Page 15 - The Edge - Spring 2021

AASBO WINTER CONFERENCE

BY DON HARRIS
John Gay Michelle Meyers
Tips on Minimizing the Possibility of a Cyber Attack

With many school employees working from home during Fraudsters are not just targeting software and hardware.
the pandemic, cyber security took on added importance, “They’re trying to trick our employees to not follow
experts noted in a breakout session during the AASBO internal controls, especially over the last year when so
Winter Conference. many people have been working remotely because of
COVID-19,” she said.
Because the conference was conducted virtually on
February 23, AASBO members were able to view Wetware is a term used by hackers when they target
the presentation – by John Gay, Chief Information people to get the information they want to pilfer. These
& Strategic Planning Officer, Peoria Unified School intrusions occur when a hacker exploits employee trust,
District, and Michelle Myers, Chief Financial Officer, predictable behavior or the failure to follow security
Peoria Unified School District – from home. protocols, Myers said. Global cybercrime damage cost is
projected to be $6 trillion this year – not just in monetary
AASBO members were cautioned that cyber fraud attacks loss but in damage to an organization’s reputation.
school districts of all sizes. Cyber fraud refers to any
type of deliberate deception for unfair or unlawful gain Phishing is an attack often accomplished by using
that occurs online. Myers said the most common form is fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to come from
online credit card theft, and there are data breaches and legitimate business or government sources. They might
identity theft. direct staff to a website, recommending an update
to personal information, such as a password, credit
“People are spending a lot of time trying to trick card, social security, or bank account numbers, Myers
organizations to access data,” Myers said. “You need to explained.
be aware of that.”

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