Hi all, I noticed the jokes didn't make it onto the recording, so here are some of my faves along with the holiday checklist and email template to staff. If you have additional resources or jokes to share, feel free to add to this chain! Also tagging @Robert Bastani because he also would've been on my cybersecurity dream team in the panel yesterday, in case he has anything else to add to the holiday checklist.
- In Local Health IT, half our job is fixing "user error" - which is a polite way of saying, they ignored the update 14 times.
And every time someone says, "It worked fine yesterday," I think, so did Internet Explorer in 2003. So did Lotus Notes in 1998.
- "I trust my backups about as much as I trust autocorrect in an outbreak report."
- "Remember, if you can't find your incident response plan - congratulations, you've just discovered Incident #1."
Here's the holiday email template for staff:
As we head into the holiday season, cyber threats tend to increase. Many organizations - including public health departments - become more vulnerable during this time because of reduced staffing, higher service demands, and slower response times from vendors and partners. Threat actors know this and often take advantage of it.
Please stay alert for phishing and social engineering attempts that use holiday-themed messages, such as:
If something feels off, don't click any links or open attachments. Report suspicious messages right away to the IT team.
We'll also be reinforcing cybersecurity awareness over the next few weeks, including refresher tips and simulated phishing exercises. Your vigilance is one of our strongest defenses.
Thank you for helping keep our systems and community data secure during this busy season.
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Angie McPherson
Senior Web Specialist
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Washington DC
(571)484-4663
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