FRANKLIN — After hearing news that cyber criminals recently stole almost $800,000 from a church in North Carolina, many congregations are asking themselves an important question: Are we at risk, too?
And the answer, in most cases, is “yes.”
“Churches are a very attractive target for hackers,” said Doug Finch, technology services manager for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. “Most churches do not have an IT department and typically have weak security and/or non-existent policies in place to protect the network.”
Finch and his team take a multi-faceted approach to cyber security at the TBMB, and it is his hope that churches in Tennessee — and around the nation — will soon begin to implement similar protection policies and procedures.
“The reality of the situation is that these cyber scams are a big business,” said Finch. “And cyber criminals are no different from regular criminals in that they look for the easiest targets.” [Read more…]