By West Seattle Blog

Today was a special work day for crews from some members of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties—the annual Rampathon, donating time to build mobility ramps for residents in need. Among this year's participants, longtime WSB sponsor Potter Construction.

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Cybersecurity can be a scary subject. We get it. It’s daunting and something you just want to ignore in hopes that nothing bad will happen to you.

Sorry friend, this subject is all TOO real to ignore. But we’re here. We got you.

We want to give you the knowledge to protect yourself from phishing attacks, ransomware, and other online scams. So here we go! But to start, a chilling reminder of our recent past:

• June 2018, MyHeritage—more than 92 million email addresses and HyHeritage account passwords were compromised.
• April 2018, The Facebook data breach—this was one of the largest misuses of personal data in history! In fact, just last month, Facebook revealed that 15 MILLION people had their personal info accessed by hackers.
• March 2018, Under Armour’s MyFitnessPal App—an “unauthorized party” gained access to 150 million user names, emails, and encrypted passwords from users of the fitness tracking app.
• July 2017, Equifax data breach—a quick calculation tells us that the 143 million potentially affected makes up a full 44 percent of the country’s total adult population.
• May 2017, WannaCry ransomware attack—this attack will go down in the books as one of the most successful malware campaigns in history.

So yeah, now more than ever you need to be educating yourself about how preventive cybersecurity strategies can keep you safe in a digital world of malicious criminals and hackers.

Cybersecurity awareness tips

1. Enable two-factor authentication
   1. This will make it harder for someone to access any of your accounts.
   2. This added layer of security can make a big impact.
2. Check a website’s SSL Certificate before using
   1. This will ensure the website is safe to use.
   2. Beware—hackers can copy a safe site if you click on a malware link. For example, links found in phishing emails.
3. Never save credit card information online
   1. This is a great basic tip to keep your bank account information secure.
   2. If that site is ever compromised, your card information will be, too.
4. Up your password game
   1. Think of a long password (10+ characters). Using a sentence instead of random letters is much more efficient. For example: eattacosonthe9th!!
   2. Never use the same password on different accounts.
   3. Never write down your passwords and store in a Word file; use password vault software instead.
5. Think twice before clicking an email link
   1. Not all links are created equal. Some seemingly safe links can wreak havoc.
   2. Phishing emails are becoming harder to detect. Look into social engineering training.

These basic tips can help you, your employees, and your business stay more protected when using your computer.

Emerald City Solutions is an information security company offering high-grade, professional IT business solutions using cutting-edge technology to help our customers modernize their business, protect valuable assets, and improve business connectivity. For more tips and tricks, check out Emerald City Solutions’ weekly blog or give them a call at 206.340.1616 to learn more about IT and cybersecurity services for your business.

Contact:
Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties
p 425.457.7067
pr@mbaks.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties Wins Awards for Best Service to Members and Best Community Service Project Conducted

BELLEVUE, Wash., June 12, 2024—MBAKS has been recognized for its outstanding Community Stewardship and GRIP programs with two Awards of Excellence from the Executive Officers Council (EOC) of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

“What an honor it is to have our team recognized for all the work they do to make home happen,” said Jerry Hall, Executive Director. “I’m so proud of the ways in which we’ve been able to give back, through a number of community stewardship projects as well as through the benefits our members receive from the GRIP program."

MBAKS offers member companies an opportunity to gain reimbursements for cultivating safe working environments through GRIP. Over the years, the program has constantly evolved to provide the highest level of service for the lowest cost while prioritizing the safety of member participants.

Since its inception, MBAKS’ Community Stewardship has given back to local communities through volunteer based projects as well as financial contributions. Through two flagship projects, Rampathon and Painting A Better Tomorrow, staff and member volunteers have improved homes and community spaces across the region, including constructing over 600 ramps for individuals and families with mobility issues and refreshing the interiors of more than 20 local nonprofit organizations.

The Association Excellence Awards is an annual program designed to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of state and local home builders’ associations and executive officers in the field of association management. EOC membership is comprised of the staff executives who direct more than 590 NAHB-affiliated state and local home builders’ associations representing more than 130,000 home builders in communities across the United States.

“I am inspired by the outstanding achievements of our local associations that won AEA honors this year. Their dedication to excellence, innovation, and community impact sets a high standard for all of us,” said Natalie Fryer, EOC President and Executive Officer of the HBA of Fayetteville. “These associations are shining examples of what can be accomplished with vision, hard work, and a commitment to quality. Congratulations to all the award-winning associations for their well-deserved recognition. Your accomplishments not only benefit your members but also enhance the entire Federation.”

The winning entries will be added to the NAHB website, so that other executives and associations across the country can access and learn from them in order to provide better service to their own members and community.

For more information on the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties go to mbaks.com or contact pr@mbaks.com. Learn more about the Association Excellence Awards. 

About MBAKS

The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties (MBAKS) is the nation’s oldest and largest local homebuilders association, helping to make home happen since 1909. 

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