October 2024 marks the 21st annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This initiative was started by the US Department of Homeland Security, and has gone global in the effort to make our digital world safer, and promote the actions we can take to stay secure. In 2023, the enduring theme of Secure Our World was announced, and the steps below will help you do just that.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an international program that highlights the importance of integrating cybersecurity measures in our everyday lives, at work and at home. Our world is increasingly digitally interconnected, and so much of our lives are online. From shopping and banking, to medical appointments, and our jobs. However, this wonderful convenience does come with some serious risks.
Large-scale data breaches and cyberattacks are unfortunately growing in persistence across all industries, and therefore Cybersecurity Awareness Month serves as a reminder that there are simple and effective ways to stay safe online, and protect our personal data. Start the conversation with friends, family, and co-workers; are they aware of the importance of cybersecurity? Do they know how to take action, or do they need some guidance?
The initiative empowers everyone to educate themselves and understand the ways to protect yourself, your family, and your business from digital threats. It’s simple to incorporate and not as tricky as it may sound. The four points listed below were collated by the Secure Our World program to help us become more cybersecurity savvy in our everyday lives. Have a read through the list, and help Secure Our World today;
- Keep your software up to date – updates can help improve your system performance, and often they’re released to fix bugs. If you turn on automatic updates, you’ll ensure new releases aren’t missed
- Turn on any available multifactor authentication systems – for important apps on your phone, your email login, and any secure personal folders or online systems
- Use strong and unique passwords – consider passphrases which are even harder to crack. Utilise a password manager, they can store all your new passwords so you don’t need to worry about remembering everything
- Learn how to recognise phishing attacks, and then report them straight away. Look out for inconsistencies in email addresses, external links, and anything that asks for you to enter a password. Go directly to whoever looks to be contacting you, and confirm if it’s actually them
Engage in the conversation this October, it starts with YOU!
