Cybersecurity Month: Be Cyber Smart
“Our Nation is under a constant and ever-increasing threat from malicious cyber actors. Ransomware attacks have disrupted hospitals, schools, police departments, fuel pipelines, food suppliers, and small businesses — delaying essential services and putting the lives and livelihoods of Americans at risk. Any disruption, corruption, or dysfunction of our vital infrastructure can have a debilitating effect on national and economic security, public health, and our everyday safety.” – President Joe Biden, a Proclamation on Cybersecurity Awareness Month, 2021
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. President Biden signed a proclamation designating the month of October as a “time for public and private sectors to work together to continue raising awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and equip the public with the resources they need to be safer and more secure online.” There are currently several events, social media engagements, and other outreach opportunities to learn more about staying safe online.
While October may be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, one can incorporate these activities any time of the year.
- To protect your accounts from getting hacked, implement multi-factor authentication. This will make your accounts 99% less likely to get hacked.
- Be sure to update your software regularly. It is okay to turn on automatic updates.
- Always think before you click. Many cyber-attacks start with phishing emails. Never click on links or downloads that don’t look familiar to you.
- Create strong passwords that are also unique.
Resources:
https://www.cmu.edu/iso/aware/ncsam/index.html
https://www.cisa.gov/cybersecurity-awareness-month
https://www.metacompliance.com/resources/cyber-security-awareness-month/