Robert Siciliano, Cybersecurity & Zoom – A Combination Worth Sharing
Dear Readers,
Thanks to Jeff Dowler, CRS in Carlsbad, CA, affectionately know as the "Relocation Dude" due to his own experience in real estate in FOUR different states, All I have to do tonight is re-blog his great summary of our Zoom MeetUp today!
Appreciated Jeff!
Well... perhaps add my memory from today that Robert Siciliano - nationally known Security Expert - mentioned the importance of using Two-Factor Authentication SEVEN TIMES in his hour-long presentation!
Jeff and I developed a solid friendship here in the 'Rain. I have learned a lot from him. I trusted his judgment and achieved my CRS Designation based on his recommendation. And, although we have never met in person, we even have sent referrals cross-country to one another.
Check out some of his other posts --
- Tips for Relocating ... During The Pandemic
- Teach Your Clients Well
- Reasons Why You Should Write Community Reports
Enough introduction -- enjoy reading Jeff's post about the amazing talk we enjoyed and what we learned today from AR Member Robert Siciliano!
All the best - Lynn
WHO IS COMING NEXT? 10/20/2020
Ben Kinney - Bringing Updates and Answering Questions
PS If I haven't had the opportunity to thank you personally for reading my posts, let me do so now! I appreciate your visits and especially appreciate your comments! Lynn
Robert Siciliano, Cybersecurity and Zoom
A Winning Combination
Today’s ActiveRain Zoom meeting at 11 am (my time in CA!) featured fellow Rainer, Robert Siciliano , a cybersecurity and identity protection expert. And wow, this was so worth sharing, and a bit mind-blowing, when you hear how rampant hacking, phishing, identity theft, and related issues have become. 2020 has been a tough one and it ain't over!
I doubt there’s anyone in our business who hasn’t been concerned about the potential for wire transfer fraud (theft) and heard some of the horror stories – Robert relayed one tale about a couple who lost $775,000 through wire theft!
There were several key take-a-ways for me:
Use a Password Manager
While we all know how essential it is to protect our passwords, and that we should not use simple ones (e.g., 123456, Password, MyPassword) that can be easily guessed, nor use the same passwords on multiple accounts, the reality is many people do. The risks are enormous!
A Password Manager will keep track of all those passwords (I have over 150 for business and personal use) and can also generate them for you. And no need to worry about duplicate paswords!
Do a Google search to see what your options are – LastPass, Roboform, and Dashlane are but a few examples.
Use 2-Factor Verification
You can further enhance your security by using 2-factor verification wherever possible. In addition to your user name and password, you verify who you are for access to a site with some other means such as a multi-digit code texted to your mobile. The bad guys might have your sign-on credentials but they don’t have your phone to receive a text
2-factor verification is particularly important for critical accounts – banks, credit cards, email, etc. Do this!!
Robert also suggested having cybersecurity insurance and the costs are pretty reasonable depending on the business. I’ll be checking with my insurance agent.
Check out Robert’s website Protect Now LLC for more information on what you can do to increase your awareness and protect yourself, your clients, and others you work with.
You can also enroll in his CSI (Cyber, Social, Identity) Protection Certification course, a 6-hour program (four 1.5-hour webinars) to increase your knowledge. Sounds like a good idea to me and a terrific way to learn some things to help protect our buyers and sellers in addition to ourselves.
If you aren’t following and reading Robert’s regular posts you should be. It’s pretty scary when you consider the risks out there on the Internet and from our devices we use in our businesses and personal lives.
The Zoom Meetings are every Tuesday at 11:00 PST, 12:00 MST, 1:00 CST and 2:00 EST. It’s a great way to meet-up with your AR friends, meet some new people, and learn some great stuff about all sorts of topics from fellow Rainers.
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