When it comes to the how people imagine a typical cybersecurity criminal, many might conjure a teenager in their mother’s basement.

Director of IT Bob Whitlock advises employees to think again. 

“These cybersecurity criminals are intelligent,” he said. “Their job is to get into systems. They can steal data and cripple a company’s ability to work.”

Whitlock notes that these criminal enterprises are often housed in respectable office buildings. An increasingly common technique the thieves use is to send spoof emails or texts — messages that look as if they are from a trusted source — to install ransomware — malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.

To fight the ne’er-do-wells, the Belt began cybersecurity training July 9. 

All 198 employees with a Belt email will undergo the training, a 15-minute video they can access on their own device. The video focuses on how to identify components of emails and texts that help determine if they are fraudulent. Employees will view the video individually and be tested on its content.

Testing data will help identify what additional training is necessary. 

Whitlock said additional cybersecurity training will be administered regularly and may be added to annual rules training. 

“We’re still building culture,” he said. “Attacks are an inevitability for which we have to prepare.”

He expects the present training to be completed by the end of August.