JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
In this October 2023 edition of Ask Away JBSA, 2nd Lt. Emma McHenry, 502nd Air Base Wing public affairs officer, 1st Lt. Allison Eade, 502nd Communications Squadron plans and requirements officer, and Brig. Gen. Russell D. Driggers, Joint Base San Antonio and 502nd Air Base Wing commander, highlight good cyber security practices to keep your information safe.
ASK AWAY, JBSA! is a forum that aims to connect the 502nd Air Base Wing with members of the Joint Base San Antonio community.
Second Lt. Emma McHenry:
JBSA, it's time for your questions! Ask away! Hey everyone, welcome to another edition of Ask Away, JBSA. My name is 2nd Lt. Emma McHenry, and I'm with the 502nd Public Affairs.
Recently, we've received some questions about cyber hygiene here on Joint Base San Antonio. So today, I'm here with 1st Lt. Allison Eade, and she's going to give us some tips and tricks to ensure that we're maintaining good cyber security.
Thank you so much for being with us today. So our first question is about this CCRI. Could you tell us a little bit about what the CCRI is?
First Lt. Allison Eade:
Yes, the CCRI, our Command Cyber Readiness Inspection, is the Department of Defense-led inspection of our classified and unclassified networks. Inspectors will arrive to ensure that we're in compliance with network and security directives.
It is a difficult inspection to pass, and more so here at JBSA, due to the complexity of the network and the number of mission partners that we support.
To be clear, it's not an inspection of the 502nd Communication Squadron; rather, it's an inspection of the entire installation, including every mission partner and employee.
A no-notice CCRI can occur at any time. Failure of a CCRI has resulted in the entire installations being disconnected from NPIR, SIPR, or both until the offending areas are brought into compliance. So essentially, inspectors want to gauge our cyber security attitude in our squadrons, right?
So what can we do to ensure that we can succeed in those inspections? Here are some tips:
- Connect laptops to the network for updates.
- Reboot computers daily.
- Know your Information System Security Officer and Security Manager.
- Secure your CAC and tokens properly.
- Mark and store documents with no encryption and digital signing roles.
- Protect passwords and pins.
- Don't connect unauthorized devices.
- Report incidents to your ISSO.
- Prevent shoulder surfing and TGA.
Lt. McHenry:
Thank you for those tips. Now, do you have any final messages for those of us who are a little bit concerned about cybersecurity and maintaining that while at work and at home?
Lt. Eade:
Yes, good cybersecurity practices help keep our important missions safe here at JBSA, and there are many important missions across JBSA. Your cybersecurity posture is only as strong as the weakest link.
Ensure that you are not the weakest link by practicing your cybersecurity hygiene. Let's keep JBSA strong and vigilant.
Lt. McHenry:
Thank you so much for being here with us today. I really appreciate it. And now, we're going to turn it over to a message from Brig. Gen. Russell D. Driggers.
Brig. Gen. Russell D. Driggers:
Howdy, JBSA! This is Gen. Driggers. I want to say thank you to our cyber team for all the hard work they put in every single day to keep us safe. Now, I would like to reiterate a few cybersecurity and hygiene tips to keep in mind at work and at home:
- Use strong passwords and change them regularly.
- Please don't use the same password across multiple sites.
- Be wary of phishing attempts in email. Look closely at the sender's address and the content before clicking anything.
- Don't click suspicious links or download unknown attachments. When in doubt, delete.
- Lock your computer when stepping away, even for a short time.
- Secure your paper documents when not in use and store them out of sight.
I need you to report anything suspicious to our security teams right away. Please don't wait.
And I ask you to take that annual cybersecurity training seriously. What you learn does protect us all. Let's stay vigilant out there. Our national security depends on it, both in the places that we work and in the cyberspace that we operate as well.
And as always, Joint Base San Antonio, check the link below to Ask Away, JBSA!