Gregg Robbins and Team Guard Watco Data

Gregg Robbins Director of Technical Services and Security

With hackers constantly on the attack and trying to steal our business and personal information, it’s good to have someone like Watco’s Gregg Robbins to help keep our data secure. As Watco’s Director of Technical Services and Security, Robbins and his team are responsible for keeping Watco safe from outside forces trying to steal our information. Robbins will soon begin sharing tips with the Watco team members on cybersecurity pertaining to both work and personal matters.

Robbins studied computer programming at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and went on to work for several companies in information technology (IT). In 2001, he worked with a team that had been given a grant to work on a security algorithm and he has been working in an IT security role ever since. Robbins began his career at Watco in 2016 working on disaster recovery and system information.

Why is cyber security so important? Robbins stated that once a new device is connected to the internet, it takes an average of 1.5 minutes before an attack of some sort occurs.

Robbins said, “Attackers who are out to steal information continually come up with new tricks to access our information, so it’s important to defend our systems and be diligent 100% of the time.”

He added, “Here’s an example of what all of us are dealing with: Just this past week, a list of 3 billion emails and passwords was being sold for $2 a copy. That's billion with a B. We are constantly under attack by thieves using spam emails, phishing emails, and other methods to try to break into our online systems. The attackers are smart, and we need to do what we can to deter them.”

Robbins’ role is to is to collect information from agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation on threats that have been detected, training opportunities, and notices on system patches which provide tighter security. While Robbins is managing those efforts, his team is watching monitors, looking for email alerts, and suspicious activity.

“One of the most important areas that we need to watch and protect ourselves from is malicious and phishing emails,” said Robbins. “Any one of them can lead to a chain of events that have a detrimental effect. If a team member thinks they have received one of these phishing emails, please notify the cybersecurity team so that we may evaluate it and use the information to keep the company and our team members safe.”

If you see something suspicious, contact the cybersecurity team at emailthreats@watco.com.