Johnson’s Comments on the Passage of the Bill Williams River Water Settlement Act of 2014

Lake Havasu City, AZ – Mohave County Supervisor Buster Johnson is deeply disappointed with the actions of Congress and the Arizona delegation for their approval of the Bill Williams River Water Settlement Act of 2014, HR 4924 and S 2503, which are supposed to design a fair and equitable settlement of numerous claims within the Bill Williams River Watershed.  Among the parties involved are the Hualapai Tribe, U.S. Dept. of Interior (acting for themselves and the Tribe), Arizona Game and Fish, and Freeport McMoRan Minerals Corporation. “This is an extremely complicated issue in which HR 4924 attempts to conjoin two separate settlement agreements in an attempt to satisfy various interests in the Big Sandy River/Planet Ranch Water Rights settlement agreement and the Hualapai Tribe/Bill Williams River Water Rights settlement agreement,” Johnson said Friday. “It is unfortunate that our Congressional delegation, including the sponsors Senator Jeff Flake and   Congressman Paul Gosar, who represent Mohave County in Congress, ignored local concerns in favor of single constituent legislation which will benefit a special interest group.”  Gosar has hailed the passage of HR 4924 as a trigger for good paying jobs and additional tax revenue associated with continued use of the Bagdad Mine.  Gosar also claimed that his legislation was scored by the Congressional Budget Office as revenue neutral for the federal government. “It’s absolutely mindboggling that Congressman Gosar did not heed the concerns of Mohave County Assessor Ron Nicholson,” Johnson said.  “He provided a complete background report on this proposed settlement demonstrating significant negative impacts on our tax resource base in Mohave County.  It’s also a shame that Congressman Gosar ignored the public stance of the coalition of Mohave County Chambers of Commerce as well as the documented history of Mohave County government in opposing this rip-off of Mohave County resources.  The water and lands are in Mohave and La Paz Counties but neither was asked or allowed to participate in their own futures,” Johnson explained. “The Mohave County Board of Supervisors has communicated their deep concerns on previous occasions to Congressman Gosar but it appears he is unwilling to consider the concerns of Mohave County, and instead favors the corporate interests of Freeport McMoRan and the Bagdad Mine,” Johnson continued.  “At a time when Congress cannot pass let alone balance a budget, fix immigration or address healthcare, our delegation finds time to contact every member of congress for their support on stripping Mohave County of its natural resources.   These same Congressmen who lamented ‘Generational Theft’ have stripped Mohave County’s ability for economic growth.  It is a sad day in our state when our elected federal officials choose to favor special interest groups over the well-being of those taxpayers living in the area.  We did not send them to D.C. to be puppets for the mining company Freeport McMoRan or any other special interest group,” Johnson stated. Johnson closed by noting, “It has always been a hallmark of Republican orthodoxy that deference should be paid to priorities established by the level of government … Continue Reading →

Supervisor Johnson Speaks at National Cyber Conference

Lake Havasu City, AZ – Supervisor Buster Johnson was invited to speak at the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) conference this past week in Columbia, Maryland, to represent the National Association of Counties (NACo). The two day conference brought together more than 140 leaders from the academic world, the technology industry, and federal and local government to discuss the future cybersecurity educational needs of the nation. Supervisor Johnson, 1st Vice President of NACo’s Cybersecurity Task Force, spoke on a four person panel that focused on developing a sustainable cyber workforce for small businesses and state and local government. The NICE initiative focuses on cybersecurity awareness, education and the workforce. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the initiative is taking new actions to increase the number of individuals who are prepared for in-demand cybersecurity jobs as well as provide a common classification by which to organize and categorize workers. DHS crafted the NICE initiative from the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative. During the panel discussion, Johnson spoke about how local governments across the nation are competing with the private industry for cybersecurity personnel. Johnson suggested that local governments should focus their attention on training and incentives to attract and retain the personnel needed to combat cybersecurity in today’s digital age. Johnson also suggested that small businesses and local governments should set up internship programs for college students. “Most college students are focusing on landing a job at a large company or organization after they graduate, such as the NSA. If we can get colleges to recognize the benefit of working for a small business or local government, we will have a better chance at retaining them,” Johnson said. According to Johnson, smaller companies and local governments offer more freedom for IT professionals. “In a company with just 10 IT employees, versus one with over 500, you are recognized and have a greater chance for advancement and learning,” Johnson explained. Part of the discussion also focused on the new Next Generation 9-1-1 system that will pose a challenge for local governments and IT professionals in the upcoming years. In addition to calling 9-1-1 from a phone, the new system intends to enable the public to transmit text, images, video and data to the 9-1-1 dispatch center. “Technology is changing on a daily basis, and local governments need to ensure their employees are staying on top of these changes,” Johnson ended.

Cyber Security Tip #31

Cyber Security Tip #31 October is not only National Cyber Security Awareness Month; it’s also the time to celebrate Halloween, bringing to mind scary things that are merely figments of our imagination. In the digital world, however, there are many scary things that are not figments of our imagination that we should in fact be worried about. Here are some examples: • In the cyber world we have Gh0st, an infamous piece of malware that is commonly used by threat actors to remotely access a target and assume complete control. • Unlike the make-believe zombies you see in the movies, cyber zombies are real. In the online world, a zombie is a machine compromised with malware and controlled by a hacker. Zombies can send spam, launch denial-of-service attacks and infect other machines. • The Frankenstein malware takes small pieces of software from trusted programs and stitches them together, making the resulting malware undetectable. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #30

Cyber Security Tip #30: How to Avoid Work From Home Scams The ad says you can make lots of money working from the comfort of your home. But if this were true, wouldn’t we all be working at home? According to a report done by CBS, for every one legitimate work-at-home job posted online, there are about 70 scams. If you’ve spent any time trawling online jobs boards and classifieds looking for remote work from home opportunities then this statistic might not come as a surprise. To help you avoid being one of the many people that falls prey to their tricks, here are my top 8 tips for avoiding work from home scams: • Don’t pay money upfront – Any work from home opportunity that asks for money upfront could well be a scam, whether the money is for registration, training, supplies or processing fees. No ethical employer would expect you to pay them before they pay you. • Speak with someone – A legit employer of remote workers will happily discuss the work from home opportunity with you over the phone. Scammers won’t. • Conduct background checks – Google the company’s name with the word ‘scam’ next to it to see whether anybody that’s been tricked into a non-legit work from home job has an axe to grind. • Check references – If your search on Google doesn’t reveal anything but you’re still suspicious, ask to speak to another internet employee of the company. • Find out exactly what you’ll be paid – Beware of high hourly rates with minimal skills or experience required. There’s no shortage of work from home opportunities promising you’ll earn $100s for a few hours of work. Rather than trust these vague figures, ask them to explain exactly how much you will be paid and how your pay is calculated. • Jobs to avoid – Work from home jobs to avoid or be suspicious of are assembly jobs, data entry (when you have to pay for a starter kit), processing claims or emails and, of course, stuffing envelopes (businesses have postage machines these days!). ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #29

Cyber Security Tip #29: What to do if you’re a victim of cyber crime • File a report with your local law enforcement agency. Even if your local police department or sheriff’s office doesn’t have jurisdiction over the crime (a common occurrence for online crime which may originate in another jurisdiction or even another country), you will need to provide a copy of the law enforcement report to your banks, creditors, other businesses, credit bureaus, and debt collectors. • Even though you may not be asked to provide evidence when you first report the cybercrime, it is very important to keep any evidence you may have related to your complaint. Keep items in a safe location in the event you are requested to provide them for investigative or prosecutive evidence • Make sure you change your passwords for all online accounts. When changing your password, make it long, strong and unique, with a mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. You also may need to contact your bank and other financial institutions to freeze your accounts so that the offender is not able to access your financial resources. • In cases where the offender is known, send the stalker a clear written warning saying the contact is unwanted and asking that the perpetrator cease sending communications of any kind. Do this only once and do not communicate with the stalker again (Ongoing contact usually only encourages the stalker to continue the behavior). • If you believe someone is using your social security number for employment purposes or to fraudulently receive Social Security benefits, contact the Social Security Administration’s fraud hotline at 1-800-269-0271. Request a copy of your social security statement to verify its accuracy. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #28

Cyber Security Tip #28: Protect Your Identity From Cyber Thieves 1. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet. If your health plan (other than Medicare) or another card uses your Social Security number, ask the company for a different number. 2. Identity thieves love passwords because they open doors to our personal information. Get tough and organized now. Use different passwords for all your accounts. Make those passwords strong with at least eight characters, including a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols ($+r0^gh@h@). 3. Stop most pre-approved credit card offers. They make a tempting target for identity thieves who steal your mail. Have your name removed from credit bureau marketing lists. Call toll-free 1-888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688). Or opt out online at www.optoutprescreen.com. 4. Open your credit card bills and bank statements right away. Check carefully for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals and report them immediately. 5. When shopping online, check out a Web site before entering your credit card number or other personal information. Read the privacy policy and look for opportunities to opt out of information sharing. Only enter personal information on secure Web pages with “https” in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #27

Cyber Security Tip of the Day #27: Be careful when you install apps on your mobile device Many apps want more permissions than actually needed for their function. For example, some flashlight apps want access to your contacts. Why? Usually for marketing purposes to build a better profile on you and your friends. Don’t install apps that require excessive permissions. Always install apps from a trusted source. This helps ensure the app isn’t fake or malicious. Some examples of unnecessary permissions that apps may ask for include: Storage: modify/delete USB storage contents — apps that store anything (like pictures and video) will require this. Device calls: read device state/identity — some apps require this to be able to do something like “pause” when you get a phone call. Network communication: full Internet access — this often relates to ads too; the app needs to access the Internet to download the ads. Your location: coarse (network-based) location — many games with ads require this so it can deliver targeted ads. System tools: prevent device from sleeping — usually means that when you’re using the app, it will keep your phone from going to sleep or in a power save mode. Your personal information: read contact data — any social media or messaging app needs to access your contact information so you can use them with your friends. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #26

Cyber Security Tip 26: Avoid Fraudulent Phone Scams Cybercriminals don’t just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from companies such as Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following: Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software. Convince you to visit legitimate websites (like www.ammyy.com) to download software that will allow them to take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings to leave your computer vulnerable. Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services. Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there. Neither Microsoft nor legit computer software companies will make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #25

Cyber Security Tip #25: Managing Your Digital Footprint Once information is online, sometimes it can be impossible to remove. Therefore you should be conscientious of your visible online presence known as your digital footprint, as criminals and fraudsters may utilize this information against you in various ways. Here are some recommendation for “mapping your digital footprint.” Look at all the social networking sites and forums that you belong to and search what information about you is available. Clean up your digital footprint. Remove any photos, content and links that may be inappropriate or reveal too much information. Be selective about who you authorize to access your information. Use the privacy features of your browser and of the various websites you frequent to reduce the visibility of your information. Since many comments on public websites can be publicly seen, monitor and moderate comments associated with you to maintain a positive digital footprint. Consider using the “block comments” features or setting your social networking profile to “private” so only designated individuals can view it. Always think before you post. ‪#‎NCSAM‬

Cyber Security Tip #24

Cyber Security Tip #24: Safeguard Your Data Safeguarding your business and personal data has never been more difficult or important. How do you safeguard sensitive/confidential data? The manner of protection often depends on what kind of data you are safeguarding, how important or sensitive it is to you, to your organization or your customers. The following tips will help you become aware of how to protect data both at work and at home: • Password-protect your access. Use a strong password or pass-phrase to protect access to your data. • Identify where the data is stored. Have specific places within your network or computer where you store sensitive/confidential data. Those network shares, hard drives, servers, or system folders can then have specific protection methods used to keep them more secure. • Encrypt stored sensitive/confidential data. Whenever possible, encrypt stored sensitive/confidential data, whether it is being permanently or temporarily stored. This can help prevent unintended disclosure even if your system has been compromised. ‪#‎NCSAM‬