In recognition and support of the LGBTQIA+ community, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Pride Month. King County is a leader in advancing equitable policies and practices based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and Executive Constantine urges “everyone to honor the fight against discrimination and the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people to our County and our society.”

Read the full proclamation below.

There are several Juneteenth events scheduled celebrating the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States. These presentations will provide insights, education, and personal experiences from a historical and current day perspective. All King County employees are invited to attend.

Stories from the Road to Freedom – SPARKS! conversation series

Stories from the Road to Freedom, narrated by Deon Cole, gives a fresh perspective of the Black Movement in America, from Emancipation to the Civil Rights era. The film uses first-hand accounts, rare audio recordings, never-before-seen archival footage, and home movies to chronicle African American life as lived by regular people, in their own words, through over 100 years of social upheaval.  (Runtime: 87 min)

After the film, go deeper with your questions, seek answers and hear discussion about major turning points in our continuing journey toward racial healing and wholeness, as a nation. 

Additional insight, commentary, and facilitation will be provided by Cecelia Hayes, Equity Social Justice and Engagement Senior Practitioner, Executive Services. 

• Friday, June 11 at 3:30 p.m.
• Join the Zoom meeting
• Meeting ID: 939 0108 9084

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A Liberation Celebration with Tales from Our Griots

This event is part of our Transformational Conversations (Town Hall Series 2020-2021), and indeed marks the one-year  anniversary of the Town Hall Series, which began with Black King County employees being moved to mark, authentically acknowledge, and hold space collectively in response to the murder of George Floyd.

The Juneteenth celebration continues the conversations by featuring Black Elders who have worked for King County in the past and in the present, and still work in our communities.  Our honored guests include: 

• Judge J. Wesley Saint Clair, former Presiding Judge for King County District Court and Superior Court Judge
• Ms. Paula Harris-White, JD and former Workforce Equity Manager, King County
• Mr. Michael Hepburn, JD and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney at King County

Use the following information to join this special virtual event:

• Monday, June 14 from 12-1:30 p.m.
• Join the Zoom meeting
• ID: 986 6927 8925; Passcode: 531644

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King County Executive & Legislative Branches present:

Dr. Marcia Tate Arunga
Tacoma Program Dean, Evergreen State College
Author, activist and entrepreneur

With special presentations of
“The Unspoken Truths” by Delbert Richardson
and a performance by Acts on Stage

 

• Thursday, June 17 at 10 a.m.
• Live on King County TV
• Comcast channels 22 and 322

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Be on the lookout for communication from the Black African Women’s Affinity Group regarding additional planned activities for the week leading up to June 19.

Locking your screen when you get up from your desk is a security action that is often overlooked and can have dangerous consequences. Failing to lock your screen can open you up to several vulnerabilities–some more serious than others.

Although many organizations have a policy which automatically locks your screen with a screen saver after a certain amount of inactivity, not all screen savers are password-protected, leaving your workstation defenseless.

Here are a few actions the bad guys can do when you leave your workstation unlocked and unattended:

• Files can be downloaded from the internet and executed on your computers, such as malware, spyware, keyloggers, and other types of malicious software.
• Emails can be sent from your email address to coworkers, your boss, or other business contacts.
• If you save passwords in your browser (another no-no), they now have access to your online banking, Facebook, and other accounts.

Locking your workstation before you get up from your desk is simple and can prevent you from ending up in a bad situation.

Here are some ways you can lock your workstation:

For Windows:

• Press the Windows key + the L key at the same time on your keyboard.
• Press and hold Ctrl+Alt+Del and then choose Lock This Computer.

For Mac:

• If using Mac OS X (2015 and later), be sure to enable the lock screen ability. Find this under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > and look for the “Require password…” setting under the General tab.
  • Then, press Control+Command+Q on your keyboard, or do a quick web search to learn the keyboard shortcut for your Mac’s Operating System.
• Set up hot corners, which allows you to push your cursor to a certain corner of your screen to lock the computer. This can be set up under System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver then choosing Hot Corners.

Get in the habit of locking your screen. If nothing else, it will prevent coworkers from sending prank emails from your account!
If you have any questions, contact kcitcsat@kingcounty.gov.

What would you do if you received an email from your CEO or CFO asking you to make an immediate or urgent wire transfer of funds? If you are the person in your organization who is responsible for such tasks and receive requests like this regularly, you may not think twice.

However, with the increased sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals, you must Stop, Look, and Think before deciding how to proceed. Business Email Compromise is an advanced form of spear-phishing which targets employees of businesses that routinely perform wire transfer payments or work with foreign companies or suppliers. This form of cybercrime is steadily on the rise, and companies are losing thousands, even millions of dollars instantly because of a spoofed or compromised email address.

How it Happens

First, the scammers target the email accounts of business executives or high-level employees. Either they will gain actual access to those individuals’ email accounts through a targeted phishing attack and wait for the perfect time to take over (such as when those employees go on vacation or leave for a business trip), or they will simply spoof the email address and change where the email is sent when it is replied to. This is called header manipulation. Then, they will email an employee within an organization who may be responsible for making wire transfers or handling funds, asking them to process a transaction.

When you receive any requests to transfer or wire funds:

• Look closely to verify the email address when you receive a wire transfer or monetary transaction request. Check for any spelling errors or missing letters. 
• Call the person who is requesting the transfer directly to verify that the request is legitimate, or follow your corporate verification procedures carefully. 
• If you think a request is suspicious in any way, trust your instincts and inform management or IT immediately.
• If you reply to the message, be sure to look at the real email address before replying.

To prevent your email from being the one that is compromised:

• Never provide your security or account credentials to anyone. 
• Do not click on any links or open attachments in emails you receive, unless you are absolutely positive they are safe and from a legitimate sender. 

It is best to have a wire transfer process in place that requires more than just an email request. Either a phone call, face-to-face, or multi-person process is best. Remember, you are the key to preventing cybercrime in your organization. 

For additional assistance, contact kcitcsat@kingcounty.gov.