On March25th, Russell Norris, Assistant Professor and Director of Security Programs at Rivier University, addressed the Rotary Club of Nashua regarding, Cyber Security. Russ is a retired Marine Corps Officer with 30 years of experience in global security operations. Prior to joining Rivier, he was a Strategic Planner and Senior Analyst at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps Forces – Central Command (HQ-USMARCENT) where he designed and executed Joint, Interagency, and Multinational exercises and key leader engagements.
His previous assignment was as the Arabian Peninsula Branch Chief, U.S. Central Command (HQ-USCENTCOM), J7. He holds a Top Secret security clearance and is engaged globally to bring current, real-world events into the Rivier University Homeland and International Security (HLIS) and Cybersecurity Management programs.
Key takeaways:
- Difficult to get accurate stats
- Those in the 60+ age group are the most prolific reporters
- COVID forced everyone home, creating a massive opportunity for cyber attackers
- Reported cyber attacks surged 600% in 2020 as companies were not ready from an infrastructure perspective
- New report out from the Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 2023 (released 4 Mar 24) -- 880,418 complaints registered
- #1 target of internet crime is manufacturing -- stealing source code for 3D printing
- FBI claims they have mitigated 71% of losses
- will cost companies $10.5B globally by 2025
- 43% of all cyber attacks aimed at small businesses
- CISA in NH will do a cyber security assessment for free (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (cisa.gov)
- Key tips: Always set up auto updates on your smartphones, use VPNs, opt in for multi factor authentication, monitor your online accounts for anomalies
- Stay Calm, Report Immediately, Document Everything.
- If you see something funky going on with your computer, quarantine it by unplugging.