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The Malta Independent | Thursday 17 December 2015
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The Malta Independent | Thursday 17 December 2015
MITA employee awarded with the Manager of the Year title The Malta
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n the 11th December 2015, Ms. Elizabeth Olivieri received the Manager of the Year title during the ‘Premju Nazzjonali Haddiema tasSena 2015’. Ms. Olivieri has been working for the Government Agency MITA for the past 20 years and is currently also the chairperson of the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA). In a joint statement issued by Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth Dr. Jose Herrera and MITA, Ms. Olivieri was congratulated for receiving the Manager of the Year title reflecting her dedication towards her profession and role in FITA. Dr. Herrera also said that it is through the dedication and commitment of its 340 professionals that MITA continues to play a critical role in
Independent ICT Feature
delivering digital solutions to the Government of Malta while continuously implementing various initiatives and strategies for the benefit of the Government, general public and businesses. During a separate event, MITA held an employee’s Conference and Awards ceremony celebrating a year of achievements in delivering digital excellence. Various internal and external initiatives were outlined by different departments amongst others the MITA’s Career Progression Framework, the launch of a national cyber security strategy white paper, new online services in the justice sector, considerable upgrades in MITA’s server and storage solutions and MITA’s important role in the provisioning of a new campus network infrastructure in the recently launched Oncology Campus and Parliament build-
ing. The positive results achieved throughout this year’s Digital Outreach programme and MITA Innovation Hub initiatives were also highlighted including the Public Service Online project which was partly funded by EU funds and different competitive calls issued during 2015 through the MITA Innovation Hub. This conference and awards ceremony was also part of MITA’s 25th Anniversary celebrations programme of events.
MITA Communications and PR Team
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ell SecureWorks’ CTU Security Research Team has put together a list of “10 Tips for Protecting Against Holiday Online Shopping Scams.” These tips should be followed not just during the holiday
season, but all year round. Ms. Elizab e t h Olivieri received the Manager of the Year title during the ‘Premju Nazzjonali Haddiema tas-Sena 2015’. Ms. Olivieri has been working for MITA for the past 20 years and is currently also the chairperson of the Foundation for Information Technology Accessibility (FITA). All ICT Features are available on www.mita.gov.mt/ictfeature
10 tips for protecting against holiday online shopping scams O ne of the “not-somerry” facts about the holiday shopping season is that cyber criminals are poised and ready to defraud online shoppers. Dell SecureWorks’ CTU Security Research Team has put together this list of “10 Tips for Protecting Against Holiday Online Shopping Scams.” These tips should be followed not just during the holiday season, but all year round. The CTU anticipates that most of this season’s most successful schemes won’t be from “smishing”, where hackers use text and phone messages to con their victims. Rather, hackers will compromise their victims via malicious links on social networking sites and in emails, hijacked In-
ternet searches, fake ads, poisoned websites and phoney holiday offers.
See the 10 safe shopping tips below: • It is critical to always keep your browser, browser plug-ins (e.g.: document viewers, music and video players, rich content applications) and security software patched and up to date. • Computer users, especially those who don’t have their browser and security software up to date, should be wary of clicking on links posted on social networking and micro blogging sites. These sites have fast become a cybercriminal’s playground. Shortened URLs make it easier to share, tweet,
or e-mail links to friends but they also create a security threat. It is now much easier for cybercriminals to disguise the destination of their malicious links until it is too late and the victim lands on an infected site. • Be wary of websites, online ads, or unsolicited emails touting FREE or heavily discounted prices on the season’s hot toy or gadget. These “too good to be true” offers often lead to cyber fraud. If the emails contain links or attachments, DO NOT CLICK on them because they could infect your computer with malicious software. And if the FREE or discounted offer requires that you provide your bank account, credit card or social security number, then
it is definitely a scam. • When making online purchases, always use a credit card, which usually limits your personal liability. Avoid paying with debit cards. • When visiting online retailers, be sure to type the actual website address into your browser. Do not follow links provided by email offers, other websites or pop-up ads. In some cases, these links could take you to phishing sites or sites designed to infect your computer, and yet they are made to look exactly like the legitimate retail sites. • When making online purchases, always look at your Web browser for the https (as opposed to http) protocol that proceeds a Web address. The “s” let’s you know that the
Web site provides a layer of security for transmitting your personal information over the Internet. • Be wary of unsolicited emails purporting to contain holiday greetings, current news, holiday pictures, etc. even from senders that you know, that include links or attachments. Before clicking on links or attachments, ALWAYS verify that the correspondent sent you the email. Your friends could have had their email address book hijacked by hackers, who then used it to send malicious emails. • Be wary of emails notifying you that your banking certificate or token is out of date and asking you to download a new one. Before taking any action, call your financial institution
using a phone number that is not provided in the email. • Online computer users should avoid using weak or default passwords for any online site, and should use a different password for each site. • When possible, use a computer that is dedicated solely for accessing financial accounts and doing bill pay. This computer should not be used for surfing the Web or for emailing, as these are the primary vectors for infecting your computer with malicious software. Check credit ca rd and bank accounts at least once a month for suspicious transactions. Article reproduced from http://www.secureworks.com/resources/