Cybersecurity and Virtualization with Benjamin Gairrett - Part 2

05/24/21 • 52 min

Did you know that the first few rings when you place a call are fake?! While your call is being routed and connected, that ring-back tone is to let you know that something is happening behind the scenes. Dive deeper into how 9-1-1 works and more in part two of this three-part podcast!

In this episode Benjamin discusses:

The biggest points of cyber vulnerability for an organization and what users can do to increase online security
The difference between Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) vs. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and the truth behind them
How to implement good Internet browsing habits
The pros and cons of password keepers
Updates to our newly implemented 9-1-1 system
How 9-1-1 works and how 9-1-1 is working towards obtaining z-axis coordinate information
Cell phone tower design/technology
9-1-1 texting capabilities

Benjamin refers to:

ANI/ALI (Automatic Number Identification/Automatic Location Identification)
Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) systems
Wireless Phase I and Wireless Phase II information and data sources
Demarcation points of call delivery
TTY (text telephone), video relay, and language line use and services

In this episode Benjamin discusses:

The biggest points of cyber vulnerability for an organization and what users can do to increase online security
The difference between Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) vs. Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) and the truth behind them
How to implement good Internet browsing habits
The pros and cons of password keepers
Updates to our newly implemented 9-1-1 system
How 9-1-1 works and how 9-1-1 is working towards obtaining z-axis coordinate information
Cell phone tower design/technology
9-1-1 texting capabilities

Benjamin refers to:

ANI/ALI (Automatic Number Identification/Automatic Location Identification)
Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) systems
Wireless Phase I and Wireless Phase II information and data sources
Demarcation points of call delivery
TTY (text telephone), video relay, and language line use and services

Previous Episode

Cybersecurity and Virtualization with Benjamin Gairrett - Part 1

You’ve been hacked! Cyber-attacks seem to be a constant concern for many organizations and 9-1-1 is not excluded. Benjamin Gairrett, ENP, Information Technology Support Manager at the El Paso-Teller County 9-1-1 Authority shares some recently discovered vulnerabilities and how the Authority was impacted. He also gives updates in 9-1-1 technology in part one of this three-part episode!

In this episode Ben discusses:

Changes in work environments within the 9-1-1 industry and movements to remote and hybrid work
Benefits and capabilities of remote dispatching and call-handling
Technical requirements and specs for remote work environments
Satellite network that provides high-speed internet to remote locations
Migration and redundancy in data centers and technology
Virtualization and disaster recovery
Recent cyber-attacks and organization vulnerabilities
Social engineering
What users can do to prevent being hacked

Ben references:

Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
Elon Musk’s company, Starlink
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)
White hat, black hat, and gray hat hackers
Unified access gateway (UAG)
Public Safety Communications article How One ECC Installed Remote 9-1-1 Operations
Arlington County VA ECC Takes on the Pandemic with Remote Capabilities
Episode 49: FirstNet Helps Emergency Communications Center Adapt during Pandemic

Next Episode

Cybersecurity and Virtualization with Benjamin Gairrett - Part 3

You may be surprised by the target of a recent data breach. Hint: The platform has approximately 2.6 billion users (and you may be one of them). Benjamin Gairrett, IT Support Manager at the Authority, shares this recent cyber-attack, ways you can find out if you were affected, and more in part three of this three-part podcast episode!

In this episode, Benjamin discusses

More cyber-attacks!
The handling of a recent network outage due to fiber connection damage
Ways to start a career in information technology within 9-1-1

Ben refers to:

Have I Been Pwned to check if you have been affected by any kind of data breach
Ars Technica is a great technology website
Another great information technology and security website by Brian Krebs aka the “James Bond of tech stuff” Krebs on Security