October has arrived which means it’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month again! Every year, this month is designated as time to remind people of cyber threats and protections – how to spot them, what to do when you notice something, and proactive steps you can take to safeguard yourself and your business.
Our world continues to become more digital and technology reliant over time. While this evolution is great, it also means we face more threats online that can cause significant damage if not acted on quickly.
This year’s theme from the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency is “Securing the Next 250” – focused on staying secure now and in the country’s next 250 years.
Here are some practical and easy-to-follow tips that you can focus on this month (and all year) according to CISA to increase your cybersecurity levels and protect your information:
Understanding what phishing scams are is the first step. These are when hackers impersonate people or organizations you commonly communicate with to try and gain access to sensitive data – passwords, bank information, insider information, etc. Avoiding these and reporting them to your IT team can help stop hackers in their tracks.
Learn more about phishing and other types of cyber threats.
Having a good password is typically your easiest line of defense. While it might seem time consuming or difficult to keep up with, having unique, not easily guessable passwords for all your accounts makes you less of a target and keeps your information secure. And make sure you update them all regularly.
While strong passwords are a great first step to keeping your information secure, there is more you can do to help prevent people from gaining access if they do get your passwords. Utilizing multi-factor authentication (MFA) makes it so people have to go through additional security steps to get into your accounts even if they have the password, so hackers have a harder time getting in. And a password manager gives you a safe place to keep all those unique passwords together, so you don’t have to try and remember them all.
It seems like apps and software need updates all the time, so it’s easy to skip over them (and eventually forget about them). But these updates typically include security features that protect the software and information stored within it. If you’re using outdated versions, it’s easier for cyber criminals to create chaos.
Focusing on these four main steps this Cybersecurity Awareness Month can minimize your risk online. Making time to do it now will benefit your business in the long run, ensuring you maintain the credibility and trust your employees and clients have in you.
