When browsing the Internet, you may have noticed that some sites will display a lock icon next to the URL address (as shown below):
This icon, along with the ‘s’ following ‘http’ in the address line, is your indication that the communication between your device and the website is secure. When logging into your credit card or bank account, most of us are aware that we should confirm that we see the lock and the https address. This is our assurance that our data is traveling over the Internet securely.
It is important to know that the presence of the lock and the https in the address line does NOT mean the website you are visiting is legitimate. It only means that the owner of the website has paid for a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate. In the early days of the Internet, only the legitimate websites invested in SSL. Today, according to one cyber expert, 49% of the malicious sites on the internet use an SSL certificate to fool you into thinking the website you are visiting is secure and genuine.
Don’t be fooled, make sure that you are visiting the actual site that you intended to visit. If you are responding to an email asking you to update your account, DO NOT click on the link conveniently provided in the email. Instead, a good best practice is to navigate to the website by typing in the web address manually or clicking on your favorites if you have it stored there. Finally, before you enter your information, ‘look for the lock’ to confirm that you are on a secure site.
If you are planning to visit a site for the first time and would like to validate the legitimacy of a site, you can point your browser to safeweb.norton.com, type in the site address and read the results of their testing.
These tips and many more are presented in our quarterly security training series.
For more tips on safe surfing or to learn more about NetCenergy’s quarterly security training for your users, please contact us.
Nick Eckman joined NetCenergy in 2016 from an international gaming company. Nick’s experience with supervising and implementing secure, fiber and copper wire infrastructure services provides our clients with a team of highly trained and experienced technicians. In addition to the skills required to manage our infrastructure services department, Nick brings a very experienced and focused approach to project management and is a stickler for accurate documentation for every project designed and built by his team.
Peter Lachapelle joined NetCenergy in 2015 and is responsible for leading all of NetCenergy’s operations and accounting functions. Each department within NetCenergy reports through Lachapelle. He brings his years of experience to maintain a pragmatic, efficient, client-focused team at NetCenergy. Lachapelle joined NetCenergy after completing a 27-year career with a Rhode Island, federally-charted bank which culminated in his senior management position as COO and CFO for the bank.
Peter Nelson has 25+ years of technology and management experience and has been with NetCenergy since inception. Peter serves as the VP of Engineering at NetCenergy. His role consists of managing the engineering staff, driving the companies technology strategy, and ensuring NetCenergy keeps up to date on new technologies and solutions.
As a Founding Partner, Dan is a result oriented individual who is always focusing on what is best for his client. He understands that business applications empower an organization and that technology must support those critical business applications. Dan’s technology career started in 1990 at EMC Corporation. Through the years, he has represented technology and consulting services for several organizations until 2003, when he and Don Nokes founded NetCenergy.
As President of NetCenergy, Don is responsible for ensuring client satisfaction, overseeing overall performance, and for providing direction to the organization. Prior to co-founding the firm with Dan Charland, Don held senior leadership positions with IT service firms ranging in size from $3 Billion to $10 Million in annual sales.
With decades of hands-on HR experience, Margery Ahearn is our Director of Human Resources, overseeing all hiring of new positions for NetCenergy with a careful eye on sourcing technology savvy engineers and skilled office-based professionals who fit our company culture, understand our commitment to our clients, and bring their time and talents to our team. Margery has both a BA and MBA in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University.