Wayne Schepens
Wayne Schepens, managing director at LaunchTech Communications in Baltimore, Maryland, has been part of the cybersecurity field for more than two decades. Part of cybersecurity is human security, so professionals like Wayne Schepens must know about current phishing techniques used by malicious actors to gain access to systems.
Two techniques which have become more popular in phishing attempts, “vishing” and “smishing,” require greater care on the part of employees. These techniques rely on the use of more trusted channels than email and instant messaging.
In a vishing attempt, the prospective attacker uses voice communications, often over a landline phone or a voice-over-IP service that spoofs a landline. These attacks involve an immediately actionable request involving credentials, financial data, or personal data, which the target then provides.
Smishing, a portmanteau of SMS and phishing sometimes rendered as SMiShing, uses text messages to get the subject to volunteer information. These messages will often use the format of a trusted source or major brand, and forward a potential victim to a website or request a text back. These methods can be used to install malware as well if the link is followed on the phone.
Wayne Schepens has served as managing director of LaunchTech Communications since 2015. Outside of his professional activities, Wayne Schepens supports nonprofit organizations such as the American Heart Association.
Dedicated to funding potential life-saving research, the American Heart Association (AHA) has awarded more than $4 billion in grants to individual researchers and organizations over the last seven decades. In an April 2018 press release, the AHA announced its plan to award $2 million to two of the nation’s leading heart researchers.
Dr. Walter Koch of Temple University and Dr. Michelle Albert of the University of California, San Francisco, are each receiving $1 million, distributed over the next five years, as part of the AHA’s Merit Award program, which recognizes researchers leading high-risk projects that develop innovative treatments for cardiovascular disease.
Dr. Koch is researching how the heart regulates tissues and other organs, while Dr. Albert is advancing targeted obesity intervention programs in collaboration with YMCA-San Francisco.
Wayne Schepens has served as vice president of W2 Communications for nearly five years. In this position Wayne Schepens promotes awareness among businesses about the importance of cyber security, including proactive DDoS prevention and threat intelligence.
As social media and other technology platforms continue to enjoy increasingly important roles in business, issues of cyber security become more and more pressing–especially for small business owners. There are a few effective tools that may be used, and steps taken, to ensure that business owners are doing all that they can to remain secure online.
The FCC provides a Small Biz Cyber Planner tool for companies that cannot afford to dedicate a staff position entirely to cyber security. For these businesses, common computer viruses can be just as deadly as an intelligence leak or hacking incident. By developing and enforcing company standards for Internet use, small business owners cut back on the likelihood of malware or viruses affecting production levels.
Methods of response can be just as important as prevention. Creating backups of important files and data is critical for businesses of all sizes; no matter how effectively a security breach is handled, if memory is lost in the process, backups become vital to continued business operations.
Virginia Tech alumnus Wayne Schepens has over 20 years of experience in the cybersecurity industry. He served as the vice president of W2 Communications from 2010 to 2014, when he transferred to LaunchTech Communications. Wayne Schepens currently serves as LaunchTech’s managing director.
The Seattle-based online business directory Expertise recently named LaunchTech one of the top 15 public relations firms based in Baltimore for the year 2018. During the course of its search, Expertise reviewed 168 PR firms. The list dropped to 106 after the firms were scored on over 25 variables, and the final 15 firms were selected on the basis of the following criteria:
1. Reputation — The firm exhibited a history of outstanding service and a high level of satisfied customers.
2. Credibility — The firm manifested the ability to build customer confidence through licensing, awards, and accreditations.
3. Experience — The firm exemplified a mastery of the craft commensurate with its number of years in business.
4. Availability — The firm consistently responded promptly to its customers and was always available for new business.
5. Professionalism — The firm provided customer service with respect, honesty, and reliability.
Originally published at wayneschepensblog.wordpress.com.
