CARIBOU, Maine — The Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency has set their sights on cyber security and wants local businesses to be aware of the dangers that lurk in the digital realm.
“Cyber security is something we’ve been concerned with for quite some time,” said Darren Woods, director of Aroostook County EMA. Woods has taken cyber security training in Portland and he’s learning every day how EMA can help.
“We’re concerned because somebody orchestrating a cyber attack that’s well carried out, for example, on our banking industry, or even on our infrastructure on a power grid or water systems would create a disaster for us. We have to be thinking about that and how best to protect ourselves,” Woods said.
Woods recently spoke with the Caribou Chamber of Commerce on continuity planning when it comes to cyber security. He hopes he can stir up enough interest within the business community so the EMA can have opportunities to bring training to The County.
“Imagine if the banking system crashed to the point where you can’t use your debit card for the next few days. Do you have any cash on hand so you can buy groceries? For a lot of people the answer is no,” Woods said.
Woods wants businesses to know how they can harden their targets, create better passwords, have better antivirus software, and teach them tips and tricks on how they can make their businesses a little more difficult to hack into.
“Even if it wasn’t a cyber attack, in Aroostook County we have these pipelines of communication that if a fiber gets cut accidently and we’re without Internet for a day or two, there goes our communication,” Woods said.
Woods has noticed local businesses taking cyber security more seriously, especially after the data breaches Hannaford and Anthem have suffered.
Woods admits the EMA’s focus on cyber security in The County is in its infancy, but he hopes he can convince local businesses to get on board with the EMA’s plan so they may share information and help them prepare.
