Law Department Staff Recognized for Cybersecurity Skills 

Colleagues from NYCHA’s Law Department were recently rewarded for their “phishing” skills.  

Deputy Director Neal Lang, Senior Counsel Amy Bilancini, and Community Associate Kareen Joseph have each been recognized by the IT cybersecurity team as winners of a phishing tournament, presented by NYCHA and the NYC Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) during Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As part of the competition, NYC Cyber Command sent an undisclosed number of phishing simulations via email and challenged City staff to report the potential cyber threats.  

Phishing occurs when a cybercriminal poses as a legitimate party in hopes of getting individuals to engage with malicious content or links. According to Cyber Command, it remains one of the most popular tactics among cybercriminals today, with 80 percent of cybersecurity incidents stemming from a phishing attempt. Urgent requests for sensitive information or emails with unexpected attachments can be telltale signs that the content is potentially coming from a “phish.” 

On May 26, Law Department co-workers Mr. Lang and Ms. Joseph, who were joined by Executive Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel David Rohde, were presented with commemorative mugs for being among the top NYCHA tournament contestants in spotting phishing threats. Fellow winner Ms. Bilancini was recognized at a later time.  

“I am very proud of each of my Law Department colleagues for their outstanding performance in IT’s cybersecurity tournament,” Mr. Rohde said. “Cybersecurity is an important and shared responsibility for everyone at NYCHA and one the Law Department takes very seriously. Congratulations to Neal Lang, Amy Bilancini, Kareen Joseph, and all the other tournament winners!”