USARAK battalion hosts family cyber seminar

by Sachel Harris
U.S. Army Alaska Public Affairs

11/5/2015 - JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The 59th Signal Battalion recently hosted its first family cyber seminar in the Frontier Theater here.

The event helped to wrap up Cyber Security Awareness Month, a month-long observance designated in October by President Obama to help increase awareness about cyber security and increasing the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. This year's theme is "Stop. Think. Connect."

An Army Criminal Investigator, whose name is withheld for security reasons, was on hand to discuss topics such as geo-tagging, setting parental controls and over sharing personal information on social media.

"Anything a stranger wouldn't know from a general introduction, shouldn't be shared on social media," the investigator emphasized.

Army Lt. Col. James Chastain, 59th Signal Battalion Commander, added that it's important for parents to understand how to protect their children in today's world. His hope is that each family leaves each session more educated and empowered.

"Everybody is a target for cybercrime and most of the time, protecting your system comes down to simple changes and awareness called cyber awareness," said the commander.

"Cyber bullying and sexting are on the rise and knowing how to protect your kids by identifying the signs and doing things such as enabling the security features on your home network can keep you safe."

The battalion will be hosting cyber security events every quarter on JBER which are open to all military families.