October is National Cybersecurity Month

October is National Cybersecurity Month

October 3, 2019

Held every October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCSAM) is a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and to ensure that all Americans have the resources they need to be safer and more secure online. This year’s message on Own IT. Secure IT. Protect IT. focuses on key areas including citizen privacy, consumer devices, and eCommerce security. 

By taking the following proactive steps at home and in the workplace, we can all improve cybersecurity:

  1. Use complex passwords – the best passwords are those made up of completely random characters including the upper and lower case, numbers and symbols and at least 16 characters in length.  In addition, the same password should not be used for multiple accounts nor stored on your web browser.
  2. Never give out your password or login credentials – This includes to family members, friends, and coworkers. 
  3. Use caution when accessing public WiFi – Hackers regularly troll public WiFi sites to “steal” your private information including passwords for work-related systems. 
  4. When in doubt, don’t open email attachments – A good dose of skepticism should be applied to email requests and attachments, even if appearing to be from a trusted source.  The most common phishing scams tend to appear to be legitimate bank notifications, online purchases, photo attachments, shipping notices, and online dating services. If in doubt, don’t open the attachment. Verify by phone using your contact information.
  5. Don’t neglect your mobile devices – Any mobile device is also vulnerable to a cyberattack.  Using the basic security precautions such as using passwords, reporting loss or theft immediately and never leaving your phone unattended can cut down on the vulnerability of your mobile device.
  6. Plan for an attack – Nearly 59 percent of U.S. small and medium-sized businesses do not have a contingency plan that outlines procedures for responding to and reporting data breach losses9. Have a plan in place for how to respond to a data breach or cyberattack included ransomware threats. 

If you have questions regarding Cybersecurity for your business, contact Dewpoint today to assist in assessing, planning and training.  We also offer “SWAT” teams if your business has been attacked. 

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