Matt Freeman
Director – Service Delivery
Hawaiian Telcom
Avid dog walker and wearer of funny hats
During these unprecedented times where working remotely has become the new normal and cyber crimes are on the rise, what additional safeguards are you adding to your cybersecurity protocols?
Our security team worked closely with the IT department to make sure all laptops (and some desktops!) were properly updated and included all the required security software. Our employees are able to connect to corporate resources via a secure VPN, through which we also enable a variety of two-factor authentication methods.
What COVID-19 related scams have you seen and what should the community look out for so they’re not a victim?
Over the last few weeks, we have seen an increase in “SEXtortion Emails” directed at our residential email subscribers. These email scams try to scare people by claiming that their webcams have been compromised and the bad guy has compromising video of the target and attempts to prove it by showing the victim’s email and password.
We advise employees and customers to just delete the email and move on. This scam is an evolved form of email phishing and the bad guys don’t really have video of you at home. The best advice for internet users is don’t re-use passwords on multiple websites and to use a password manager to keep secure passwords.
With social distancing, what do you do for fun?
My dog has gotten more walks than ever! He is the happiest I’ve seen him in years. I’ve got a packed household where my wife works from the kitchen table, I’m working out of the living room, and our son is setup for remote schooling off in a corner. Making sure we get out of the house as safely as possible is key to our sanity. To keep up with my co-workers we have a few after hours events on the regular schedule. Pau Hana Cocktails on Wednesday and Funny Hat Friday are keeping our spirits up.
What is your favorite, most “ono” dish?
I’m using this pandemic as an opportunity to eat healthier. Working downtown for so many years (with all of the great restaurants) had increased my waistline so it seemed like a great chance to go back to home-made meals. I made a great broccoli cheddar soup last week that kept the calories down and the family happy!
