never click on an unknown link or
attachment, or use a phone number from the email of concern.
Never change accounting documents because someone
sent an email asking you to. Never go buy gift cards or
purchase something for someone in an email without always
verifying with a follow up phone call.
5 Keep your computers and software up to date with security
patches and updates.
6 Do not work as a local or domain administrator on your
computer. It will allow the criminals to install anything if
they get into your system.
7 Use Endpoint Protection on all systems.
8 Backup your data. Know where and how it’s being backed
up. Test periodically to make sure the backups are viable.
9 Use Multifactor Authentication and strong passwords. Use a
password manager.
10 Be wise when posting on social media.
I know technology
can be overwhelming
and is always
changing, however
it’s here to stay,
and it’s only getting
bigger. Following
the above tips will
make a difference
at work and in your
personal lives at
home.
by Tracy
Melancon
Louisiana
Municipal
Association
Tracy Melancon is the IT Director for the
Louisiana Municipal Association. She can
be reached by emailing tmelancon@lma.
org or calling 225-344-5001.
Page 38
LMR | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023