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Cooper proclaims October as 'Cybersecurity Awareness Month'

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed October as "Cybersecurity Awareness Month," and the state is sharing tips to secure your personal information. Adobe stock photo.

Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed October as "Cybersecurity Awareness Month," and the state is sharing tips to secure your personal information. Adobe stock photo. 

State officials are urging residents to stay safe online, with Governor Roy Cooper proclaiming October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

The governor released a statement noting that advances in digital technology have opened the door to more sophisticated cyber threats, and he’s urging users to make “smart decisions” online.

Jim Weaver, who oversees the state’s computer network and data, says there are four quick and easy steps to secure devices.

First, avoid clicking on links or attachments in suspicious messages. Use strong passwords and utilize a password manager. Turn on multifactor authentication, which requires more information than a password alone. And be sure to routinely update your device’s software.

More information about online safety has been posted on the state website.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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