It’s never too late nor too early to get your DNA tested.  So that’s what I did.  I paid the $500 for genetic testing and ancestral origin.  The results are fascinating!

The Problem

In Greek mythology, Cassandra was so beautiful Apollo granted her the gift of prescience, meaning she could see the future.  Unfortunately, she wasn’t thrilled by Apollo and refused to return his love, so Apollo put a curse on her, ensuring no one would believe her predictions. As a result, she lived a life of great pain and frustration.

There’s a mortgage company here in Honolulu that nearly witnessed the fall and destruction of Troy.  The story begins in a Starbucks’ parking lot.  One of the employees, an uber broker, dashes in the store for her well-deserved double macchiato.  When she returns just minutes later, her laptop is gone.  The first reaction is disbelief, then anger and finally frustration.  A quick call to the office seems to ameliorate the damage.  The boss is stern but understanding and all activity is quickly focused on filing a police report, making an insurance claim, rescheduling appointments and getting her a loaner laptop.

But the real tragedy was lurking behind the curtains.  The stolen laptop contained over 5000 names, address, social security numbers, bank accounts and other confidential information on the their clients…

The Fix

It sometimes takes a tragedy to do what’s right.  In this case, with the looming threat of expensive legal exposure let alone public embarrassment if the incident hit the news, the CEO realized he had to pull his team out of their day-to-day, gotta-get-it-done-now sense of urgency and get them focused on what’s important:  safeguarding their company’s data.

They called us in for a security threat assessment.  Here’s what we discovered:

• The IT had been relegated to someone who was well-meaning but poorly trained.
• The server was missing some critical software updates, exposing the server to malicious attacks.
• A router had an open port, meaning one could penetrate the network from the outside.
• The 14 laptops in the field were used as standalones by the brokers.  Each unit had varying different versions of antivirus and antispyware solutions.  Many were missing critical operating system updates.  Some had the firewall turned off.
• The tape backup on the server wasn’t capturing all of the important files.

Here’s what we did to help secure their network:

• We pulled all employees together for a brown bag lunch and told them some scary stories about data breaches.  We showed them how data can easily fall into the wrong hands and why it’s important they – the frontline employees – engage security issues on a constant day to day basis.
• We established a set of policies and procedures for everything from the type of data can be put on a laptop to what is considered acceptable behavior when using the laptops.
• We encrypted the laptops and established data access rights, so employees could access only the data they needed, nothing more.
• We centralized all file management on the server, so the right data is automatically backed up every evening, with one complete week’s worth of data religiously stored offsite in a fire-resistant safe.
• We configured each laptop according to an agreed standard so each unit had the same software and the same settings and as a result could be used interchangeably to mitigate down time and preventive maintenance time.
• We closed the holes in the router and setup VPNs (virtual private networks) so employees could easily and safely access office the files through encrypted internet connections from home or elsewhere.

The stolen laptop was ultimately recovered.  Our forensic analysis showed data on the unit wasn’t compromised.  The mortgage company dodged a bullet.  They heeded Cassandra’s call.  They prefer to remain anonymous.

James Kerr is Chief Geek at SuperGeeks.  He can be reached at (808) 531-GEEK.  Follow on Twitter: supergeeks

Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media tools in the world. And it’s perfect for business.

Using plain language and easy-to-understand direction, James Kerr, Chief Geek at SuperGeeks, will show you how to harness Twiitter:
- boost your company’s sales
- promote your brand
- improve your bottom line.

Join us! Cost: $35, including take-home checklist for getting started. We will email webinar login details after receiving your payment. Thank you.

If you have any questions, please call us anytime: (808) 531-GEEK

Register now by clicking the date below:
Fri, Apr 30, 2010 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM HST

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Dear  SuperGeeks’ Ohana,

Fun things for you this week:

• Join my webinars.  Next one is “How to Use Twitter for Business“
• Are you ready for social media?  Click here to get a nice list of useful resources.
• May 5th is date we give away the iPad.  To enter the contest, all you have to do is follow me on Twitter.  My handle is @supergeeks
• Be sure to keep up with the new features offered by Facebook.  Important.
• Speaking of Facebook, I have been doing a lot of targeted online advertising via Facebook.  Very effective. Let me know if you need help with online advertising.
• Next month I’m on the panel for PBN’s May 13th event “Is Your Business Tech-Ready?”  Should be good.  Read more here.
• If you use McAfee antivirus software, be sure you read how one of their defective updates caused meltdown of XP PCs.  Globally.
• Need a new desk for home or office?  Take a look at GeekDesk. I would be even more productive standing up!
• For the DIY (do it yourselfers), I like where this site is heading:  iFixIt.com
• I’m in the mood to create a great website this weekend.  Could your site use a good makeover?  Tell me what you need
• Tired of the whole furlough Friday circus?  Conventional, brick and mortar type schools are becoming – well – so old school.  K-12 education needs to go online, just like the rest of the world.  This means quality learning for all, regardless of where you are.  Anytime, anywhere, excellent education.  FREE!  Anyone interested in pursuing this project? Great teachers + web 2.0 technology = excellent education.

Take a look at these online courses:
1) Carnegie Mellon   http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/
2) MIT  http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm
3) Yale  http://oyc.yale.edu/

Please don’t hesitate to let me know if I can help with anything.  Our mission is to serve.

James Kerr

Chief Geek

(808) 531-GEEK

We parents didn’t grow up using the internet.  The closest we got to getting online was a dial-up email account with CompuServe.  Remember that?  And what was up with that long string of numbers for an email address?  It’s amazing how much has changed…

Unfortunately, we parent the way our parents parented us.  If you stop and listen to yourself while you’re talking to your kids, you may just hear your mom’s or dad’s voice – saying the same things you heard when you were a kid.

And that’s a problem when it comes to internet safety.  We parents didn’t receive those parenting skills.  Sure, we learned things like “Don’t talk to strangers”, but nothing like, “Don’t open spam email” and “Be careful phishing attacks.”

So here’s what your teen needs to know:

• The internet can be a very dangerous place. You will get a lot of eye-rolling on this one.  But the fact is, kids are too trusting, and the bad guys know that.  They will con your kid faster than you can dial 911.  Explain how the world isn’t always what it seems to be and how this is especially true on the internet.  Ask your teen to stop and think:  Can he/she really be sure the “Melissa” he/she met online the other day really is female?  Probably not.

• Pirating software is illegal. And it can cost you a lot in fines and legal fees when your teen gets caught.  Yes, everyone does it.  But if everyone raped and pillaged, would it be ok if we raped and pillaged, too?  And just because no one is watching, does it make it ok to steal?  Here’s what you can do: Bring your kid to 7-11, wait till the clerk is not looking, then tell your teen to shoplift.  Chances are he/she will be repulsed by the idea.  (If not, skip this column.)

• Cyber bullying is also illegal. Terroristic threatening, character assassinations, hate crimes, etc. can also land your teen in jail and invite the evening news crew to your doorstep.  In the comfort of our homes and especially closed bedroom doors, we are lulled into feeling no one is watching.  We may even adopt false identities online to remain anonymous.  Explain to your teen that all this is false.  The truth is, we can uncover everything your teen does online.  We can retrieve every email.  We can find out what she has done.  So don’t do anything stupid, unfair, unkind or illegal.  Eventually people will find out.

• It’s tough to erase that sexy MySpace pic. By this I mean, what you do online generally stays online long after you’ve done your best to delete it.  I long for the old blackboard and chalk days when you could right something silly on the classroom’s blackboard and safely erase it before the teacher arrived.  The internet is digital and – ironically – digital stuff is often very hard to get rid of because it propagates through the net so easily.  Tell your teen not to do anything which may jeopardize 10 years from now a job interview, college application or marriage proposal.

• One click can ruin a perfectly good computer. Well, it’s not as dramatic as that.  But the truth is the internet, and sites catering to teens in particular, are rampant with viruses and other malicious software.  And as I mentioned earlier in this column, teens are juicy online targets because they are generally too trusting AND because they typically feel utterly invincible.  (We were that way, too, remember?)  The message is this: Stay away from ghetto sites, delete all spam – don’t even open them up – avoid all links in emails, and don’t download anything.  Period.  Or you may have to bring your sick computer to one of service centers…

Sit down with your teen.  Take an interest in what he is doing online.  Use it to build an even better rapport with your child.  And while you’re at it, be sure to outline very clearly what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior online. Your teen will actually appreciate the discipline.

Let me know if I can help with anything.

James Kerr is Chief Geek at SuperGeeks.  He can be reached at (808) 531-GEEK and Twitter: supergeeks