NEWS FROM THE EDGE

October marks Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a vital reminder for individuals and businesses alike to stay vigilant about their online safety. This year’s 2024 theme, “Secure Our World”, highlights the importance of taking small, actionable steps to safeguard digital environments. With cyber threats evolving rapidly, small business owners must be especially proactive in protecting their operations from potential attacks. Fortunately, staying safe online doesn’t have to be complicated. This blog identifies four easy ways your business can strengthen its cybersecurity defenses, along with real-world examples of companies that didn’t follow these simple rules and suffered the consequences.

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In today’s world, the sheer volume of data generated, collected, and analyzed is staggering. While big data offers immense benefits—ranging from personalized services to improved business operations—it also poses significant risks to personal privacy. For small business employees, these risks are particularly pronounced. Unlike large corporations with dedicated IT security teams, small businesses often have fewer resources to devote to data protection, making employees more vulnerable to privacy breaches.

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Mobile devices have become indispensable tools for businesses of all sizes. For small businesses, in particular, the flexibility and convenience offered by smartphones and tablets can significantly enhance productivity. However, the increasing reliance on personal mobile devices also brings a host of security risks. According to Kaspersky’s Annual Threats Report for 2023, malware attacks on mobile devices increased 32% last year. (1) Cyber terrorists target personal mobile devices, because they understand that many remain completely unprotected. This brief blog will identify the risks associated with using personal mobile devices for work tasks, the importance of multifactor authentication, and recommend five essential security protections for employees.

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In our increasingly interconnected world, the security of personal digital profiles is not just an individual concern, but also a collective necessity—especially in the workplace. As a small business owner, you play a pivotal role in promoting cyber safety. Enhancing your team’s awareness and behaviors can drastically reduce risks for both their personal and professional data. Here are five essential cyber safety tips to share with your team.

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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.
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Growing up in Michigan, I considered myself both a car and computer guy. In the sixth grade, I took my family’s Tandy 1000 computer apart to install a 300 baud modem. I vividly remember my older brother being certain the computer would no longer work after I had disassembled it to get to the motherboard. Much to his surprise, it did work and I was able to dial into a community bulletin board system (BBS) and connect to my friend’s computer so we could play chess. (Why anyone would want to do either of these things is a great mystery, but I did officially earn my Nerd Card.) On the car front, I subscribed to Car & Driver magazine and eagerly read about the newest automotive technology in each month’s issue.

Jumping forward to modern times, my father-in-law and mother-in-law each drive Hyundai Sonatas, 2015 and 2018 respectively. I should say “drove” because in October 2022, my mother-in-law’s was stolen from the parking structure of a Las Vegas casino. Then in January 2023, my father-in-law’s was stolen from their driveway! What a crazy coincidence!
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