You may have heard that Baltimore is still coping with the effect of a ransomware attack a few weeks ago due to a hacking tool called Eternal Blue. The city is refusing to pay the ransom demanded by the hackers and the resulting loss of city services is impacting the entire community.
A short article in the Baltimore Sun explains what happened and why it might have been easily avoided. A blog posting by ethical hacker and Vistage Speaker on IT Security Mike Foster explains the simple steps you can take now and in the future to buy down that risk. You can’t make yourself impervious to hackers, but as Foster has taught thousands of Vistage COOs, you can make it difficult enough that they’ll look for an easier target.
Pass this one on to your IT Department and hold them accountable for follow up……before you get a ransom note.
Continued successes,
Ed Stillman
Published by edstillman
I grew up in Carlsbad, north San Diego County, lost my dad as a teenager, went into the USAF for four years and hired on with 3M in 1969. Received my AA from Santa Barbara City College, BA and Masters from Redlands University and after 33 plus years, I retired from 3M in 2002. As I look back on my life, I have been creating myself and developing my skill sets to be a business coach and a Vistage Chair. I am president of SEOT, a "personal improvement" consulting firm spending most of my time working with Central Texas executives running small to medium size for-profit companies who are focusing on improving their profitability greater than their competition. My area of interest is assisting senior executives in creating a better balance between business commitments and personal relationships. I also facilatate three leadership labs each consisting of a dozen owners, presidents and CEOs. We meet monthly both in a group setting as well as in a 1-to-1 coaching session. Our focus is to sharpen each others' skills in becoming better leaders, making better decisions and taking ourselves and companies to that next level.
Who are we? My members are experienced top executives who recognize that they don’t have all the answers and who actively seek the company of successful peers—both to give and receive insights and ideas. My members mine the 200 plus years of chief executive experience that comes together in our monthly meetings and members are eager to offer their own experience and insights in the process.
As a group, we spend our time exploring topics members can't discuss anywhere else. My members have many other places where they can engage in idle, "cocktail party" chatter. Our mission is to provide the setting for discussing the "undiscussable."
Where or who can you go to for confidential, honest feedback to assist you in minimizing your personal "Worry List"?
View more posts
Austin Vistage | Ed Stillman 