Break Out the Decorations! Cybersecurity Awareness Month is Here

Calendars are great and serve a wide range of purposes. Paper calendars, digital calendars, calendars with Garfield or Peanuts comics, they all have the ability remind us of birthdays, the first day of school, garbage pick-up day and holidays.

So, let’s make sure your calendar has October marked down as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. 

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA), today kicks off the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The month-long event is a public and private venture designed to educate businesses, their customers and consumers on the need for cybersecurity and steps they can take to increase their security posture.

Trustwave will again participate through a series of social media posts containing cybersecurity tips and safety measures that any organization or consumer can implement.

During Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it is important to remember that there are various methods to protect your data. Even though the majority of news articles focus on large-scale breaches and attacks, an organization can greatly increase its odds of staying safe simply by implementing a few basic cybersecurity practices.

With this in mind, the NCSA will focus on four key cybersecurity behaviors during the month.

• Use strong passwords and a password manager - It is crucial to have strong passwords in order to protect your data. A strong password is long, random, unique, and includes a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Password managers are a helpful tool that can assist you in generating and storing strong and unique passwords for each of your accounts.
  
  
• Turn on multifactor authentication - Using MFA adds an extra layer of protection to your online accounts, making it significantly more difficult for hackers to gain access. It is recommended to enable MFA on all your online accounts, particularly those related to email, social media, and finances. Utilize authentication apps or hardware tokens for additional security.
  
  
• Recognize and report phishing - Phishing emails, text messages, and phone calls are the primary methods through which data is compromised. Exercise caution when receiving unsolicited communications that request personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or login credentials unless absolutely necessary and be cautious of clicking on links or opening attachments from unknown sources. Verify the legitimacy of any requests by contacting the individual or organization through a trusted channel. Report any phishing attempts to the appropriate authorities or your IT department. Learn to identify the signs of phishing attacks and report them in order to safeguard your data and devices.
  
  
• Update software - Regularly updating your software ensures that you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. If automatic updates are not enabled, make it a habit to manually check for updates. Keep your operating system, antivirus software, web browsers, and applications up to date to ensure optimal security. 
  
  

CISA recommends all organizations use the month to bring cybersecurity to the forefront for their members and employees.

In addition to sharing the NCSA’s four security suggestions, think about hosting a poster or video contest for students or employees in which participants create informative, online safety resources that are pertinent to that organization.

Incorporate Cybersecurity Awareness Month into your organization’s newsletter or employee required training. Host a local or virtual event or training for your organization. Discuss smart security practices, relevant cybersecurity issues, and allow participants to ask pressing cyber-related questions.

Conduct a mock phishing simulation with employees. Remember to reward positive behavior! Not to punish for mistakes. Consider providing small prizes to those who perform well and are engaged in activities.

At the end of the month, send employees an email highlighting your activities, results, and successes. Recap best practices learned throughout the month.

The most important aspect is to not let cybersecurity fall out of focus once October ends. Threat groups attack all year, use Cybersecurity Awareness Month to instill strong cyber hygiene and work ethic among your organization’s members.

Get started on your journey to better cybersecurity by clicking the Managed Detection and Response image above.