Intro Class on Cybersecurity
Protecting Yourself and Your Sangha
from Email Scams and More

Speaker:
Giovanni D. Williams, Cybersecurity Advisor
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

Saturday, May 10, 2025 (hybrid)
10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. (including Q&A)

Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin (Annex Temple) and on Zoom
Enter parking at 1742 Lusitana St., Honolulu, HI 96813

Ka Leo Kahea article:

Maybe it’s happened to you: You receive an urgent email that appears to be from a trusted person — for example, a minister. There is a “discreet” matter and the “minister” needs your help. The email asks for your prompt response. You are about to hit Reply, but little details make you pause: an unfamiliar email address, uncharacteristic typos. And wasn’t there something in the HQ Update about email scams? You delete the email and decide to follow up with the minister by phone. Congratulations, you just escaped a “phishing” attempt!

Phishing is a word that emerged in the 1990s and is a play on the word “fishing.” (The use of “ph” at the beginning of the word is linked to an early hacker scam called “phone phreaking.”) In the example above, the email was the bait and your hunger to be of service nearly made you take it. If you had, you may have been “reeled in” to unwittingly purchase gift cards for a fraudster or provide details that compromise a bank account.

The pervasiveness of phishing emails is staggering. It is estimated that 1.2% of all email traffic is phishing, amounting to billions of messages a day worldwide. Your email service may be blocking many of them, but some will inevitably get through. Recurring reports from members about emails like the one described above confirm this.

There are practical steps we can take to guard against phishing emails and other cybersecurity threats, and among the first is educating ourselves. That’s where a workshop on Saturday morning, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. comes in. Headquarters will host an introductory session, both in person at Hawaii Betsuin and on Zoom, with presenter Giovanni D. Williams, a Cybersecurity Advisor. Giovanni is with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The emphasis will be on phishing and geared to a general audience, but additional cybersecurity topics will be introduced.

Please register, even if you’re a “maybe” so you can receive confirmation of workshop details.