PROVIDENCE – Gov. Donald L. Carcieri has joined the U.S. Homeland Security Department in declaring October “Cyber Security Awareness Month.”
“While the many benefits of the Internet are obvious to most, there are significant dangers that are costly in both human and financial terms,” Carcieri said in a statement.
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“We have all heard about the losses suffered by adults swindled through Internet scams, and the terrible cases of children who have been harmed by predators who lured their innocent victims through contact on the Internet,” he said. “Individuals and families must be educated about the ways to keep safe.”
To that end, the governor’s office noted a number of state initiatives that focus on Internet security. The R.I. State Police has created a Computer Crimes unit that works with local, state and federal law enforcement authorities to detect prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute online cries.
“We need to be mindful of the downside of the Internet,” said R.I. State Police Superintendent Col. Brendan P. Doherty.
The Computer Crimes unit is also in charge of the R.I. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the R.I. Cyber Security Initiative, which works to protect critical Rhode Island infrastructure from cyber attacks and cyber terrorism.
The State Police is sponsoring two events on cybersecurity this month. A forum for senior citizens to learn about identity theft and Internet fraud will be held on Friday, Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. at the Emerald Bay Manor in Cumberland. Another presentation on identity theft, as well as protecting children online, is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. at Project Hope/Provecto Esperanza at 474 Broadway in Pawtucket. To attend, RSVP to Kim Caron at 728-0515 or kcaron@dioceseofprovidence.org.
“We are all vulnerable to the malicious attacks of cyber criminals,” Carcieri said. “The best defense is to stay educated, take common sense steps to protect yourself and your personal or financial information, and take advantage of anti-virus software and firewalls to keep business and personal financial assets safe.”
RI.gov, the state’s Web portal, also released this list of precautions people should take to stay safe on the Internet:
• When dealing with the state of Rhode Island, be sure that anytime you enter personal or credit card information that you are on an official RI site. Look for the “.gov” extension in the link. Only official government Web sites can include this extension.
• Make sure you are on a secure Web site when entering information. You can tell that the site is secure when the URL is HTTPS:// instead of HTTP://. (Most Web browsers, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox, will display an icon to indicate the Web page is secure.)
• All RI.gov online services include contact phone numbers on the start pages. Never hesitate to contact RI.gov at 401-831-8099 during normal business hours with any concerns or questions about any of the RI.gov services.
• Make sure you are actively using up-to-date virus protection software on your PC.
• Check that your operating system (Windows, OSX) is set to download updates automatically and that you are using the newest versions of your preferred Web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari).
• Never click on links in e-mail or open downloads from individuals or companies you do not know.
• Never e-mail personal information like your credit card number, passwords or Social Security number to anyone. No legitimate company will ever ask for this personal information in an email.
• Don’t use the same password for everything. Have several and when creating a password, make sure it contains a mix of numbers combined with both upper and lowercase letters.
• Notify law enforcement immediately if you believe you are the victim of foul play or indentify theft.
Additional information is available at dhs.gov.
