Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Strengthening Your Team's Defense with Essential Cyber Hygiene

As technology continues to advance, so does the need for heightened awareness and proactive measures to safeguard sensitive information.

Cybersecurity can seem like an insurmountable task for everyday people, but everyone should play a part in keeping their organization’s data (not to mention their own data) safe.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It serves as a timely reminder that there are many ways to safeguard data. Following the basics can make a big difference in how secure your network remains.

What Is Cybersecurity Awareness Month?

Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CAM) is an annual initiative held every October. It promotes cybersecurity awareness and education and aims to empower individuals and organizations by giving them knowledge and resources. It helps people strengthen their defenses against cyber threats.

CAM started as a U.S. initiative, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month but, it quickly spread around the globe. It’s led by two agencies:

• National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA)
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)

This collaborative effort involves various stakeholders, including government agencies, industry leaders, and cybersecurity expert. The goal is to raise awareness about cyber risks and best practices.

This Year’s Theme

This is CAM’s 20^th year. To celebrate, 2023’s theme revolves around looking at how far cybersecurity has come, as well as how far it has yet to go. This year, CAM focuses on four key best practices of cybersecurity.

These are:

• Enabling multi-factor authentication
• Using strong passwords and a password manager
• Updating software
• Recognizing and reporting phishing

Let’s take a closer look at these four best practices of good cyber hygiene.

Essential Cyber Hygiene: 4 Keys to a Strong Defense

Central to Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the promotion of essential cyber hygiene practices. We follow good hygiene to maintain physical health (for example, we brush our teeth every day).

Cybersecurity also requires ongoing good hygiene practices to secure the online environment. These practices form the foundation of a strong cybersecurity defense and help both individuals and organizations.

Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Implementing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds a vital layer of security to all logins. In most cases, a hacker can't breach an account protected by MFA, even if the cyber crook has the password.

According to Microsoft, MFA can block 99.9% of attempted account compromise attacks. With that strong track record, everyone really should be using it on every login they have.

<H3>Strong Passwords & a Password Manager</H3>

Passwords remain a critical aspect of securing online accounts. Despite the increased use of biometrics, passwords still rule. Encourage your team members to use strong, unique passwords for each account and to avoid easily guessable information like birthdays or names.

Companies can help by setting strong password enforcement rules. This requires a strong password before it’s accepted in a system. For example, you may set up a policy that requires a password to have:

• At least 12 characters
• At least 1 upper case letter
• At least 1 lower case letter
• At least 1 number
• At least 1 symbol

Updating Software

Outdated software creates vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit. Regularly update operating systems, applications, and firmware to ensure the latest security patches are in place.

Automating updates is a good way to ensure they are done promptly. Companies can use endpoint device managers to handle updates across all employee devices.

Recognizing and Reporting Phishing

Phishing attacks are a common vector for cyber threats. Train your team to identify phishing emails, suspicious links, and unsolicited attachments. Encourage them to verify the sender's email address and never provide sensitive information unless certain of the recipient's authenticity.

It’s also important to educate employees about phishing beyond email. Phishing via text messages has been increasing significantly and some criminals even phish via direct messages on social media platforms.

Another important aspect of phishing awareness is to report phishing. If reported, other employees know to avoid that phishing trap. The organization’s IT team also needs to know so they can take action to mitigate the threat. Be sure to let employees know how they can report a phishing email when they suspect one.

We Can Help You Put the Best Cyber Hygiene Practices in Place

CAM offers a valuable opportunity to refocus on the significance of cybersecurity and prioritizing essential cyber hygiene practices. Building a culture of cybersecurity awareness within your team is important; it can be the difference between vulnerability and resilience.

Need some help ensuring a more secure and resilient future? Our team of experts can get you going on the basics. Once those are in place, your organization will be more productive and much more secure.

Give us a call today to schedule a chat.

Article used with permission from The Technology Press.