Public Officials, Business Leaders and Cybersecurity Experts Gather at "Two Steps Ahead: Protect Your Digital Life" Event to Educate Businesses and Consumers On Ways to Stay Safer and More Secure Online

The event, which takes place on Monday, October 17th at the Will & Ariel Durant Branch Library (7140 W. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046) is part of a national tour to generate much-needed awareness about activating easily implemented security features, like two-step authentication, available on many of the Internet's most popular sites. California State Senator Ben Allen, will kick off the event with opening remarks. The morning will feature a live demonstration educating attendees on how to improve their security on sites like Google, LinkedIn and others followed by a panel discussion with local consumer protection and cybersecurity experts.

As hackers get more resourceful and data breaches continue to occur, usernames and passwords, which have been the fundamental account security mechanism, are no longer a sufficient solution to secure accounts. Millions of Americans have had their online accounts hacked and personal information compromised because of stolen credentials or weak logins. Many websites and online services offer strong authentication, but most users don't know they exist or haven't enabled it. In 2015 alone, an estimated $15 billion was stolen from 13.1 million U.S. consumers due to identity fraud.¹

NCSA has just launched the "Lock Down Your Login" campaign with the White House to support the use of authentication across the country. "It's time to shift our viewpoint and ‒ literally ‒ get "two steps ahead" on Internet security by changing our position from one dominated by vulnerability and risk to focusing on taking action by using strong authentication and creating a culture of cybersecurity," said Michael Kaiser executive director at NCSA. "We can do this by working together and using new security tools to build a safer, more secure and trusted Internet. Utilizing all available security measures and understanding the consequences of actions and behaviors online is the key message underlying the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign."

"There are ways to prevent the theft of our personal information online, but many people are not aware of the tips and tools they can use to help protect themselves.  The Two Steps Ahead workshop will be a great opportunity to learn from technology experts about key strategies to protect our privacy and keep the hackers at bay," said Senator Ben Allen.

The event will include Senator Allen and the following speakers/panelists:

• Steve McFarland, President & CEO, Better Business Bureau of Los Angeles & Silicon Valley
• Frederick J. Simon, Special Agent, FBI Los Angeles Division
• Ben Raju, Deputy District Director, U.S. Small Business Administration
• Michael Kaiser, Executive Director, National Cyber Security Alliance
• Kristin Judge, Director of Special Projects, National Cyber Security Alliance

The event will take place on Monday, October 17th from 2pm-4pm. Registration is free and open to the public, but space is limited.  "We want to thank all our partners in advance for helping to make the event in Hollywood a success," Kaiser said. Partners include Google, U.S. Small Business Administration, InfraGard National Members Alliance, Better Business Bureau of Los Angeles & Silicon Valley, Los Angeles Public Library, Lincoln Federation, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Hollywood Hills West Neighborhood Council, Central Hollywood Neighborhood Council, and Discover Hollywood.

To register visit: https://twostepsaheadhollywoodca.eventbrite.com

To learn more about adding another layer of security to your account, visit the Lock Down Your Login website: https://www.lockdownyourlogin.com/

About the National Cyber Security Alliance
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) is the nation's leading nonprofit, public-private partnership promoting cybersecurity and privacy education and awareness. NCSA works with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and NCSA's Board of Directors, which include representatives from ADP; AT&T Services, Inc.; Bank of America; Barclays; BlackBerry Corporation; Cisco; Comcast Corporation; ESET North America; Facebook; Google; Intel Corporation; Logical Operations; Microsoft Corp.; NXP Semiconductors; PayPal; PKWARE; Raytheon; RSA, the Security Division of EMC; Salesforce; SANS Institute; Symantec and Visa Inc. NCSA's core efforts include National Cyber Security Awareness Month (October), Data Privacy Day (January 28) and STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™, the global online safety awareness and education campaign cofounded by NCSA and the Anti-Phishing Working Group, with federal government leadership from DHS. For more information on NCSA, please visit staysafeonline.org/about-us/overview/.  

About the Lock Down Your Login Campaign
The Lock Down Your Login campaign, a key public-facing pillar of the multifaceted Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) announced by the White House in February 2016, is a STOP. THINK. CONNECT.™ initiative led by the National Cyber Security Alliance and developed by a coalition of industry leaders and like-minded organizations working in collaboration with government who understand the importance of cybersecurity awareness and education. The campaign was built upon a broad, coordinated effort to increase consumer awareness of our individual and collective roles in cybersecurity. The campaign's sponsors include CompTIA, Google, Javelin Strategy & Research, Mastercard, mcgarrybowen, Mozilla Foundation, PayPal, TeleSign, True Key™ by Intel Security, Twitter Inc., Visa Inc., and Wells Fargo & Company. Learn more about our partners and how lock down your login at LockDownYourLogin.com.

¹ 2016 Identity Fraud Study, Javelin Strategy & Research; https://www.javelinstrategy.com/coverage-area/2016-identity-fraud-fraud-hits-inflection-point

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SOURCE National Cyber Security Alliance

Related Links

http://www.staysafeonline.org