The 2013 GTSC Holiday Awards honors:

Federal Small Business Champions of the Year Award: John Morton, former Director, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement & Jonathan Porter, Chief of Staff, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Federal Small Business Champion of the Year is awarded annually to the Federal official(s) who show a distinct commitment and tangible results toward improving the environment and success for small businesses in the Federal homeland and national security market.

Market Maven of the Year Award: Chad C. Sweet, Co-Founder & CEO, The Chertoff Group

Normally presented at the GTSC Anniversary, 2013 year’s Market Maven of the Year Award will be presented at the holiday party. It is presented to an exceptional individual who contributes in a concrete and tangible way to the efficiency, productivity and effectiveness of the homeland and national security market. Proven as a thought leader with a belief in increasing individual opportunity, the power of free enterprise and the nurture of innovation to advance and support the homeland and national security mission.

Strategic Partner of the Year Award: Brian E. Finch, Partner, Global Security Practice, Dickstein Shapiro LLP

The Strategic Partner of the Year is awarded annually to the Strategic Partner that demonstrates a clear commitment to GTSC, contributes significantly to the content and substance of the organization and provides GTSC members with counsel, insight and resources to perform exceptionally on behalf of the homeland and national security mission.

Strategic Advisor of the Year Award: Bill Carroll, Senior Partner, Strike Force Consulting

The Strategic Advisor of the Year is awarded annually to the Strategic Advisor who works on behalf of GTSC to increase our capacity, membership and opportunities to bring the innovation, creativity and solutions of small and mid-sized companies to the homeland and national security mission.

Small Business Member of the Year Award: PReSafe Technologies LLC

The award is presented annually to the GTSC Member that exemplifies exceptional quality and ethics for the Federal government, a commitment to GTSC’s small business members and advocacy on behalf of our community.

Mentor of the Year Award: TASC & Mike Kelly, Vice President, Business Development, Civil and Infrastructure Security Group, TASC

Mentor of the Year is awarded annually to the GTSC Mentor who has worked to increase members’ understanding of the homeland and national security market, increased business opportunities for small companies through formal and informal mentoring and engages with GTSC to promote an innovative, robust, fair market for all.

About the Border Patrol Foundation

The Border Patrol Foundation provides resources to the families of the fallen and creates awareness of the escalating risk of those who keep America’s borders safe. These services create a financial bridge through the turbulent time following a family’s loss. The Foundation supports programs improving awareness of United States border security and recognizes community leaders supporting the families of the U.S. Border Patrol. The Foundation’s volunteers have served with the U.S. Border Patrol or are professionals, friends and family committed to the importance of securing America’s borders and dedicate their lives to the same.

Thank You to our Sponsors!

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Thank you to Old Dominion Strategies!

Support and sponsorships of our holiday event are welcome  — please contact us to help make this our best event ever!

Parking & Public Transportation

Parking: There is some on-site and two-hour metered street parking. Parking is also available at GMU.

Metrorail: The Arlington Arts Center is one block south of the Virginia Square-GMU metro station on the Orange line.

Metrobus: Line 24P and ART Line 41 stop directly in front of the AAC.

I’m a Spear Phisherman. I want to catch the big one and reel it in! But I’m not talking about tuna; I’m talking about landing your personal information. Here’s my secret: I impersonate your friends, your bank and the people you trust to gain access to your computer and your network.

I’m pretty good. I know that you can’t always tell the difference from the real messages and the fake ones that I dangle in front of you. It doesn’t take long for me to gather lots of personal information about you — what you like, who you follow, what you purchase online and which websites you visit.

I use the information I find through open sources and develop personalized messages designed to trick you into believing they are from trusted entities. Spear phishermen like me can design emails, tweets, phone texts and even Facebook updates that access your private information after just one click.

Once you open the message, I trick you into giving me your user names, passwords or other office information, which allow me to access your network undetected. Little did you know that you just gave me the ability to take all the company information I would like.

It’s easy to avoid my targeted attacks and protect yourself against “Spear Phishing:”

• Be stingy with your user name and password. Don’t share personal information with anyone. At all!
• Don’t surf the Web chasing popular stories, blog posts, videos, etc. I love to hide in these sites, learn about your likes and dislikes and then target you.
• Think before you click links from social media sites, emails or text messages. That’s the easiest way for me to catch your information.
• Verify any caller before providing names and email addresses of your coworkers. Be the first line of defense.
• Delete suspicious emails without opening them or responding to them. If it looks suspicious and you don’t know the sender, it could just be bait. Use caution!

It’s easy to protect your information against my traps and keep your personal and company information safe.

Protect — don’t neglect — your information against Spear Phishermen like Mal Ware. For more information, check out www.us-cert.gov.

Lisa Martin
CEO
LeapFrog Solutions, Inc.

LeapFrog Solutions (LFS) is a certified woman owned small business based in Fairfax, Virginia. Founded in 1996, we are a trusted source for commercial businesses and federal agencies seeking full spectrum creative solutions and exceptional program management. This blogpost is brought to you by GTSC in partnership with LeapFrog Solutions. For more information on cyber awareness campaigns contact Anjali Dighe at 703.539.6127 or adighe@leapfrogit.com.