ATHABASCA – Cybersecurity was the topic of discussion among the 46 attendees at the Athabasca University Governing Council Chambers Feb. 26.
The event was hosted by Science Outreach – Athabasca as part of their speaker series that discusses a variety of topics to promote science awareness in the greater Athabasca area.
AU’s IT services and support manager Kelcey Carlisle led the discussion in which he described who is behind a cyber-attack, as well as why and how they do it.
“Studies found that 90 per cent of motives are due to financial reasons and espionage,” Carlisle said. “Any compromised device such as a computer, tablet or cell phone can even be used by hackers to compromise other devices on the same network that would normally be protected by a firewall.”
According to Statistics Canada, there were 5,709 reported incidents of cybercrime in Alberta in 2018, which represents a sharp increase from the 1,638 incidents reported in 2014.
Carlisle explained that there are three different types of attacks a hacker might use against a vulnerable device.
“One would be social engineering, in which the hacker may attempt to manipulate someone into doing something they shouldn’t do like provide personal information, providing them access to their devise or even installing software,” he said. “Another type includes the compromising of a vulnerable device, which is usually caused by a weak password, an unpatched vulnerability in your network or exposure to another compromised device.”
Carlisle said the third type includes accessing a vulnerable account or service.
“If an online service has such a vulnerability, it may be possible for a hacker to get access to your account, your credentials and the date stored in your account,” he continued.
One of attendees, George Ellen, joked the discussion had him thinking about getting rid of all of his devices.
“Some of it is actually common sense that we simply don’t do,” Ellen said. “Sometimes you wonder if it’s even worth the trouble. How do you even know how your security is affected?”
Carlisle said any device can be affected at any time if you’re not careful.
“One rule is that you never use public WiFi, but lots of people do” he explained. “Another (bad) habit people can get into is using the same password for multiple websites, which can make it easier for a hacker to compromise your device.”
He added there’s a lot to learn when it comes to cybersecurity, but you can still keep yourself safe with some diligence and common sense.
“But if you learn a little bit, then you can protect yourself from a lot of it,” Carlisle continued.
“Sometimes it may just be bad timing for a victim. If they’re expecting a package and they get a package is delayed notice, they may actually click a suspicious link. Coincidence makes people more likely to click the link.”
He added there are some clues to look for when it comes to avoiding getting hacked.
“It could include a message requiring urgent action to avoid something bad happening,” Carlisle explained. “It could also be an offer that looks too good to be true, poor spelling or grammar, or even requesting confidential or personal information.”
When it comes to device security, Carlisle had some suggestions.
“This applies to all devices, including a computer, smart phone, tablet or router,” he said. “Strong passwords or passcodes are always a good thing, as well as encrypting or backing up your devices whenever possible, keeping your device up to date, and making sure you have the appropriate security software.”
Carlisle said when it comes to passwords, eight to 10-letter passwords may have been good about 10-20 years ago but not anymore.
“It’s now getting to the point where it’s either longer passwords or multi-factor authentication,” he continued.
He said one of the methods going around now is using the first or last letters of a song like Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
“I personally think it’s one of the easiest ones to remember,” Carlisle explained. “Whatever you’ll remember should be good. Just don’t sing it constantly or somebody may be able to figure out your password. You don’t want to give anyone too many clues.”
Fourteen-year-old Matthew Schofield said he thought the talk was really interested.
“I liked the idea with the passwords. I might even try using it,” Schofield said. “But I’m not going to say exactly what song’s in my head.”
Science Outreach - Athabasca member Wayne Brehaut said it’s the first real talk they’ve had about computer use and security.
“The talk was a good start on bringing awareness,” Brehaut said. “Lots of our members have devices that need to be protected and now they have some security information on how to safely use them.”
Athabasca River Basin outreach coordinator Linda Lindballe said the topic was one reason for the bigger turnout this time around.
“It’s relevant in their everyday lives, and I’m glad to see lots of seniors who can be very vulnerable were at the event and getting information,” Lindballe said. “Kelcey provided us lots of information that was not over anyone’s heads and very useful.”
Next up
Lindballe said the next event, slated for March 19 at 7 p.m., will feature fossil technician Allan Lindoe from the University of Alberta.
“He’ll talk about how he collects and prepares fossils,” Lindballe added.
“He’ll also have some items and tools on display that people can look at. Anyone else who has fossils they want to have looked at can bring them along and Alan will take a look at them too.”
Bryan Taylor, TownandCountryToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @BryanTaylorNews
