How to deal with a threat

Written by: Contributing Writer

Written on: July 14, 2020

At some point in your life, chances are you will have to deal with a difficult individual. It may be a family member, a co-worker, or a perfect stranger. In extreme cases, their behaviour may turn aggressive or threatening. This could escalate into a potentially dangerous situation.

To keep yourself safe from harm, there are certain strategies you can employ.

Assess the seriousness of the situation. This will help you determine how to proceed. In milder circumstances, the situation may be easily diffused. As matters escalate, however, additional steps will need to be considered.

At some point in your life, chances are you will have to deal with a difficult individual.
To keep yourself safe from harm, there are certain strategies you can employ.

Stay calm. Getting upset will only worsen the situation and perhaps even agitate the other person more. Speak softly and try to avoid getting into any arguments, which will only cause matters to become more inflamed.

Try to keep the other person calm. Avoid countering with your own verbal threats or making gestures that might be deemed as aggressive. Do what you can to attempt to persuade him that you want a peaceful resolution and don’t want to challenge him.

Be ready to defend yourself, should the situation warrant it. If someone follows a verbal threat with physical violence, you may need to fight back. Kick, scratch, scream, use car keys or whatever you have available should you find yourself in danger of being harmed.

Getting upset will only worsen the situation and perhaps even agitate the other person more.
Speak softly and try to avoid getting into any arguments, which will only cause matters to become more inflamed.

Look for an opportunity to escape. Search for an exit or an area where you can quickly get away. Look for other people and approach them for help. If you are able to find a public place, like a store or restaurant, hurry inside and tell them what’s happening.

Contact the police. If you believe someone is being aggressive or threatening, inform the authorities. In some instances, a restraining order may have to be obtained.

How to Deal With a Threat

Have you ever threatened someone? Come on…there was that one time, or two or three when you were pushed too far.

It happens to the best of us at some point in our stressful lives. I’m sure you’ve been the recipient of threats at some point too…am I right? If not…good for you.

When it comes to threats, you need to know what I’m about to tell you sooner than later.

So, keep reading, or I’ll [email protected]#%#@ kick the Sh$% out of you. See, that’s an example of a threat! Of course, I was just kidding…I’m not the fighting type. I’ll get someone else to beat you up…but, I digress.

And, by the way, I get it…I mean I can appreciate how hard it is sometimes dealing with your ex or your spouse when the communication has broken down and you are just “done.” But, that’s why this is so important.

Seriously!

In this age of technology, with smart phones, email, texting, imsessages, etc, you have to be extra careful what you do. This may sound like a “duh” statement, but trust me…I can’t tell you how many people do this and then regret it.

Don’t get angry and put it in writing. Right…duh, but I bet you have done it at least once in the past. Have you? Be honest with yourself. Have you thrown an insult or two in a text or email?

In a future post, I’m going to get into a lot of detail about domestic violence and how to handle it if you ever get involved in an incident (and I hope you don’t), but for now, I want to stress to you…

Four Ways To Handle Threats

1. Don’t threaten back. Don’t threaten your ex, spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend. Find another way to vent or communicate your frustration. But, if you do threaten them…please don’t put it in writing! Think before you act. If you have to go to court for anything…whatever you put in writing toward your spouse will be used against you…I guarantee it. Why even put yourself in that position?

There are other ways to deal with your issue other than threatening someone.

2. Don’t react. If you communicate with your spouse by email and/or text, then the best thing you can do is act like you are trying to work with them and solve the issue.

Try to be reasonable (I know that’s not always easy).

But, if you can show a pattern on your part of not agitating, exchanging insults, but rather attempting to be reasonable and resolve whatever the issue is…then, that is evidence you can use to help yourself if you are ever in court seeking relief.

3. Record them. If you can discretely record someone threatening you, that is actual evidence you can use against that person. However, I say this in all seriousness, don’t ever risk your well-being trying to record someone. If that person found out they were being recorded, they could lash out even more and put you in serious danger. You need to use your common sense here, but it’s an option.

4. Keep a log. This is similar to number 3, but a lot safer for you. Make and keep a log of every time this person threatens you. Write down the date, time and what the threat was. This too is evidence and as long as you made near the time the threat happened, it can be useful in a court situation. If the threat was a voice mail, don’t delete it…same for text threats and emails. Print them out if possible and keep them somewhere safe in case you ever need them.

So, there you go, four ways to handle threats if you find yourself on the receiving end of any.

Of course, if anyone physically threatens you and you feel your safety is at risk, call the police right away. Better to be careful than be hurt, or worse.

Be strong, act confident and stay positive!

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How to Deal With a Threat My Alabama colleague Roger Shuler this week published two powerful blogs addressing what he justifiably regards as a threat of death or other serious harm delivered by email Monday. “Yours is coming — Don’t Worry,” said the email. The coding indicates that it came from a computer located near Shuler’s home in Birmingham, Alabama’s largest city.

Shuler, portrayed at left with Murphy, his late pet, has turned this week’s challenge into a useful educational tool. That’s the kind of useful information readers of his Legal Schnauzer blog have come to expect in his fearless, near-daily, four-year campaign to expose the most abusive lawyers and public officials in his region. In that spirit, his two columns this week describe why he decided to report this threat after ignoring in print many previous ones. He describes steps he’s taken to protect himself and his family, plus practical guidance for readers who fear anonymous threats for themselves and family. His guidance may be unique. But his experience of receiving a threat is not. Bloggers and critics of major companies and public officials are especially vulnerable to anonmyous reprisals. Malefactors may even include supposed “friends” or government contractors, as we recently reported. Check out his tips below, and share your own.

Below are significant articles for this two-week period on legal reform and related political, security and media factors. The articles, including a strong representation from independent blogs and other media, contain a sample of news. See the full article by clicking the link.

Legal Schnauzer, How Should a Progressive Blogger React to a Possible Death Threat? Roger Shuler, Aug. 30, 2011. On Monday evening, Legal Schnauzer received an anonymous comment that I interpreted to be a death threat. How should a blogger handle such a situation? I’m not aware of any textbook or position paper on the subject, so there seems to be no clear-cut answer. But I can tell you what I’ve done, so far. In the four-plus years that I’ve been producing this blog, I’ve received probably 50 to 75 anonymous messages that had a threatening tone. I’m guessing that 20 to 30 of those have been ugly enough to cause me some measure of alarm. I’ve never described any blog-related communication that I thought caused me to be in danger of bodily harm or death–until now. What’s different about this most recent message? Well, I explained that, in a general sense, with a post yesterday afternoon. Mainly, the timing of the comment–and the content of the post to which it was attached–made me think the individual behind this one might be dangerous.

Legal Schnauzer, Did I Just Receive a Death Threat Via E-Mail? Roger Shuler, Aug. 29, 2011. At 6:55 p.m. yesterday, I received an anonymous comment on this blog that reads as follows: “Yours is coming- Don’t Worry.” The comment was in response to a post I published last Tuesday (August 23), titled “Death of a Bush-Era Prosecutor Prompts Deep Thoughts On the Hereafter.” Anonymous threats, unfortunately, are not an uncommon occurrence around here. In fact, I’ve written several times about threats, most recently in a July 18 post that includes a roundup of the various charming messages we’ve received through the years. I’ve always taken threats seriously, but not so much that I’ve ever reported one to authorities. This time, it might be different.

Other Legal News

Rolling Stone, The GOP War on Voting, Ari Berman, Sept. 15, 2011. In a campaign supported by the Koch brothers, Republicans are working to prevent millions of Democrats from voting next year. As the nation gears up for the 2012 presidential election, Republican officials have launched an unprecedented, centrally coordinated campaign to suppress the elements of the Democratic vote that elected Barack Obama in 2008. Just as Dixiecrats once used poll taxes and literacy tests to bar black Southerners from voting, a new crop of GOP governors and state legislators has passed a series of seemingly disconnected measures that could prevent millions of students, minorities, immigrants, ex-convicts and the elderly from casting ballots.

Democrats.com, Cheney’s Kettle Logic, David Swanson, Sept. 1, 2011. On “Morning Joe” on MSNBC on Thursday, the former Vice President claimed that the intelligence used to invade Iraq had been sound and accurate; the faulty intelligence was all Bill Clinton’s fault; the invasion didn’t do any damage but rather it was the Iraqis who damaged Iraq; and any invasion causes horrific things to happen, that just comes with the territory. The Justice Department answers to Obama, and Obama is protecting Cheney because Obama is continuing similar crimes and abuses. If Obama were to allow Attorney General Eric Holder to enforce our laws against Dick Cheney, Obama might very well save his own electoral prospects. But he would put himself at risk of future prosecution. The question of whether we will have the rule of law becomes the question of whether Obama wants to trade four years of power for decades in prison. That’s not how it is supposed to work.

Washington Post, SEC record purges at odds with other agencies, David S. Hilzenrath, Aug. 31, 2011. While the SEC directed its staff for years to purge certain investigative records, other agencies in the United States and abroad that enforce financial laws have instructed that similar documents be kept. Law enforcement authorities in related lines of work have preserved records of inquiries even if those probes never led to charges against anyone. Regulators and archivists said that the records could be a valuable source of information for investigators probing other cases and could help hold the authorities accountable.

“Dealing with threats and/or threatening behavior—detecting them, evaluating them, and finding a way to address them—may be the single most important key to preventing violence,” says the FBI.

How to Deal With a Threat

Frequently violent incidents in the workplace are preceded by threats or threatening behavior. The FBI points out that threats may be “explicit or veiled, spoken or unspoken, specific or vague.” In other instances, behavior might suggest the potential for some type of violent act to occur. Sometimes even casual comments made to co-workers could suggest a potential problem (for example, a worker who talks a lot about guns or other weapons).

Any effective workplace violence prevention strategy must include measures to detect, assess, and manage threats and threatening behavior.

But what actually constitutes a threat? The dictionary defines a threat as “a statement or expression of intention to hurt, destroy, punish, etc., as in retaliation or intimidation.”

The problem with this definition is that it tends to rely on a subjective, rather than objective, evaluation. Who determines when an intention to hurt has been expressed? A purely subjective determination (that is, whatever makes someone feel threatened is a threat) is “an uncertain guide for behavior, since different people can respond differently to the same words or acts,” says the FBI.

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“That does not mean that subjective factors can or should be completely excluded from the definition,” says the FBI. “Employees can and should be held responsible for a reasonable regard for the feelings and concerns of co-workers and others in the workplace, and employers properly have an obligation to make sure employees do not feel frightened or intimidated.”

Therefore your workplace violence prevention policy should address threats from both an objective and subjective perspective. “It must set reasonably explicit standards of behavior so employees know how they are expected to act or not act; it must also make clear to employees that no one has a right to make anyone else feel threatened,” according to the FBI.

A definition of “threat” for a violence prevention policy might go something like this: “An inappropriate behavior, verbal or nonverbal communication, or expression that would lead to the reasonable belief that an act has occurred or may occur which may lead to physical and/or psychological harm to the threatener, to others, or to property.” Or this: “Any verbal or physical conduct that threatens property or personal safety or that reasonably could be interpreted as an intent to cause harm.”

Threat Assessment

The FBI says that effective threat assessment involves two steps:

An evaluation of the threat
An evaluation of the threatener

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“Together, these evaluations can help lead to an informed judgment on whether someone who has made a threat is likely to carry it out—a determination that has been described as ‘differentiating when someone is making a threat versus posing a threat’,” says the FBI.

The assessment can also help you determine the most appropriate response, whether that be counseling, discipline, or discharge.

The FBI says that a good threat assessment will thoroughly analyze:

The exact nature and context of the threat and/or threatening behavior
The identified target (general or specific)
The threatener’s apparent motivation
The threatener’s ability to carry out the threat
The threatener’s background, including work history, criminal record, mental health history, military history, and past behavior on the job

Other Legal News

Spyware aka advertising-supported software or adware – has been until recently a fairly benign snooper on your surfing habits. The data it gathers is then used to target you with tailored advertising, either in pop-up windows or emails.

The problem is that these software spies are starting to get nasty. Spyware is being written and propagated with the express purpose of recording personal data such as passwords and credit card numbers, or hijacking your browser and bookmarking porn or other undesirable sites, or grabbing your web dialler. Some spyware even features self-updating code so that conventional freeware removal tools have no effect.

What’s more, unlike viruses and worms, most people with spyware on their computers have asked for it, albeit unwittingly. Many websites may ask you to register or sign up to them to receive content, and by doing so you may agree that spyware can operate on your PC – but this critical point is often buried in lengthy Ts & Cs where most users won’t see it.

Spyware everywhere

And it isn’t a small-scale problem. Research in the US in Spring 2004 showed that 1 in 3 PCs scanned had spyware hidden on its hard drive. A total of 650,000 PCs were scanned, finding more than 18 million spyware tools.

Nor is spyware confined to home users. The average amount of spyware on business machines is similar to home users’ – largely because most companies don’t have centralised, managed anti-spyware protection in place. Certain spyware – such as that used by P2P networks like Kazaa – is also bandwidth hungry as it communicates a lot of data between machines, which can be a problem on corporate networks.

It’s becoming such a sizeable problem in the US that the Government voted unanimously in Spring 2004 to approve the first-ever anti-spyware bill. The Securely Protect Yourself Against Cyber Trespass (Spy Act), approved by the US House of Representatives, would levy fines up to $3 million for those who illegally collect personal information, change a browser’s default home page or bookmarks, log keystrokes, or steal identities.

Evolution

So how has spyware been allowed to get this far without being restrained? The key problem is that we have accepted spyware in a variety of forms for too long. A cookie – the website marketeer’s long time friend – is a form or spyware. Microsoft uses various forms of friendly spyware to help most of us in our everyday work, by tracking what documents and applications we’ve used recently and giving us quick, one-click access to them.

But in the same way that Internet worms evolved to take advantage of email, malware authors are now taking spyware away from its neutral roots into Internet crime – whether by hijacking browsers and diallers, keystroke logging or laying the groundwork for mass spamming. These authors are also using tricks from the virus world by finding and exploiting browser vulnerabilities to their advantage.

This means that spyware be installed even on a fully-patched Windows machine running the latest anti-virus software. A partial solution is to combine AV with a personal firewall – but even this isn’t a complete fix. Spyware can get installed through ActiveX which is enabled with MS Internet Explorer. Alternatively, it can exploit vulnerabilities that are patched in Internet Explorer – so-called zero day vulnerabilities because the loophole is exploited before the patch is available and widely deployed.

Disabling ActiveX is an option – but it makes surfing difficult because many websites actively rely on using ActiveX. It’s frustrating to have to click “Yes” every single time the web browser asks you about running ActiveX scripts and controls.

Managing the problem

So spyware has become both a security and a management issue for companies as it becomes destructive. But how do companies manage the problem? There’s currently a dearth of corporate anti-spyware tools which integrate with other security applications, such as anti-virus and desktop firewalling.

However, this is soon to change. Anti-virus vendors are starting to introduce spyware and adware pop-up blocking and removal to their core anti-virus and Internet Security solutions. These will be updated in exactly the same way as conventional virus signatures, and will give policy-based centralised management of this emerging issue – helping to nullify the threat from self-updating malicious spyware programs while giving IT staff the option to allow non-aggressive spyware.

By putting spyware on the security map, companies can ensure that the more malicious spyware elements do NOT come in from the cold.

Dealing with aggressive spyware

– use freeware tools to audit your PCs and identify what spyware is resident.
– use the same tools to try and remove unwanted spyware: a combination of two tools often works where a single tool fails.
– look at latest-generation AV software which includes anti-spyware functionality, giving corporate, policy-driven spyware management of this emerging problem.

What does “deal with a threat” mean in “What does matter is, the threat we are dealing with doesn’t see the difference between personal and collective guilt”.

Does it mean that they are trying to solve that threat?

hhtt

Yes, that’s the idea.

How you deal with a threat is what you do when someone or something threatens you.

Clive

Clive Yes, that’s the idea.How you deal with a threat is what you do when someone or something threatens you.

This is our answer or respond to threat what we do against it. Then I am not sure but strongly probable that deal with a treath=struggle with a threat.

hhtt

hhtt This is our answer or respond to threat what we do against it. Then I am not sure but strongly probable that deal with a treath=struggle with a threat.

hhtt

deal is a more rational, calmer word than struggle.

Clive

Would you please explain which definition in the link fits for this example-deal with a threat?

ANI | Updated: Sep 16, 2020 17:39 IST

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): The Delhi government on Wednesday submitted before the Delhi High Court that 15 special cells will be set up in every police district to deal with the threat to inter-caste marriage couples.
The Home Department of the Government of NCT of Delhi, in a status report, submitted that it has issued an order dated August 28 constituting 15 committees of officers as District Special Cells, co-terminus with Police Districts in Delhi.
The Delhi government also informed a division bench of Justice JR Midha and Justice Brijesh Sethi that the Deputy Commissioner of Police of respective districts will be the co-ordinating officers for the functioning of these special cells.
The special cells shall function in accordance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in the case of Shakti Vahini Versus Union of India & Ors, the government said in its status report.
It also informed the High Court that in a meeting, held under the Chairmanship of Principal Secretary (Home) regarding petitions/complaints of harassment and threat to inter-caste marriage couples on August 21, 2020, it was decided that the special cells should be created in every police district in Delhi.

The status report said that the special cells will be created in Delhi in every revenue district comprising of Deputy Commissioner of Police, District Social Welfare Officer and Representative of the Women and Child Development Department.
“In the said meeting, the representatives of the Social Welfare Department mentioned that the said department will create and manage the new 24-hour helpline regarding complaints of harassment of and threat to couples of inter-caste marriage,” the status report said.
“It was also decided in the said meeting that Delhi Police, Social Welfare Departments, and Women and Child Development Department will jointly draft Standard Operating Procedure to operationalise the Special Cell and the 24-hour helpline,” it added.
The status report said that the representative of Delhi Police, in the meeting, had also informed that that a detailed SOP for the police is also being drafted. It has also been decided that at present, one safe house has been established by the Social Welfare Department to accommodate such couples by the government.
The Delhi government filed the status report on a petition, filed by Dhanak of Humanity, which highlighted the lack of the implementation of the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the Shakti Vahini case. (ANI)

One of the ways Malabon is doing it is by implementing an effective system for contact tracing and presiding over a free mega swab testing done at the city’s sports stadium.

To “Detect, Isolate, Trace, and Treat” patients is the only way the city can have a semblance of normalcy and allow the local economy to function amid the new normal, Malabon Mayor Lenlen Oreta said.

The free mega swab testing started last August 8 at the Oreta Sports Center in coordination with the City’s Health Department, Ospital ng Malabon, Philippine National Red Cross, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 (IATF).

From an initial RT PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) testing of 600 a day, succeeding tests showed significant increase of target capacity to 1,000 a day. As of August 25, a total of almost 20,000 Malabonians were already tested.

Malabon implements its testing every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, while contact tracing by the barangay health emergency response team (BHERTs) is done during Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In addition to the free testing, participants are also given food packs so they will not need to go out of their homes frequently until their results are released.

How to Deal With a Threat

“We are doing this testing to make sure that any COVID-infected individual wouldn’t infect his or her family, and those in their community. This is being proactive, and this would help flatten the curve of infection in the long run,” said Oreta.

Those who are tested, the mayor says, are required to isolate themselves at their homes. Those proven to be infected based on the swab testing are required to go to one of Malabon’s three isolation centers, where they would be “treated” – given regular nutritious food and vitamins, and provided a clean and safe environment where they could rest and recover.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is also helping to create an isolation center that is bigger, which can soon accommodate 88 beds.

To avail of the free COVID-19 testing, Malabonians who feel they have symptoms need to schedule a visit with their barangay health centers first. The priority for testing are those who had close contact with a COVID-positive patient.

The Malabon local government is in the process of purchasing serology machines that would allow them to see immediate results from tests.

As Covid cases continues to rise all over the metro, Malabon is intensifying its information campaign called “#MaskSafeSaMalabon” to remind Malabonians of the “3Ps” – Paghugas ng Kamay, Pagsuot ng Face Mask/ Face Shield, and Physical Distancing.

Though there are challenges along the way, majority of the citizens are following health protocols and observing curfew, Oreta noted.

Although there are no barangays on lockdown, people are still expected to show IDs whenever they leave their houses as proof that they are going to work or on an important errand.

“We should work hand-in-hand and do our part in keeping the virus from spreading. The local government and medical frontliners alone wouldn’t be able to eliminate the problem if the rest of the population is not following the health protocols,” the mayor said.

“We must live and act ‘like we have the virus’ so we would be responsible and conscious of others. It is only by cooperation that we would see the COVID infections go down,” Oreta added. “The earlier the infections go down, the earlier it is for us to bring back to normal our lives, livelihood, and the local economy.”

How to Deal With a Threat

Locust threat is one of the major national issues as it threatens to increase food insecurity in Pakistan by destroying food crops. To tackle the issue, the country is using different techniques. According to National Radio Telecommunication Corporation or NRTC, the country has made a drone for eliminating the locust swarms.

Pakistan Uses Drone Technology to Deal with the Locust Threat

Some engineers at home have made this endeavor possible. According to them, the drone was primarily made to assist the farmers in tackling the locust swarms that are affecting their crops. These drones are going to be used for sprinkling pesticides and insecticides in the crop fields.

These drones will be available in the local market soon, at cheap rates. In the month of June, the Federal Minister of Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry urged the Pakistani engineers for the development of drones against the locust swarms.

PM Imran was also notified about the tasks that NRTC is operating on, especially about the creation of locally made drones to deal with locust threat. Till now, nearly 2.4 million acres of land were sprayed with the help of drones.

A total of 60 districts have been affected by the locust attack in Pakistan. These insects rise from the desert, eat anything from back to seeds and flowers while traveling up to a speed of 93.2 miles a day. According to the reports of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization FAO, about 38% of Agricultural Fields in Pakistan are breeding grounds for the locust swarm.

Industries

Tools

In the event of a bomb threat, it is crucial to have a concrete response procedure in place. This should include a procedure for reporting the threat to police, informing the public, and taking action to search the area and determine whether evacuation is necessary.

Communication will be a pivotal component of your bomb threat response plan. You need to ensure that your communication plan is thorough, and your methods are quick, effortless, and reliable in a crisis so everyone can get the information they need when they need it.

Are you developing a bomb threat communication plan, or perhaps revamping a currently existing one? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Connect with Stakeholders

Every single bomb threat should be taken seriously and reported to the police as soon as possible. Upon receiving notice of the threat, police will need to determine whether the threat is specific or non-specific and act accordingly. A specific bomb threat is one that contains at least three detailed pieces of information, examples of which include:

Specific location where the detonation will occur
Identifying the person or group responsible for the threat
Reasoning for the threat
A description of the device
How frequently detonations will occur

All bomb threats result in a search of the area by police, but a specific threat calls for a more thorough search, often with the extra help of volunteer emergency responders for efficiency. If a device or suspicious package is found during the search, the police should call for immediate evacuation of the premises.

Throughout this whole process, seamless communication will be critical. You will need to relay all details of the bomb threat to the police quickly so they can determine whether the threat is specific or nonspecific; the police will need to call in reinforcements right away if deemed necessary for the search; emergency personnel will need easy access to the areas they need to search; and once the search is complete, the results need to get back to you immediately, especially if an evacuation is necessary. All of this requires your lines of communication to be open and up to date, as well as having backup contact methods between stakeholders in case someone can’t be reached via the primary method.

Keep the Public Informed

When an incident like a bomb threat occurs, people start talking; rumors can quickly spread and grow out of control, making it harder to get accurate information out there where everyone can see it. To avoid this, it’s important to share relevant updates with the public as they occur. You don’t need to share every nitty gritty detail with the public, but let them know what happened and how the situation is progressing.

Contact local news outlets, use your social media accounts, post on your website, and reach out to your contacts using their preferred contact methods. Make sure the information is easily accessible; this will not only help squash rumors, but it will also reduce the flood of phone calls and emails you’ll receive directly if people can find their answers elsewhere.

Chances are you’ll still get these direct phone calls and emails, however, so you should script your responses to frequently asked questions and update them when needed. This will save you time and ensure consistency as you will be giving everyone the exact same information.

Determine Social Media Engagement

Which of your social media accounts will be the go-to-place for updates? Will you answer the questions you’ll most definitely get through Twitter replies? What about Facebook comments and messages? How often will you check for new questions if you choose to answer them?

Social media is becoming an increasingly relied-upon news source. When it comes to current and ongoing events like bomb threats, many people get their updates not from TV and radio, but Facebook and Twitter. Your social media accounts will be a powerful communication tool throughout a bomb threat, so it’s important to determine as early as possible the extent to which you’ll use them. Decide which accounts you’ll use, whether you’ll be answering questions or just providing updates, and keep your social media up to date with the latest information.

If you choose to answer questions on social media, be consistent. Check your notifications and inboxes regularly, and keep those scripted responses nearby in case you need them.

Need a Quick Communication Solution?

Multiple communication channels, templated messages, social media presence, and reliably consistent updates—these components can make or break your bomb threat response and communication plan. It’s also quite a lot to keep track of, but SimplyCast’s wide variety of emergency communication tools can make it so much easier.

How can SimplyCast help you in a bomb threat or other crisis? Check out the SimplyCast’s emergency communication platform, EmergHub, to find out!

Write the reason you’re deleting this FAQ

How to deal with threat From Buyer

Hi everyone, I am a new level 1 seller. I have completed few orders on seoclerk. All customers are satisfied with my work but I found one client who have many objection in my work. I had bid on his job and done exactly as he specified in his posted job and added some extra backlinks. But after delivery he have raise many issues, I have tried to convince him and also remind his posted job requirements that meet exactly with my work. But he said you have done such a job not even 1/4 of the value.

That job done manually, I have invested more time to discover his specified sources and created as he said. But at last h give me a thumb up and negative feedback and said again add twice the number of links from other source. This means I have to give him double. I found already a seller given him negative rating may be he have done exactly what he done with me.

As I am new, I try to provide good service in cheapest price to increase my trust value. But don’t have idea how to deal such client. How seoclerk will help me in this issue. It is just like a threat since buyer may be edit the feedback and make it negative. If negative feedback placed on level 1 then it is not possible to go up and get more orders.

Businesses usually face disruptive changes from time to time. Some of the way processes are carried out, the habits of their customers and, by implication, their markets, may soon become candidates for change. When this is not attended to, the processes, or the business itself may become obsolete.

When operations are carried out in a different way, and production costs are reduced, with negative repercussions on the relevance of the business to contemporary values, managers must make conscious efforts to discern whether these changes can be employed to enhance their current business processes, or if the very existence of their businesses are being threatened.

Some instances which readily come to mind are:-

Miniaturization and the emergence of the transistor.
The emergence of the micro computer.
The mobile revolution.

Once upon a time, radio sets were heavy objects reserved for a corner of the living room. They usually required some time for the electronic valves and tubes to warm up before the booming sound comes out.

Later came up their sibling, the TV with similar properties, only that it produced vision. Gradually with time, the radio sets became portable. Not only can they be carried out in small bags, they are even incorporated in mobile telephone handsets today. This is a far cry from the heavy equipment with long antennae seen on the backs of combat troops in films with themes based on the second world war.

This has affected virtually every aspect of consumer goods which employ some electronics, to the extent that the names of many pioneers of the industry can now only be found in history books.

Manufacturers of mainframe computers were not able to take the best advantage of the oncoming micro computer revolution and they failed because the micro computers eventually became more powerful, and met the needs of most users.

Processes such as film making, sound and music production, photo production, telecommunication transmission, just to mention a few, underwent changes and improvement fueled by technology, and business which could not cope suffered immensely.

In these days of the internet, and rapidly changing technology, a manager must be able to observe these changes and assess its effect on the business being managed. The business may employ the developments to its advantage. For some others, it may imply investing in the new technology and enable it to compete freely without inhibitions or limitations even when it appears it might constitute a conflict of interest.

Whatever the outcome of the competition, the cautious business manager will win.

How to Deal With a Threat

Two million people are victims of non-fatal violence in the workplace each year. Sometimes the precursor to violence is a simple threat. Therefore, it is important to know how to deal with employee threats before they escalate into violent actions.

Living in a Pressure Cooker

Today’s professional world runs on a 24-hour, 7 day- a-week, 365 days-a-year schedule. As a result, employees are living a high-stress, “pressure cooker” existence. Tension, violence, bullying, rage and negative encounters exist in the workplace due to:

Heavy workloads
Unrealistic productivity targets
Lack of control over day-to-day tasks
Unrealistic deadlines, cutting into much needed “downtime”

How do employees cope with unrelenting schedules and unrealistic expectations? In some cases, they snap – or behave in what is commonly termed as “going postal”. As with most potentially life-threatening situations, the best policy is prevention. Dealing with threats is the key to unlocking and preventing potential violence in the workplace. These are verbal warning signals.

Minimize Fall Out

On average there are 1,000 workplace homicides each year. In most cases, people who become violent have been stressed for quite some time. Stressed people often signal to coworkers or people at a place of business their escalating frustration in the form of threats. People most likely to make threats in the workplace generally fall into the following categories:

Disgruntled employees
Someone suffering with family disputes/personal problems
Former employees
Someone battling substance abuse
Lone wolf

When someone does “strike out” at work, the vast majority of incidents is not severe or fatal. However, it is important to take note when toxic workplace behaviors like bullying, intimidation, harassment or stalking present themselves. That’s when it is time to act.

Employers should always be ready to prevent, prepare and respond to an aggressive behavior and/or violent threat from an employee, vendor or visitor.

“Aggression and violence in the workplace is on the increase for most companies that fail to recognize and be PROACTIVE.” – Timothy Dimoff

Establish a zero-tolerance policy for violent behavior in the workplace
Have the proper physical security in place to protect access to the workplace
Provide employees with anonymous hotline capabilities
Teach employees gentle diffusing techniques to allow employees to vent and work through conflict to a solution
Have an established threat response, to act quickly and correctly to diffuse the situation

Overall, trust your gut instinct. If a person has a known violent past or they are immediately set off by a minor incident, contact professional security consultants and/or law enforcement immediately. It is always better to be safe than sorry!

Deal with Employee Threats Before They Escalate

As a former law enforcement officer, Tim Dimoff applies his firsthand experience with aggressive and/or violent perpetrators to business operations’ best practices. Aggressive violence and behavior only decreases when it’s not invited into the workplace. Protect your business by learning effective practices and procedures to address employee threats before it’s too late. Contact Tim to schedule his Dealing with Employee Threats presentation today.

1. Identifying an IED

IEDs vary in shape and size depending on their purpose. They can sometimes be identified by: their out-of-place appearance; seeming too heavy for their size (especially if delivered by courier); pinholes (sometime used to access activation switches); lack of identifying information; a marzipan, mint, or almond-like smell to disguise it; and protruding wires and grease or fluid type stains. If there is excessive fastening especially on one end this may be an incendiary device that requires opening from one side to be effective.

2. Pinpointing areas of risk

Security personnel should conduct routine ‘hostile reconnaissance’ exercises to highlight and pinpoint key areas of risk. This means going to any locations where someone may be able to conduct surveillance of the premises, staff and security movements. In short, they will be trying to understand how someone may gain intelligence prior to planting an IED. It is vital to remain observant of surroundings, question irregularities and never assume. While it is primarily the role of security personnel, all staff should be on the alert for IEDs and threats. If you believe that someone is conducting hostile reconnaissance of the premises, you should consider calling the Anti-Terrorist hotline (0800 789 321) where your information will be considered by an expert.

3. Receipt of bomb threat

All reception areas and/or switchboards should have a ‘receipt of bomb threat’ log for recording critical information should a caller warn about an IED. Upon receipt of a ‘threat call’ notify a member of security without interrupting the call. If you are alone or unable to alert anyone else, you should concentrate on the call, remaining calm, professional and attentive. Do not put the call on hold, do not talk over the caller and do not put the phone down. Gain as much information as possible from the caller. The more details you collect, the better the potential risk to the business can be assessed and the correct course of action chosen.

4. Suspicious items

IEDs are commonly used by terrorists, but can also be created by protest groups, criminals and even disgruntled employees. IEDs are generally of simple construction and can be brought to site in various ways, including being planted by an intruder, brought in by an employee or visitor during working hours, or sent through the post. Any suspicious item should be investigated by a visual inspection and staff close by should be questioned. Watch out for boxes near fire exits, bags left at reception, boxes or large packages near external exits, doors, receptions or areas congregated by staff or visitors.

Before approaching any suspicious package turn off any equipment with a wireless signal. Some IEDs are detonated wirelessly so there is a small possibility that transmitting via a radio or receiving a call while near the item could interfere with its signal and set it off. If you feel the item is still suspicious, contact the police. Never touch or tamper with it.

5. Postal IEDs

Letter or parcel bombs represent the safest mode of attack for a would-be bomber as there is less chance of the IED being traced back to them. Postal devices require an addressee; so the attacker is generally targeting one person, either for perceived wrongdoings or owing to their position within the business. If your site has a central area for all incoming post the people working there should have received some form of training regarding IEDs.

6. Search and discovery

In the event of a bomb threat – and only if it can be done without causing panic – staff should be asked to search their own areas.

Searching for any device should be done calmly, systematically and with everyone’s safety in mind. No search should ever take place without first consulting the security team and/or the police. Searches should cover all common areas of the premises, including toilets, cupboards, corridors, offices, desks, fire exits, and reception areas. If an item is discovered isolate it ready for the police when they arrive. Discovery of an item may mean the building needs to be evacuated. The successful evacuation of staff usually depends on the efforts of building management and security, so be conversant with building evacuation procedures and routes.

Motivation is a finite resource, a force of energy that exists both within an employee’s being, as well as beyond them. It’s the metric that tracks the direction, duration, and intensity of initiating and maintaining work productivity.

Motivation has been the catalyst for change in different areas. The focus on company culture, employee satisfaction, and work-life balance are all efforts designed to increase workforce motivation and productivity.

However, it can be difficult to generate and maintain. Motivation decays over time, especially if the workforce isn’t comfortable or satisfied. Stress leads to loss of productivity, which in turn leads to employee burnout.

Employees who experience burnout at work are rarely aware of the why and how behind it. The emotional turmoil and mental toll can be quite confusing. As the change is internal, employees often miss the source of their discomfort and wonder why colleagues, clients, and the work itself have become significantly more vexing.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines employee burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” WHO goes on to outline the three dimensions to the phenomenon:

– Feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion;

– Increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job;

– Reduced professional efficacy.

It’s the continuous accumulation of negative emotions, workplace stress, and mental exhaustion. An employee that experiences burnout at work is overwhelmed either by their work, their company, and its atmosphere or feel so pressured that they eventually spiral out of control.

Preventing and battling the burnout phenomenon requires focus and senior management’s initiative towards resolving one of the most harmful workplace problems. The collaboration between employees, C-level executives, and managers is vital to burnout aversion.

Are your employees at risk of burnout?

There’s a correlation between the burnout phenomenon and professionals in customer-facing roles. Employees such as teachers, doctors, sales executives, and social workers are in constant contact with clients and are expected to handle their queries, requests, and problems.

The effects of absorbing negative work-related emotions often manifest in the form of stress, depression, and an aversion to everyday tasks. This is why certain personalities are at more of a risk than everyone else. Of the four primary temperaments, those with a melancholic or choleric temperament are most prone to burnout.

There’s a psychological link between these temperaments and elevated anxiety and stress responses. Losing motivation often leads these individuals into a period of declining productivity and non-existent self-assurance.

What causes employee burnout?

There are many causes behind employee burnout and though conversations surrounding this topic outline different reasons at times, there are elements that remain consistent.

Here are a few of the most common burnout causes:

– Lack of control. This pertains most to which aspects of the job your employee can control. Details such as schedule, assignments, workload, and time management can have a substantial effect on the workforce and the inability to make these decisions can lead to burnout.

– Unclear job expectations/goals. When the management fails to correctly detail their expectations, employees can feel discomfort in the workplace. The extent of an employee’s authority and influence are best defined early on.

– Dysfunctional workplace dynamics. If the company culture isn’t well developed, burnout becomes a very likely possibility. How the team interacts with one another, especially the managers and senior executives are a major source of work stress.

– Monotonous or chaotic work. Both extremes have bad effects on an employee’s mental health. When the tasks are monotonous or boring it becomes difficult to focus. In the same manner, when tasks are chaotic and overwhelming, employees end up spiraling out of control, their work suffers, and their productivity levels dip. This eventually leads to burnout and fatigue.

– Lack of social support. Isolation at work can also increase stress levels. This goes for both the professional scene and the personal aspect. Humans are social creatures by nature, and fighting that nature has a negative impact on our psychological state.

– Lack of work-life balance. Young professionals often overlook the personal aspect of life in favor of work. Time and effort are as finite as motivation, and spending all of that energy and focus on work, leads to its inevitable decay. Work-life balance is all about channeling energy into two different aspects of life. This helps alleviate stress and maintain productivity.

How to deal with employee burnout?

Thankfully, there’s a lot that employers and employees can do to prevent or eradicate work burnout.

– Engage the discussion: Employees who feel overwhelmed have the option of opening the discussion with their direct manager. This is a very straightforward way to handle expectations, make team-wide decisions, and compromise in order to set reasonable priorities and goals.

– Find support: Burnouts have a toll on an employee’s mental health and emotional wellbeing. Support from colleagues, loved ones, and friends can be very helpful. Furthermore, this is an opportunity to work on your collaboration skills in the office and cope with the stress.

– Remember to relax: There are many activities that can help with anxiety and stress, form physical exercise to meditation. Regular physical activity helps manage stress and distracts from work.

– Evenly distribute tasks and activities across the team. This goes for the workload just as it does the responsibility.

– Monotonous work is the death of motivation. Alternate the workforce’s attention to a variety of different activities. A good approach would be to alternate between creativity-based work and recurring tasks.

– Be interested in the workforce’s rest and wellbeing. It’s always good to keep an eye on everyone’s vacation schedule. Try not to keep employees behind after a working day.

– Continuously improve the comfort and atmosphere in the office. Even the little things make a difference such as coolers and a coffee machine, comfortable chairs, and tables.

– Be the source of motivation for burnout employees. Providing incentivizing rewards for success can be a major motivator. But the important part is to figure out why it happened and help the employee get past the hurdle.

– Conduct internal research routinely through surveys and questionnaires.

Though burnouts are easier to prevent than to deal with, employers generally have a blind spot for overwhelmed employees. Companies should run an in-depth analysis on a routine basis to make sure that no one is overloaded with work or is at a burnout risk.

Published by Andrew Tate on 10 March 2020

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As I write this article the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the UK are relatively small. However, the potential risk to business is magnified through a growing paralysis of the economy.

Reduced consumer activity on the High Street will impact many retail businesses and casual dining. Reduced number of persons willing to travel in crowd will impact tourism, hospitality and airline industry. It is likely that consumer spending decisions on future events such as festivals and sporting events will be deferred until the virus has been contained.

Employee absences are likely to escalate and businesses will face disruption from virus related closures. Capacity within businesses will be impacted as a result even if agile working is possible. This could be dramatic if schools are closed, as is the case in some countries.

Reduced imports of raw material and semi-finished goods from countries such as China, Korea, Japan due to the disruptions in their production and supply chain is likely to reduce the performances of the companies who are highly dependent on the imports from these countries and who are not able to move to an alternative supplier. An example of this is China where supplies to the UK which are sea-freighted may cause a delayed supply shortage for any down time which occurred in China as a result of the virus precautions.

Reduced performance of the businesses is likely to crash the equity market. The investors are likely to hold their money into the government securities because of the uncertainty created by the impacts of the virus on the economy.

All of this is likely to impact on UK business, whether or not the virus escalates. The effects are likely to be immediate with reduced footfall by consumers and, in the coming weeks, for production and supply chain failures. The impact is likely to be felt in the cashflow of a business and, for many, will be a temporary setback.

A little like the profile of the virus itself, businesses with no underlying health problems should not fail as a result of Covid 19 related issues. Financial institutions and government should support these businesses. The pressures arising from the virus may be more severe for businesses which have other issues. An early example is the airline, Flybe which was undertaking a turnaround and was vulnerable to the drop-off in passenger numbers.

The virus is expected to be short-lived and, whilst some income will inevitably be lost from the impact of consumers staying away from large crowds, some of the demand will return when the coast is clear. Events due to take place in the summer may be facing a sharp drop in bookings but, if the virus is under control in 3 months, the bookings may come back to normal levels.

The cashflow implications of this could be severe but, if there is a sound underlying business model, it should be possible to get through.

So what should business leaders be doing to protect their business and prepare for cashflow issues? A few suggestions to consider are:

Assess any possible options for reducing costs in the business to conserve cash
Assess the cashflow implications specific to the business. Ideally prepare a detailed cashflow projection to model the anticipated impact of any issues
Starting to communicate with the existing financiers at an early stage to anticipate any issues
Start to explore short term funding solutions to meet short term cash flow needs determined from the projected cash flow model
Explore other options of financial restructuring and operational restructuring to reduce the impact of these risks on their financial health

Other areas to consider are insurance cover and contract terms. Business interruption insurance cover is available to businesses but, for some policies, the Covid 19 may not be a trigger event for a claim. The government’s definition of Covid 19 as a notifiable disease on 5 March may help businesses to make claims so it is advisable to speak to an insurance expert to explore any possible claims.

There is also the possibility that “force majeure” clauses in contracts may be invoked which could protect businesses which cannot perform under contractual terms due to the impact of the virus. Exploring the details of this is beyond the scope of this article but legal advice on the point would be advisable.

Ultimately, if a business is facing cashflow difficulties which cannot be resolved through other support routes, more business rescue strategies may be needed and these will need the input of restructuring specialists. Hopefully government and business stakeholders will provide sufficient support to avoid any such measures being necessary.

How to Deal With a Threat

By Mark Lomas, technical architect, Probrand

We’re constantly told that we need to improve our cyber-security measures and, during the Coronavirus lockdown period, things have been no different. But, it’s for a good reason.

Hackers haven’t been showing any displays of good conscience during the Covid-19 pandemic – the opposite is true. The most significant challenge, however, has come from a rapid shift to home working, on a massive scale.

This has exposed a huge amount of people, who are more familiar with an office environment, to new remote working tools. That has been worrying because the most common cause of a data breach lies with mistakes made by those within an organisation.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) conducted research between 2017-2019 which revealed that approximately 90 per cent of attacks and breaches can in some way be attributed to user errors or mistakes. The cyber criminals know this and, while workforces have been forced to quickly learn new ways of working, they have upped their game.

A recent study found that almost half of UK home workers have been targeted during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, hackers have been going after the collaboration tools, such as Zoom and Teams, which have been most widely adopted during this lockdown period.

They are seeking to coax staff members into lapses in judgement – for example, clicking a seemingly innocent link that turns out to be hostile. If this happens, it could lead to a devastating attack that results in a corporate client wanting to know what went wrong, with demands to see proof-of-investment in better policies and processes.

It’s vital, therefore, to mitigate as best you can against this threat. That might be through sophisticated technology (which I’ll speak about lower down), but the first step has to be educating the workforce about current threats.

Educating the workforce

There has been lots already said about the importance of educating the workforce on cyber security, which can be distilled into two key lessons. First, that it is the responsibility of everyone in the organisation to know what a cyber threat looks like – not just the IT department. Second, that this type of education is a continuous process. The techniques and methods used in a cyberattacks are constantly changing. So, user education needs to be updated and delivered regularly to be effective.

In a recent survey commissioned by Chubb, 70 per cent of respondents said their organisation has “excellent” or “good” cybersecurity practices. At face value, that looks like a healthy percentage. But when the survey asked those respondents where they learn about cybersecurity, only 19 per cent answered through their employer.

What does this dichotomy tell us? To me, it says that the remainder of these respondents – a massive 81 per cent – don’t know how to protect their business, because they lack the necessary knowledge on where the threats lie. This is where organisations need to come to the aid of their employees and enable staff to deal with threats and maintain their knowledge through regular training.

Beyond education – technology to quell the threat

Of course, education can only get you so far. Your employees are human, which means they have the capacity to make mistakes. So, beyond good education practices, here are a few security tools that are particularly easy to access, especially for those who have made the jump to the cloud.

Multi-Factor Authentication. Together with conditional access policies, this technology provides layers of barriers to hackers by requiring multiple authentication checks of the user, ensuring they comply with policies that place conditions on who has access to certain services and data sources.
Data Leakage Prevention (DLP). This solution enables the user to label and encrypt data. This secures sensitive data and prevents ‘snap-sharing’ from exposing your business.
Unified Endpoint Management (UEM). This technology affords the user management across all endpoints, protecting your systems no matter what operating system is being used. You can also add a Digital Workspace to ensure your workforce doesn’t turn to their own consumer services, which can result in shadow IT.

Ensuring the data flow is water-tight doesn’t just stop direct exposure, it also makes it tougher for hackers to get inside your processes and exploit them for financial gain. At the same time, by focusing more on the data itself, you can actually enable greater convenience for users without compromising security.

Remote working and cloud-based solutions come with their own unique cyber threats, requiring encryption of data and the management of security keys, for example. But if you conduct proper employee training, and put security protocols and products in place, you can take the oxygen away from hackers and give yourself less cause for concern.

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Online communities play a very real and important role in an increasing number of people’s lives. Communities often form bridges to isolated individuals, be it geographic or social isolation. As taboo as it may be, as a Community Manager you must be prepared to help your community deal with a suicide threat.

As with all communities, people might initially join to seek information – be it sporting, hobbies, fashion – but they will stay for the friendships they form. No matter what the subject of your community – it is not out of the question that a suicide threat may be posted at some point.

If a member of your community posts a suicide threat, you’ll have no way of knowing whether they are seeking intervention or attention. Either way, you should take it seriously – it is important to be prepared.

Things to consider:

How will you contact the member in question? Can you send them a private message? Do you have any ‘real-life’ contact details? Are they known IRL to other members? Do you know who they are friends with online?
Can you call 000 and send police for a welfare check?
Do you have a list of contact helplines and resources at hand?
Will you remove the post/thread from view? Will you allow comments and discussion on the issue? The event will trigger all sorts of emotion & behaviour – how will you respond and support the community?
Will you reveal the actions you are taking?
Is there any way the member can post images/video on your site? Can you block them from doing so? (Tragically suicides have been carried out online.)

Steps to take:

I have narrowed it to two steps will help you address a threat.

Develop a Crisis Management Process

This is a specific example for a suicide threat. Escalate the issue to the Community Manager, who can in turn:

Contact member privately. In a professional yet compassionate manner let them know the community is concerned, and urge them to seek professional help immediately. Supply contact numbers.
If you have an address arrange a 000 police welfare check, or if you do not, request that the members’ friends do so.
Lock or remove thread original thread.
It is important to note that despite intentions members advice may do more harm that good. Be sure to explain this to the member so they do not feel they have no avenue to be listened to.
Post to state the issue is being addressed
Escalate the issue and action taken to higher powers.

Quiip’s distributed team have earned the trust of Australia’s most crucial mental health services. Find out more about how our team can help your community here.

Develop an Escalation Policy

This should include the complete ‘chain of command’ from a Moderator finding the threat, through to your bosses/clients and legal team. Be sure you have everyone’s out-of-hours mobile numbers correct and accessible.

A note regarding reporting Facebook content

Facebook has a link to report suicidal content – I cannot vouch for their response unit but I personally would not rely on this approach alone. By all means use it in addition to your existing process. If you take this risk of having an un-moderated Facebook page – you might consider posting this link where members can see it, and use it if required.

Resources

If you are an Australian-based community you can provide the Beyond Blue or Lifeline help numbers to your online community. For more info about suicide prevention please see SPA. For youth specific info please see Reach Out.

Beyond Blue
Lifeline 13 11 14
Reach Out
Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA)

Credit: A recent blog post by Jonathan Nguyen prompted me to write this post, so I thank him as a fellow community peep for the discussion we had.

If you have any suggestions, tips or advice about how to manage crises in your online community?

Every now and then, a new article turns up on the web, warning you about how big the malware threat is on Android and how it can completely destroy your device and data. While it would be factually incorrect to state that Google’s mobile OS is the securest piece of technology on the planet, it must be emphasized that the malware threat on the platform is usually caused by users themselves. However, there’s no need to worry because just by following the given guidelines, anyone will be able to avoid most of the malware threats on Android with ease.

Stick to Google Play Store

People don’t like paying for stuff. That is precisely why when they see an app they like with a price tag on it, they install it from a third-party store for free. From the looks of it, it seems like a great deal, but in reality, it’s the complete opposite of that. The product which was sold for free could contain malicious content like spyware or ransomware, which would piggyback on the seemingly genuine app’s back to compromise the security of the device. Spyware would keep an eye on their personal information while ransomware will completely block off the phone’s content until a certain amount is paid. Knowing that, it is advised that people should always download from the Google Play store because probability of catching malware from there is 0.001. Now these are the odds users should get behind because that not only will keep their device safe, but it will also help them keep their personal information out of reach of dangerous individuals.

Don’t Click on Random Ads

Ads are another way for hackers to sneak malware into people’s gadgets, mainly because more often than not, the latter are quite careless when surfing the web. They click on random advertisement that appeal to them and end up inviting malicious content into their phone. Most of the ads are just another form of malware, so it is better to adopt a better safe than sorry policy by avoiding ads altogether.

Use Protection

Although Android users don’t really require anti-malware apps, they should still install one on their device just for precautionary measures. Tools in this category are quite proficient and enable users to do most of the stuff without worrying about malicious content coming into their device. Solutions like these are available in abundance on the Google Play store so people won’t need any guidance regarding that. They can easily get any anti-malware that meets their needs.

Keep Your Apps Updated

More often than not, people download a plethora of apps and then eventually completely forget about them. They neither update these apps, nor delete them from the device. Bugs and security fixes are added to the apps through the updates, but if the users aren’t downloading the patches at the right time, then malware could sneak into their device and damage it.

How to deal with the threat of (improvised) drones

TU Blog – Dick Bouwhuis, Security Concept Developer at Newsecure.nl

First we will have a short look at the latest, current situation within The Netherlands, both from a security and safety point of view. Next we will look at how the basis of Countering Drones Approach should look like.

Current situation

The National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism (NCTV) is concerned about the learning and innovative ability of ISIS. Members of this group in Syria and Iraq already use drones with explosives for offensive action on the battlefield. On ISIS media channels this mode is verified. Here’s an inspirational effect on jihadists in the West. Relevant to this is the easy availability of drones in the West and the problem of detecting a possible jihadist drones soon (DTN 44, 18-04-2017, ).

Safety

Drones are increasingly seen. They share the sky with other aircraft and helicopters. The driver of a drone must adhere to rules. For example, the drone should not fly above human figures. He must also stay far away from other aircraft and airports. You can find all about laws and regulations for drones here.

Does the current approach cover the load? As far as I am concerned the current approach doesn’t cover the load from a security point of view. Within the security domain you have to deal with people who have bad intentions and want to use drones like ISIS does in the middle east.

The future, developing a Countering Drones Approach

Drones can be simple modified and can also be more sophisticated with the incorporation of modern electronic components and carry all kinds of payloads, which are inexpensive and widely available. Drones used to attack, enable the opponent to strike without being decisively engaged. The use of these drones will become a widespread, global and enduring threat.

Drones are like tactical weapons that can have strategic effects. These drones not only restrict freedom of maneuver, but even easier stationary operations and can be used to attack any kind and number of targets. The threat the opponent creates with drones can have profound psychological effects. Increasingly, drones will be incorporated into sophisticated complex attacks and there remains the risk that drones could be relatively easily have payloads with chemical, biological and radiological materials to create weapons of mass destruction.

Countering Drones Approach

This approach aims to stop an opponent’s ability to acquire, modify and successfully operate drones. It has to identify opponents capabilities, needs proper countermeasures and training of own personnel how to engage drones. Understanding about what is going on might be the most important activity within the Countering Drones Approach, we have to identify opponents capabilities. Intelligence led operations of all kind to find out what opponents capabilities are and how to stop them.

Training (security) personnel

This describes the necessary measures to ensure that personnel is prepared for operations and enabled to deliver the counter drones approach. Personnel requires thorough understanding of the operating environment and the counter drones approach.

Will a Countering Drones Approach cover the load? This is very likely, it has many similarities with the successful approach of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries in the recent past. That (NATO) policy can be found through the website of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

How to Deal With a Threat

Primary care has never had it tougher. From 2012 to 2016, primary care office visits have dropped 18%.

The volume slump could be chalked up to a number of factors. High-deductible health plans have made patients hold off on seeking care; younger patients prefer telemedicine — or even email — for non-urgent health issues; and many patients skip the doctor’s office altogether and consult online resources to direct their care.

But the biggest cause, by far, of primary care’s decline? You may already know: it’s the rise of retail clinics.

The success of this relatively young business model has been astonishing. Over the last 14 years, these clinics have seen a 500% growth. And they show no signs of slowing down.

Why has this rise been so bad for primary care physicians (PCPs)? And how should primary care clinics respond?

The Expanding Threat

Since their inception, retail clinics have been chipping away at the traditional PCP market share.

Mostly, that’s because they’re convenient. They have very flexible hours, and 30% of the US population lives within a ten-minute drive of one. Retail clinics also tend to be cheaper. A routine visit to a Walmart clinic will only set a patient back about $59. These two factors have driven the massive surge in retail clinic expansion.

In the past, PCPs could take comfort in retail clinics’ slim lists of offerings. They mostly offered basic check-ups, vaccinations, and travel immunizations. This meant patients would always need traditional clinics for more complicated health problems.

But that’s starting to change. Retail clinics have expanded what they can do. 50% of retail clinic visits, in fact, now stem from the management of complex chronic conditions.

And with the mergers of retail giants and healthcare firms, like CVS / Aetna, or the rumored Humana / Walmart, the clinics’ capabilities will only grow.

If you’re looking to improve your telehealth offering, this on-demand webinar shares some best practices.

What Primary Care Physicians Should Do

PCPs are undoubtedly feeling the competitive pressure. But it’s tough to find the right strategy to cope with the retail clinic threat. Cutting prices is almost certainly not an option. Clinics don’t enjoy wide enough margins to offer any deep discounts.

Two guidelines, however, will help traditional clinics attract and retain more patients.

1. Borrow Ideas From Retail Clinics to Improve Service

Since convenience is a major driver or retail clinic success, PCPs should strive to bring more convenience to what they offer. This means tackling three patient concerns:

2. Inflexible hours

3. Easy appointment setting

When patients choose retail clinics, more than half of them cite at least one of these issues. Wait times are particularly egregious. They make patient satisfaction plummet, and 30% of patients even report leaving a doctor’s office if they have to wait too long.

Clinics should take steps to decrease wait times, expand hours, and modernize their appointment-setting process. Patients will thank them for it.

2. Give Patients Something That Retail Clinics Can’t Offer

Retail clinics’ strengths come from their size. Economies of scale allow them to offer service cheaply and quickly. Many patients love that. But these facilities have weaknesses, too. The cracks in the retail clinic business model give PCPs two important opportunities to differentiate themselves:

Better care continuity. Retail clinics have a fragmented record-keeping process. Often, patient data is siloed away from mainstream health providers, which can raise significant barriers if a patient faces a health crisis.

PCPs can offer an alternative by becoming patient-centered medical homes. They should ensure that they efficiently collect and organize patient information, so that they come to a holistic view of the patient’s health. This will help stave off the hiccups and confusion that arise from fragmented records.

More personal care. Healthcare is deeply personal. Patients want to feel like they have a relationship with their providers. And, fortunately for PCPs, this level of personalization is near-impossible in a retail clinic.

Traditional providers should seize the chance to get to know their patients. Time spent building rapport and learning about patients’ lives is an investment in a clinic’s most crucial competitive advantage.

And if clinics can also expand the ways that they talk with patients, so much the better. That’s one more way that traditional practitioners can rise above what retail clinics offer.

Four Ways To Handle Threats

Threat Assessment

Pakistan Uses Drone Technology to Deal with the Locust Threat

Industries

Tools

Connect with Stakeholders

Keep the Public Informed

Determine Social Media Engagement

Need a Quick Communication Solution?

How to deal with threat From Buyer

Living in a Pressure Cooker

Minimize Fall Out

Deal with Employee Threats Before They Escalate

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1. Identifying an IED

2. Pinpointing areas of risk

3. Receipt of bomb threat

4. Suspicious items

5. Postal IEDs

6. Search and discovery

Are your employees at risk of burnout?

What causes employee burnout?

How to deal with employee burnout?

Things to consider:

Steps to take:

Develop a Crisis Management Process

Develop an Escalation Policy

A note regarding reporting Facebook content

Resources

Beyond Blue Lifeline 13 11 14 Reach Out Suicide Prevention Australia (SPA)

Stick to Google Play Store

Don’t Click on Random Ads

Use Protection

Keep Your Apps Updated

How to deal with the threat of (improvised) drones

TU Blog – Dick Bouwhuis, Security Concept Developer at Newsecure.nl

Current situation

The future, developing a Countering Drones Approach

The Expanding Threat

What Primary Care Physicians Should Do

1. Borrow Ideas From Retail Clinics to Improve Service

2. Give Patients Something That Retail Clinics Can’t Offer

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