With just 6 days until Election Day, the urgency to secure your core accounts has never been higher. Cyber attacks traditionally spike in these final days, targeting campaigns and the people around campaigns when they're most vulnerable.
So I wanted to share a crucial step you can take to fortify your defenses: enabling Passkeys on your personal accounts.
Passkeys: Your Strongest Defense Against Cyber Threats
Forget passwords. Passkeys are the future of authentication. Passkeys are a digital credential that is a more secure and convenient way to protect your accounts. Unlike passwords, Passkeys are:
Phishing-resistant
Unique to each website or application
Easy to use across all your devices
A recent report from VoterGuard found that 27,000 personal accounts and passwords related to political campaigns are readily available online. So if you work on or with political campaigns, implementing passkeys on your personal accounts can enhance your cybersecurity posture.
It's a small step that protects you and the campaigns you support.
Ready to add a passkey?
It's easy! Defending Digital Campaigns has created a list of commonly used services that offer passkey protection and links to instructions on how to turn them on at www.defendcampaigns.org/passkeys.
Election Day is almost here. Protect your data!
Onward,
Julia Griswold
WPLN Fellows Manager
A recent U.S. News survey revealed that 82% of American adults are concerned about "the overall security of their personal data online" — but "relatively few are taking steps to protect their information."
But it's not too late! Check out WPLN's conversation with Michael Kaiser, an internationally recognized cybersecurity and privacy expert who serves as President and CEO of Defending Digital Campaigns, for cybersecurity tips and best practices to help keep your information secure online!
As part of our WPLN Fellowship for Nonprofit Management, Fellows help build the capacity of our organization and assist our State Partners who identify, engage, and train women on the ground to seek public office.
Check out our website to meet our 3 new Fellows:
Meet Gianna Covarelli, who's pursuing her Master's in Political Science and Public Affairs at Texas Woman's University.
Meet Sarah Harper, who's pursuing her Master's in Public Administration from the Baker School at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Meet Grace Jackson, who's in her senior year at Purdue University and majoring in Political Science with minors in Communications and Law and Society.
Our 2025 #WPLNSummit will be here before you know it. We're offering 15% off our tickets now through December 31, 2024, using the code EARLYBIRD!
Ashley O'Rourke
Senior Business Development Lead for Political Campaigns at Microsoft
Ashley is a data and analytics expert. Prior to joining Microsoft's Tech for Social Impact team, she served as the Director of Analytics for more than 5 years at Majority Strategies. She's also a member of the WPLN Impact Council and has joined us for virtual webinars and our National Summit!
... The 2024 elections are nearly here!
This is our chance to make our voices heard and advocate for issues we believe in.
Per the nonprofit organization I am a voter, in addition to the presidential race, other seats on ballots this year include the following:
34 of 100 seats in the U.S. Senate;
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives;
And since we know you're busy, here are our top picks for other "must reads" this month!
For the "girl's girl," businesswoman and philanthropist Melinda French Gates talks about her ongoing efforts to increase charitable giving for women and their health (currently, women and girls receive less than 2% of all charitable giving).
For the woman who celebrates culture in style, Mattel is releasing its first ever Diwali Barbie doll, available in a limited edition.
For the woman who wants to Remember the Ladies, check out our monthly feature on key moments in women's representation and rights in the past during the month of October.
OCTOBER 31 | LBJ WCS Cohort 6 info session: Join our Texas training partner the LBJ Women's Campaign School (WCS) to learn more about their program and how to apply to be a member of their 2024 Cohort! This program will help train you with the skills you need to be a winning candidate or run a successful campaign. RSVP here!
NOVEMBER 21 | The Pocketbook Project hosts "Sipping with the Senators": Our Massachusetts training partner the Pocketbook Project is hosting a networking event with New Hampshire state senators. Learn more details!
NOVEMBER 15 | WPLN Tips from the Trail with Judge Amy Jones: Our WPLN Fellow Grace Jackson will host next month's #TipsFromTheTrail with Judge Amy Jones of the Marion County Superior Court. Find more details on our website!
Support WPLN programs and resources by making a contribution today!
Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) is a non-profit organization organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law.
Women’s Public Leadership Network (WPLN) educates, organizes, and inspires women to run for elected office, obtain political appointments, and become more involved in the political process across the United States.
Women who believe in commonsense, pragmatic public policy solutions are often missing in political and policy dialogue. WPLN offers tools and opportunities designed to equip women with the knowledge and resources they need, including easily accessible online content and access to a community of like-minded people who want to support them as they step up, engage in the political process, and lead.
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