by Steve Brawner (BRAWNERSTEVE@MAC.COM)
Individuals and entities should have a “maniacal focus” on cybersecurity, which includes having strong passwords and backing up data regularly, according to Gary Vance, chief information security officer with the Arkansas Division of Information Systems.
Vance was part of a panel discussion Tuesday (Oct. 8) on the second day of the two-day 2024 Cybersecurity Summit presented by Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin and the Forge Institute. The first day’s speakers included Jen Easterly, director of the federal government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Vance and James Gentry, Fort Smith’s chief information officer, emphasized the importance of having complex, unique passwords for each site one visits. Gentry said he has 400-500 passwords organized through an encrypted password manager, an application that can be obtained at an app store. Vance said complex passwords close the door on bad actors trying to assess a user’s data.
