It’s October and while for most people that brings thoughts of horror movies, costumes, and Halloween it’s also Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Now in its 17th year, Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity, ensuring that everyone has the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. This yearly effort was started by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).
Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart
The theme for 2020 is “Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart”. The theme empowers individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace, with a particular emphasis on the key message for 2020: “If you connect it, protect it.” If everyone does their part – implementing stronger security practices, raising community awareness, educating vulnerable audiences, or training employees – our interconnected world will be safer and more resilient for everyone.
Cybersecurity tips on our social media channels
To celebrate the month and do our part we will be sharing daily cybersecurity training tips across all our social media channels this month. Be sure to follow us on your social media channels of choice:
Each day we will share a cybersecurity myth or tip to help you and your team be more aware of the cybersecurity threats that face us all and make sure you are aware of the issues and how to keep you, your company, and your data safe.
Cybersecurity statistics
Cybersecurity is an issue we all need to be aware of and prepared to handle. Here are some statistics that will help you know you are not alone:
- 77% of organizations do not have a cybersecurity response plan
- 95% of cybersecurity breaches are due to human error
- It takes companies nearly 6 months to detect a data breach
- There is a hacker attack every 39 seconds
- In 2018 hackers stole half a billion personal records
- By 2020 there will be roughly 200 billion connected devices
- Once plugged into the internet, connected devices are attacked within 5 minutes and targeted by specific exploits in 24 hours.
We all need to take this threat seriously. Don’t worry – it’s not all doom and gloom. There are concrete steps you and your company can take to make sure everyone is trained and taking the right steps to keep your people and data safe. Cybersecurity is everyone’s job. It’s not just for IT professionals or managers. If we all do our part, we can all stay safe.
Helpful cybersecurity resources
Here are some useful cybersecurity resources to help you and your team to increase your cybersecurity awareness and keep your people and your network safe.
Free webinars:
Several upcoming free webinars are being held by the National Cyber Security Alliance you may be interested in attending. Sign up for these today and put them on your calendar.
Downloadable PDF tip sheets:
Here are a few downloadable PDF tip sheets for you and your team:
- 5 Ways to Be Cyber Secure at Work
- Identity Theft and Internet Scams
- Multi-Factor Authentication
- Online Privacy
- Password Tip Sheet
- Phishing Tip Sheet
- 5 Steps to Protecting Your Digital Home
- Social Media Cybersecurity
NCSA weekly content
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) will focus on the following topics in their promotions and outreach during the next 2 weeks. Each week will have a different primary topic. You can view and register for many cybersecurity virtual and online events with lots of great speakers and content.
Week of October 19 (Week 3): Securing Internet-Connected Devices in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is increasingly relying upon internet-connected devices and solutions to improve patient care, organizational efficiency, speed of crisis response, and much more. The emergence of telemedicine, digital health records, internet-connected medical devices, patient wellness apps, and an increasing amount of third parties entering the health supply chain has created many benefits, but has also exposed the industry to vulnerabilities that cybercriminals regularly attempt to exploit. The third week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month will delve into the industry (hospitals, care facilities) and consumer (telemedicine patients) implications of internet-connected device use and what steps both can take on their part and #BeCyberSmart.
Week of October 26 (Week 4): The Future of Connected Devices
The final week of Cybersecurity Awareness Month will look at the future of connected devices. This week will look at how technological innovations, such as 5G, might impact consumers’ and business’ online experiences (e.g. faster speeds and data transmission, larger attack surface for hackers), as well as how people/infrastructure can adapt to the continuous evolution of the connected devices moving forward. No matter what the future holds, however, every user needs to be empowered to do their part.
NCSA Security Awareness Episodes (YouTube Playlist)
Adobe, the National Cyber Security Alliance, and Speechless have partnered to bring you a series of security awareness videos. These are very funny and had me cracking up. The guy they got to play the boss is the perfect buffoon! They emphasize the importance of Cybersecurity in the workplace. They are short so give them a watch. Use the link in the upper right corner of the screen below to choose among the 6 videos they currently have available – or just click play and it will play them one after the other – so yeah you can binge-watch them! I put this playlist together on our YouTube Channel. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for lots of new videos we will be posting.
Free On-Demand Webinar: Keep Your People and Your Network Safe – The Importance of Cybersecurity Training
In today’s digital, always-connected world, cybercriminals are constantly scheming ways to breach your network and steal your user’s credentials to key systems. In our free on-demand webinar, we look at the importance of cybersecurity training and some of the changes that have happened in the last few years with the type of cyberattacks we find our clients, and the rest of the world, facing. View our cybersecurity webinar to learn how to keep your people and your network safe.
Are Network and Cybersecurity a priority for your company?
Please continue to join us this month in committing to cybersecurity awareness. While this month highlights the importance of this topic it’s not something that we should only be thinking about in October.
Network and Cybersecurity is a topic that should be at the forefront of every company’s IT and management planning. Cyberthreats are on the rise. In today’s world, network and IT security are major concerns. With a growing number of devices on the network, viruses, and an increasing number of phishing schemes, you need to be on your guard and prepared. These days having a good firewall and some antivirus software are not enough. We take the security of our clients’ networks very seriously.
Want more information about our planned multi-level approach to make sure your network, data, and people are safe? Contact us today to learn more about how we can keep your people, your network, and your data safe and set up a network security audit. We’d be happy to help!
We hope you’ll join us this month in committing to cybersecurity awareness. Don’t forget to follow us for daily tips on our social media channels.
