Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2025

Each year, October is designated as Cybersecurity Awareness Month across America.

In today’s digital-first world, this time is a great reminder of the ever-growing importance of taking online precautions to help protect yourself, your business, and the community as a whole.

This year’s theme – Building a Cyber Strong America – focuses on doing our part to strengthen the country’s defense against cyber threats, starting at the personal and small business level.

This month, make time to learn more about cybersecurity threats you and your company may face, tips on how to prevent or mitigate these risks, and then put them into action.

Growing Importance of Cybersecurity

Just as more people are using online platforms, more threats are popping up in these spaces that threaten their private information and systems. Cyber criminals are getting smarter and harder to defend against, making it more difficult for companies to properly safeguard their business.

Some of the most common cybersecurity threats facing people and organizations alike in today’s digital landscape include phishing scams (messages that look like they come from a legit person or company trying to get access to sensitive information), ransomware (malicious software overtakes your system and gains access to your private information, usually asking for money to give it back), and AI-driven scams.

All these threats, and others not listed, can be costly to your company. Most require time to fix and overcome, can involve money to fix or change systems, and also cost you when it comes to customers’ trust in your business.

The potential damage these threats pose showcases the importance of cybersecurity in 2025, and how not having the right safety measures in place can harm your business.

Cybersecurity Tips for 2025

There are many things you can do to help protect your business – and self – against the rising number of threats online. Some key tips are:

• Creating strong, unique passwords – Having different passwords that are hard to guess for all your accounts makes it more difficult for people to gain access to them. Try using a password manager to help keep them all straight.

• Using multi-factor authentication – Utilizing MFA (or 2FA) requires an extra step for people trying to access your account. This lets you know if someone is trying to login that isn’t you and gives you an extra layer of security.

• Looking out for email scams – Whether it’s spam or phishing emails, taking extra time to look carefully at the senders’ information can help you avoid falling victim to these threats. Never share passwords, bank info, or sensitive data over email, and don’t open links or attachments without being sure of the sender.

• Keeping software updated – Old, outdated software can have security gaps that hackers can more easily exploit to gain access to your system. Keeping your software updated and doing routine bug checks will help ensure you’re fully protected.

• Backing up and encrypting your data – By having a current backup of your data, you’ll reduce stress and have faster access to important information if something does go wrong. Encryption makes it harder for people to actually see information, even if they get access to it.

While these practices may seem like common practice, they are easy to forget about or let slide down the priority list. Keeping up with them can help protect you, your business, and your clients from cyber attacks.

Threats are evolving faster than ever, and Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great time to focus on your cybersecurity efforts and be proactive in protecting yourself and your business.

Whether it’s refreshing your current security policies, adding new security measures, or even overhauling all your cybersecurity efforts all together, making time to further defend your business will benefit you in the long run. This month, make cybersecurity a priority and commit to protecting not only your data, but also the trust and safety of those who rely on you.