For Immediate Release
#44-20

#PrepTalkNYC {Click to listen to episode 57}

October 21, 2020 — If you connect it, protect it. That is one of the messages you will hear during this year’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. On the latest episode of “Prep Talk,” Toney Lewis, director for information technology at NYC Emergency Management, shares important information to help listeners reduce cybersecurity risks and protect themselves online. Lewis provides tips that can help you create strong passwords, protect your personal devices, identify the most common cyberattacks, and ensure your social media accounts are secure. You can also learn what you should do if you fall victim to a cyberattack.

“Our personal and work worlds are blended now more than ever, so, in this new normal, we have to look at how we can protect our accounts, our devices, and how we connect to the internet,” Lewis said. “People must know how to secure their networks; one way of doing that is changing the default passcode for your Wi-Fi or your router. You should use a password that is hard to guess, [and] take advantage of the guest feature on your router for friends; this puts their internet traffic on a different network. You also want to ensure that your router software and any internet-connected devices are updated routinely.”

National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity to take steps to help safeguard your personal information. As more people are working remotely during the pandemic, it is more important than ever to stay vigilant online. For more information about staying safe online visit, https://www.cisa.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month. You can listen to the latest episode on SoundCloud, iTunes, and Spreaker.

Profile

Toney Lewis is the director for information technology at NYC Emergency Management. He leads the strategic and tactical support of the agency’s information technology infrastructure, including data centers, network and telecommunications, client computing, and the agency's internal service desk. Lewis brings over 15 years of information systems experience across various industry verticals including transportation, public companies, education and military.


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