Freeze. Your. Credit.

Now is the time, my friends. I didn’t give this advice last year for cybersecurity awareness month, but I’m sure giving it now. It’s time to freeze your credit, and you can do that in less than an hour (maybe less than half an hour with this guide – my experience was fairly quick).

Why?  It’s never been easier to open a fake account in your name.  You have to assume that all of the pertinent info with which to do so is within the grasp of someone with the will to exploit what you’ve built.

Where?

You’ll need to do three separate freezes, one at each of the major credit bureaus.  Links to get that going are coming in the next section. Here’s a list of them:

·         Equifax

·         Experian

·         TransUnion

What Do I Need to Do?

Set the freeze rays, my fellow meowers.

Make an account in each of these places (or log in if you have one).  Here are the links to start the process.

·         Equifax – https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/       

·         Experian – https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

·         TransUnion - https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

Pick one to start – and make sure you do the below:

Keep Track of These (New) Accounts, and Add MFA as You Make Them

If you’re not already using a password manager (not one in your browser), now’s a good time to start.  As you add each new account – these or others – also ensure you’re setting up multifactor authentication (sometimes called 2 factor).

Tell Each to Freeze Your Credit

You have to iterate, one account at a time; there’s no central place to freeze your credit everywhere.

The links to each credit bureau shown above are the right place to start.

The Bonus Work (It Takes Longer)

Freeze your children’s credit. Each adult has to freeze their own credit, but you can add the ice to your children’s. Some are easier than others.

Heather, I Need to Open an Account – What Do I Do?

So, time passes, and you have to thaw your credit.  It’s not so bad.

Log in to each site and remove the freeze.  Apply for the credit, and then remember to refreeze your credit as soon as you sure it’s not going to be checked again.

Hassle?!>!>!???!!!

YES.  I agree – remember to blame all of those companies whose “apologies” were no stronger than “we’re sorry to tell you…” and then the message ended with a laundry list of all of your personally identifying information that’s now in the hands of people who care nothing about you personally.

Links to Some of Last Year’s Best Posts for Cybersecurity Awareness.

I haven’t been writing much this October – been taking days off when I don’t typically due to life and work circumstances (interrelated). So here are the best five from last year:

⚡The first issue of Cybersecurity for People - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_newsletter-okay-well-give-it-a-try-activity-7112435681070649344-apFj

⚡How Small Businesses Benefit from Cybersecurity Awareness Month - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_how-small-businesses-benefit-from-cybersecurity-activity-7114613516526911488-ACAW

⚡The SECOND issue of Cybersecurity for People - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_plethora-o-purple-aimed-toward-people-activity-7117493978836434944-zWQj

⚡Back Up Your Data! - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_backups-cybersecurityawareness-activity-7125450911161712640-N7d3

⚡A side-by-side comparison of email on phone versus computer - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/heathernoggle_fightfraud-phishing-scams-activity-7128022718242848768-cfRv

Writing in the AI Age

Do you apply a filter to everything you read now?  The “Did AI write this?” filter?

I do, and I tend to stop reading when I detect the AI. My writing…is not AI.

So how do you use AI to bolster your writing?

🐈Ask AI to notice when you repeat yourself

🐈Ask AI when you’re missing key points that relate to what you’re saying

🐈Ask AI to fact check you (might get amusing results)

Writing can definitely be improved with AI, but don’t let AI make you lazy and ascribe a style like an insipid 10th grader to everything you write.

Appearances

A little over a week ago I traveled to Iowa and spoke at CornCon Cybersecurity Conference about Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence and got to meet Joshua Copeland and Chris Johnson. I also had the privilege of hanging out with Zach Kromkowski who gave a great, great presentation and is appearing as a finalist at IT Nation’s PitchIT in a few short weeks. https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2024/09/05/2941381/0/en/IT-Nation-Announces-Top-Three-Finalists-to-Compete-at-IT-Nation-Connect.html

Oh, and the best part - I got to bring Brian J. Noggle with me!

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Just yesterday I recorded a short segment with Greg Schaffer on Now Media that will air on Thursday. Find it via Roku and Boxcast. (I’ll probably post more specifics on this).

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Writing!

⚡Elnion article: CIS Controls, Safeguards, and Benchmarks for SMBs - https://elnion.com/2024/10/09/cis-controls-safeguards-and-benchmarks-for-smbs/

⚡Elnion article: Differentiating Skills for Business Leaders for the Next Decade -https://elnion.com/2024/10/16/differentiating-skills-for-business-leaders-for-the-next-decade/

The Appeal

At the end of most newsletters I lightly mention my consulting work.  This week, well, I need to focus on it, as I’m light on projects both now and in the pipeline. Supplemental income is how I make my work at Missouri Cybersecurity Center of Excellence possible.

I offer 3 main services regarding where people and technology meet.

🐈 Business Analysis - I’m more technical than your typical business analyst – with over a decade of software (web) development and database design, but I enjoy the BA work of requirements gathering and data integration projects – even PM work in this space.

🐈 Tech Leader Advisory -  tech founders and leaders translate their technical product offerings into language that describes their value to their non-technical customers. We can work at a level higher – pure strategy – too.

🐈 And, of course, I’m a solid writer for hire.

Been working on adding a service to Codistac, but it’s not complete (nor is it me), so I’ll announce that when I can.

So…so, so, so, so -  here’s the ask – who do you know who needs what I do?  If it’s you or you know someone I can help, please reach out. The second ask – I may send you a DM asking you this (or a related) question. So please accept it graciously!

Hopefully Temporarily…

Cybersecurity for People (that’s you) will be switching to a monthly newsletter until I have the employment/monetary situation where it needs to be.