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As members of the AAPA, we on the IT Committee want you to feel your information is safe and secure. However, the conveniences and benefits the digital world has given us are not without potential risk. I would like to take this opportunity to address some recent security items in the news and within our own website.
First, we were informed by our website provider, which runs an Association Management Software (AMS) system, that their network was the recent target of a cyber-attack over the span of two days. Their security team successfully detected the attack when it started and successfully repelled it. This was a cyber-attack, not an attempted data hack. What this means is the attackers were trying to slow down or shut down the network that our website, and many other associations, runs on. Despite the efforts of the hackers, the network stability was not affected and there was NO breech of data, sensitive or otherwise.
Secondly, even before this attack, our provider was planning on performing network maintenance and upgrades this coming weekend. It is possible this maintenance may cause intermediate connection problems to our site. We do not anticipate much downtime, if any, but wanted you to be informed.
Finally, I wanted to address any concerns about the recent news on the Heartbleed security flaw. If you are not aware of this flaw, it is a bug in the encryption protocols for CERTAIN secure login software. Our AMS Provider DOES NOT use this affected software. However, it reiterates that we all need to be diligent in protecting our information. This means all of us should keep user names and passwords in a secure location and keep hackers guessing by frequently changing our passwords.
Again, I want you to know that the security of your information is a top priority to us, and this will always be the case as we continue to grow our web presence for more global reach. I thank you for putting your trust in myself and Lara Goldberg, Vice Chair – Website Division, our Central Office team, and our AMS provider. And thank you for your continued support of the AAPA!
Sincerely,
Ryan W. Schniederjan, PA(ASCP)
Information & Technology Committee Chair
[email protected]
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