WTAP gets cybersecurity tips from an expert

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - WTAP has some tips on how to stay safe with technology for Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

Michael Stoffel with iTech, a local technology solutions provider, warns to be skeptical of any unexpected phone calls from any organization asking for your personal information.

“If you have an insurance company that calls you and says ‘Hey your credit card’s expired. We need your new one’…well don’t just tell them your number. Hang up the phone and call the number you know that’s on your insurance card. Talk to your agent,” he said.

Stoffel also advises to be careful with emails, double checking if the sender’s address is misspelled or off and avoiding attachments from unexpected emails.

Also make sure to only accept notifications from reputable sites.

“Because there are websites that will pop up alerts saying ‘Hey Microsoft detects your computer’s slow. Call the number.’ And it’s not coming from Microsoft,” Stoffel explained.

When it comes to businesses, Stoffel emphasizes the importance of training your employees on cyber risks.

“..., education is key because you can have an extremely secure computer and a user can fall for something, click on an email, or download an attachment that’s bad and let someone into the system even if the system itself is secure,” he explained.

Stoffel added that occasionally testing your employees on their knowledge is important to.

“If the I.T. guy sends an email to the employee that’s one of those trap emails and they fall for it well it’s not as bad because it’s the I.T. guy instead of the actual bad guy,” he said.

Stoffel encourages people to get enhanced detection and response software, which is more powerful than antivirus software. He also suggests keeping up with the latest updates for your computer.

Stoffel’s seen people in our area get hit with cybersecurity issues.

“We’ve seen a lot of ransomware attacks in the area so where someone will have their content encrypted and held ransom for money. We’ve also seen where people will phish users so they’ll get their username and password through a fake log in form or an email attachment and log into their bank accounts or their email accounts and send emails out to customers or something like that,” he said.