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    Cybersecurity safety can save lives

    JACKSONVILLE, NC, UNITED STATES

    10.16.2014

    Story by Cpl. Mary Carmona 

    Marine Corps Installations East       

    JACKSONVILLE, N.C. - The FBI released a statement last month warning Americans of the possibility of a cyber-attack by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams.

    While there is no information specifying a current cyber threat to the U.S., there have been threats made via social media channels by ISIS followers.

    The Army Threat Integration Center posted a bulletin stating ISIS followers were given the task to search social media sites for addresses of military members in order to "show up and slaughter them," Fox News reported, Oct. 2.

    According to an article on www.defensenews.com, the U.S. Department of Defense alone reports 10 million cyber security attacks per day.

    To address the seriousness of cyber threats to national security, President Barack Obama proclaimed October National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

    "Cyber threats pose one of the gravest national security dangers the United States faces," Obama said in his proclamation speech. "They jeopardize our country’s critical infrastructure, endanger our individual liberties, and threaten every American’s way of life."

    The awareness campaign calls for Americans to learn the proper precautions for cybersecurity and to think twice about the information they share.

    Marines and civilians aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and in the local area can participate in the awareness month and protect themselves and their families by learning and practicing safe cyber procedures.

    "If you were to ask me the importance of cybersecurity, my answer would be it’s to save lives," said Chris Byron, cybersecurity information technician specialist.

    The Chinquapin, North Carolina native, who works at the Cyber Security Division aboard Camp Lejeune, said their job is to protect service members by protecting their personal information.

    "Essentially we are protecting the network so Marines don’t die. We are protecting their information, where they are and where they are going," he said.

    Lawrence Nathan, director of cybersecurity for Camp Lejeune, said individuals are too comfortable with cyberspace and sharing information.

    "A casual conversation on the web is there forever," the Kansas City, Missouri native said.

    The first line of defense is being careful what you say to or share with others in the first place.

    "People give out too much information," Seth Thigpen, the new deputy director of cybersecurity for the base and native of Beulaville, North Carolina, said. "Be careful of what you are talking about."

    If your loved one is deployed, be careful what photos you post of them, as a hacker can pull coordinates from the photo giving them the exact location of where the photo was taken.

    Service members and their family members should think twice before they post a picture or information to social media sites, especially with the recent threat issued by ISIS.

    There are also measures you should take with less prominent threats, such as people you interact with on a daily basis.

    One critical bit of information you should never share with others is your password to any accounts you maintain.

    An online cybersecurity awareness campaign, www.stopthinkconnect.com, promotes using a different password for each of your accounts, making your password a variety of symbols, numbers and uppercase and lowercase letters.

    Don’t choose a password someone could guess easily by reading your "about you" information on your Facebook page.

    You should also choose a more complex security question, so a hacker cannot reset your password by answering your "when is my birthday," security question – an answer often available online.

    For Marines and DoD employees, another item they should never share is their Common Access Card.

    If someone were to use your CAC to log on to a computer to steal social security numbers or commit another illegal activity, the activity would be traced back to you because it’s linked to your CAC.

    Keep an eye out for any suspicious acts you might see, such as someone taking another individual’s identification cards or CAC, or someone trying to access a secure area without proper clearance.

    The Marine Corps has a new e-mail address to provide Marines a way to report questionable activity they receive on their official email account.

    If you want to report something, simply forward the questionable e-mail to suspicious@usmc.mil.

    For more information on ways to stay cyber safe, visit www.stopthinkconnect.org or check out www.dhs.gov/national-cyber-security-awareness-month-2014.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 10.16.2014
    Date Posted: 11.25.2014 11:02
    Story ID: 148775
    Location: JACKSONVILLE, NC, US

    Web Views: 47
    Downloads: 0

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