King County Security Tips – Malvertising
Visit any website these days and it’s very likely that you will be viewing ads as well. Sometimes these ads can be tempting, with many offering sales, promotions, or freebies to attract more clicks. Ads on certain websites can even be targeted specifically to you based on past browsing history, making you even more likely to click!
Remember this: Just because you are on a reputable, well-known website, it does not mean that the ads on the website are safe to click as well.
How adspace can become infected: Advertisers do not sell their ads to websites one at a time. Websites that want to make money sell their advertising space to an ad network. Advertisers sign contracts with that ad network which then displays the ads on the participating websites. The ad network sits in the middle between the advertisers and the websites and manages the traffic and the payments.
Cybercriminals can take advantage of this system by fooling the ad networks into thinking they are a legit advertiser, but the ads which are displayed on major websites can be poisoned. If you browse to a page with a poisoned ad on it, that is enough to run the risk your PC will be encrypted with ransomware, which can hold your computer or your entire network hostage until you pay the cybercriminal a ransom.
Tips to prevent the effect of harmful ads:
- Disable Adobe Flash on your computer – or at least set the Adobe Flash plug-in to “click-to-play” mode – which can block the automatic infections.
- Keep up-to-date with all the security patches and install them as soon as they come out.
- Download and install a reputable ad blocker plug-in for your browser. These prevent the ads from being displayed in your browser to start with. These ad blockers are getting very popular with hundreds of millions of people using them.
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Employee discounts to Parade, at The 5th Avenue Theatre
King County employees can take advantage of a 25% discount to attend the Tony Award winning, Best Revival of a Musical, PARADE playing at The 5th Avenue Theatre, from April 16 through May 4.
This North American touring production of the Broadway musical is filled with soaring music and with a timely and heart-wrenching story. To book directly through the website, visit
5thavenue.org/seacity or go to the CALENDAR section of the website and enter promo code: SEACITY to purchase tickets.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount intranet page.
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Meditation and mindfulness resources for King County employees
Meditation and mindfulness are techniques used to reduce stress by encouraging a heightened sense of awareness and focused attention. Both approaches share many of the same tools to promote mind and body practices that increase calmness and physical relaxation and enhance overall well-being.
There are several meditation and mindfulness resources available for King County employees. Balanced You encourages you to explore these resources to find ones that work for you.
Making Life Easier (MLE) Toolkit
This meditation toolkit from Making Life Easier (MLE) includes tips sheets, guided videos and audio exercises, and additional resources. Read more.
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DAJD recruiters pioneer comic book-style approach
By Noah Haglund, DAJD Communications Specialist IV
To attract the next generation of officers at King County jails, the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s (DAJD) recruitment team is trying out a novel form of storytelling.
“On the Job” uses a comic book-style to show the journey of three wayward young people who tour a jail, meet COs, and overturn their assumptions about working in corrections. By the end, they are ready to apply to work as corrections officers.
Created in collaboration with LA-based Hero Projects, “On the Job” was published online in March. Hard copies are due to reach DAJD’s Human Resources Section in early April. Read more.
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Safety lessons for Distracted Driving Awareness Month
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. At least nine people a day are killed in distracted driving crashes. Handheld and hands-free phone calls and texts, emails, social media, passengers, snacks, and even built-in vehicle touchscreens are just some of the distractions fighting for your attention on the road.
Here’s a simple way to think about it: if something requires your hands, your eyes or your attention while you’re driving, it’s a distraction. Distracted driving isn’t just risky for you, it can be deadly for every nearby driver, pedestrian, bicyclist, and worker.
Pledge to avoid distracted driving and help everyone around you get home safe. For more information, check out these materials to help us all stay safe while driving:
- Test your knowledge of distracted driving with the distracted driving quiz.
- Watch this video of the impacts of distracted driving with real testimonials.
- Common Visual Distractions while driving
- Common Manual Distractions while driving
- Common Cognitive Distractions while driving
- National Safety Council: Have you ever felt in danger as a passenger in a car?
- Driver Safety on and off the job
- Put the brakes on distracted driving
We hope you will take the safety lessons you learn at work and bring them home to those you care about so we can all stay safe.
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Department of Local Services brings together unincorporated area utility providers to share experiences from ‘bomb cyclone’ and other severe weather
Crossposted from King County Local
Last November, a rare “bomb cyclone” pounded the Puget Sound region. The storm downed trees and knocked out power and other services for weeks in parts of unincorporated King County.
This week, the Department of Local Services invited representatives from utility providers and partner agencies that serve unincorporated King County for a discussion about communication, coordination and recovery during the storm. The discussion also covered lessons learned and ways to collaborate and strengthen partnerships to better serve communities during major weather events. Read more.
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Exclusive savings to various parks through TicketsatWork
King County employees can get two parks for $99 plus free meals – including SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, Aquatica Orlando or Adventure Island Tampa – through TicketsatWork. Learn more and view full offer terms.
TicketsatWork is updated daily with seasonal offers and exclusive savings on everything from home entertainment to your everyday needs.
Visit ticketsatwork.com/tickets and use the company code KingCounty to begin receiving discounts and extra special offers on your go-to brands and most-loved experiences, including brand new offers on cruises, just in time for spring travel.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount intranet page.
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Together We Thrive: Employee Engagement Survey has launched
The Employee Engagement Survey began on March 31 and runs through April 21.
On Monday, March 31, eligible King County employees (all Executive Branch employees, employees in King County Elections, King County Assessor’s Office, and King County Council who have worked at the county for at least three months prior to the survey and are not an intern or on an STT assignment) received an email from noreply@qemailserver.com with a custom link to complete the survey.
If you did not receive the survy email, please check your email junk or “Other” inbox. If you still cannot find the email, please reach out to your department’s Engagement Champion or contact employeeexperience@kingcounty.gov.
The survey will take 15 – 30 minutes. Please know that your feedback is confidential. All individual responses are highly confidential and may not be accessed by anyone at King County. We will act on your responses. Employee feedback through past surveys led to the creation of hundreds of workgroup-focused action plans, new career development programs, an enhanced focus on health and well-being, expanded policies on anti-discrimination and anti-harassment, and the opportunity to use sick leave to volunteer for organizations participating in the Employee Giving Program.
You can learn more at the Employee Engagement SharePoint page.
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Providence Swedish and PacMed remain in Regence network
Regence BlueShield and Providence Swedish and PacMed reached a contract agreement late Friday, March 28, 2025. Services provided by Providence Swedish and PacMed providers, clinics, and facilities will continue to be considered in-network by Regence. If you are enrolled in a Regence medical plan and you see a Providence Swedish or PacMed provider, there will be no disruption to your coverage or benefits.
For more information, see the Regence News post. If you have questions, please call Regence BlueShield at 800-376-7926 or contact the King County Benefits team at 206-684-1556 or email KC Benefits.
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Recognizing Metro’s Operators of the Month, Jan. to Feb. 2025
Crossposted from Metro Matters
They are hikers and campers. Motorcycle riders and barbeque enthusiasts. They collect art and guitar pedals! Those who ride with them say “He always greets passengers and ensures they are in a safe position before he starts driving,” “You, kind Sir, brightened my day. A kind smile and a hello go such a long way,” and “Great driver, great smile. She made the whole trip excellent.”
They are operators with 150 years of professional driving experience! The operators on your bus are as unique as you, and all of them love driving and giving back to their community. Read more.
Employee News 