Cybersecurity Awareness Month

As technology evolves throughout the years, so does the need for greater awareness. We all need to take proactive steps to protect our private information. For Cybersecurity Awareness Month, boost your team’s defense with cyber best practices. Let’s get into it.

For the average person, cybersecurity can seem like a daunting task. But the job shouldn’t fall solely on the IT team. Everyone has a role to play in protecting their organization’s data. Not to mention their own data.

We are nearing the end of Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Which exists as a reminder that data security can be achieved in a variety of ways. Following best practices can greatly impact how you maintain your network security.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month: What Is It?

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It encourages cybersecurity awareness and education. By providing people and organizations with information and resources that strengthen their defenses against online threats.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is led by two organizations. National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This collaborative effort involves a number of stakeholders, government agencies, industry leaders, and cybersecurity experts. The goal is to increase public knowledge of cyber threats and best practices.

Cyber Hygiene Best Practices: 4 Essentials for Robust Cyber Defense

The goal of this month is to promote essential cyber hygiene habits. To keep ourselves healthy, we have to practice good hygiene like brushing our teeth.

To secure our online environment, ongoing cyber hygiene habits form the foundation of our defense. They support both individuals and businesses.

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to all logins adds that extra layer of security. MFA can help protect an account from being hacked in most cases. Even when the cybercriminals know the password.

Microsoft claims that 99.9% of attempted account compromise can be stopped by MFA. With such a proven track record, everyone should be using it. And using it with every login they have.

Use a Password Manager & Strong Passwords

Password habits are essential for protecting your online accounts. Even with the growing use of biometrics, passwords are still the standard. Urge your team members to create strong, one-of-a-kind passwords for every account. Don’t use guessable information like names and birthdates.

Businesses can help this process by enforcing strict password policies. For the system to accept one, passwords should have to follow a guideline like passwords should include:

at least 12-characters
at least 1 upper case letter
at least 1 lower case letter
at least 1 number
at least 1 symbol

Update Software

Cybercriminals are notorious for taking advantage of outdated software vulnerabilities. You should regularly update firmware, apps, and operating systems. This guarantees that the latest security patches are in place.

To ensure these updates are completed on time, it’s smart to automate them. Endpoint device managers are a useful tool for businesses to manage all employee device updates. Some managers like Intune to improve endpoint security and streamline these procedures.

Identifying and Reporting Phishing

Phishing attacks are a common cyber threat. Educating the members of your team to spot phishing emails, malicious links, and unsolicited files can be crucial for your protection. Urge them to check the email address of the sender. Employees should never divulge private information until they are positive of the sender’s identity.

In addition to email, it’s important to teach staff on the different types of phishing out there. Text messaging phishing, otherwise known as “smishing” is a growing threat. Some criminals will use social media messaging to target victims.

Reporting on phishing is another component of raising awareness. If you report a phishing tactic, fellow employees are less likely to fall for the same scam. Reporting also informs the IT team so they can take action to mitigate damage. Make sure to clearly instruct employees on how they can report phishing.

We Can Help Implement Cyber Hygiene Best Practices

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great way to bring attention back to how important cybersecurity is. As well as prioritizing important cyber hygiene procedures. It’s important to instill a strong cybersecurity awareness culture in your business. It can be the difference between vulnerability and resilience.

If you need help making your business more secure and robust, get in touch! Our team of experts can get you going with the basics. Your company will be a lot more secure because of it.

Call today to schedule a chat.

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