Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared the month of October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a dedicated month for the public and private sectors, and tribal communities to work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) partner to create resources and messaging for organizations to use when they talk with their employees, customers, and memberships about staying safe online.
2023 marks the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month and this year CISA is launching a new awareness program that encourages four simple steps every American can take to stay safe online. These simple actions are good advices not only during Cybersecurity Awareness Month, but also the rest of the year.
As described by CISA, the four simple steps are:
1. Use Strong Passwords and a Password Manager
Strong passwords are critical to protecting data. They are long, random, unique, and include all four-character types (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols). Password managers are a powerful tool to help you create long, random, and unique passwords for each of your accounts. Plus, they make storing passwords and user IDs easy.
2. Turn on Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
You need more than a password to protect your online accounts and enabling MFA makes you significantly less likely to get hacked. Enable multifactor authentication on all your online accounts that offer it, especially email, social media, and financial accounts and use authentication apps or hardware tokens for added security.
3. Recognize & Report Phishing
Phishing emails, texts, and calls are the number one way data gets compromised. Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts or calls asking for personal information. Avoid sharing sensitive information or credentials over the phone or email unless necessary and don’t click on links or open attachments sent from unknown sources. Verify the authenticity of requests by contacting the individual or organization through a trusted channel. Report phishing attempts to the appropriate authorities or IT department.
4. Update Software
Ensuring your software is up to date is the best way to make sure you have the latest security patches and updates on your devices. Regularly check manually for updates if automatic updates are not available and keep operating systems, antivirus software, web browsers, and applications up to date.
DE routinely recommends all four steps in conversations, technology roadmaps, webinars, and other communications. If you are uncertain as to whether your business environment is currently covering all four, we’re ready to speak to you today.
Become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Partner
CISA encourages both individuals and businesses to become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month Partner. As a partner your organization will receive free resources to help it create its own campaign and promote participation in Cybersecurity Awareness Month by employees, customers, the public, friends, and family. For more information, and to become a Cybersecurity Awareness Month partner, email CISA at AwarenessCampaigns@cisa.dhs.gov.
NIST also offers several online resources to spread the word, including:
- The NIST Cybersecurity Awareness Month website will share information about events, resources, blogs, and how to stay involved.
- Using the NISTcyber X account, NIST will promote various cybersecurity and privacy resources—such as NIST’s 50th Anniversary of Cybersecurity History Timeline, which highlights different milestones and accomplishments over the last five decades. They will also host an X chat and participate in X chats throughout the month (follow us on X and use the hashtag #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth).
- NIST will host Cybersecurity Career Week during the week of October 16-21, 2023, to inspire and promote the awareness and exploration of cybersecurity careers.
Dynamic Edge Can Keep Your Business Safe & Secure
Since 1999, Dynamic Edge has helped hundreds of small and mid-sized businesses maximize the return on their technology investment. Learn more about our Cybersecurity Support and request a free network assessment, so that we may help you implement cost-effective security solutions to keep your organization and its clients safe and productive. Our Help Desk features friendly, experienced engineers who answer calls live and solve more than 70% of issues on the first call.
