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Academy Marks Cyber Security Awareness Month

By Ray Bowden, U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — 

National Cyber Security Awareness Month ends Oct. 31, but an Air Force Academy information security expert said computer security is worthy of year-round attention.

“It’s a daily concern,” said Angie Thorpe, the Academy’s Information System security manager. “Last year, numerous department stores and corporations were hacked. Various restaurants and customer-service businesses found their computer security breached and, in many cases, hackers gained access to the credit card information of thousands of consumers.”

Last year, the National Security Administration and the CIA investigated a computer attack on the White House.

“It’s critical we protect ourselves, but it’s also imperative we protect the Air Force,” Thorpe said.  “With the advent of new technology, cyber security is always a topic of concern. Protect any device you connect to the Internet. Even gaming systems fall prey to hackers.”

Thorpe said Airmen and their families should check for website security.

“If you’re banking or shopping online, make sure the site is security-enabled with ‘https,’” she said.  “Make sure the websites have legitimate certificates by checking the small lock on the right-hand side of the URL. Don’t put personal or sensitive information into the site if it’s expired.”

Lt. Gen. William Bender, the Air Force’s chief information officer, said cyber concerns must be at the “forefront of our thinking, planning and operations.”

“Our devices, aircraft and systems are more vulnerable to exploitable attack vectors,” Bender wrote in a memo this month to announce the yearlong cyber campaign.  “Every time you log onto a system, click on a link, download a file or plug one device into another, we risk exposing our systems to exploitation.”

Computer security tips

— Don’t open unsolicited emails or log on to suspicious websites

— Never provide a credit card number, bank account information or any personal information in response to an unsolicited email or suspicious Internet website

— If you suspect you’re the victim of a cyber event on the Academy’s Local Area network, call the Cyber Security Office at 333-9880.

— Visit www.dhs.gov for more information.