Cyber Security and Your HOA, Part Two: The Board’s Role in Data Safety
Be honest: As a board member for your homeowners association (HOA), how much do you think about cyber security? Perhaps you have a techie friend who tries to get you to attend one of the cyber security conferences that comes to Las Vegas every summer. (Yes, for about a week in July, experts from all over the world descend upon Las Vegas to attend two of the world’s biggest cyber security conferences: Black Hat USA and DEF CON.) And if you’re like most people, the idea of spending days talking about cyber security is about as appealing as walking through the Mojave Desert in the middle of summer.
Still, you’ve probably read a few of the headlines about major cyber-attacks that have occurred over the past few years. In Nevada alone, some of these attacks have targeted Las Vegas’ casinos and hotels, with large-scale breaches reported at the Hard Rock Café, Las Vegas Sands and Affinity Gaming. Although these organizations are particularly attractive to hackers because of their size, your HOA may be attractive for a different reason: easy access.
More and more, hackers are targeting small businesses – and remember, your HOA is a small business – because they tend to be lax when it comes to protecting sensitive information. In part one of our series on cyber security, you learned how residents could ward off a cyber-attack. In part two of this three-part series, we offer tips that your board should take to keep your community safe from hackers.
Still, you’ve probably read a few of the headlines about major cyber-attacks that have occurred over the past few years. In Nevada alone, some of these attacks have targeted Las Vegas’ casinos and hotels, with large-scale breaches reported at the Hard Rock Café, Las Vegas Sands and Affinity Gaming. Although these organizations are particularly attractive to hackers because of their size, your HOA may be attractive for a different reason: easy access.
More and more, hackers are targeting small businesses – and remember, your HOA is a small business – because they tend to be lax when it comes to protecting sensitive information. In part one of our series on cyber security, you learned how residents could ward off a cyber-attack. In part two of this three-part series, we offer tips that your board should take to keep your community safe from hackers.