Crown Jewels:

These are the organization’s most critical assets that must be protected to maintain operational continuity.

Your organization’s crown jewels can include but are not limited to:

• Client or citizen information

• Employee information

• Financial information

• Networks and systems required to operate

• Trade secrets

• Intellectual property

Cryptocurrency:

A digital asset, or currency. Strong encryption techniques are used to control how units of cryptocurrency are created and to verify transactions. Cryptocurrencies generally operate independently of a central bank, central authority or government. It can be exchanged for goods and services by those willing to accept it.

It's considered pseudo-anonymous. Every Bitcoin transaction is captured on the blockchain, which is a public ledger of transactions similar to what you would find in an accountant's office. It's an electronic record of every transaction, which includes details such as the amount sent and the addresses involved. But the owner's identity is never displayed. Many cyber criminals use cryptocurrency due to its pseudo-anonymity.

Cyber hygiene:

Refers to incorporating good cyber security habits or practices into your daily routine.

Adopt these habits to help you and your organization stay cyber safe:

1. Classify information with the appropriate sensitivity level, label and store it accordingly.

2. Disable your camera and location services when not in use. In most cell phones and laptops, this can be toggled off or on within your settings under privacy.

3. Clear your browser and delete cookies regularly. There are a variety of cookies, but in general a cookie is a small piece of data used to identify and track your visit to a website. In most cases cookies are harmless and improve your internet browsing experience. However, cookies can be used to hijack your browsing sessions and reveal information about you and the websites you visit, including banking and other sensitive information.

4. At the end of the day, properly log out of all applications and log out of your system/network.

5. Participate in safe browsing.Pay attention to system warnings and avoid untrusted websites.

6. Ensure all privacy and security settings are reviewed and enabled on all applications and social media platforms.

7. Be cautious about people you don’t know who may approach you online.

8. Avoid oversharing on social media platforms or websites. Many organizations have a policy that discusses who can share organizational information on social media. However, some do not. Avoid sharing organizational information on your personal social media accounts. It could be used against your organization and can put you at risk. Before you post it, ask yourself, could this information create a cyber security risk? For example, are you sharing information you might use in a passphrase one day?

9. Think before you click on any links or attachments. Only interact with emails or websites that you know are safe.